Orion Paragon HD-F2 Tripod

Rating:
Summary: A good light weight tripod for spotter or camera
Review: I had been using this tripod with my 35mm cameras, medium format cameras (Hasselblads), ETX90 spotting scope and Orion Short Tube 80 refractor. The tripod performs well in most cases, and has a built in bubble level to help in leveling the tripod. The only shortcomings are that the pan head is difficult to adjust in small increments, so centering items in the telescopes are not as effortless as one would like. This tripod is a great platform for a 35mm camera or a medium format camera with shorter lenses. I have since "graduated" to the beefier Orion Paragon-Plus XHD Tripod for my heavier equipment, but still use the Paragon HD-F2 occasionally.

In extremely cold weather, I have had the plastic ring that holds the braces to the central column break. I was not using equal preassure when folding the legs while wearing gloves.