3157N versus 200USS
Yesterday a birder brought in their high-end spotting scope with a mangled foot and stripped threads from repeatedly over-tightening the 3157N Bogen quick-release plate. I see this all the time - it’s the bane of birders everywhere. It’s annoying setting up your scope and tripod only to find the scope a little wobbly atop the tripod head. You've got to pop it off the quick-release, tighten down the D-ring, snap the scope back on...and who knows what bird you've missed by the time this takes. Not twenty minutes will pass and it seems like the blasted thing loosens up again.
Those of us who have used the 3157N plate understand how frustrating this problem is. The guide pin included with the plate is completely worthless, as spotting scope manufacturers do not place a corresponding hole on the foot that is specifically designed to mate with it. If you must use the 3157N plate, I suggest removing the pin as it generally ends up scratching the heck out of the scope's foot, and you'll get an even better cinch without it!
Bogen certainly didn't have three-pound spotting scopes in mind when they designed the 3157N quick-release plate. While it isn't recommend that you carry the scope and tripod around attached, I know everyone does it. Hey, I do, too! But the reason I no longer have this particular problem is because I've ditched the 3157N plate in favor of the Bogen 200USS Universal Anti-twist plate. It's the best $52.95 that I've ever spent on my scope and has saved me countless headaches, especially when digiscoping.
The 200USS plate is a pretty ingenious device, actually. The bottom plate is formed similarly to a 3157N plate, but it is grooved on the upper-side to match a second plate that has two rubber-padded locking bolts attached to it. The D-ring will tightening a ¼"x20 screw into the bottom of the scope's foot, then you tighten the two locking bolts to one surface of the scope's foot for a super grip that will not come loose.
Link: See the 200USS attached to my Swarvoski AT80 HD spotting scope
posted by Mike McDowell @ 7:00 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
For those of you with the Bogen 3157N plate, one drop of blue Loctite, available at most auto parts stores, will solve your problem.
Using loctite may seem like a good alternative, but you can’t trust Bogen to be consistent with the position of the 3157N shoe. Take the new 701RC2 head, for example. It’s 3157N shoe is rotated 90 degrees. Should you have used loctite to glue the 3157N to your scope in one direction, and upgrade to a different head, you may find this to be more trouble than it was worth. My point is this: You’ve dropped $1,500.00 or more on a spotting scope, right? To my mind another fifty bucks is a minor investment to solve this problem once and for all. The 200USS rotates so you can configure it to be used on 3000 or 700 series Bogen heads. Plus, there are some scope cases that require you to remove the quick-release plate should you want to remove it. Personally, I wouldn’t glue anything to my Swarovski scope!
Mike M.
The blue Loctite, #242, is not a glue. It is a removable thread retainer which will solve the problem of the screw backing out, but will still be easily removed. The 200 USS does look nice, and if I were buying a new tripod that would be the way to go; however, I personally can't see spending $50 to solve a $5 problem.
Anyway, thanks for your excellent posts. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the feedback on my blog!
But what if you own the Zeiss diascope and you want to use their nice digital camera adapter/base for digiscoping? It doesn't accept the 3157N plate and instead goes directly to 1/4"x20 threads with a matching locking pin (won’t spin). If you’ve fixed a 3157N to the bottom of your Zeiss with loctite, you could mount a Bogen 3299 quick-change adapter, but then you’ll have the loosening problem again unless you loctite it to the Zeiss base! My point is, you won’t have to worry about anything if you get the 200USS. It’s true that the $52.95 price is high, but I like its simplicity and convenience in the way it solves this particular problem.
I always find it interesting when people are willing to spend $1,500.00 or $2,000.00 on high-end optics but then skimp on things like tripods, mounts and elegant accessories to make life better.
I cannot recommend using loctite.
This blog post elicited a brief debate here at Eagle optics. In discussing the loctite solution with a few colleagues, one person had this to say:
"The loctite solution is good for someone who is planning on removing the plate as infrequently as possible, or never. But if you do remove the plate, you would need to reapply loctite to the thread each time you re-thread it back in."
Another advised:
"But I would worry about using loctite around a fine optical instrument like a spotting scope. That stuff is not easy to remove and could be disastrous if it got on your objective lens."
Choose your solution wisely!
Hey Mike..
I was reading your post and got to thinking that the anti twist plate would probably make a good xmas present for my boyfriend.
I don't know a whole lot about scopes and tripods, but I know he always complains about how he needs one of those locking plates!
Do you know if the particular plate you posted will work with a Leica Televid APO 77mm scope and a Manfrotto/Bogen 3130 head?
Also, when you find out that the new Leica digiscoping adapter is available, could you say something here or leave a note on my blog? Thanks so much!!
Yes - the 200USS will work with the Leica Televid & 3130 head.
When the Leica digiscoping adapter is available, I will post about it.
Cheers,
Mike
I bought the 200USS to use with my Nikon Sky & Earth 80mm, and it worked like a charm. When I upgraded to the Nikon ED82A, I found that the guide screw on the 3157N plate fit into the scope's foot. Although the fit is not perfect, and there is some slight wobble, the 200USS is no longer necessary. This is something to consider if you use the angled version of the scope, and remove the case to change the orientation of the eyepiece. It is impossible to remove the case with the 200USS mounted, but easy with just the 3157N plate.
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