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Please let us know how they work out for you SMark.

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Well, I have to say I really like it. It does take a bit of getting used to with regard to getting the positioning just right and all, but that's pretty much all it is. Once acclimated to the mechanics of it all it's pretty easy to adjust and position everything correctly the fist time. I first tried it with my 16x80 and it worked great.

I will say this though, that heartbeat thang is a bit annoying. I'll try using more cushion behind me and see if that tames things a bit. It becomes a big deal when viewing Jupiter because the planet will obviously bounce with each heartbeat. But when I moved over to M45 and then M42 it didn't seem to be as noticeable.

Though I did find a way to make it go away entirely... I attached my Canon IS binoculars to it instead. I tried all three... The 10x42, the 15x50, and the 18x50 (recently acquired) and in each case it was as steady as staring at a painting on the wall from 5 feet away. Yeah, rock-steady. I could get used to that real fast. Nothing like sitting comfortably in a chair with your head and neck supported and looking at rock-steady views of the heavens...

So I'm really happy with it. It might be fun to build something like a Dobsonian platform of sorts to set the zero gravity chair onto, with a couple handles attached to the base to give a bit of left-to-right movement when needed. Something to think about anyway. Something like that could keep you from ever having to get up and reposition the chair.

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Oh, SMark!
You had to mention how good the Canon 15x50 are on the magic arm...Like I need to spend more money on mounts
Just to repay you in kind , instead of building a Dobsonian base, why don't you get a sun-tracker chair and find a way to mount the magic arm to its frame?
Sun tracker
Marco

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Heh Heh...

Yeah, the Suntracker should work well with the Magic Arm. I like the zero gravity chair because it does zenith with ease and comfort. Observing at zenith is most difficult with a typical tripod, unless you have 45°/90° setup (which I don't.)

Any time you attach your instrument to the same frame you are sitting in, you will get unwanted movement and vibrations affecting the image to some extent. It's not a whole lot in this case, but the Canon IS makes it zero.

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The Manfrotto Magic Arm comes with two allen wrenches, to tighten up over time as it gets loose. Would tightening them up now make it better for my heavy 25x100 binos; or would it damage or make it wear out quicker.

I tightened my pistol grip monopod with the provided allen wrench with great sucess of preventing/eliminating creeping/shortening of the monopod with the weight of 9 & 15x63mm Orion Minigiant binos. Before tightening they would not stay up but creed down.

But the manfroto system is mor complicated, and the lever to "lock" is very hard and tight already. Before I use the allen wrenches, I would like some experienced user feedback (to prevent damage and/or give me confidence).

Thanks Ken

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Also anybody know how these clamp on the inside. Since I sometimes observe in extreme cold (like this month) is there anthing like rubber or bungee cords inside that may snap in the colde, or is everything , metal (cables or breaks, or metal hinges that can take the cold). Anyone out there use them in below freezing temps? Thanks for any feedback, before I learn by trial and error.

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