The tripods we sell are extra tall and sturdy- so that you will be able to view to the entire sky while standing, without having to crouch down. You need to get your body right up against the tripod- and the handle is in the way unless it extends forward. Your arm will be more comfortable reaching forward than crammed up against your chest. You'll also find that the tripod head will now allow the binoculars to point straight up. Zenith viewing can still be a real pain in the neck- for a little less strain when looking straight up, try sitting while tilting the tripod back on two legs.
Most amateur astronomers avoid zoom binoculars due to inherent limitations with zoom optics.
We used to feel that the advantages and convenience of the zoom feature was worth the trade-offs, but our initial enthusiasm for zooms has decidely cooled with experience. Nevertheless zooms are quite useful for nature studies, sporting events, occasional night sky viewing, etc.- so we continue to make them available. Many people that look at the prices of our house-brand Oberwerk binoculars are skeptical of the quality. This is frustrating to us, but understandable- as most people think you generally get what you pay for . Let us try to briefly explain why we are the exception to that assumption.