mikeb@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Burger) (09/02/89)
If someone had some money to spend on bird watching and
wanted to get a second pair of binocs that were:
1. Small - I want to have them with me all the time. I
want to add a pocket to my carry pack so I can grab the binocs
anywhere, anytime. Any reasonable weight will do.
2. High quality - I want sharpness even though with small
objectives I have to give way on the potential brightness.
3. Close focus - I do not watch birds at great distances and
have a nice pair of Nikons for that and I am working on a spotting
scope selection.
4. Good with eyeglasses - I have very strong lenses and cannot
practically remove my glasses to use the binocs, they need to work
with the glasses well.
What would you recomend if price were not a consideration. I
know some people on this group have taken the plunge and bought the
higher priced small binocs. What are specific recomendations.
Thanks in advance for any advice:
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Mike Burger, Chemistry, 2545 The Mall | University of Hawaii |
BITNET: MIKEB@UHCCUX.bitnet | Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822 |
INTERNET: mike@helium.chem.hawaii.edu Phone: (808) 948-7503mikeb@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Burger) (09/08/89)
I got a great response to my request for info on small binocs for birding if price were not a consideration. Zeiss was a surpisingly strong choice over Leitz with a less costly B&L option. Here is the collective net wisdom: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - If price is not an object, check out the small Zeiss. I find they are quite crisp and light. I also wear eye-glasses. They're fine - they have the little rubber things you can keep up while you're watching naked eye or put down for glasses. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I own a pair of the Zeiss 10x25 minis, and they are wonderful. I also must view through eyeglasses, and with these you can roll down the eyecups and see the whole field. They are optically as good as any Leitz or Zeiss binocular, dead sharp to the edge and with perfect color rendition. They focus to about 10-12 feet. The only problem I have is that they aren't great for action, since the field of view is somewhat smaller than my Battleship Binoculars (Zeiss 8x56's). I tend to prefer Zeiss over Leitz, mainly because comparable Zeiss models run about 15% cheaper than their Leitz equivalents yet they seem to have the same (very high) quality. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My mother loves the lightweight Leitz Trinovids. they are quite expensive and have a lifetime guarantee, and weight about 0 oz. They seem to me "awkward" to use, though I can't quantify exactly why. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I have been using a pair of Bushnell Custom Compacts (7x26) for 9 years and I have been really happy with them. Although some people cautioned against the Bushnell/Bausch and Lomb scopes, I have never had any complaints with these binos. I have taken them on numerous hiking and canoeing trips where they have been subjected to zillions of bumps, bangs and showers. The body is made of aluminum (as opposed to plastic) and the optics are excellent (no fuzzy edges or chromatic aberration). In short, these are rugged binos. Best of all, they are light and they have been my birding companion since the day I bought them. When I got them, they also came with a 25 year warranty. I don't know what the model is like now (they may not make them like they used to ...) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I own two pairs of binocs, a Zeiss 10x40 and a Bausch & Lomb Custom 7x26 (the ones endorsed by the National Audubon Society). I bought the Bausch & Lombs as a pair of binoculars that I could take with me when I was travelling on business (and didn't want to lug around a pair of full-size binocs). I wanted a pair that would be light, have sharp optics, close focus, and long eye relief (I'm also an obligate eyeglasses wearer). I'm very happy with them. They are light (about 11 oz.). They focus to about 7 or 8 feet; no trouble seeing the little guys flitting around right in front of you. They have an amazing field of view for such a small pair. When the eye cups are rolled down I almost can't tell that I'm wearing glasses. The images are wonderfully bright and sharp (although there's a bit of distortion at the edge of the field). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thanks for all the help, Now to decide :-) Mike Burger, Chemistry, 2545 The Mall | University of Hawaii | BITNET: MIKEB@UHCCUX.bitnet | Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822 | INTERNET: mike@helium.chem.hawaii.edu Phone: (808) 948-7503