[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Big Binoculars for Birding



Carolinabirders,

Like many of you, I am very interested in optics.  Also like many of you, I
would have more optical hardware if money were no object.

It has been interesting to follow the trends in optics designed for and used
by birders.  It was not that long ago that many people made the move to roof
prism binos.  For a while the 10x40 Zeiss was "the" weapon of choice if you
could afford it, and spotting scopes were mostly 60mm.  Of course a few
people made the plunge and bought a Questar, the ultimate birding scope.  As
birding began to grow in popularity along came the newer optics offerings.
Kowa, Swarovski, Leica, and Nikon all made a big move into the premium
binocular and scope market.  Roof prisms got PC coatings and spotting scopes
got larger apertures and better zoom eyepieces.  Its kind of funny  to see
the same manufacturers now pushing their newer, smaller scopes.

Lately I've begun to cultivate an interest in astronomy.  And if you think
birders are obsessed with their optics, you ought to talk to amateur
astronomers.  We all know that astronomers don't use spotting scopes, but
I'm not going to get into telescope discussions.  I do, however, want to
tell you a little about astronomers and their binoculars -- because some of
this can be useful to a birder.

First of all,  they don't give a rip about roof prism binos.  Just about
everything you see discussed on the various astronomy internet sites are
porro prism designs.  The emphasis is on aperture, and which binos do the
better jobs of separating double stars and giving good views of nebulas.
Center focus is also of little concern.  Surprisingly, many of the
binoculars bought by amateur astronomers are quite cheap, and apparently
quite good optically.  To get a feel for what these folks are thinking about
go to http://www.cloudynights.com/breviews/binorev.htm.  Or to look at an
online merchant of astronomy binoculars, go to
http://www.oberwerk.com/bigbinos/.   I think you will find these sites
interesting, even eye-opening.  Personally, I'd like to have a pair of the
top-of-the-line Fujinon 40X150 binoculars, but I don't have an extra $16,000
to spend right now.

What has intrigued me for several years is the idea of substituting big
binoculars for the spotting scope.  I get tired of squinting through one
eye, and I know that the two eye view is not only easier on the eyes, but
also gives your brain more information as it builds a picture.  I have read
that, all else being equal, the two-eyed view potlentially adds about 40% to
the clarity of the object being viewed through optical instruments.  In
addition, binoculars give the 3D view that single-eyepiece scopes can't
deliver.

The problem has been that most big binoculars (such as 16x70s or 20x80s) are
designed for astronomy.  They tend to be heavy, some have only individual
focus eyepieces, and they don't focus very close.  A recent exception to
this general rule is the new Pentax 20x60 PCF WP binocular.  I found it to
be highly praised on some of the astronomy sites.  It has plenty of power,
and with modest 60mm objectives it is fairly lightweight (46 oz).  It also
focuses down to 26 feet, which is about what your average spotting scope
will do.  It also has a wider field of view (2.2 degrees) than most spotting
scopes using a zoom lens.  And because you are using two eyes, you get the
brightness of a scope having a much larger aperture.  The Pentax optics are
crisp, the eye-relief is huge (21mm), and to top it off, the binocular uses
internal focusing and is waterproof.

I ordered a pair and they just arrived.  I have done some preliminary
comparing, and can say at this point that they give me a view just as good
as my 77mm Kowa scope at 20 power.  And the best part is this -- they cost
just a little over $200.  Of course, you need to use an adapter to put them
on your tripod.  They won't do you any good hand-held.  If you are
interested, you can find these pictured and described at several of the
online optics dealers.

I'll post more about these new binos after I have had a chance to use them
more.  That is, if it stops raining.

John

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
John and Paula Wright
1953-A Quail Ridge Rd
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 756-5139