Any 'twitchers' in here? (Ornithological type)

  • Thread starter Deleted member 30535
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Deleted member 30535

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Was looking to get a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope for a mix of bird/wildlife and general use when on holiday (cruises/sightseeing). As I like to do a bit of photography as well, I often have a tripod with me so used to 'handling' such a thing when in a static or semi-static position.

Stabilised binoculars look good but look a tad expensive as well. Was thinking of about £300. Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks.
 
I've owned a few sets over the years and found that the biggest differentiating factor is the quality of the lens. May seem obvious, but many people are bedazzled by lens aperture and magnification. Generally, the best I have had have been made by companies with a bit of lens experience - Canon, Leica , Nikon etc. It's only when you get the chance of a side by side comparison between good and poor/average lenses that the difference really hits you. "Night and day" would not be an exaggeration - or CRT v Oled.
I just checked Amazon and a pair of Nikon Monarch 5 are currently £299 (I had a pair of Monarch 7s, which were superb for the price, and I doubt the 5s would be much of a compromise).
Tip - If you're ever out Twitching and a friendly but slightly smug-looking punter offers you a quick squint through his four grand Leicas, don't do it. You will spend your life with lens envy or fork out the money.
Edit: And you will wonder why he/she only looked slightly smug.
 
Kenko used to make an eyepiece for SLR lenses called Lens2cope that did what it says on the tin. Never used one & they seem to be discontinued now but might be worth a trawl of Ebay to see if you can pick one up cheap.


If you scroll up from that link there's details of a DIY job.
 

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