On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 15:47:32 -0000, mike wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> John Forbes wrote: > >> I used to know somebody who was perhaps the best "birder" in East >> Africa. >> He used green Leitz rubber-armoured (and "waterproof") 8*40 binoculars, >> and said that the lack of magnification compared to 10*50 was not very >> much, and the slight disadvantage was more than offset by the bins being >> smaller, lighter, quicker to home in on the bird, and faster to focus. > > They are not just waterproof, they are sealed and filled with dry > nitrogen. Which goes some way to justifying the price - about four > times what Bob was proposing to spend, the last time I looked. Perhaps I didn't make myself perfectly clear. I wasn't proposing that Bob buy Leitz binoculars; I was saying that experienced bird-watchers prefer 8x40 to 10x50. John >> This was some time ago, but I believe that 8*40 was then pretty much de >> rigeur in the "birding" (ugh) fraternity, and I doubt if things have >> changed much since then. >> >> His camera was an OM1 with a complete set of Novoflex lenses. >> >> John >> >> On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:34:15 -0000, mike wilson >> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> wrote: >> >> >>> Bob W wrote: >>> >>> >>>> thanks for replying. I am kind of veering towards the 10x50s, although >>>> they are rather more than I really want to pay for fairly casual use. >>>> This is because of the combination of magnification and brightness, >>>> but then there is a reduced field of view. >>>> >>>> I'm given to understand that anything where the exit pupil diameter / >>>> magnification is less than 5 is considered a bit too dim for birds. I >>>> have previously used 8 x something-less-than-40, and thought it was >>>> ok. I have a pair of 12x50 which have only a 5.5 degree fov, so >>>> finding things is quite difficult, and they are rather dim for me. I >>>> used some in Africa which were fantastically bright - Nikon, I think - >>>> and I really appreciated the brightness. >>>> >>>> I think the big difference between birding binoculars and others, such >>>> as hunting ones, is the close focus. Again, the pair I have do not >>>> focus at all closely, are very slow to focus, and are basically >>>> useless for looking at birds. They might be ok for looking at lions, >>>> but they are in short supply round the Thames Estuary. I expect the >>>> alligators eat them all. >>> >>> You've pretty much hit it on the head. The combination of close >>> focus/magnification/(objective diameter/exit diameter)/price/weight and >>> other features like waterproofing that works for you is something that >>> only you can decide. Quite often, good dealers will have open days for >>> you to experience different models. Might be worth trying to find one >>> of those before committing. >>> >>> Seasonal greetings to all. >>> >> >> >> >> > > -- Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
