1st scope need advice

[sbrasuel]

Help!
I am buying my first scope. I am looking at Zeiss 85mm, Swarovski HD 80mm and Pentax ED 80mm (i'd love the 100mm but I'm a trudger). I found a pretty good deal for Zeiss 85mm including zoom eyepiece and Zeiss tripod included "free". This is a Zeiss Xmas special. Does anyone have an opinion on this tripod? Also, what would be the top 3 tripod/head to buy?

Thanks,
Summer

[IanF]

Hi sbrasuel,

On behalf of Admin and the Moderators I'd like to welcome you to Bird Forum :t:

They all sound decent scopes to me, though if I was starting over knowing what I do now, then I'd probably plum for the Swarovski as their scopes are of such high quality. Mind you I'd have digiscoping in mind - if you're just wanting one for viewing through then I'd say they should all give very good results - best advice would be to take a look at them all and see which design suits you best.

Hopefully someone else will chip in on the tripod issue. Main thing it needs to be pretty sturdy and rock steady.

[CJW]

Welcome Summer.
I agree with Ian - the ATS80HD is a cracking piece of kit, as are the 'other two' you mentioned.
I use a Manfrotto MN055 tripod with a 128RC head. Bit heavy, but does the job I want it to.
Chris

[Jane Turner]

I'm a big fan of lightweight gear.... a scope/tripod isn't much use to you if you can't be bothered to lug it about...

My other top tip, if you are buying a big scope...is to buy secondhand....

[rdspalm]

You should consider a decent carbon fiber tripod like the Manfrotto range.
These are very sturdy but very much lighter to carry than traditional tripods. The difference is worth paying for especially if you want to carry your new scope way into the field.

[sbrasuel]

Thanks for the quick responses. I do plan on taking pix w/ my set-up. I currently have a Canon G2. Does anyone have input on the Scopetronix digicam adaptors or are you all using the proprietary adaptors made by your respective scope manufacturers? Questions, questions...

Summer

[Tim Allwood]

I'm with Jane on this....

get something as light as possible - worth its weight in gold!

[Bluetail]

You should consider a decent carbon fiber tripod like the Manfrotto range.
These are very sturdy but very much lighter to carry than traditional tripodsHow stable are they in a force 8, or do you need a heavier one for seawatching?

Jason

[IanF]

I must admit that whilst I wouldn't mind one myself, I can't count the numer of times that I have seen a carbon fibre tripod blown over, scope and all. Whilst the Manfrotto's maybe heavier to carry they are certainly more secure!

[GR Triever]

Help!
I am buying my first scope. I am looking at Zeiss 85mm, Swarovski HD 80mm and Pentax ED 80mm (i'd love the 100mm but I'm a trudger). I found a pretty good deal for Zeiss 85mm including zoom eyepiece and Zeiss tripod included "free". This is a Zeiss Xmas special. Does anyone have an opinion on this tripod? Also, what would be the top 3 tripod/head to buy?

Thanks,
Summer

I bought the same setup back in October, and I'm very happy with it. The weight isn't bad unless you plan on hiking over long distances, and the stability (at least to me) more than makes up for the weight disadvantage.

[sbrasuel]

Thanks for the positive feedback on the Zeiss setup. Have you tried digiscoping with this setup?

[GR Triever]

Yes; I use it in combination with a Toshiba PDR-4300 camera. There's a good link to compare various scope/camera combinations at http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/mr/ds/ds_combinations.htm which includes the Zeiss scope.

Also, here are three resized but otherwise unretouched photos, taken under various weather and lighting conditions :

[sbrasuel]

Great shots! What eyepiece are you using or is it thru the scope only? I have to get up to speed on all this. It will take some time. I took the plunge and bought the Zeiss kit w/ tripod. I am too impatient to wade thru the tripod buying process when I figure the Zeiss is good enough. Plus its a reasonably good deal. Thanks for the link, I'll be studying digiscoping as soon as I figure out how. Meanwhile here are my only pictures taken using my friends Televue 85mm scope w/ 22mm Nagler eyepiece and Canon G2 camera...we are amatuer astronomers as well so have all these fancy eyepieces already...I resized but not edited.

[GR Triever]

Great shots! What eyepiece are you using or is it thru the scope only? I have to get up to speed on all this. It will take some time. I took the plunge and bought the Zeiss kit w/ tripod. I am too impatient to wade thru the tripod buying process when I figure the Zeiss is good enough. Plus its a reasonably good deal. Thanks for the link, I'll be studying digiscoping as soon as I figure out how. Meanwhile here are my only pictures taken using my friends Televue 85mm scope w/ 22mm Nagler eyepiece and Canon G2 camera...we are amatuer astronomers as well so have all these fancy eyepieces already...I resized but not edited.

Summer,

Those shots were taken using the Zeiss 20-60x zoom eyepiece, with zoom set as follows:

Pic 1, 30x
Pic 2, 20x
Pic 3, around 40x-45x

The camera settings were full manual, with optical telephoto advanced just far enough to eliminate scope vignetting, and digital zoom disabled in the camera. BTW, the Zeiss tripod is actually a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 with 3130 head; I find it works well, although I may look at a 501Pro video head so I don't have to snug the thumbscrews quite as tight. Do a web search for "digiscoping" and you'll find tons of links to help you learn about this technique.

Good Luck!

GR

[digi-birder]

I'll be studying digiscoping as soon as I figure out how.

Take a look at how I digiscoped using the G3 (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=6128).

Some of the photos in my gallery were taken using this setup, which gave better results than my previous Coolpix 995. However, I am about to upgrade to DSLR, so the gear is being sold.

[Steve Jones]

Summer, If you are admitting to being a 'trudger' I would not want any of the scopes you quoted! (not to mention the required 'sturdy' tripod). As a lifelong 'trudger' myself I'm very much with the 'light is great' team.
From reading your posts, it looks like you will end up carrying a lot of kit anyway. You will need it for digiscoping properly.Thereby lies a dilemma!
Steve.

[sbrasuel]

GR, Thanks for the setup info. I wasn't expecting decent shots using a zoom eyepiece!

Steve, I know you are right but the deed is done. For now I'm just going to be happy with what I have and try not to think about my misery as I trudge the levies of south San Francisco Bay and surrounding hills ;-) In the Sierra Navada I will find a ridge and a chair :) By the time I am sick of lugging my G2 and assorted necessities new and better "stuff" will be available (including a new set of knees). This is a given. By now we know "never look back" when it comes to technology.

Diane thanks for the setup info. So far I LOVE my G2. It takes great pix even in auto mode. Thanks for reminding me of the focus braceting feature I'll give it a try.

BTW - I am getting up before the crack of dawn tomorrow to drive 3 hours to watch the release of 6 California Condors. It may be my only chance to ever see one "in the wild".

I'll keep you all posted on my trials and tribulations with my new Zeiss 85mm. Its will be delivered tomorrow...AFTER my Condor trip.

Summer

[Doug]

I would just add - look through the scopes side by side in field conditions ad buy the one YOUR eye - not everyone elses, tells you is best.

However, I defy you to beat the Swaro for pure optical and handling quality. It has revolutionised my birding.

On the tripod front, we walk with our kit, using a quick release sam browne style belt system and so the manfrotto carbon fibre is our choice, with the 128RC head. This works well for digiscoping too. I have never had the tripod become unstable in high winds, yet - but have to confess we have not seawatched with it at force eight!!

Whatever you buy from those you list, it will enhance your birding no end.

Doug

[sbrasuel]

I receive my Zeiss 85mm. Its awsome! First bird from my backyard was a red-shafted Northern Flicker, 2nd bird an American Kestral. The detail was amazing. I later viewed a Kestral right after sundown and even in the dim light and clouds I could see amazingly well. I also viewed Jupiter this a.m. and saw 4 moons and the bands around the equator. It was crisp and clear, no halo affects. Cool!

I bought a kit that included the scope, 20-60 zoom eyepiece and a tripod. The tripod is a Bosh F-6302 w/
Quick Release Ballhead with Removable Center Column Monopod - Supports 15.5 lb (no apparent model # on the head). Total weight of tripod/head is 6.6 lbs. I think is quite acceptable weight-wise. The rig w/ scope weighs 9.8 lbs. I can definitly live with that!

I found the head to be a bit stiff while rotating left to right, but I hope that will smooth out over time.

While attending the release of California Condors at The Pinnacles State Park on Friday I was able to look through a wide variety of scopes. The top scopes present were Zeiss 65mm, Leica 77mm, Swarovski 65mm and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the differences. Overall I liked the Zeiss, Leica and then the Swarovski, However, the Leica has the bigger objective so it was brighter. I would not say it was sharper though. I think they were about the same in that respect. I had them side-by-side so I was able to do a good comparison.

BTW - the young condors refused to leave their pen. The article in the newspaper summed it up pretty well. The headline read "its my party, I'll fly if I want to". I plan to go back after the holidays to try to see them again.

Summer

[scampo]

Sounds as if you've been having some fun. Enjoy the new scope - it's a beauty!

[sbrasuel]

I fixed the sticky tripod head by cleaning, polishing w/ toothpaste (mild abrasive). adjusting some fasteners and applying new lubricant. Its smooth as can be now.
sb

[scampo]

I hope you didn't use fluoride toothpaste - it's getting such a bad press these days!