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A scope at last!! (1 Viewer)

J

joser

Well-known member
I'm so excited. I have just received my very 1st scope from Warehouse Express. I didnt have much to spend on it, as Ive just bought my first car aswell, so I opted for a Opticron MM2. I know its not the most expensive of scopes but im sure it will do for my first!! I have yet to get an eyepiece though but Ill order one on Friday as thats when I get paid!! Any recommendations?? Anybody else got an MM2? What do you think of it?

Up till now my bins have surviced (is that right?) but now as I get into it more I find Im dipping out cos my bins just dont quite reach!

Also, Im about to become a member of the WMBC (West Midlands Bird Club) due to just falling upon their website. Anybody else a member? Funnily enough I have just finished reading Bill Oddie's "Gone Birding" and he recalls his early memories of the WMBC. Its a good read!!
 
Really pleased for you whatever scope you get Joey there'll be something out of reach, its the way of the world..

The MM2's a good little scope for the money. I still use it when I want something lightweight

Both the mm2 lens the 25x & 15-40 zoom are fine. I think the zoom is worth the extra but it comes down to personal preference. I have both and don't use the 25x much now if you want it you can have it for free.

Hope you get hours of happy birding out of the scope.
 
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A friend of mine has the MM2 and zoom lens ( an impulse buy from RSPB Titchwell) and is very happy with it. Its very light and fits into a rucksack along with a small tripod and still leaves room for food, waterproofs etc. I have a Kowa 823 and tripod and that weighs about 10 times as much!

AndyC
 
Hi Joey

Glad to hear you're joining the West Midland Bird Club, and I hope you get alot out of membership. There's a branch in Tamworth with indoor and outdoor meetings, if that's your thing. There are a few other members on Birdforum, including a couple on the Executive Council ;). Pm me if you've got any questions.

Gone Birding is my favourite Oddie book, because it covers places I know well like Upton Warren. Unfortunately it appears to be out of print at the moment.

--
Andy
 
My wife uses a MM2 with zoom and is very happy with it - it certainly is a cracking little scope.

As for the question of fixed or zoom eyepiece it's very much personal choice - I have alwys used zooms and would not be with out one. That said the offer from Pete (a couple of post up) of the 25x is well worth taking up - you can always invest in another eyepeice in the future.
 
Joey,

I only got my first (second hand) scope a couple of months ago and it's been a revelation - wouldn't be without it now. I use a fixed 30x eyepiece and that seems to cover most situations.

I hope you get as much enjoyment from your new scope as I've had from mine. It's ace for reservoirs / large lakes etc.

I've just joined The WM Bird Club at the weekend (at the Brandon Bird Fair near Coventry). By coincidence, I'm also reading a Bill Oddie at the moment - Gripping Yarns. A good read, particularly when he's talking about birding in the 50s and 60s (when rain was proper rain, twitchers rode to twitches on pigs 'cos they couldn't afford cars, and they had to use toilet roll tubes for telescopes, not like today etc) ;)
 
Hi Joey,
The MM2 is a cracking little scope. I bought my mother the original which was very good at the time but the MM2 is much better. I think you will have lots of fun with it. Don't forget that you can watch things quite close as well such as insects at the minimum focussing range.

The West Midlands Bird Club is a great organisation and I think you will get lots of help from the members there. I am not a member as I live outside of their area quite a lot of the time.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied. I guess a lot about equipment is basically just down to what suits the user. A big thanks to Pete for letting me have the 25x eyepiece. Just looking forward to being able to use it!!
Another quick question. Does anyone have the grippa strap for their MM2 and how useful do you find it? I dont want to waste money on it if I could spend it on something more useful (eg a better pod!!!) Thanks
 
We do not have the grippa strap, but I have used one, and was not over impressed. I would say that a decent tripod would be a smarter investment.
If you want something to allow you to use the MM2 'hand held' try and Cullman shoulder pod - basically a little mount that wedges against your shoulder giving that bit more stability. I use on with a Kowa 501 when not taking all my kit out and have found it to be very useful.
 
My rough rule of thumb is that with anything over 12x it is very difficult to hand hold bins or scope. You might just get reasonable view up to say 15x to 20x but there will be detail you cannot see for shake. I would go for a tripod especially as you are at 25x I believe.
 
I hope to have mastered the use of scopes for digital pictures, especially the buzzards that come so low over the garden, I have so far not quite got the hang of it, but practice is the answer I think.
Nina.
 
Joey, same stage as you. I just bought my first scope recently ( ironically also an Opticron MM2 )because like yourself I wanted something relatively cheap and because its my first scope I don't really know whether or not it will be a shrewd purchase as I don't know the difference between a good and a bad scope yet.
 
Watcha
sounds a cracking little scope. I'm sure you'll see loads of people lugging around monsters that actually stop you from birding properly!
And with a shoulder pod you can take it anywhere and hardly notice you've got it.
The Bill Oddie books are a great read and a source of inspiration. I'm sure with this combination you'll get a lot out of birding.
Enjoy it.
 
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