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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. O

    Juvenile Coopers? Southern California

    So consensus is a Coopers then? Hurray, I got a hawk right, haha! Minor miracle, that. I've got another one in the same tree from earlier in the day but only the back is visible so there is not much to go on. I may let that one pass. Anyway, thanks everyone for comments and direction. Craig
  2. O

    Juvenile Coopers? Southern California

    Sorry for the newbie question, but I have a tough time identifying hawks and I want to get it right before I log it on eBird. Observed this afternoon in a residential area about 40 miles inland from Los Angeles and 5 miles south of the San Gabriel foothills. Thanks!
  3. O

    Song Sparrow? Southern California

    Hi All, I was on a hike this afternoon and spotted this small bird flitting around on the ground and in the underbrush of a mixed live oak canyon at about 2,500 ft elevation in the local foothills. It was getting dark and the bird would not sit still for more than a second so this was the best I...
  4. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    Thanks for the help and definitive answer. Its a humbling reminder of how poor an eyewitness one can be, haha.
  5. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    That's a possibility. I don't remember seeing wing banding or yellow/green but maybe I was just too focused on the red cap and tiny, puffy stature. The internet pictures look more similar to what I remember than the pictures in my book. I wish I had stayed to take a picture but I wanted to keep...
  6. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    Hi All, I'm trying to identify a small bird I spied when on an evening walk yesterday in the local foothills (about 2,500ft elev). I tried eBird and a book on So Cal birds to no avail so I'm hoping someone here can help. Perhaps it is a juvenile? Sorry I'm not a birder per se but have been...
  7. O

    Looking at buying an older Victory 8x32 T* FL (any recent changes?)

    BTW, I started a nearly identical thread back in September that you may find helpful. Good luck with your purchase. I really enjoy mine!
  8. O

    Looking at buying an older Victory 8x32 T* FL (any recent changes?)

    I have a pair (10x32) I picked up new (factory demo) a couple months ago. That piece does have a little bit of slop in it and can rotate back and forth about 5 mm.
  9. O

    Bino dealers in the countryside

    Optics4birding in Orange County, California has a nice little shop and a helpful owner. It's not in the country, but it is well-stocked and five steps to the front door presents a large, manicured parking lot (car park?) with a great variety of observing targets. Trees, flowers, grasses, mulch...
  10. O

    Possible source of veiling glare?

    Especially for something as condition-specific as glare, I would think that a direct comparison with a pair of known "benchmark" bins would be required for an observation to have much meaning, regardless of the age of the observer. That said, our eyes change as we age, although in different ways...
  11. O

    Nikon Monarch HG wins 1st Place in Field and Stream test of 13 new Binoculars.

    I agree with most here: too bad F&S felt it necessary to include a value parameter in the score when that is clearly such a personal issue. All they had to do was give the score (less the value component), the price, and the summary. I would think most F&S readers would be competent enough to...
  12. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Shrimpy it is, haha. Thanks for the clarification. I will add that FL in this model is for fluoride glass.
  13. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Good advice, thanks. Cash is definitely an issue, even with the deal I got on the Victorys. I have some astronomy equipment I want to clear out, so that may bring in enough to keep the Swaros. My wife has smaller hands so the Swaros might make a nice pair for her even though she would rarely, if...
  14. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    I did not do a direct, head-to-head comparison with the EL as none of the retailers in this area stock the Zeiss. That left me with a "memory" comparison from when I compared the ELs and the Ultravids last summer. It's not ideal, I know, but I clearly remember the ELs still having noticeable CA...
  15. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Well, as-new, anyway. They are factory demo units that I picked up for 1/3rd off. I purchased them as an upgrade from my 10x30 Swaro Companions which had too much CA for my eyes. I've only had the Zeiss out for about 30 minutes of viewing but so far can't find fault with them. Just one of those...
  16. O

    More detail/resolution with 10x versus 8x?

    No argument here. The 2 to 3 hours or so I spent comparing bins in the store was an eye-opening experience. I looked at pretty much every 30-ish mm model they had topping out price-wise with a pair of Ultravid HD (not plus) at $1,500. My current bin then was a 10x42 Carson HD ($250) and I was...
  17. O

    More detail/resolution with 10x versus 8x?

    Sorry for the typo on the magnification. The CL is 10x30. You are right about the light levels. Finding one's best acuity is pretty complex just on the lens/pupil side of things with nothing said about the signal processing side. Anyway, the CLs were the best I could afford at the time and...
  18. O

    More detail/resolution with 10x versus 8x?

    Great insights all, thank you. In this case I'm not deciding between 8 and 10 so much as trying to decide if a pair of used bins I purchased to replace/upgrade my current bins is up to snuff. My current bins are 8x30 Swaro Companions, less than a year old. The potential replacement is a 12...
  19. O

    More detail/resolution with 10x versus 8x?

    I was recently comparing 10x30 bins and 8x32 bins by mounting them on a tripod and viewing UPC labels and small text on various food containers from a distance of about 30 ft, going back and forth several times. In all cases the 10x binos were able to read finer text and separate more closely...
  20. O

    Head Opinions: Sirui VH-10 vs Gitzo GH1720

    FWIW, I have the Sirui VA-5, and dismayed at the cost of additional Sirui QR plates, called BHPhoto or other alternatives. According the their salesman, this Sirui head is compatible with Acra-style QR plates and directed me to several alternatives. I have yet to purchase one and try it out in...
  21. O

    Improvements to Zeiss Victory 8x32 FL T*

    Item# 192304213412 I've not yet let my binos get wet/muddy so the LotuTec wasn't a big loss for me either.
  22. O

    Does the 8x42 HT have ''significant astigmatism''?

    In my background of instruments used for astronomy, astigmatism is the inability to focus two different axis in the same plane. Testing a telescopic system is easy: point it at a medium-bright star at high power and rack it slowly back and forth across the focal plane. With no astigmatism the...
  23. O

    Improvements to Zeiss Victory 8x32 FL T*

    Is there a way to check if this pair is originally purchased in the US? I do have a 30 return period so I can return them if they were not.
  24. O

    Improvements to Zeiss Victory 8x32 FL T*

    Those are the ones. It took a few rounds but we agreed on a price. Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experience and knowledge. I hope they work out; I'm not eager to pay the price for new ones.
  25. O

    Improvements to Zeiss Victory 8x32 FL T*

    Do these hold up that well, that after 12 years they are still going strong? Pardon my ignorance. My other hobby is astronomy and I have some used scopes that will outlast me, but they don't have the gas seals, coated internal prisms, and complex focusing mechanisms of a binocular.
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