-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Search results
-
Alternative eyepiece for a Nikon Fieldscope ED III or just get something newer?
No, I didn't. Most of the WA eyepieces for the Nikon Fieldscopes are pretty hard to find nowadays. Maybe Alexis can chime in. However, the DS eyepieces are still available, and they work extremely well for visual observation. Get the 16x/24x/30x DS eyepiece for general birding, and keep the... -
Hiking tripod for Kowa TSN-663M
If you're 2 meters tall, you've got a problem. Most tripods will be too short. And the ones that aren't too short won't be all that light. Also lightweight tripods that are stable enough for a scope are expensive. The best lightweight tripod I found - I'm 1.92 meters tall - is a Gitzo 1545T. And...- Hermann
- Post #2
- Forum: Tripod and Heads
-
APM MS-6x30
And they won't have multi-layer coatings that can compete with what's available today. Make no mistake: Even in "simple" porros the development of modern multi-coatings did make a huge difference. Just compare a Habicht from, say, 1995, with one made recently. The Silvarem had single layer... -
APM MS-6x30
Well, of the dozen or so people who tried my APM in the field not a single one complained about kidney beaning or any other problem with the "Einblicksverhalten". Nor did I hear about any such problems from other users. Not sure it's the bin that's "problematic". Hermann -
-
Brief review of Fujinon HC (Hyper clarity) 8x42
Excellent review. I reckon I can safely cross of the Fujinon off the list of binoculars I'd like to check out. Hermann -
APM MS-6x30
You're far too quick. You can't expect to take a binocular out of its box and voila, everything is perfect. You need some time to get used to it (and to get the settings right). Happens to me with (almost) every new binocular, no matter how much I paid for it. And, BTW, trying to consciously... -
Perhaps another game changer
When I read this statement I came to the rather firm conclusion that I can't take Mr Dipperdapper seriously anymore. Didn't even take me one minute. Hermann- Hermann
- Post #128
- Forum: Binoculars
-
Docter (ex-Zeiss) Classic porros
I had one of the 8x30s, passed it on to a relative. Large field of view, sure, but low eye relief. Sweetspot only soso. Slight yellow tinge, just like the multicoated Jenoptems. Interesting binocular for collectors, but surely not for users. Still got a Dekarem 10x50 that used to belong to my... -
Perhaps another game changer
Please note I never claimed it would happen immediately. And I stand by my prediction. The advantages of IS binos are such - at least among people who actually use them to see fine detail, e.g. on a bird - that even the big three won't be able to ignore them in the long run if they want to stay...- Hermann
- Post #84
- Forum: Binoculars
-
Perhaps another game changer
Definitely. However, I rarely buy a product that's new on the market nowadays anyway. Too many new products are bananaware nowadays, and I got burnt a few times in the past. And as long as there's no European distributor that handles warranty claims and repairs ... no way. Hermann- Hermann
- Post #83
- Forum: Binoculars
-
Perhaps another game changer
They sure have. And IMO they got fat and lazy lately: Very little real innovation, ever increasing prices. Is that progress? I doubt it. Of course it won't. Anyone who believes this lives in cloud-cuckoo-land. But if they manage to keep up the quality in their production runs, their binoculars...- Hermann
- Post #75
- Forum: Binoculars
-
Upgrade 128 RC head or no?
The Manfrotto 500AH is better than the RC128. That's what I'd go for for a largish scope like the Kowa. Mind you, I think the RC128 will still do the job. It's a solid head. But the 500AH will do the job better. Hermann- Hermann
- Post #4
- Forum: Tripod and Heads
-
APM 6.5x32 APO - Some first impressions
Yes, I think they look a bit like the 7x35 SWA bins of yesteryear. But with modern coatings ... and that makes quite a difference, I think. Thank you 🙂 From what I read the 8x32 version isn't quite as good as the 6.5x32. No personal experience though. BTW, here's an image from a Japanese... -
Ocular Lens Size
IMO his figures are too optimistic. Anyway, I did not argue against using 10x binoculars per se. I merely pointed out that you do lose resolution, and the higher the magnification, the more you lose. Put different binoculars on a tripod and check how much resolution you gain compared to...- Hermann
- Post #33
- Forum: Binoculars
-
APM 6.5x32 APO - Some first impressions
Two quick and dirty shots. Sorry about the dust on the binoculars ... :-) Sometimes that old Micro Nikkor is just too sharp. Please note: The rubber rings around the objective lenses were added by me. I also put some tape around the rubber eyecups. I don't really want to lose them ... Still... -
Ocular Lens Size
No matter how steady you think you can hold a 10x binocular you still lose a considerable amount of resolution. According to Vukobratovich (1989, quoted e.g. in Merlitz 2023:149-150) the efficiency of a 10x binocular is 0.67, in other words you lose about 33% of the resolution compared to a...- Hermann
- Post #24
- Forum: Binoculars
-
APM 6.5x32 APO - Some first impressions
I got an APM 6.5.x32 APO IF a little more than a week ago. According to Markus the APM is the same binocular as the "Moon Star" discussed in detail on CN last year. After getting it set up I did some comparisons against my APM 6x30, a recent Habicht 7x42 and (briefly) a Retrovid 7x35. I didn't... -
Trinovid hype
I don't think so - provided it is a well-made porro. The great majority of military binoculars were and still are porros. I doubt the military would have gone for a less robust type. Hermann -
Trinovid hype
That's the point. Leica and especially Zeiss knew all along that their roofs were optically clearly inferior to their porros (and indeed any half-way decent porro!). And yet they advertised their roofs as if they were a major advance in binocular design. That was a clear lie by omission. Hermann -
Zeiss Victory 7x42 FL internal check after 15 years of use?
My mother has got a Leica 8x32BA. She got it in 1992, and she has been using it a lot. That pair has never been serviced. Never. My sister is still using a Zeiss Dialyt 10x40BGAT*P on a daily basis. Same story. I also never sent any of my pairs for a service. I'd only send a binocular for a... -
Help! Coatings on Victory SF being... weird?
I believe they'll change the objective lens. I also believe they'll check the whole binocular very carefully, so you'll end up with a perfect binocular ... :cool: Hermann