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To scope or not to scope? (1 Viewer)

Rob Williams

Well-known member
I have only ever had 2 scopes and I have never spent a lot of money on one. Maybe because of that I have not got on well with scopes, today my existing scope could easily have ended up in the water, but dumping stuff in a nature reserve is not really on, is it?

So I was wondering whether to bother with another scope or not? But if I do I recognise I'll have to spend some proper money. So, if you had £1,000 what scope and eyepiece combination would you buy?

Thanks in advance for your views.


Rob
 
Go small and easily portable would be one strategy.
Your scope is much more likely to get used if it is always part of your kit.
Small also helps keep the costs under control. They are cheaper and work with more budget level tripods and heads. Indeed, a monopod is a useful lightweight support much easier to deploy than the regulation tripod.
 
I have found the Celestron Regal F-Ed 65 and 80mm scopes very good, especially with the Baader Hyperion 68 degree Fixed eyepieces, which can be bought in the Uk for £395 & £508 with the celestron zoom and about £100 for a fixed Baader eyepiece.
http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/scopes/page/2/

I now use a straight Pentax PF-65Ed scope, because of a neck problem, with the fixed Pentax 70 degree XW14 eyepiece, 28x magnification, which gives superb views. About £315 & £254 for eyepiece.
http://www.microglobe.co.uk/pentax-spotting-scope-c-148_738_963.html
http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/pentax-xw-wide-field-eyepiece-125.html

Both scopes and eyepieces have very good reviews on here and the web. I never leave home without the Pentax when going birding.
 
I have just bought the Kowa TSN663M with 20-60x zoom and it is great scope, lightweight, sharp and bright. I bought it for less than £1000 and it is great value. I've had all sorts of scopes over the years and would recommend this one.
 
I have just bought the Kowa TSN663M with 20-60x zoom and it is great scope, lightweight, sharp and bright. I bought it for less than £1000 and it is great value. I've had all sorts of scopes over the years and would recommend this one.

That's a great price, where'd you get it from?

Rob
 
£1000!! I spend about half, William optics 66mm Apo, 45degree inverting diagonal and a baader 8-24mm zoom (or sometimes I just use a 13mm Nagler ultrawide eyepiece). Not featherweight, but good widefield views.

Peter
 
Go small and easily portable would be one strategy.
Your scope is much more likely to get used if it is always part of your kit.
Small also helps keep the costs under control. They are cheaper and work with more budget level tripods and heads. Indeed, a monopod is a useful lightweight support much easier to deploy than the regulation tripod.
This exactly I,ve had my mirador merlin 30 years this month it was my first scope and thee only one since the monopod was something I had later in life perhaps a bit top heavy but with a bit of a helping hand does the job I still have a standard velbon tripod from 1986 and looks like its been through the wars but still works But I agree with etudiant small and light is best and easy to use when you want it, when I think of around 20 years carrying the velbon on my back with bins and scope it did,nt give me muscles I can tell you that much..;)
 
As has already been noted, it rather depends on the circumstances in which you're most likely to use your scope. I'm in the fortunate position of have two excellent instruments. One is a large 88mm scope which is optically superb which I use in circumstances where I'm not going to walk too far (e.g. seawatching). Even mounted on a good carbon fibre tripod it's an irritation to carry too far. However, if I know I'm going to walk a mile or two I take my 50mm scope mounted on a lightweight tripod. I also take this smaller instrument with me in circumstances (e.g. woodland birding) where I'm not very likely to need a scope; it's so light carrying it isn't fatiguing and it's good to have it with me when birds unexpectedly co-operate and sit out or forage in the open. I don't get such a good image as I do through my 88mm scope but it's a lot better than through my 8x30s bins.
 
I have two scopes about the same. Both have a Vixen zoom eye piece that gives 49x max. One is straight and I use it almost always. The other is also 65mm but is angled. I use it with groups. Same tripod but much lower.
 
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