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Why do birders post in the binocular forum? (1 Viewer)

dalat

dalat

...
Switzerland
Well, the real question I'm asking myself is rather: why I am posting so much in the binocular forum?

I don't consider myself as a fan of binoculars, much less an expert, I've only owned 6 binoculars in my life and currently only 2, I find this binocular forum extremly nerdy, much more nerdy than birding, which already is pretty nerdy, I'm constantly amazed about the ridiculous discussions going on here... and still I keep writing things here.

I mostly feel bad about it, I regularly try to quit, it makes me feel better when I post stuff above in the real birdforum, where there are knowledgeable people discussing bird IDs, conservation and taxonomy without never ever venturing down into the depth of the binocular section, still I keep writing here...

Why is that? Ok, men like toys, bins are nice toys, I enjoy using my binocular, and sometimes take it out even if no birds are around... But still, writing hundreds of posts in disucussions speculating, discussing minute details, haggling over legal, commercial or technical stuff nobody in the forum has the slightest clue about... really? Ok, I mostly do it when I have important work to do and need to procrastinate (like right now), but then, why not keep to the birding section ???

I suspect there might be more people around with similar issues. For sure there are several very long-standing birders around who only post in the binoculars section and never above where the birders are. Why? Why do you do that? And is there a way out?
 
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I must admit, I was surprised at the level of detail in the binocular section. Much more lively than the conservation section, which is a shame, but each to their own.

Conversely, I think many birders research and buy a pair of binoculars.. then just take them for granted which could be viewed as strange when pretty much every bird they see is watched thru them!
 
I like binoculars. Posting here is a habit. Reading posts, at least in the past, has been educational. The last two decades have been historic for the maturation of top-end non-electronic bins expressly for birding, so this has been a good place to keep up with developments following the effective demise of Better View Desired (to which I subscribed when it was a paper newsletter). I don't post about birds (except to submit significant records to my state committee), I watch them. I did post about notable (even if not record birds) to my state orni society listserv when I lived in KS, but I'm not connected to the birding community here in MN (except indirectly through museum and academic ornithology) where I spend most of my time nowadays. The only other Photo etc subforum I regularly post to is Spotting Scopes and tripod/heads. I only very very rarely post to other fora within Birdforum, and I have submitted only one picture to the Gallery (which was just recently, though of a bird I saw 4 years ago).

--AP
 
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Binastro said:
Is there a Binoculars Anonymous which may help the addiction?
Click to expand...

Isn't that the function of this thread? No bino talk here, only talk about bino talk!

For me, the best move was to get control of binocular buying addiction. I joined Sancho in late 2007 in pledging to resist buying any new bins in 2008, and I'm proud to say that I held to my word. In fact, I've not bought a bin since then (despite buying many previously, and despite still being interested in bins). Of course it is easier to resist buying new bins when you already own a bunch of good ones. Some day I'll buy a new bin, but my standards are very high and I'm now quite practiced in resisting. C'mon Swarovski, speed up the focus (ideally with variable-ratio) on that SV EL 8.5x42 (or Zeiss, with that 8x42 SF) and I'll give in!

--AP
 
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Alexis Powell said:
For me, the best move was to get control of binocular buying addiction.
Click to expand...

Yeah right, there are much worse conditions than mine, I can feel lucky I never got drawn in that far. Great you got out of that. But do you realise, you still don't even seem to feel bad about wasting precious life time in this forum and precious brain storage for useless knowledge. Still a long way to go....
 
peter.jones said:
I must admit, I was surprised at the level of detail in the binocular section. Much more lively than the conservation section, which is a shame, but each to their own.

Conversely, I think many birders research and buy a pair of binoculars.. then just take them for granted which could be viewed as strange when pretty much every bird they see is watched thru them!
Click to expand...

Peter, I did a lot of research (i.e. google searches) for all kinds of binoculars and relevant information. The funny thing is I learned more about binoculars from BF than any other place on the internet. Never really got into birding until quite recently but have taken more of an interest now *because* of this very cool website. :)
 
"Where does your question come from?"

A very interesting issue, Florian. The first thing that came into my mind when reading it was a little story, I think from some Asian tradition:

The novice asks: "All these flowers and birds and stars - where do they come from?"
Says the master: "Where does your question come from?"

In other words: Many discussions here may be useless - but it may be more useless still to analyze why we take part in them, as long as we enjoy them. Neither do I see a reason to feel bad about it.

If life had any definite purpose, we could say it's a waste of time; but is there such a thing apart from the many purposes man has invented?

If there is and you know about it, please let me know. I'm eager to know, too.

Ivan
 
dalat said:
I mostly feel bad about it, I regularly try to quit, it makes me feel better when I post stuff above in the real birdforum, where there are knowledgeable people discussing bird IDs, conservation and taxonomy without never ever venturing down into the depth of the binocular section, still I keep writing here...
Click to expand...

The objective is to learn who you are, while not feeling guilty for what you find.

Ed
 
It's simple for me...I love bird watching/nature observation and learning about wild birds
and I've come to appreciate and enjoy binoculars too. The optics are just another
aspect of the hobby I enjoy. I remember picking out my first binocular
and really enjoying using it for the first time.

When I first joined BF it was for the purpose of learning from more experienced
members about anything related to wild birds and birding. When I log on to BF
I always click in 'today's posts' and skim the threads for interesting topics.
I read threads from many of the different sub forums here. I've always wondered why
I rarely see people who are regulars in the binoculars forum in any of the other forums.

It's definitely a different vibe in the bins forum. The Ruffled Feathers forum can
be sort of a strange place at times as well. As weird as the bins forum is, I usually
enjoy reading and commenting here. Sometimes I do feel a little burned out
from the bins forum and will go away for a little while to look elsewhere on BF or take a little break altogether from BF.

I too have asked myself why I'm on BF so much, but it's better than having
a truly bad habit like sniffing glue or stealing fancy bras from the mall. 8-P
:cat:
 
Alexis Powell said:
Isn't that the function of this thread? No bino talk here, only talk about bino talk!

For me, the best move was to get control of binocular buying addiction. I joined Sancho in late 2007 in pledging to resist buying any new bins in 2008, and I'm proud to say that I held to my word. In fact, I've not bought a bin since then (despite buying many previously, and despite still being interested in bins). Of course it is easier to resist buying new bins when you already own a bunch of good ones. Some day I'll buy a new bin, but my standards are very high and I'm now quite practiced in resisting. C'mon Swarovski, speed up the focus (ideally with variable-ratio) on that SV EL 8.5x42 (or Zeiss, with that 8x42 SF) and I'll give in!

--AP
Click to expand...

Alexis,

Congratulations! on seven years of binocular sobriety. Hope the "Seven Year Itch" doesn't get to you.

For a recovering binocoholic to read BF's binocular forums on a regular basis is like a recovering alcoholic going to bars frequently and watching people drink but not taking a sip himself. Takes a lot of discipline. Me, I don't have any money, so I only "drink" if somebody buys a round. B :)

Brock
 
And not only birders, many practical users from other disciplines post here to keep the discussion afloat.

Certainly the more uses you have for bins the more excuses you can use to acquire new ones.

I think that brand magnetism and high brand sensitivity help many to fly the flag.

Despite the occasional intolerances it is a cheerful forum ; I don't have anyone on my 'ignore' list.
 
Hi all, thanks for the comments!

Ed and Ivan, thanks for bringing in the philosophical dimension, but I'm not sure I want to dig that deep ;)

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the binocular forum. It sure is the best of its kind, and there are many people with genuine interest in binoculars here, many of those not much interested in birds. That's all fine.

But my hobby is birding, not binoculars, I'm not interested that much in binoculars as such. I've just 2 binoculars and not even bought Holger Merlitz book, while I've 2 meters of bird books in my shelf (which still is very modest, compared to many BF users). I go birding as much as I can and my wife allows, while I've never been in an optics trade show.

Still I post probably more in the binoculars section than in the birding section. And there are many binocular forum regulars, who are avid birders but never post about birds or birding here.

And I wonder why is that? Why do discussions about optics and brands have this strange attaction to some, although just above, there is the place to discuss about their real hobby?

No reply yet from other birders who do not discuss birds but binoculars, I wonder if I'll get some ;)
 
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