Not an original question ... (1 Viewer)

Hello, I hope it's not unpolite to ask a question that must have been asked - and answered - so many times before ...

So far I only use binoculars (8x42) but I would like to have a scope too. However there are 2 principal limitations; first, I have to carry my gear (typically 8 km on a birding-afternoon), second, I could hardly spend more than 500 Euros. Can I get anything reasonable at all? I know that I cannot expect excellent quality or great low-light-performance anyway but then I would not like to purchase outright trash.

Thanks for any answer
Ivan

Hello Ivan, I bought my first scope 18 months ago after spending much time reviewing many different scopes on the internet. I chose the Acuter ST 16-48x65 and was not disappointed, especially as it only cost £109. It is light, 1070g, has a good zoom eyepiece, bright, sharp and very little colour fringing. The Acuter also had a very good review from the BBC Sky at Night team. I paired this with a Velbon 200R tripod, £55, which is 1950g in weight and seems to do a very good job. I have since upgraded to a Celestron Regal F-ED 80 with ED glass but still keep the Acuter in the car to use with a window clamp. Overall as a starter package I think it is excellent, but in hindsight I sould have bought the Acuter ST 20-60x80 for the extra light gathering of the larger objective lens in lower light conditions, and it is only £30 more and weighs 1370g. All of the above are available from Sherwoods in the UK at the above prices, including vat. I don't know if they ship outside the UK but their site does mention European buyers pay the Uk vat @20%, so suspect they do.
See Best spotting scope review here:
http://www.bestspottingscopereviews.com/AcuterST20-60X80ASpottingScope-8.htm
Hope this has been of some help.

Les

LesR said:

Hello Ivan, I bought my first scope 18 months ago after spending much time reviewing many different scopes on the internet. I chose the Acuter ST 16-48x65 and was not disappointed.....
See Best spotting scope review here:
http://www.bestspottingscopereviews.com/AcuterST20-60X80ASpottingScope-8.htm
Hope this has been of some help.

Les

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Hello Les, thanks a lot for your answer. It looks very promising, price, weight and everything. I'll certainly have a closer look at that scope and come back with any question (or maybe experience) later.

Ivan

Theres an Opticron for sale in the classifieds sounds ideal for you.

With your cost and weight limits, I'd say best buy a small scope (also called travel scope). E.g. with the Nikon ED50 or the Opticron MM3 (I don't know it myself, but it gets great reviews) you get excellent optical quality in very compact package and not too expensive. Obviously small scopes have their limits at high magnifications and low light. These scopes can also be uses well on a monopod. My ED50-monopod combo weights 1,6 kg only.

I think a small scope of good quality is smart way to go into scopes. If you should want something better later, you can buy a good full size scope and you have still use for a travel scope if you need minimal size.

Well said Florian. I couldn't agree more.

dalat said:

With your cost and weight limits, I'd say best buy a small scope (also called travel scope). E.g. with the Nikon ED50 or the Opticron MM3 (I don't know it myself, but it gets great reviews) you get excellent optical quality in very compact package and not too expensive. Obviously small scopes have their limits at high magnifications and low light. These scopes can also be uses well on a monopod. My ED50-monopod combo weights 1,6 kg only.

I think a small scope of good quality is smart way to go into scopes. If you should want something better later, you can buy a good full size scope and you have still use for a travel scope if you need minimal size.

Click to expand...

I agree completely. Save up for a quality travel scope and a decent tripod or other support. If you can find one used, so much the better. At ~25x it will do in most conditions of lighting about as much as any scope needs to for bird ID. Even if you get a big expensive scope later, you'll still have plenty of use for your little scope. Don't waste money on a junky starter scope with the intention of replacing it later.

--AP

Thanks everyone for your answers! 1,6 kg is certainly a weight I can carry - in addition to the other stuff - and it all sounds very reasonable. I'll have a look at these scopes.

Florian, that Indochinese Green Magpie is a great bird. I thought it was some kind of Oriole before I read the name. Are they as cheeky as the Pica pica?

Ivan

NUMENIOS said:

Florian, that Indochinese Green Magpie is a great bird. I thought it was some kind of Oriole before I read the name. Are they as cheeky as the Pica pica?

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Hi Ivan, yes a great bird! Actually very different behaviour than our Magpie, the Green Magpies are pretty skittish rainforest birds, always a treat when managing good views of one.

If you seriously think about a small scope + monopod setup, be careful about which monopod you choose. There are some that work better with high magnifications than others, those that have a vibration dampening foot. If you search the forum a bit, you'll find plenty of advise on purchable and DIY solutions...

Here my travel scope set-up: http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2223525&postcount=6