Gray C
Grumpy old bugger
Hi
New to this forum and to birdwatching, so any help would be appreciated. I have two pairs of old, but excellent condition binoculars, which I am giving to my wife and daughter. The first pair are Carl Zeiss Zena 8x30 and were made in DDR in 1960's. The other pair are Swift Grand Prix Mk1 8x40. Both pairs have served me well over many years and I have had no complaints as to their quality.
To save swapping around all the time I am looking to purchase a good quality monocular for my own use (binoculars no real use to me now as I am now blind in one eye). I have narrowed it down to the new Opticron DBA Oasis 8x42 (not available until May 2005) along with a 2.5x convertor (giving 20x42) as a compromise for a separate scope. A two for one option you may say.
I also require the monocular for general all round use, for holidays in Canada Spain etc, hence the reason not wanting just a spotting scope.
The Opticron model seems to be the best option available to me as the choice in monoculars is somewhat limited.
I assume that it will be like a single lens version of the new DBA Oasis binocular? please correct me if this is not so. It seems I can purchase the monocular, the 2.5x convertor and a tripod clamp for £275, which does not seem too bad to me as I understand the Opticron DBA Oasis binoculars alone, cost in the region of £599 to £650.
Can any of you experts offer me any further advice, or any alternatives which I might wish to consider, or does this seem to be my best bet.
Someone had mentioned the Zeiss 8x20 monocular, but I have heard mixed views on this being suitable for my needs
New to this forum and to birdwatching, so any help would be appreciated. I have two pairs of old, but excellent condition binoculars, which I am giving to my wife and daughter. The first pair are Carl Zeiss Zena 8x30 and were made in DDR in 1960's. The other pair are Swift Grand Prix Mk1 8x40. Both pairs have served me well over many years and I have had no complaints as to their quality.
To save swapping around all the time I am looking to purchase a good quality monocular for my own use (binoculars no real use to me now as I am now blind in one eye). I have narrowed it down to the new Opticron DBA Oasis 8x42 (not available until May 2005) along with a 2.5x convertor (giving 20x42) as a compromise for a separate scope. A two for one option you may say.
I also require the monocular for general all round use, for holidays in Canada Spain etc, hence the reason not wanting just a spotting scope.
The Opticron model seems to be the best option available to me as the choice in monoculars is somewhat limited.
I assume that it will be like a single lens version of the new DBA Oasis binocular? please correct me if this is not so. It seems I can purchase the monocular, the 2.5x convertor and a tripod clamp for £275, which does not seem too bad to me as I understand the Opticron DBA Oasis binoculars alone, cost in the region of £599 to £650.
Can any of you experts offer me any further advice, or any alternatives which I might wish to consider, or does this seem to be my best bet.
Someone had mentioned the Zeiss 8x20 monocular, but I have heard mixed views on this being suitable for my needs