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Angle or straight scope (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jtc
- Start date
Malcolm Stewart
Well-known member
I'll offer this, from notes I prepared for our local reserve:
"Birding telescopes tend to come in two distinct variants – straight-through viewing, or angled viewing, where one looks down into the telescope. Both types use prisms in the light path. Which type is better for you, depends to a degree on where you mainly use your telescope. Angled viewing is reputed to be less of a strain.
If you mainly use your telescope in a hide, then the straight through variety may be preferred. On the other hand, if you mainly walk around carrying a tripod and use your telescope outside of a hide, the angled variety may save some weight – providing that you are careful when choosing the tripod. With an angled telescope you tend to look down into it, and so the tripod can be shorter and perhaps lighter than you might need for straight through viewing. In a hide where someone else set the heights for the windows, it might not be that comfortable to view looking downwards."
I have come across an angled view telescope at a well known bird reserve in the UK where I found it simply impossible to use it, simply because I was too short. It was impossible to alter the height because it had been tethered to prevent theft. I may be below average male height, but I'm close to average female height...
I've owned a straight 'scope for years, but have now bought an angled 'scope and am getting used to using it.
"Birding telescopes tend to come in two distinct variants – straight-through viewing, or angled viewing, where one looks down into the telescope. Both types use prisms in the light path. Which type is better for you, depends to a degree on where you mainly use your telescope. Angled viewing is reputed to be less of a strain.
If you mainly use your telescope in a hide, then the straight through variety may be preferred. On the other hand, if you mainly walk around carrying a tripod and use your telescope outside of a hide, the angled variety may save some weight – providing that you are careful when choosing the tripod. With an angled telescope you tend to look down into it, and so the tripod can be shorter and perhaps lighter than you might need for straight through viewing. In a hide where someone else set the heights for the windows, it might not be that comfortable to view looking downwards."
I have come across an angled view telescope at a well known bird reserve in the UK where I found it simply impossible to use it, simply because I was too short. It was impossible to alter the height because it had been tethered to prevent theft. I may be below average male height, but I'm close to average female height...
I've owned a straight 'scope for years, but have now bought an angled 'scope and am getting used to using it.
I find the often heared or read argument about universality not true for myself. And I think the same should hold for many with variable focus eyeglasses. I am shorter than my brother, and every time I want to look at something he shows me in his scope, I have to look at it with my close-focus part of the glasses. I'd have to heavily alter the focus, which would be a bother for him afterwards.
In addition, I find finding birds awkward with an angled scope. Though people claim one can get used to it. But then, changing this at 71 after 55 years of straight scopes would be a bother in itself.
Finally, I tend to get neck strain when looking down, not when looking straight ahead.
Angled scopes are definitely easier for hawk migration and things like that, or for canopy birding (standing on the ground).
I often think that much of the "angled preferred" thing is a matter of fashion. I am trying to sell an older Leica APO Televid77 scope in Switzerland. And I'm having difficulties selling it at a decent price. In part that's because everybody wants an angled one these days.
Boy! Betcha this is the first time this question's been asked! 
I'll list the pros only, as listing the cons would be redundant.
STRAIGHT PROS:
- More intuitive to aim
- Better for viewing from a high vantage point (e.g. an apartment balcony)
- In most (all?) porro prism designs, there's one fewer optical element (a semi-pentaprism) in the light path, and this means a slightly brighter image, everything else being equal (a semi-pentaprism is used to "bend" the light 45° in angled models); note that this "pro" is not applicable in models that use roof prisms
- On a few scope models, straights are slightly cheaper than their angled counterparts
----
ANGLED PROS:
- Far more comfortable for the neck in most circumstances
- Much better for viewing things up high (e.g. birds in trees or for casual astronomy)
- Even with larger scopes, a tripod's "beefiness" (i.e. size/weight) is less important since the scope can ce used comfortably at a lower height (the taller a tripod/scope rig is, the more susceptible it is to vibration); this means you can use a smaller, lighter, and possibly cheaper tripod to achieve the same result with regards to stability
- Much better for sharing with people of greatly differing height, since (again) the scope can be placed lower on a tripod
- On models with a rotatable tripod collar, the scope can be rotated 90° on its side, allowing for more comfortable use from inside a car (window mount)
- Angled models with a rotatable collar are also a better choice for the shooting range, since the eyepiece can be rotated ~45° towards the shooter's face/eyes.
That's all I have for now. B
ETA:
I'll list the pros only, as listing the cons would be redundant.
STRAIGHT PROS:
- More intuitive to aim
- Better for viewing from a high vantage point (e.g. an apartment balcony)
- In most (all?) porro prism designs, there's one fewer optical element (a semi-pentaprism) in the light path, and this means a slightly brighter image, everything else being equal (a semi-pentaprism is used to "bend" the light 45° in angled models); note that this "pro" is not applicable in models that use roof prisms
- On a few scope models, straights are slightly cheaper than their angled counterparts
----
ANGLED PROS:
- Far more comfortable for the neck in most circumstances
- Much better for viewing things up high (e.g. birds in trees or for casual astronomy)
- Even with larger scopes, a tripod's "beefiness" (i.e. size/weight) is less important since the scope can ce used comfortably at a lower height (the taller a tripod/scope rig is, the more susceptible it is to vibration); this means you can use a smaller, lighter, and possibly cheaper tripod to achieve the same result with regards to stability
- Much better for sharing with people of greatly differing height, since (again) the scope can be placed lower on a tripod
- On models with a rotatable tripod collar, the scope can be rotated 90° on its side, allowing for more comfortable use from inside a car (window mount)
- Angled models with a rotatable collar are also a better choice for the shooting range, since the eyepiece can be rotated ~45° towards the shooter's face/eyes.
That's all I have for now. B
ETA:
Another potential point in favor of angled: being more resalable.
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Straight scope--more intuitive to use, easier to locate objects, best when looking at objects at eye level or below. Main disadvantages are that it requires a taller tripod which can lead to increased weight and vibration, difficult to share with people of different height, and very difficult to use when looking up high into trees, cliffs, etc.
Angled scope--can be shared with people of different height, does not require a tall tripod, very relaxed viewing when looking up, more difficult at first learning to locate objects although some of the sighting tubes help.
In my experience many people start with straight scopes, and eventually get angled. Not as many go from angled to straight.
Angled scope--can be shared with people of different height, does not require a tall tripod, very relaxed viewing when looking up, more difficult at first learning to locate objects although some of the sighting tubes help.
In my experience many people start with straight scopes, and eventually get angled. Not as many go from angled to straight.
mooreorless
Well-known member
ptickner
Well-known member
I can't think of any other pros and cons, but I will put my 2 cents in anyway. I am frequently in a position to share my scope with other birders, such as in a group outing, or birding with my wife and our respective in-laws. I've found it is much easier for tall birders to bend over a little bit and look through a low angled scope than to crouch down and look through a low straight scope (low of course to accommodate the shorter members of the group).
I did come across a birding couple once with a great height disparity (we're talking more than a foot!) and a straight scope. They carried a very lightweight plastic step that gave her the height that she needed. Granted, they were car birding, but it worked really well!
I did come across a birding couple once with a great height disparity (we're talking more than a foot!) and a straight scope. They carried a very lightweight plastic step that gave her the height that she needed. Granted, they were car birding, but it worked really well!
NatureLvrCanada
Well-known member
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/scopes_angled_straight.html
I have both angled and straight. Straight you find your bird faster because it's intuitive (pointing it where you are looking). Straight is good for following hawks or large birds in flight.
My angled scope is very recent so not as much use yet. I hear it's better for astronomy. It's better for multiple people using it at the same time who are of varying height.
In my personal use, I did encounter a situation where a straight scope was harder on the neck as the bird was high up and I was close to the tree (further away from tree meant bird was more obscured by foliage). And the tripod was only of a certain height so I had to bend the knees a bit as well to look up. An angled scope would have been very good in this situation.
I have both angled and straight. Straight you find your bird faster because it's intuitive (pointing it where you are looking). Straight is good for following hawks or large birds in flight.
My angled scope is very recent so not as much use yet. I hear it's better for astronomy. It's better for multiple people using it at the same time who are of varying height.
In my personal use, I did encounter a situation where a straight scope was harder on the neck as the bird was high up and I was close to the tree (further away from tree meant bird was more obscured by foliage). And the tripod was only of a certain height so I had to bend the knees a bit as well to look up. An angled scope would have been very good in this situation.
