Lesson's from taking viewing seriously! (1 Viewer)

Starting this winter an attempt has been made to take bin viewing seriously. In the process a Nikon black 8X30 EII in mint condition and a new Steiner Nav Pro 7X30 were acquired. The Nikon is the reference bin.

7X or 8X, started out assuming that this was a non-issue. It is hardly an issue but there is a distinctly larger view at 8X and I find it more pleasing.

It took some time to tune and practice using the bins to get familiar. Some day I may pick up a nice bin and say yay or nay at the counter. Current experience has proven it takes time for me. Found out my left eye doesn't focus quite as sharp as the right. Seems to have a lot to do with a little less contrast. Tried both bins flipped over to confirm it was my eyes.

IF has a place in my collection (is 3 bins a collection?). They are an outstanding gadget. Learning to use them has been fun. However they are not wildlife bins IMO.

Cf from the Nikon allows very precise focus. One can make a distant pine cone in a tree snap into focus through a maze of back alley visual clutter in the foreground. This is the magic of bins for me. It always stirs an emotional response. 3D comes a close second.

FOV is important but out to 50 paces it amounts to only a slightly larger view. Watching the Rockies or the stars it is breathtaking. The Steiner has a slight tunnel effect though. I find that a Magpie in the outer field looks just like a Magpie in the well reviewed EII and the reported mediocre reviews of the cheap Steiner line.

Rubber eyecups are not a design relic after all. I like the way they aid in locating the rear of the bin and have some give to fine tune eyepiece location in regards the upper eye socket.

There is no comparison between the convenience of viewing with glasses on and trying to transition smoothly from glasses on to no glasses viewing. However it is definitely an easier and more expansive view in both bins without glasses. The Steiner looses no FOV either way. The Nikon looses a bit with glasses on.

I found that it was possible to sharpen both bins focus noticeably with practice. Striving to focus carefully made a difference over a couple of months. Also IPD is very important to good viewing. I started out a 70 and careful work has proven it is 69 at longer range. Such a small incremental change made a difference. This was a surprise. They will focus much closer than spec, briefly, if the IPD is closed down.

One postscript, birding is about listening. I figured this was old fashion blarney to sell apps, sure was wrong.

Hello Bob,

There's nothing quite like learning by doing. That's very true. :t:

My initial thought regarding your Nikon EII is that it probably doesn't have sufficient eye relief to use with your glasses, so FOV is compromised. That was my problem with them. Otherwise, they are spectacular.

Ed

elkcub said:

Hello Bob,

There's nothing quite like learning by doing. That's very true. :t:

My initial thought regarding your Nikon EII is that it probably doesn't have sufficient eye relief to use with your glasses, so FOV is compromised. That was my problem with them. Otherwise, they are spectacular.

Ed

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They work fine with my glasses. However I do loose a bit of the field view. Just a couple more mm's would solve the problem. I use them without glasses and with a hold that shields the EP stray light the view is nice, warm and inviting to my imagination.

I got into this as a prod to get off the couch and get active while dealing with some health issues. That has been a success and far more enjoyable than expected. Spring has arrived here and the birds are arriving back, :t: .

Bob

Its a little slice of magic isn't it, looking through bins, and you can discover a little bit more magic no matter where you use them: backyard, local park, by a lake, in the mountains or next to the sea. There is always a little bit of new magic to discover if you can just slow down and take the time.

It the same in almost any corner of the outside world. Every corner of every field, backyard, woodland, stream, hilltop or seaside bay has got its own story to tell in the form of not only the birds that go there but everything else that calls that place home. And for most things, most of the time, bins will get you into that world and in many if not most cases give you a better experience than just the naked eye.

A couple of days ago I sat in our backyard for an hour with some bins and just watched the birds coming to our feeders or waiting in our hedge to do so. Along the way there were the first bees and hoverflies to watch, the sunlight catching the leaf buds on our Mountain Ash tree as they burst open, the leaf buds on the old oaks that take their time to open. Not to mention the Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the old oaks that now know to come down and feed on the fat blocks on the feeder but which remain more nervous than the regular small tits and finches even though they have been visiting for several years.

The ants under the terrace have woken up and I was able to watch a busy stream of them and also observe our resident female Blackbird who was carrying nesting material but who stopped and inclined her head to take a look at the busying ants.

Like I said: there is magic to be found in bins.

Lee

Thank you, Lee - very nice contribution!!

Canip said:

Thank you, Lee - very nice contribution!!

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Thank you Canip you are most welcome.

Lee

:t:

Canip said:

Thank you, Lee - very nice contribution!!

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