[Denis J]

My wife and I were I suppose "casual" birdwatchers until about 3 years ago lots of walks in the country with a pair of 8X21 bins in case we saw anything then one day we went to the Tees marshes to see what all the fuss was about and found loads of birds we had never seen before. The big broblem was everything was so distant it was frustrating so we bought a scope, suddenly we were adding new lifers almost every week our list has gone from 150ish to almost 250 in three years but biased toward seawatching and estuary birds as no matter how we tried woodland birds were very difficult to find. Two weeks ago we bought a pair of Leica ultravids each ...what a revelation now when we see a movement in a tree we can actually find the bird! we have had about 20 new lifers this year and thought new ticks were going to be extremely hard to come by but now we can't wait for the spring Norfolk in May I think time to finally get Nightingale!

[KCFoggin]

I have pretty much stopped using bins as they were a hassle for my neck and pretty much just rely on my scope, but, I am hearing some really good remarks on these binoculars so I may just have to investigate.

[Larry Lade]

KC, a lot of the birders here in Missouri are using the harness type apparatus for securing their bins. My son got me a harness a couple of years ago for a Christmas present. They work great and take that pressure off of my neck. My bins are Swift Ultra Light 8 X 42. The harness makes a big difference.

Larry

[robinm]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

I have pretty much stopped using bins as they were a hassle for my neck and pretty much just rely on my scope, but, I am hearing some really good remarks on these binoculars so I may just have to investigate.

Can I echo Larry's comments. My wife always used small lightweight bins because she couldn't bear the weight of ordinary bins around her neck. She recently started to wear glasses and needs to use larger bins. We bought her a binocular harness and she carries her bins all day without any neck problems. A harness similar to the one she has can be purchased in the US from EagleOptics. Well worth a look.

[robinm]

Denis J. Sorry to have hijacked your thread. Glad to hear the birding's going so well. Personally I often leave the scope at home if I am woodland birding.

Good luck with that nightingale next spring - I was even lucky enough to digiscope one this year.

[helenh]

Hi Denis - I have to confess to having thought there was a lot of hot air talked about bins. I used a pair of Canon IS bins for a number of years (mainly because I have a wrist problem and the IS made a big difference to me). Then in September my husband and I swapped our Canon bins for Zeiss Victory IIs ..... and boy what a difference. The clarity in poor light is amazing, the way you can pick up small colour variations at a distance is fantastic .... all in all I take back all the thoughts I ever had about "bin snobs". :)

[KCFoggin]

Thanks Robin & Larry. I need to check the harness out. I've often felt I was missing a lot by not using bins.

[Beverlybaynes]

KC -- go get that harness!! Do purchase from Eagle Optics, too -- I've found it there for about $20, when a local store had a comparable setup for $35!!

I actually have two harnesses now. Lost the first one, and, of course, found it about two days after the replacement arrived.

But now, I'll never be without one!

And for anyone else who's thinking about one: they are completely adjustable for all sizes and shapes. I'm a fattie, and can easily wear this over my parka in the winter, and still have enough 'give' in the straps to tuck the binos inside.

Another advantage is that, depending on how closely you adjust the straps to your body, the binos will not bounce around like they do on a neckstrap. You can 'cinch' them fairly tightly to your chest, yet the straps have enough give in them to be able to pull them to your eyes quite easily. And when you're not actually using them, walking about, your hands are free. You're not holding the binos to your chest to keep them from banging around.

They are doubly fastened as well, a clip to each barrel.

While I wish I had a scope for the ones that are always just a little too far away for my Swift Ultralite 8x42s, I'm always delighted to not be carrying those awkward things about! I've tripped over too many splayed out tripod legs, and been whacked by legs left long when carried about to be too chuffed about getting one for myself. In my circle of friends, there's almost always someone else who has a scope and who's always willing to share the view. So that does it for me!

[Denis J]

You sound just like my wife...I carry the scope and she uses it! or at least she used to I bought her an opticron Mighty Midget 2 its very light and for its size the image quality is suprisingly good have a look at one if you get the chance.

[Steve Jones]

I have to agree with Denis's comments about how using decent bins puts your old one's in the shade. I've had this experience a couple of times now, initially in the early eighties when a white blob (through my c**p bins) turned into a Greater Snow Goose when borrowing someone else's for a look.
The experience was repeated when 'moving up' from some russian optics to a pair of Opticron Dioptron's was a revelation (still got them, 8x32 and very light), and again when I recently got some Bausch & Lomb Elite's.
I dare'nt look through the new Leica models, as I'll probably want them!...just how good can binoculars get??

[Jane Turner]

I bought a pair of Leica 8x20 trinovids at Schipol Airport for buttons... ok 99 uk buttons, but they are fabulous. I only looked through them to waste time before a connecting flight to the far east....

They don't hold up in bad light or high shake conditions, but if you are still and the light is good, they are not noticebly worse performing than the 8x42 Leica house bricks I usually use. They are smaller than a packet of cigarettes and are so light I once forgot to take them off before getting into a shower.

They came into their own on my first day in Singapore... I excused myself in the middle of a meeting to check out an Arctic Warbler that was in the tree outside the meeting room window!

[Ian Hart]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

I have pretty much stopped using bins as they were a hassle for my neck and pretty much just rely on my scope, but, I am hearing some really good remarks on these binoculars so I may just have to investigate.

Canna understand this! No need to keep bins around the neck "if" you have problems with them. As to using a 'scope at all times, it's limiting IMHO.

IH

[pduxon]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

I have pretty much stopped using bins as they were a hassle for my neck and pretty much just rely on my scope, but, I am hearing some really good remarks on these binoculars so I may just have to investigate.

KC - how do you manage using just a scope? Surely in woods and forests bins are essential. Am I misssing something ?

[jayhunter]

Hi Jane, Never seen an arctic warbler in Singapore but the Kingfishers and Orioles are beautiful.