[ajp310]

I will be getting a Zeiss Diascope 85 T FL soon, and I am still up in the air as to which Zeiss eyepiece is best suited for scoping. It will be for bird photography, just a hobby for me. I read that some people like the Zeiss 20-60 zoom, and some swear by the fixed wide angle. If I choose a fixed eyepiece, would the Zeiss 30x be overall a better choice than the 40x? Many thanks for anyone's input, opinion, advice.

[scampo]

I have the 30xW and 20-60x zoom. I'd choose the zoom as it offers such a very wide field of view. I find I rarely use the 30x for that reason. The zoom gives 50% greater area of view when compared to other zooms (e.g. against the Swaro zoom) but at a slight cost in that the outer edge of the field is less sharp. That's a price I think well worth paying as in practice it's of little or no consequence.