15x56 in stead of spotting scope? (1 Viewer)

[LucaPCP]

So the ones who have a 15x56 have a scope too. I wonder how often I would use the scope when I have a 15x56... But selling the scope and replace it with a 15x56 is not a good idea when I read your comments.
When you are out with the 15x56, do you carry a smaller binoculars like a 8x32 or pocket binwith you? Or do you use it as your only binoculars? I get it that the idea of having a 15x56 is that you can take this one as "in between" and leave the scope and other binoculars at home. But I can imagine that I would carry it in my backpack or simply accompany it with a 8x25/30/32.

When I take my Kite 16x42, I also always take my 8x32 or 8x42. The 8x are much wider field, much brighter and nice optically, much more practical and fast for close-by birds. In fact I tend to use the Kite only for difficult IDs.
That's why nowadays I take the Kite with me rarely. I mostly go with 8x only, or 8x + tripod and scope.

 

[GrampaTom]

Not saying they do, but they absolutely can replace a pair of 8x and 15x binos.

Of course, especially on those days when birding sans scope... My preference, in case thats not clear.

 

[Hermann]

When I tried to make the high magnification binocular work for me I found:

1. I always had to have the 7X/8X binoculars on me REGARDLESS.
2. I always had to have a tripod be it high powered binocular/spotting scope for best results with either.
3. Why not carry a scope/tripod that gives the best results for the job at hand?

Sums it up perfectly. I'd add that a 15x or even a 20x binocular can never replace a scope, not even when it's mounted on a stable tripod. The magnification is in most habitats too low. That means you'd carry your usual 7x/8x/10x binocular plus a high powered binocular plus a scope. And of course a tripod (or maybe a monopod). That's a bit much, I think.

BTW, switching to a stabilised high powered binocular (like a Canon 18x50 or a Zeiss 20x60S) won't change anything; it still leaves you with too little magnification. That's why I never got a Zeiss 20x60S myself, I just didn't see I'd use it enough to justify the expense.

Hermann

 

[LucaPCP]

I should have mentioned this earlier...
15x56 binoculars are heavy and expensive.

You could also get a Kowa 501, about 450g and $350. It's a small 50mm scope that gives you up to 40x, with very decent optical quality for an ID. The ergonometry of it is not such that I would want to use it for extended time, but to do an ID it works fine.
Then, you get a light cheap Velbon or similar tripod, 1 Kg. So for similar weight to a 15x56, which would need a tripod (not included in the weight), you have something that can give you 40x at very reasonable quality for IDs, certainly much better than a 15x56.

Yes, you would have to pull it out and set it up for the ID. That's the problem. But it could also be much more useful for seabirds and the like.

 

[chill6x6]

So the last couple of days I've been going below Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River. It's one of my favorite spots. Great diversity of birds. Generally, I use 7/8X binoculars and a scope pretty close to equal in time. I have been thinking about the 15X56 binocular vs. a scope.

I took a picture including some points of interest at exactly one of spots I tend to use a scope. Sorry for the exposure of the picture. A thunderstorm had just passed and I had to make do with what light I had. Distances listed were measured with my cars odometer. The dam is the bridge so it was easy.

1. Electrical wire tower(closest one of many)- 0.3 of a mile.
2. Island- 0.7 of a mile
3. Locks- 1.1 mile

Most of the birds at point one can be easily IDed with typical birding binoculars. Some of that is a factor of the birds that are at this spot, mostly larger species. Probably the smallest is Bonaparte's gull(appropriate time of year). Currently the smallest is probably a black-crowned night-heron. Also popular are GBH, GREG, and SNEG. Most popular is double-crested cormorant. There's 80 on this tower and base. About the same number yesterday except there was one neotropic cormorant in this group. I saw it thru the scope initially. Really not that easy of an ID. Could I have picked one out of 80 with 15X56 binoculars? I THINK I could have.

Point 2- Most of the birds here are similar with cattle egrets and American white pelicans. I don't even look at the island with binoculars. I immediately go to the scope. For sure at this distance I can't see how it would be possible to count species numbers without a scope. For instance I see a group of birds on the north end of the island. I can tell what a few of the species are but how many while pelicans?

Point 3- This distance is approaching the limit of the scope. If it's approaching the limit of an 88mm scope at 45-50X I can't see how a 15X56 binocular would do it.

 

[DRodrigues]

...
So, happy 15x56 users on this forum who do not miss a scope? Or users who have them both but use the 15x56 more?

From your description, I recommend you to get a Canon 15x50 IS or the 18x version.
I do use 15x56 binoculars since many years (within a "specialized" use... Test of 15x56 binoculars), got recently a Canon 18x50 IS binocular and I'm seeing the advantages of the IS, but it will not replace my scopes, also due to my specific use...

 

[GrampaTom]

So the last couple of days I've been going below Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River. It's one of my favorite spots. Great diversity of birds. Generally, I use 7/8X binoculars and a scope pretty close to equal in time. I have been thinking about the 15X56 binocular vs. a scope.

I took a picture including some points of interest at exactly one of spots I tend to use a scope. Sorry for the exposure of the picture. A thunderstorm had just passed and I had to make do with what light I had. Distances listed were measured with my cars odometer. The dam is the bridge so it was easy.

1. Electrical wire tower(closest one of many)- 0.3 of a mile.
2. Island- 0.7 of a mile
3. Locks- 1.1 mile

Most of the birds at point one can be easily IDed with typical birding binoculars. Some of that is a factor of the birds that are at this spot, mostly larger species. Probably the smallest is Bonaparte's gull(appropriate time of year). Currently the smallest is probably a black-crowned night-heron. Also popular are GBH, GREG, and SNEG. Most popular is double-crested cormorant. There's 80 on this tower and base. About the same number yesterday except there was one neotropic cormorant in this group. I saw it thru the scope initially. Really not that easy of an ID. Could I have picked one out of 80 with 15X56 binoculars? I THINK I could have.

Point 2- Most of the birds here are similar with cattle egrets and American white pelicans. I don't even look at the island with binoculars. I immediately go to the scope. For sure at this distance I can't see how it would be possible to count species numbers without a scope. For instance I see a group of birds on the north end of the island. I can tell what a few of the species are but how many while pelicans?

Point 3- This distance is approaching the limit of the scope. If it's approaching the limit of an 88mm scope at 45-50X I can't see how a 15X56 binocular would do it.

Chuck,
Thinking about your thinking about, and our earlier convo re range finder binos,
.3 mile = 528 yards
.7 mile = 1232 yards
1.1 mile = 1936 yards
and thinking of my various rants about bino specs at 1000 yards.

At one place we bird, looking out over ponds, my GUESS is 8/10X binos poop out well before 500 yards. My ESTIMATE without a range finder, is more like a couple hundred yards. I would like to verify that. Im on the scope at that point, (whatever it actually is). This time of year we're down to the same birds you report, Black Crowned Night Heron, Double Crested Cormorant (and Pelagic), Various gulls, Terns, Brown and White Pelicans, too many Canadas. Identifying those is easier, but I want more than mere id.

What if there was an American style football propped up on the device used for kickoffs. And what if its laces and/or "Wilson" logo were oriented towards the opposite end of the field and we were standing under the goal posts with 8X binos. Do you think you could see the laces or read the logo? I don't know. I wonder.

Hope your car survived that drive to the tower.

We need a range finder....

T

 

[henry link]

You can use the distance scale on a Google map satellite view of the spot to measure the distances.

 

[chill6x6]

Chuck,
Thinking about your thinking about, and our earlier convo re range finder binos,
.3 mile = 528 yards
.7 mile = 1232 yards
1.1 mile = 1936 yards
and thinking of my various rants about bino specs at 1000 yards.

At one place we bird, looking out over ponds, my GUESS is 8/10X binos poop out well before 500 yards. My ESTIMATE without a range finder, is more like a couple hundred yards. I would like to verify that. Im on the scope at that point, (whatever it actually is). This time of year we're down to the same birds you report, Black Crowned Night Heron, Double Crested Cormorant (and Pelagic), Various gulls, Terns, Brown and White Pelicans, too many Canadas. Identifying those is easier, but I want more than mere id.

What if there was an American style football propped up on the device used for kickoffs. And what if its laces and/or "Wilson" logo were oriented towards the opposite end of the field and we were standing under the goal posts with 8X binos. Do you think you could see the laces or read the logo? I don't know. I wonder.

Hope your car survived that drive to the tower.

We need a range finder....

T

Hi Tom,

So if you kinda enlarge my crappy picture and look in the right corner you can see a spillway and a bridge over the locks. The dam/highway is just to the right of where my scope is. So the dam/highway is pretty parallel to my points of interest crossing the river.

Yards/miles....hmmmm. So the distance across the river IS 1.1 miles while driving across the dam. Just for fun I measured using google maps as Henry mentioned and the distance across the dam is about 6400ft/1.23 miles. I'll stick with my first figure of 1.1 miles. I zeroed the odometer and then made approximate distance notes of each of my points of interest as I was driving. The distance may be off a little. I have to admit I should have done this twice or maybe had someone with me. OR I can hunt up my Geovid and just do this the right way! LOL! I'll recheck one way or another.

So think about the distance you can ID a soaring vulture, hawk, etc with your binoculars. Many times I see nothing with the naked eye and start scanning with binoculars and can see a lot.

 

[Dyrlege]

I have an ATC with a tripod, and a Curio, 7*21, and also a 10*40 habicht with me. I also have a 15*56 on a tripod which seems to have resisted moving from the glassed in veranda it's on. It stays there for a quick view at whoever is boating past (range < 300 m). The other stuff goes birding with me. If I should leave something behind it would not be the scope, possibly the 10*40. Never the Curio.

Per

 

[Patudo]

So the last couple of days I've been going below Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River.

It's funny how we all bird so differently. Big pylons overlooking a waterway with lots of waterfowl, in that grey light - that's almost the perfect situation to see a peregrine. The scope would definitely help checking the pylon across the river, but often times when they are in a hunting mood they are perched out where they have the best view, and you can see even that tiny silhouette over a great distance. 550 yards is almost a ringside seat when watching them hunt; a lot of my viewing is over twice that distance or more. If there was one on the pylon across the river and I had a scope I'd watch with the scope, but switch to binoculars the moment it seemed like it might fly (head bobbing etc) but if I didn't have a scope I'd observe with binoculars (preferably from a closer viewpoint, say within 1km).

 

[GrampaTom]

Hi Tom,

So if you kinda enlarge my crappy picture and look in the right corner you can see a spillway and a bridge over the locks. The dam/highway is just to the right of where my scope is. So the dam/highway is pretty parallel to my points of interest crossing the river.

Yards/miles....hmmmm. So the distance across the river IS 1.1 miles while driving across the dam. Just for fun I measured using google maps as Henry mentioned and the distance across the dam is about 6400ft/1.23 miles. I'll stick with my first figure of 1.1 miles. I zeroed the odometer and then made approximate distance notes of each of my points of interest as I was driving. The distance may be off a little. I have to admit I should have done this twice or maybe had someone with me. OR I can hunt up my Geovid and just do this the right way! LOL! I'll recheck one way or another.

So think about the distance you can ID a soaring vulture, hawk, etc with your binoculars. Many times I see nothing with the naked eye and start scanning with binoculars and can see a lot.

Hey Chuck,
Re para 1, and my "Hope your car survived that drive to the tower.", hoped I was making a joke..

Re yards/miles, needed to translate as I mostly think in terms of yards when out and about looking at critters with varying terrain between. What if that same football was 3 football fields away? Laces?

You are right I can see a soaring vulture, hawk, etc above with binos when my naked eye sees nothing. I have no idea how far that is. I think I can tell hawk from vulture there. Never sure which hawk it is in that situation though. Is that the point? How often do we get to know a place, perhaps from first exploring closer in, know what hangs there, visit it yet again later, look out and see what we know from the past to be there and think there's that Peregrine again. Identifying is one thing, one part, but not the whole, not why I do this. I think you agree. Seeing those nine Quail chicks last week emerge from the brush 10 paces (yards) away through 10s was a joy. Week before Osprey flying out over reservoir with fish aligned with body line of flight, was cool. Dont believe that was more than a hundred yards. Pals 600mm camera lens compared quite favorably with the details I was able to discern which weren't great. The id was made by profile, some color, what it was doing. That Goldeneye, swimming, with water droplets glistening from sunlight on its back, while tossing the crab about so it would align with its throat is why Im there. Im pretty sure none of the above are enjoyable at 500 whatevers.

I could be way wrong. I'd like find out. Be happy to admit it. Ill play with Google, thanks Henry. There may be only one way though. Trying not to buy another bino to do this... Ha!

Crazy idea. What if? A new spec for binos, call it effective possible range, (EPR). Defined as say "for birding to see details, for most with 2020 vision, an 8 can deliver at xyz yards/meters" Maybe its been tried and forgotten?

 

[DRodrigues]

From your description, I recommend you to get a Canon 15x50 IS or the 18x version.
I do use 15x56 binoculars since many years (within a "specialized" use... Test of 15x56 binoculars), got recently a Canon 18x50 IS binocular and I'm seeing the advantages of the IS, but it will not replace my scopes, also due to my specific use...

Just by curiosity, today I went birding in a place where I wasn't expecting to find marked ducks, so the scope stayed in the car since I had to walk a long distance... I was expecting that the 18x50 IS would help me to identify ducks that would be more far away and I confirmed this. If I was with my Leica 15x56 I would had carry the scope...
Reiner, you can test if the 17x of the minimum mag of your scope is enough or you want a little more mag - the Canon 18x50IS has wider AFOV and FOV than the Swaro C.
The 18x is possible to handle at close distances but turning on the IS we enter a much "better world". At far distances the IS is much more important.

 

[chill6x6]

It's funny how we all bird so differently. Big pylons overlooking a waterway with lots of waterfowl, in that grey light - that's almost the perfect situation to see a peregrine. The scope would definitely help checking the pylon across the river, but often times when they are in a hunting mood they are perched out where they have the best view, and you can see even that tiny silhouette over a great distance. 550 yards is almost a ringside seat when watching them hunt; a lot of my viewing is over twice that distance or more. If there was one on the pylon across the river and I had a scope I'd watch with the scope, but switch to binoculars the moment it seemed like it might fly (head bobbing etc) but if I didn't have a scope I'd observe with binoculars (preferably from a closer viewpoint, say within 1km).

Oh it's a great place to see a peregrine falcon. The last time I saw one was on one of these towers just up the river. You really have to look the towers up and down. They can blend in with the structure. Of course a lot of ospreys and I'll see a bald eagle probably a third if the time. Although I enjoy this type of birding I'd rather be in the woods. But I go where the birds are

Hey Chuck,
Re para 1, and my "Hope your car survived that drive to the tower.", hoped I was making a joke..

Re yards/miles, needed to translate as I mostly think in terms of yards when out and about looking at critters with varying terrain between. What if that same football was 3 football fields away? Laces?

You are right I can see a soaring vulture, hawk, etc above with binos when my naked eye sees nothing. I have no idea how far that is. I think I can tell hawk from vulture there. Never sure which hawk it is in that situation though. Is that the point? How often do we get to know a place, perhaps from first exploring closer in, know what hangs there, visit it yet again later, look out and see what we know from the past to be there and think there's that Peregrine again. Identifying is one thing, one part, but not the whole, not why I do this. I think you agree. Seeing those nine Quail chicks last week emerge from the brush 10 paces (yards) away through 10s was a joy. Week before Osprey flying out over reservoir with fish aligned with body line of flight, was cool. Dont believe that was more than a hundred yards. Pals 600mm camera lens compared quite favorably with the details I was able to discern which weren't great. The id was made by profile, some color, what it was doing. That Goldeneye, swimming, with water droplets glistening from sunlight on its back, while tossing the crab about so it would align with its throat is why Im there. Im pretty sure none of the above are enjoyable at 500 whatevers.

I could be way wrong. I'd like find out. Be happy to admit it. Ill play with Google, thanks Henry. There may be only one way though. Trying not to buy another bino to do this... Ha!

Crazy idea. What if? A new spec for binos, call it effective possible range, (EPR). Defined as say "for birding to see details, for most with 2020 vision, an 8 can deliver at xyz yards/meters" Maybe its been tried and forgotten?

Oh yeah man. The Audi is a hybrid so the tower wouldn't be much of a challenge!

Yeah the watching it fun too! I really like "watching" when I go to a new spot. It's about time to go some place new, lol!

Gambel's quail what you're seeing?

 

[GrampaTom]

Oh it's a great place to see a peregrine falcon. The last time I saw one was on one of these towers just up the river. You really have to look the towers up and down. They can blend in with the structure. Of course a lot of ospreys and I'll see a bald eagle probably a third if the time. Although I enjoy this type of birding I'd rather be in the woods. But I go where the birds are



Oh yeah man. The Audi is a hybrid so the tower wouldn't be much of a challenge!

Yeah the watching it fun too! I really like "watching" when I go to a new spot. It's about time to go some place new, lol!

Gambel's quail what you're seeing?

Ha! Them hybrid's are sumpin...

California Quail. Looks very much like Gambel's same "top knot" on forehead.

Have hunted with Red Tail and Peregrine, both "owned" (somehow "owned" doesn't quite capture it) by a pal years ago when we both lived in North Carolina. Very much look forward to spotting raptors, though confess I struggle to discern one from the other. Red Tails are common. Red Shouldered, Coopers, Northern Harriers, Osprey, White Tailed Kites less so. Scope critical to id these much of the time. Grand daughter and I had an immature Bald spotted in a tree not 40 yards away back in February. Through scope, watched the wind blow still grayish head, neck, shoulder feathers up to reveal... tips of early white feathers growing in underneath. 2 weeks ago using 832s, was able to spot dazzling white head, brown body nestled in a tall pine, couple hundred yards across reservoir. Hope it was that same immature from the winter. Course I had it reversed. Scope for bird in tree under 40 yards, then 8X binos for bird 200 or so out. Figures.