Comment on 7x50mm - 420ft/yds - tasco for a beginner (1 Viewer)

[Niegrau]

Hi everyone
I recently took up a hobby to feedwatch the birds but I'm totally new to this like I have no idea what equipment I need. I guessed binoculars help us watch but what kind?
Is a 7x50mm - 420ft/yds - tasco good enough to watch birds? It has to be posted to me from the States as at the moment I am staying in Tehran, Iran for about a year.
Thanks in advance
Gabriel

 

[JerryLogan]

Birds on feeders are great fun, it's a terrific way to relax and enjoy the show. If you already own the Tascos then sure, why not. If you're buying new binoculars then no, Tasco doesn't have a very good reputation for quality and 7x50 is light gathering overkill for your purpose.

Let's spend under $100. Let's bump up the magnification since we won't need a wide field of view to search for the birds; they're on the feeder. Let's get a smaller and therefore lighter objective because there's not a lot of twilight action at my feeders. I suggest one of the Nikon or Pentax compact reverse porro prism designs, 8x24 or 8x21.

Light, easy to carry and ship. If bird watching turns out not to be for you they make a nice gift that won't embarrass you. If you become a super birder they're great permanently stored in the glove box for quick looks.


Hope you have a wonderful year. Try to travel if you can. There are some truly remarkable cultural treasures in Iran. It's a fabulous opportunity.

Jerry

 

[FrankD]

Just a thought from someone that enjoys 7x50 binoculars...assuming your Tasco are porro prism models then you may run into an issue with field overlap at close distances. I am not sure how far out your feeders are but if they are under 15-20 yards then you may have a bit of an uncomfortable experience because of how widely spaced a 50 mm porro prism models objective lenses can be.

I would suggest something like the Nikon Aculon 7x35 for under $80. Great image quality for the price. The only catch is the eye relief is fairly short so if you wear glasses they may not work that well for you. Another to consider would be the Leupold Yosemite 8x30 or 6x30. Both can be found for between $75-$100.

Hope this helps.

 

[Steve C]

Tasco is a brand best left to collecting samples from the days of the japan Telescopes Inspection Institute. Samples are typically bought from eBay or some other auction site.

Those Tascos are generally pretty decent and quite adequate for your purpose. I'd stay pretty far away from the modern version.

Why not give a bit more information. What your budget is for example may well be the defining criteria for recommendations.

Lots of stuff works for short range work at the bird feeder. However that may well quickly evolve into an expanded appetite for birding and something more of an all around nature may well be called for.

I'd echo Frank's suggestion of the 7x35 Aculon as well.

 

[Niegrau]

Thanks to you guys
Jerry, Frank and Steve

It seems Jerry knows well about Iran. Interesting!

I can't find Leupold over here but following your suggestions for Nikon, the price is just double. Wonderland

Btw, the porro prism ones are kind of heavy to carry. What do you say about roof ones? Way light and cheap not to mention the size either.
Oh I forgot to check on Pentax, but I will.
Think of 100 dollars at most for my first try.

Instead, there's another option. A 2nd hand Handycam with 30 to 60 x optical zoom from Sony. Can I get that to use instead of binoculars?

Im also going to buy a Bridge or dSLR from canon or sony. The coolpix p600 and p900 surprised me. So have this added to my equipments.

Binoculars or Handycam
Bridge or dslr camera


Your information were great for me, so appreciative of you all
Gab

 

[Sandgrounder]

Binoculars: 8x magnification is what most birders use most of the time.

6x or 7x will give you a wider view but at lower magnification.

10x will give you higher magnification, but the image will be less bright (maybe not an issue in Iran?), the field of view will be smaller so it will take you longer to find the bird (especially in flight!) and you may have trouble holding the binocular steady enough.

The higher the magnification, the steadier the binoculars need to be held. Above 10x, you need to use a tripod. I don't know what 30x binoculars you've seen in your price range but they should be avoided. If you want higher magnification than 8x or 10x binoculars, you need a spotting scope. But get the binoculars first.

Something in the 8x24, 8x30 or 8x32 range is what you want. Porros in these sizes are not too heavy for you, and porros will usually give you a better view for your dollar in the lower price ranges.

Binoculars or camera: it's not the same thing at all. If you want to really watch birds, binoculars. You don't see them as well with a camera (although you do get pictures you can look at later, it's not the same).

I find that if I take a camera with me, I am thinking about getting the best picture, not really looking at the birds, and I learn less about the birds from the experience.

 

[JerryLogan]

Yes, student exchange program before the revolution. For sure get to Shiraz if you can. Amazing gardens, mosques, tombs, Pars Museum and day trips to Persepolis and surrounds such as Nash-e Rostam. It's stunning and friends who have traveled recently report the people are still as friendly and helpful as ever.

 

[Niegrau]

Sandgrounder, I got it all. Thank you so much. Im thinking of getting an 8x then.


Jerry, wow you've been to many places in Iran. What did you study when you were here? I've been to many places of shiraz esp. Persepolis.

You gotta see My first shot from a bird for the first time ever meant for birdwatching, with a compact camera 5x optical and 20x digital w/o tripod.

 

[Niegrau]

 

[Roadbike]

Nice shots. You may also want to look at the Nikon Aculon 8x42. They have a comfortably wide 8 degree field of view and 8x magnification will make them useful for both birding and scanning the nighttime sky.

 

[PhilR.]

Is a 7x50mm - 420ft/yds - tasco good enough to watch birds? It has to be posted to me from the States as at the moment I am staying in Tehran, Iran for about a year.
Thanks in advance
Gabriel

Hello Gabriel,

Just wanted to mention something that you may well have to think about. In the USA, there are laws that prevent the export of many items to other countries, especially countries that are not looked upon in a favorable light by the govt.. Optics are certainly on this list. If you have a friend export a bino to you, then you should inform that person to do his/her due diligence before shipping.

As for the 7x50 - I would agree that a beginning birder does not need a 50mm in 7x. And an 8x or 10x (depends on your viewing situation) works well for a beginner due to the great variety of binos in all price ranges. If you can only spend $100, then consider the Olympus EXPS1 8x40, if you can get someone to buy one off of ebay for you. These can be found for well under $100. You can read about them on the allbinos website. It would make a very good beginner's bino. Also consider the Leupold Yosemite or Vortex Raptor, if you think a 32mm bino will work. Personally, if I could only have one bino for all purposes, it would be an 8x32.

 

[dannat]

a 7x50 is on the way out even for astronomy[its areally a relic size bino], go with the other suggestions in the thread

 

[Niegrau]

Birds on feeders are great fun, it's a terrific way to relax and enjoy the show. If you already own the Tascos then sure, why not. If you're buying new binoculars then no, Tasco doesn't have a very good reputation for quality and 7x50 is light gathering overkill for your purpose.

Let's spend under $100. Let's bump up the magnification since we won't need a wide field of view to search for the birds; they're on the feeder. Let's get a smaller and therefore lighter objective because there's not a lot of twilight action at my feeders. I suggest one of the Nikon or Pentax compact reverse porro prism designs, 8x24 or 8x21.

Light, easy to carry and ship. If bird watching turns out not to be for you they make a nice gift that won't embarrass you. If you become a super birder they're great permanently stored in the glove box for quick looks.


Hope you have a wonderful year. Try to travel if you can. There are some truly remarkable cultural treasures in Iran. It's a fabulous opportunity.

Jerry

Jerry
I have to put it off to another time because I m going to have a liver transplant in Shiraz and I'm on the waiting list. I rented a flat there to stay for the whole year.
Thanks to you and all the members helping me with their great knowledge.
Gab