Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
I find myself at the lower end of the Zeiss zoom's range for most of the time, but - even here in the dull and dreary North East England - having that ability to go closer when it's needed is a real joy.
And unlike Bill, I find the zoom very usable beyond 30x.
I'm already habituated into finding the bird at 15x (with its class-leading FOV) then giving the zoom a quarter turn automatically, which turns the zoom up to 35x, and if necessary I'll ratchet it up a bit more: unless it's really dull, the view at the top of the zoom range is very useful, if not exactly sparkling.
But up to 35-38x (ish, obviously!) it's a dandy thing indeed in anything better than mediocre conditions.
In brighter conditions, the 45x is fine, and is plenty of power: more than that and you're back to dealing with magnified effects of atmospheric disturbances anyway.
And unlike Bill, I find the zoom very usable beyond 30x.
I'm already habituated into finding the bird at 15x (with its class-leading FOV) then giving the zoom a quarter turn automatically, which turns the zoom up to 35x, and if necessary I'll ratchet it up a bit more: unless it's really dull, the view at the top of the zoom range is very useful, if not exactly sparkling.
But up to 35-38x (ish, obviously!) it's a dandy thing indeed in anything better than mediocre conditions.
In brighter conditions, the 45x is fine, and is plenty of power: more than that and you're back to dealing with magnified effects of atmospheric disturbances anyway.
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