ksbird/foxranch
Well-known member
When I recently purchased the 2 pairs of Nikon SEIIs on a deal I was rather worried about the serial numbers being so low (0050xx and 0051xx) but Kevin Purcell explained to me (with references to one of the Starry Night or BVD web pages), that these serial numbers were right in line.
Is it really possible that so few pairs of great bins are sold? In the KC Astronomical Society all 50 or so regulars out of 450+ members, have high end bins like Nikon Prostars/Astroluxe or Fujinon 7x50 or 11x70 FMTRs, etc. But when I donate time to do the Audubon Soc bird counts I see many of the counters using binoculars I would have trouble looking through all day without eye strain. In fact my biggest contribution is loaning relatively better bins to folks who are having trouble sorting out the finches etc.
In reality it seems like there is a small populations of hard core astronomers and all of them get uber-bins. There is a huge number of hunters in this part of the Midwest USA and many of them get uber-bins (based on the sales numbers Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops talk about). But amongst birders there seems to be a somewhat larger number of persons involved (compared to amateur astronomers) but they most often buy low end or mid-price bins.
I read on this forum that there is a great deal of interest and many "tests" of bins to see which bin is best and which bin in the "Best" category is least expensive. There is also some interest in which low-end-priced bin is best. But based on my actual interactions with groups of read bird-counters (for a rather serious genus/species tabulation), birders don't spend much money to do what they do.
Amateur astronomers I know will lie on their backs in the freezing cold with waterproof IF bins to observe interesting phenomena (comets etc.) and if the bins die, well that's the price you pay to have been there and seen that with your own eyes. Likewise hunters often spend really high dollars on bins because the guns etc. are already costing big bucks, so the uber-bins aren't a really over-large expenditure. But for a group that really needs to have either bins or a spotter, birders seem to be the cheapest spenders, and that may be why the best birding bins get discontinued.
I find in the astronomical society and amongst hunters that old age cuts down on their involvement after 65 yo when conditions are harsh. But birders can be seen making trips and watching slide shows about birds well into their retirement years, at a time when most can actually afford that one great pair of bins. They are likely to avoid the harshest weather conditions, because of their age. So why are the number of uber-bins for birding sold, so low?
Is it really possible that so few pairs of great bins are sold? In the KC Astronomical Society all 50 or so regulars out of 450+ members, have high end bins like Nikon Prostars/Astroluxe or Fujinon 7x50 or 11x70 FMTRs, etc. But when I donate time to do the Audubon Soc bird counts I see many of the counters using binoculars I would have trouble looking through all day without eye strain. In fact my biggest contribution is loaning relatively better bins to folks who are having trouble sorting out the finches etc.
In reality it seems like there is a small populations of hard core astronomers and all of them get uber-bins. There is a huge number of hunters in this part of the Midwest USA and many of them get uber-bins (based on the sales numbers Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops talk about). But amongst birders there seems to be a somewhat larger number of persons involved (compared to amateur astronomers) but they most often buy low end or mid-price bins.
I read on this forum that there is a great deal of interest and many "tests" of bins to see which bin is best and which bin in the "Best" category is least expensive. There is also some interest in which low-end-priced bin is best. But based on my actual interactions with groups of read bird-counters (for a rather serious genus/species tabulation), birders don't spend much money to do what they do.
Amateur astronomers I know will lie on their backs in the freezing cold with waterproof IF bins to observe interesting phenomena (comets etc.) and if the bins die, well that's the price you pay to have been there and seen that with your own eyes. Likewise hunters often spend really high dollars on bins because the guns etc. are already costing big bucks, so the uber-bins aren't a really over-large expenditure. But for a group that really needs to have either bins or a spotter, birders seem to be the cheapest spenders, and that may be why the best birding bins get discontinued.
I find in the astronomical society and amongst hunters that old age cuts down on their involvement after 65 yo when conditions are harsh. But birders can be seen making trips and watching slide shows about birds well into their retirement years, at a time when most can actually afford that one great pair of bins. They are likely to avoid the harshest weather conditions, because of their age. So why are the number of uber-bins for birding sold, so low?
Tubes are different imo, many more buy a really good tube. And its understandable, a lot more difference between only a decent tube and a alpha tube.
