It is over 10 years since my Opticron binoculars were stolen. Since then, almost all my assisted viewing has been done with one eye. Whatever jacket I am wearing, I slip a second hand 7x24 Leica rangefinder into the pocket and that has been fantastic, not bad glass and always there.
I came across this forum a couple of months ago after my wife suggested I treat myself to some compact binoculars. The Zeiss victory pocket 8x25 seems to be well liked by many, so I borrowed a pristine pair using the excellent TryZeiss scheme. They are not much larger than the rangefinder and with a different case, I could easily carry them with me every day.
After a couple of minutes of adjustment I sat down to (unfairly at the price) compare them with my wife's Vortex diamondback 8x32. A wagtail stalking insects quickly showed how much easier it was with the Zeiss to follow it's antics as it lurched up and down the lawn, only the lightest of touches required to keep it sharply focused. With the diamondback an overhead power line faded away in the distance as a single line, swapping over I could clearly make out 3 separate cables. Although small, these Zeiss are clearly in a completely different league, it was time to take them for a walkabout.
The day was cloudy yet quite bright, with unusually strong westerly winds that buffeted me as I walked across a recently cleared hay field. I had to brace myself against a gate post as I took the Zeiss pockets out of their definitely-not-pocket sized case and paused to look across my neighbours fields. What a superb wide, sharp view from such a tiny device ! No time to linger though, I was far too eager to try and see what may be in two fields further on.
The thing about nature that I'm sure attracts us all is that it is never the same and often unpredictable. Even so, I was hoping to be able to field test these binoculars with one of my favourite birds and this just happened to be a time of year when I have the best chance. In summer a small number of lapwing often spend part of their day on our pasture. They appeared later than normal this year, last week I saw only 3, twice this week I have seen a dozen or more. Lapwing can be easy to get close to on open ground when in a tractor, however the glass surrounding my cab is not exactly up to the optical quality required for a fair bino test, so if any were around, I would have to approach these sometimes fickle birds on foot. I usually try to keep well away and not disturb them, today I would risk getting a little closer. A walk over to the largest pond would not be wasted anyway, as coot always seem eager to oblige when nothing else is around.
With fingers crossed I walked slowly over the brow of the hill, looking down onto the 3 acre pond. My approach was stealthy enough not to startle the swans (actually that was no great feat - all 4 had their heads underwater). A dozen Graylag to my right were far more observant, they started to flap and complain, although that noise was nothing compared to a handful of Canada geese that were most indignant at me spoiling their snooze on the bankside below. Surely this would spook whatever may be resting out of sight? Oh well, nothing to loose now, I took the binoculars out of the huge case and edged forward. By eye alone I could just make out, on a gentle sloping piece of ground at the bottom of the hill, exactly what I had been hoping for. The dinky little 8x25's confirmed it all in an instant, adult and juvenille lapwings, 26 in all.
As I sat down the geese fell silent and for several minutes I was able to watch as the lapwing took it in turn to stand and take a few paces to show me their beautiful plumage. Then all too soon the Grelags took off, unsettling the lapwings and within seconds they were also in the air with their usual hesitant flapping, as if lacking in confidence in their ability to fly at all, let alone as a group. They climbed up until they were just above my head height and performed several complete circuits of the pond before passing over the railway and down into my neighbour's field. What a sight, it would have been good with one eye through my Leica, with those miniature Zeiss pockets it was stupendous.
I came across this forum a couple of months ago after my wife suggested I treat myself to some compact binoculars. The Zeiss victory pocket 8x25 seems to be well liked by many, so I borrowed a pristine pair using the excellent TryZeiss scheme. They are not much larger than the rangefinder and with a different case, I could easily carry them with me every day.
After a couple of minutes of adjustment I sat down to (unfairly at the price) compare them with my wife's Vortex diamondback 8x32. A wagtail stalking insects quickly showed how much easier it was with the Zeiss to follow it's antics as it lurched up and down the lawn, only the lightest of touches required to keep it sharply focused. With the diamondback an overhead power line faded away in the distance as a single line, swapping over I could clearly make out 3 separate cables. Although small, these Zeiss are clearly in a completely different league, it was time to take them for a walkabout.
The day was cloudy yet quite bright, with unusually strong westerly winds that buffeted me as I walked across a recently cleared hay field. I had to brace myself against a gate post as I took the Zeiss pockets out of their definitely-not-pocket sized case and paused to look across my neighbours fields. What a superb wide, sharp view from such a tiny device ! No time to linger though, I was far too eager to try and see what may be in two fields further on.
The thing about nature that I'm sure attracts us all is that it is never the same and often unpredictable. Even so, I was hoping to be able to field test these binoculars with one of my favourite birds and this just happened to be a time of year when I have the best chance. In summer a small number of lapwing often spend part of their day on our pasture. They appeared later than normal this year, last week I saw only 3, twice this week I have seen a dozen or more. Lapwing can be easy to get close to on open ground when in a tractor, however the glass surrounding my cab is not exactly up to the optical quality required for a fair bino test, so if any were around, I would have to approach these sometimes fickle birds on foot. I usually try to keep well away and not disturb them, today I would risk getting a little closer. A walk over to the largest pond would not be wasted anyway, as coot always seem eager to oblige when nothing else is around.
With fingers crossed I walked slowly over the brow of the hill, looking down onto the 3 acre pond. My approach was stealthy enough not to startle the swans (actually that was no great feat - all 4 had their heads underwater). A dozen Graylag to my right were far more observant, they started to flap and complain, although that noise was nothing compared to a handful of Canada geese that were most indignant at me spoiling their snooze on the bankside below. Surely this would spook whatever may be resting out of sight? Oh well, nothing to loose now, I took the binoculars out of the huge case and edged forward. By eye alone I could just make out, on a gentle sloping piece of ground at the bottom of the hill, exactly what I had been hoping for. The dinky little 8x25's confirmed it all in an instant, adult and juvenille lapwings, 26 in all.
As I sat down the geese fell silent and for several minutes I was able to watch as the lapwing took it in turn to stand and take a few paces to show me their beautiful plumage. Then all too soon the Grelags took off, unsettling the lapwings and within seconds they were also in the air with their usual hesitant flapping, as if lacking in confidence in their ability to fly at all, let alone as a group. They climbed up until they were just above my head height and performed several complete circuits of the pond before passing over the railway and down into my neighbour's field. What a sight, it would have been good with one eye through my Leica, with those miniature Zeiss pockets it was stupendous.
