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  1. E

    Binocular bargains

    Many of the Vortex binos and spotting scopes are on sale at B&H with up to a 20% discount.
  2. E

    Which one to choose for my first spotting scope?

    After using a number of scopes I settled on a 65mm angled scope from Pentax. More than adequate and lighter than the 80mm to 85mm scopes. Vortex Viper or Vortex Razor scopes are on sale now at B&H in NYC.
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    Curio 7x21 vs. CL 8x25 pocket

    The light transmission is primarily a function of the surface area of the objective lenses. A 25mm provides an area gain of 56% over a 20mm objective. I don't consider any bino with objectives smaller than 25mm. Actual size when folded varies with the different bridge and hinge design and I...
  4. E

    Best bird recorders for field recording

    MixPre 6 II that has the 32-bit floating feature as with the MixPre 3 II recorder. For bird recording the Mix Pre 3 II is all one needs and one of the Strut field bags and a power bank with a USB-C cable. AA batteries have a very short life and the most bang for the buck is with something like...
  5. E

    What mics to choose?

    For recording bird songs a shotgun mic is going to minimize picking up ambient noise, like auto traffic and aircraft noise. A self powered mic is the easiest to use and I like Sennheiser MKE 600 super cardoid mono mic that can be powered with a single internal AA battery for many hours.
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    Parabolic Phone Mic

    I use a short cable that is 1/8" female for mini plug to a iPhone thunderbolt connector so I can use any self-powered microphone. I already have two Telinga dishes so no need to add a third dish. Quite a few parabola and mic setups for sale on Amazon for under $50. I have found that I need to...
  7. E

    Problems with donating binoculars

    I have more than a few binoculars that I no longer use and would like to donate them to people who could use them. Often with my overseas trips I have encountered people who would be happy to get the binos but their governments impose exhorbitant taxes on imports so the cost of the used bino is...
  8. E

    Happy owners of a pocket 10x25?

    I bought the Swarvoski 8x25 CL Pocket Mountain and they were OK but I soon replaced them with a 10x25 pair of the same bino. The 8x30 binos are the ones I use the most due to their compact size.
  9. E

    10x low light binoculars for around €1000 ?

    Light transmission is largely a function of the surface area of the objective lens. A 50mm lens has 41% greater area than a 42mm objective lens. At most the lens coatings may increase light transmission by 5% so the size of the objectives is the critical factor. In low light our eyes ability...
  10. E

    What's your favourite low light binocular, and why.

    For me a low light bino for use on land is a 10x or 12x pair. I was using 10x but have migrated to 12x, first with 12x50 and now have added a 25% lighter and smaller pair of 12x x 42 binos. Light transmission is a function of the area of the objective lens but more important is the amount of...
  11. E

    Endurance ED 8x25 vs a good 8x20?

    I tried the Leica and Zeiss binos and ended up buying the Swarovski 10x25 CL Pocket Mountain binos. These in their carry case will fit inside a water bottle pocket or normal jacket pocket and they weigh only 12.4 ounces. The carry case has a belt loop that attaches with a Velcro strap. I have 13...
  12. E

    Bino Suggestions for a Casual Birder?

    I would buy a Nikon Monarch 5 or Monarch 7 binoculars that provide great bang for the buck. The Monarch 7 8x30 weigh only 15 ounces and sell for $427 and include a carry case. These are small enough to fit inside a glove box and I keep a pair in my truck so they are always available for use...
  13. E

    Depth Of Field better when diameter is larger?

    Light transmission is the primary factor in perceived depth of field with binoculars and it is a function of the surface area of the objective lenses. It varies more than one might expect if only considering the diameter of the lens. 50mm objective lens area of 1963 sq mm gain of 41% over 42mm...
  14. E

    Nikon 20x56 vs Maven 18x56 C4 (and other high power binoculars)

    Good prices with the sale on Vortex binoculars at B&H. I bought the Vortex Diamond 15x56 for $319 with free shipping. There are also the Vortex Razor that are selling for less than $500.
  15. E

    Curio 7x21 vs. CL 8x25 pocket

    I first bought the 8x25 Cl binos and then ended up giving them to my wife and bought a pair of the 10x25 Cl binos. They are compact enough that even in their carry case they fit neatly in a water bottle pocket or a jacket. I leave them hanging off my neck and it is easy to forget they are there...
  16. E

    Vortex diamondback 10x42 vs Vortex Viper 10x42

    BH Photo Video is offering great discounts on Vortex binos at this point in time. They do not show the discount price but will email it on request and then provide a link to a page with the reduced price.
  17. E

    Nikon Monarch HG 8x30 - worth or not to buy, considering prose n cons?

    I have the Monarch 7 8x30 binos and they are excellent for the price. They are small enough and inexpensive enough that I leave them in my truck so they are readily available. My favorite pocketable binos are the Swarovski 10x25 CL Pocket Mountain that are small enough that inside their carry...
  18. E

    Vortex diamondback 10x42 vs Vortex Viper 10x42

    I ran into some birders at a local hot spot and one was using the Nikon Monarch 5 12x42 binos. I was surprised that they were 12x as they were no larger than my 10x binos. As I get older I see the benefits of having more image magnification and have found myself no longer using my 8x binos. I...
  19. E

    Swarovski CL 8x25 vs Zeiss Terra ED 8x25: one more comparison

  20. E

    Pocket binoculars that fit in your pocket!

    I currently own 11 pairs of binos and find the ones I use by far the most for birding are the Swarovski 10x25 CL Pocket Mountain ones. With smaller objective sizes I want 10x magnification to get the best light transmission and detail rendition for low light bird identification. My wife prefers...
  21. E

    Enjoy living in a place with a low bird density?

    I have a little of an acre of oak woodland at my house and starting 25 years ago I started adding native shrubs to improve the area for birds. Most natives plants are very slow growing or easily decimated by deer. But I now have had more than 58 bird species in my yard and at daybreak the chorus...
  22. E

    Please help

    Many species of ground feeding species will also eat seed from a platform feeder. The platform feeders I have mounted off the ground and the posts protected by baffle guards for squirrels and other rodents. The only seed I throw out on the ground is for quail and towhees and sparrows and I...
  23. E

    Tripod carry cases

    Go to the B&H Photo Video website and you can search on tripod carry cases and sort for length. Only need to add the height of your head to the 24 inches of the tripod to determine the length to get. You can get the Vidpro case for only $17. A peeve of mine is companies like Gitzo and RRS that...
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    Gitzo Traveler GT2545T tripod - Not just for traveling?

    I have been using Gitzo tripods for decades but their engineering and quality control and customer service has gone downhill. The last Gitzo 3- series tripod arrived with the lever for locking the leg tilt angle broken off in the box. The piece as made from pot metal and so a bad bit of...
  25. E

    Tripod/head advice

    What I recommend is buying a good tripod for your camera use and then putting an Arca-Swiss compatible plate (can buy for $10 on Amazon) on the base of the scope. Easy then to switch from the scope to the tripod for both uses. With you height the tripod's working height can be far less and so...
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