Plea in favour of big binocular (high magnification)
Hi,
This day, I put my old 20 x 60 mm binocular (made in ex-USSR) on its everiday tripod (a photographic one, and as old as the binocular).
Normally, I use them mainly for binocular astronomy, but this time it was to look at the countryside. Well, countryside is perhaps not the best word, as I am living in the middle of a small town, but located in the foothills of Alpes Mountains (so I benefit from some good view onto nearby hillocks).
First assessement : there are very much more things to see with x 20 binoculars than with the more classical x 7 to x 10 binoculars we generally use for bird watching.
For instance, while I was scanning the sky I discovered clusters of tenth and even hundreds of very young swallows, all spinning and chasing each others, very high in the blue sky of mid-afternoon. While the same zone seemed totally empty when looked at with nacked eyes.
Moreover, and in spite of the distance, I was able to clearly observe interaction between specific birds, thanks to the x 20 magnifying power.
And that's not all, I suddenly discovered that there was also a pair of birds of prey circling above and in the middle of this whirl of swallows. They too were undetectable with nacked eyes. With my binocular I was able to precisely observe and to follow them while they were wheeling up to about 2 kilometers away.
Also, with my "big binoculars", during a winter night, I had been able to observe gooses flying in perfect squadron "V" formation, at high altitude, as they crossed the night sky, and at the same time being silhouetted against the star fields plus slightly lighted up by all the street lights and other sources coming up from my town they had been flying over.
So, such binocular can be of interest in dark hours, for some kind of bird watching, too.
My first comment is : when we are using a binocular with high power magnification (let us say from x 20 to perhaps x 50), and a good tripod, during daytime, we can observe other and new aspects of wildlife (in particular birds) that we cannot reach with a classical binocular.
So, if a x 7 to x 10 binocular is a perfect tool for bird watching in town, forest, countryside, but always in our immediate environment, as soon as we are dealing with very distant or very up in the sky targets, only a high magnification binocular can do the job. Without such a binocular whe are missing half of the story...
In short, I consider we do not have to choose between these two kind of optical aid, but we need to combine their fields (of view).
Apart from birds, high magnification binocular, used in daytime, are very powerfull tools. I was able to look at hikers that were 5,7 kilometers away (checked with a map), just below the top of a hill and in a gap in the middle of a forest. With my x 20 model, I could clearly see the color of their pants and shirts, and even just to make out the tiny dot of their face. All that despite the very hot air convection and the heat haze. So, we can consider that we have the possibility to observe wildlife (big game) up to such a distance.
An other intersting observation : there are plenty of airplanes, the shapes and the jet trails of which are invisible when you look at the sky with nacked eyes, in daytime, because they are too high and/or too far, and they become perfectly observable (model, company painting of cabin and of vertical fin), while they are moving closer, with a x 20 magnification binocular.
Lastly, at close range (about 30 meters) my 20 x 60 mm allow me to look at insects doing their work in trees on the other side of a railroad, lighted up by street lamps.
On the whole, I think that the x 7 to x 10 binocular give us the possibility to better look at something we have detected with our nacked eyes, while a x 20 (and above) binocular give us the possibility to discover things we are not aware of them, before we begin to use this big binocular.
If we consider that the model I keep is not really a high end one (and this is an euphemism...), let us dream of what could be possible with a better big binocular (Fujinon 15 x 70 mm, Takahachi 22 x 60 mm, even a Chinese 25 x 80 mm...).
If you allow me to give you just an advice, for the buying of a binocular intended to practice astronomy, planes or birds watching, etc. : at all costs choose a model fitted with 45° or 90° prisms at oculars, to spare your cervical vertebrae.
This is just a piece of friendly advice... I intend to apply to myself, too...
By,
Hi,
This day, I put my old 20 x 60 mm binocular (made in ex-USSR) on its everiday tripod (a photographic one, and as old as the binocular).
Normally, I use them mainly for binocular astronomy, but this time it was to look at the countryside. Well, countryside is perhaps not the best word, as I am living in the middle of a small town, but located in the foothills of Alpes Mountains (so I benefit from some good view onto nearby hillocks).
First assessement : there are very much more things to see with x 20 binoculars than with the more classical x 7 to x 10 binoculars we generally use for bird watching.
For instance, while I was scanning the sky I discovered clusters of tenth and even hundreds of very young swallows, all spinning and chasing each others, very high in the blue sky of mid-afternoon. While the same zone seemed totally empty when looked at with nacked eyes.
Moreover, and in spite of the distance, I was able to clearly observe interaction between specific birds, thanks to the x 20 magnifying power.
And that's not all, I suddenly discovered that there was also a pair of birds of prey circling above and in the middle of this whirl of swallows. They too were undetectable with nacked eyes. With my binocular I was able to precisely observe and to follow them while they were wheeling up to about 2 kilometers away.
Also, with my "big binoculars", during a winter night, I had been able to observe gooses flying in perfect squadron "V" formation, at high altitude, as they crossed the night sky, and at the same time being silhouetted against the star fields plus slightly lighted up by all the street lights and other sources coming up from my town they had been flying over.
So, such binocular can be of interest in dark hours, for some kind of bird watching, too.
My first comment is : when we are using a binocular with high power magnification (let us say from x 20 to perhaps x 50), and a good tripod, during daytime, we can observe other and new aspects of wildlife (in particular birds) that we cannot reach with a classical binocular.
So, if a x 7 to x 10 binocular is a perfect tool for bird watching in town, forest, countryside, but always in our immediate environment, as soon as we are dealing with very distant or very up in the sky targets, only a high magnification binocular can do the job. Without such a binocular whe are missing half of the story...
In short, I consider we do not have to choose between these two kind of optical aid, but we need to combine their fields (of view).
Apart from birds, high magnification binocular, used in daytime, are very powerfull tools. I was able to look at hikers that were 5,7 kilometers away (checked with a map), just below the top of a hill and in a gap in the middle of a forest. With my x 20 model, I could clearly see the color of their pants and shirts, and even just to make out the tiny dot of their face. All that despite the very hot air convection and the heat haze. So, we can consider that we have the possibility to observe wildlife (big game) up to such a distance.
An other intersting observation : there are plenty of airplanes, the shapes and the jet trails of which are invisible when you look at the sky with nacked eyes, in daytime, because they are too high and/or too far, and they become perfectly observable (model, company painting of cabin and of vertical fin), while they are moving closer, with a x 20 magnification binocular.
Lastly, at close range (about 30 meters) my 20 x 60 mm allow me to look at insects doing their work in trees on the other side of a railroad, lighted up by street lamps.
On the whole, I think that the x 7 to x 10 binocular give us the possibility to better look at something we have detected with our nacked eyes, while a x 20 (and above) binocular give us the possibility to discover things we are not aware of them, before we begin to use this big binocular.
If we consider that the model I keep is not really a high end one (and this is an euphemism...), let us dream of what could be possible with a better big binocular (Fujinon 15 x 70 mm, Takahachi 22 x 60 mm, even a Chinese 25 x 80 mm...).
If you allow me to give you just an advice, for the buying of a binocular intended to practice astronomy, planes or birds watching, etc. : at all costs choose a model fitted with 45° or 90° prisms at oculars, to spare your cervical vertebrae.
This is just a piece of friendly advice... I intend to apply to myself, too...
By,
