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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Equipment (1 Viewer)

Digital Cameras:

Canon D60 w 70-200 F4L (Looking for longer lens maybe Canon 100-400 F 5.6 L or Sigma 50-500 EX), Nikon Coolpix 700 (No Good for Birding as no zoom)

Binocs:

Nikon 7 x 21 7.1 (Circa 1980) I would really like to get a new pair with a little more power though I would keep these as they are nice and compact and still work like new. I have looked at the Canon 10 x 40? IS model and was impressed with how well the IS worked and the apparent value (<$400 US). Anybody have any experience with IS binocs? From my test at the store I think I might even be able to go for a higher power with the IS, but am not sure I would care for the extra weight and really need the extra power.

Vogelman
 
Vogelman, I have used the Canon IS binocs. The image stabilization is very good. However, for a 10 X 40 they are pricey. The IS is really only needed if you go out on boats frequently (which is where I tried mine, and it was fantastic). If you do not go out on pelagic trips, you will find that you rarely will use the IS. I don't think a higher power is made with the IS, is it?
 
I've tried the Canon IS 15X50 and wasn't impressed with the optical performance compared with the typical high-end binos (way behind my 10x42 Swaro' EL), probably fair enough as much of the price goes into the IS system (and very clever it is too). They are heavy and not comfortable in my hands.....maybe better for others.
I.S. was good....slight feeling that you are on a boat with a gentle swell underneath... don't have a heavy breakfast before extended use? 3:)
Andy B
 
(my first post)
bins - swift audubon 8.5 x 44 - newer waterproof ones
My first pair of 'serious' bins. I'd been using some old and appallingly bad Tasco zoom bins before then. They were well past their best too. Optics way out of alignment and the images were different sizes through each eyepiece. Friends were amazed I could see anything at all through them but it's surprising what you can get used to! I absolutely love the swift bins ...

scope - opticron es80 with hdf zoom eyepiece
My first scope. I saved for ages and I haven't had it long but it's transformed my birdwatching. I don't use the maximum zoom very much though because the field of view gets very small and quite dark unless conditions are perfect.

tripod - velbon delta
A tripod - had no problems with it really. The coating on the legs seems to get scratched quite easily but then I'm a bit of an 'off-road' birder :)

andyb (another one)
 
Hi andyb

glad to hear your getting on with your new optics. i too am a bit of an off roader. scrabling through brambles & the like is the norm for me. or spending hours in a forrest. all good fun though.
i am saving for a scope next or it could be a lap top which would be handy to log all my data. scope i think first though ;)

just had a pair of Leica duovid and they are out standing.

welcome to the forum
 
Hi wizard,
Thanks for the welcome. Yeah dragging my tripod through the brambles every week doesn't seem to have done it much good :)
I've heard about these duovid bins - are they quite a new idea? They look pretty cool imho.
Are you a data hoarder too? Even my girlfriend laughs at my obsession with logging everything I see. Do you use any particular software?
 
Hi andyb

i always used a pair of Pentax 10x50 which i found were great, but not waterproof. i was satisfied with them for years until i got into birds of prey. the weight is about the same so if anyone needs lighter bins go for the 8x32's but i dont mind that little extra to carry as it is well worth it. i must admit not to using the 12x42 as much as the 8x42 but when i ned it all i have to do is click the lens and the image is a little bigger. i am very happy with them and they will last me out i think.
i use Excel on windows XP, great little program after you have worked out what you want from it, that is more than half the battle, knowing what we want. i also use a dictation machine which i would be lost without. i can write up notes when i get home and not worry about soggy pages as i am aways wet or covered in mud :eat:
well not always but you know what i mean.
there are a lot of birds i dont know so i dont pretend to know them all, ticking off birds is not my thing. i like to see & watch them and concentrate on a selected few.
 
I use the following:
Leica APO 77 (32ww and 20-60 zoom)
Leica 10x42 BN
Manfrotto 443
CP885
PS Elements

I prefer the Leica optics because to my eyes they give the sharpest image with the best colour rendition. I have no problems with the focus mechanism on the bins or scope.

However, I think the important phrase is "to my eyes". I am convinced that the best optical equipment is the one that works best for you. My advice to anyone spending this amount of money on optics is don't take anyone's word for it - try it. In UK it is possible just about anywhere to find a retailer doing field days where you can try this stuff out. Do it and at the end of the day trust what your eyes are telling you.

Robin
 
my equipment is bins Zeiss 7x42 scope Kowa TSN3 with 30 eyepiece the bins are about 10 years old and the scope about 5 or6 just got a nikon 4500 but not used it for digiscoping yet adaptor hopefully will come tomorrow may try and get a secondhand 20x eyepiece as i think the 30 maybe a bit powerful any view on 20x or 30x for digiscoping
 
Hi Ragna,

I'm getting better results since changing from 32x to 22x. But then again - some people still get good results with the higher powered eyepieces. You can but try it.
 
I used to have a pair of Bushnell Natureview 8x45 which I had for several years using them dayly untill one day the internal focusing went kaput as i couldn't live without my bins I went and bought the best available bins with the little money I had-a pair of Opticron Oregon waterproof 8x42. price was just over £100. I don't know if they really are waterproof as I havn't managed to drop them in water yet. I've also recently purchased a new scope an Opticron Imagic 80 with 20-60 zoom. I'm also another user of the cp775.
 
Diane
Thank you for your reply im going to practice with the 30x to start with and see how i get on although well up on photography digiscoping is totally diferent and i can see im going to have to start from the begining
 
bins

I must agree with Robin on which optic suit you.
i spent an hour in one shop looking at Swarovski el8.5x42 a great pair of bins & light in weight and two pairs of Leica, Duovid & 8x32. the shop assistant was very helpful but didnt know much about bird watching, not that it made a difference at all. if you could put the Swarovski eye cups onto the Leica Duovid you would have the ideal pair for life. not that i am complaining with my Duovid's they are fantastic.
You have to look for yourself and see what suits you, all the magazine reveiws are basicaly the same thing year in year out no matter what the make of bins. look at magazine a few years back to see for yourself. take advise by all means but make up your own mind when parting with your money, get the pair YOU like that suits your style of bird watching. small is good in a woods for example but in on vast open mountain ranges maybe not so good when you want to see what the dot is miles away.
swings & roundabout..... you dicide what you want first then look around. I had mine £200 cheaper online so well worth the time i spent looking around i think.

all the best & happy watching
 
Somehow I have missed all of this thread. How remiss of me.

My equipment
Kowa 822 - now upgraded to an 824 with 32XWA & 20-60zoom
Swarovski 8x30 SLC's (bought 5 years ago-still brilliant)
Nikon Coolpix 990 camera + 5x lens
plus I have just purchased a Manfrotti 501 floating head.

Now all I have to do is learn how to use it all together.
 
three legs

this thread is very handy.
i am looking for a scope, BUT the other part which keeps coming up is how important a good tripod is.
can anyone please explain to me (and i am sure others on here) what to look out for. which they think is best & more info on theManfrotti 501 floating head.


Thanks guys & gals
 
wizard

I purchased the Manfrotti floating head only 3 weeks ago after a recommendation by another birder. Basically when you are using a digital camera at high magnification it is hard to keep the bird you are after in the centre of your monitor. With a normal tripod head it is too stiff to gently move it sideways and upwards so it becomes very hard to move the camera to keep in touch with the bird. Also you have to try and counter balance gravity as the camera's weight tries to pull the scope down.

With this floating head you can set it to counterbalance the camera's weight and also you have locks for upward and sideways movement. When the locks are off you can move your scope any which way you want. As soon as you are on the bird you lock up both locks and if the bird moves you release and move the scope / camera accordingly in a more easy fashion than a normal tripod head. There is a bit more to it than that and I am still learning how to use it. It cost me £125 for it. It is quite a heavy piece of equipment but some of the weight you lose because you have to dismantle part of your old head to accomodate this new head.

Regarding the tripod. Mine is a Swarovski tripod that is actually a Manfrotti design. They are heavier than most but you need this for stability.

My scope I find suits me. I think it's the bees knees in scopes but buying one is down to preferences and what you can afford. I am sure that other members will give their opinions on this subject but there have been a few threads already in the forums covering this aspect of birding.
 
(my first post)

Being new to bird photography and having received Pentax's "Digibino DB 100" as a gift, I have no illusions about my ability to award winning photos for the forseeable future, but I am having trouble taking clear shots with camera on tripod of birdfeeder at an approximate distance of 25 feet. (A photo I took of a Roseate Spoonbill in the Everglades at approximately 100 feet is recognizable, but blurry. Has anyone had success with this new gadget? Thanks.

Lee in SC
 
Lee

Welcome to this forum Try and say hello to everyone in the Hello forum. You will be warmly welcomed by all.

You might find your question better in the photography forum with a header titled "Advice needed" or something like that. Your question is a bit hidden amongst this thread and may not get the response that a specific thread would get.

I hope you enjoy being in this forum as they are all a great bunch in here. Give the gallery a good look over if you haven't done so already.

BTW I would have loved to have seen the shot of the Roseate Spoonbill. That is one of the prettiest birds around.
 
Bins: I use Leica 10x42BN and think they are superb both in image quality and I certainly have no complaints about the focussing.

Scope: Leica APO-Televid 77 (20x w & 20-60 eyepieces), a bit on the heavy side but a superb scope.

Tripod: Swarovski 2, a good stable tripod in most conditions.

Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera.

With all optical equipment it is always a good idea to try as many different makes and models as you can and make up your own mind, everyone has different criteria they have to stick to and will have different opinions on what equipment does or does not live up to their own expectations.
 
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