• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Advice on mid-size scopes? (1 Viewer)

Sancho

Well-known member
Europe
Hi..I have to downsize to mid-size, trivial shoulder/back issues (a luxury in a world where most have real problems). A store in Dublin has a black Zeiss Victory 65mm w/15-56 ep, last one anywhere it seems, for 1850 euro. I know nothing about this scope and the sales people there know even less. Was it well regarded, before the advent of Harpia?
 
Hi..I have to downsize to mid-size, trivial shoulder/back issues (a luxury in a world where most have real problems). A store in Dublin has a black Zeiss Victory 65mm w/15-56 ep, last one anywhere it seems, for 1850 euro. I know nothing about this scope and the sales people there know even less. Was it well regarded, before the advent of Harpia?

Hi Sancho, Uttings have it on offer for a lot less.

https://www.uttings.co.uk/p124437-z...15-45x-eyepiece-528063-0000-010/#.XzFqHChKg6Y

John.
 
Hi..I have to downsize to mid-size, trivial shoulder/back issues (a luxury in a world where most have real problems). A store in Dublin has a black Zeiss Victory 65mm w/15-56 ep, last one anywhere it seems, for 1850 euro. I know nothing about this scope and the sales people there know even less. Was it well regarded, before the advent of Harpia?

Zeiss have good light transmission. Sharp center but not edge to edge as I can remember it, wide FOV though.

IMO the eye piece is a bit outdated. AFOV is rather small and eye relief shorter than you might like if wearing eye glasses.

The focus wheel you might like or hate.

But as with all optics it comes down to personal preferences.
 
Hi Eanna

I have the Diascope 85 T*FL 20-75....5/6 years old...black later version with single dual purpose focus.

I have not tried the Harpia so can't compare, but I have tried the Swarovski & Kowa and in my opinion it's on a par with Swaro (but with a softer more natural image) and better than the Kowa. I personally feel that the FOV is excellent at 20-40 and to be expected very good at 40-75 with a crystal clear image. The zoom and focus are effortless and fast affording very comfortable and precise focusing. You don't need a fixed eyepiece...the zoom is so good and FOV will not be an issue. I digiscope and can get a sharp photo at x75.

It is a very solid beautifully made bit of kit. I know the 65 is smaller but I know someone who has one and swears by it. (The 15-65 will be the same zoom).

I've seen good used for about €1000 on Ebay ....some for less and new, as there still are some new ones out there, for €2000 upwards.

I love mine and don't think I'll ever have to change as long as I don't drop it.......!
 
Thanks Ian! Yes, it's the 65mm version of your scope the store has. Single dual-speed focusser. But it's a camera store, the sales people there know nothing about optics...the guy didn't want to open the box and show it to me, he tried to show me specs online! Then when he couldn't find an eyepiece in the store room, I had to tell him 'There's one in the display-case over there...the big black one!':-O (Seriously)
 
Yes, they are a bit good looking aren't they... Although I prefer the old APO62, which is the one scope I regret selling - also readily available for half the price!
I had one of those briefly...stunning little scope. I sold it because I thought I'd never use it!!!
 
Eanna,

The weight saving with the smaller scope will be of little consequence. After a succession of different tripods I now have what I consider to be an ideal compromise of stability and light weight, a Novoflex TrioPod in CF with a Berlebach 510 video head. The combo weighs 2200 g.
My two scopes are a Swarovski ATM 65HD (magnesium body) with 30x W and a Kowa 883 with the 25-50x zoom. With their QR plates they weigh 1400 g and 1900 g respectively, so we're talking about total weights of 3600 g or 4100 g - not a lot of difference.
I still take the little Swarovski with me if the lighting is good, the expected viewing distances are moderate and if I am going to carry the set-up for a few kms. In these situations it is a little more comfortable but I could not justify the cost of another tripod and the attendant stability loss and, to be honest, cannot think of a satisfactory lighter alternative.

John
 
I had one of those briefly...stunning little scope. I sold it because I thought I'd never use it!!!

Stunning indeed; I wouldn't swap mine for anything I've yet seen. Why not buy another? They can still be found new if you look around, though eyepieces can be a bit difficult. There may be someone out there wishing to sell that you can get a good deal with.

RB
 
Thanks John and RB!!! All points taken on board. I use a CF tripod alhough with a heavy MF128RC head. Uttings (thanks John!)has new mid-size scopes at very good prices. But everything has to wait...a Stone Curlew has turned up at a site 12km from my home, on the Wicklow Coast, so the 'big' Meopta has some work to do tomorrow morning!!!
 
Last edited:
Eanna,

Good luck with the Stone Curlew tomorrow!

Btw, I suspect that the DiaScope 65 is heavier than my Swaro 65 and that your Meopta S2 is lighter than my Kowa, so the weight saving would not be noticeable. I'm fairly sure though that the Meopta is the better scope.

If you want to save weight, perhaps you should exchange the head for a Gitzo GHF2W or Berlebach 510. I once had a Manfrotto 128 LP. It was smooth and well damped but could not hold the Kowa at elevation when viewing the moon. The Berlebach is lighter and much more stable.

John
 
The Meopta is a stellar scope...I love it in all respects.

A few years back, I did a side-by-side comparison of the S2 with a DiaScope 85 (not 65) at Photokina. If I'd had to choose between the two, the vote would have gone to the Meopta, even at the same price!

John
 
Isn't it funny how we are all very protective of our individual scopes. At the end of the day having paid €*!#* for them, we are bound to be.

I can compare my passion for my scope to that of a car or motorbike enthusiast. I have changed tripods, heads and qr plates regularly to get better results...... and so we all feel that we have the best.

As the others have said, the weight is fairly negligible between all.....although I do also have an Opticron 65 GS with fixed EP's which is so much lighter...but I never use it. I'm sure there is little to choose between the top brands.

If you have a back/shoulder issue how do carry it? Do you use a Scopac?

Any way good luck.
 
Hi,

the general problem is sample variation - we get very good examples, ok-ish ones and real lemmon from the factory (unfortunately).
In this forum we usually hear about the first and the last class - the very good ones are often in the possession of some of the forum regulars and the reason why they praise their models. And the lemons turn up from time to time with the question if that is normal. The ok-ish ones are probably just used...

We really should refrain from generalising from the optical quality of our examples to the respective model in general... that just doesn't work.

Joachim
 
Sancho, daft question perhaps - given the weight savings between the scopes you are considering is modest, have you considered getting a Mulepack or similar to carry your existing kit? Much less expense than than a new scope. I have a Mulepack and they are brilliant.
 
We really should refrain from generalising from the optical quality of our examples to the respective model in general... that just doesn't work.

Joachim,

Without disputing sample variation, I think the point is rather overstated. Of course, anyone paying €3000 for a scope has a right to expect it to perform well at 60x or 70x magnification.
However, there are mechanical and optical qualities of importance which are little affected by sample variation such as weight, handling, FOV, eye relief, CA or edge sharpness, to name just a few.
I think most would prefer a BMW, which failed to meet its specifications, to a cherry Dacia ;).

John
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top