The Binocular Journal (1 Viewer)

What a wonderful day. Especially the Otter!! Great to hear.

Lee

Hey guys, you've been having far too much fun and contemplative dalliences with birding and binoculars in comparison to me lately. I am jealous, and envious, and anything else you can imagine! I have been on a mundane but necessary quest for peace at home and tranquility just for being in a quiet state of mind there. You do what needs to be done, and all I can do right now is look through my bedroom windows, and see not much in the way of birds, but just Spring happening. The neighbor's dwarf sour Cherry tree started blooming in popcorn spurts this week-one or two blossoms at at time, and culminating in complete Japanese scenes of the flowring Cherry in bloom. Very nice!

No birds to speak of, other than the very loud Mocking Bird when I retire in the wee hours before dawn, along with the Robins too, I imagine. I turn my air conditioner on to block the raucous Spring birdsong so I can sleep! Yet, when I arise and look for the birds, they are seldom there! Very frustrating, to say the least! But the new blooms of the Cherry or Maple leaves gives me some focus to enjoy and admire, depending on the light of day. Just before sunset it is the best to see the backlit leaves and dramatic lighting on the brick buildings nearby.

I did see a Crow courtesy of 10x the other day about 25 yards away, and in such light that I have never seen before, all the feather details that Black Crow probably was so taken by in his recent experience too. The patterns in the feathers, like many birds are amazing, only if you see them though! I never realized the beauty of the Crow's plumage, nor even many of many of the Duck's complicated patterns of feather tatoos in them, that I am even more impressed with birds and birding, if only for that simple notice by me, recently.

I have always been a nature observer, but not in this detail. 10x certainly helps at times, though mere observance leads to other revelations in the other power bins under that, that will still stunn you when all is right and you see it!

So yeah, there is a lot to be seen and discovered, in the birding and binocular path to enlightenment, and I am happy to be on the path to find out. And I'm happy with what I've been seeing too. I think that is the key-you just need to observe for long enough before it becomes a realization to what you are seeing. If you have a good camera, like Bill (wdc) has, it might just help show what you see and make you appreciate it too.

So, Bill, I know you've said before about your camera, but if you wouldn't mind repeating, it would be good to know. Your photos keep showing that you have an eye for the pictures, and also that your camera doesn't hold you back in displaying what you see!

Thanks guys, it's been an inspiration to keep reading of your new travels in the field and binoculars besides. Enjoy and have a blast! I'm just waiting to get out again, when I can.

Back there again today with the EL of course. There was a monster fly hatch going on over the pond and there much have been close to 40 or 50 swallows over the water. I got lost in my own world following them on their amazing flights after insects. Tree Swallows and what I'm guessing are Cliff Swallows. I don't know if it's a mating thing but they were doing stationary summersaults over each other in mid air. It was so beautiful. 420 ft fov is just about right for easily picking one and following it for minutes at a time all over the lake close in an far off. I really do like just about everything about these Swaros. I feel like I'm one with them already. It's all totally natural and so easy.

No otter today but a Ring Necked Duck and four turtles sunning on a log and lots of Mallard Ducklings all about.

And the best part was to see the Bullocks Oriole again. He's soooo stunning I just had to find a good pic of one for any of you who've never seen this beautiful bird.
https://bobzeller.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/img_9402_blog_bullocks1.jpg

Tomorrow I have the 10x32 Leica Ultravid coming via mail for something else to look though. I'm a little less certain about this than I was about the EL. I just knew the EL was going to work.

Troubador said:

What a wonderful day. Especially the Otter!! Great to hear.

Lee

Click to expand...

I figured that would turn you on Lee! I would love to see that myself too! They are like dogs in water!

I would be lucky to see a Muskrat here now, let alone an Otter! But nature is nature, and you take what you can get, I guess!

black crow said:

Back there again today with the EL of course. There was a monster fly hatch going on over the pond and there much have been close to 40 or 50 swallows over the water. I got lost in my own world following them on their amazing flights after insects. Tree Swallows and what I'm guessing are Cliff Swallows. I don't know if it's a mating thing but they were doing stationary summersaults over each other in mid air. It was so beautiful. 420 ft fov is just about right for easily picking one and following it for minutes at a time all over the lake close in an far off. I really do like just about everything about these Swaros. I feel like I'm one with them already. It's all totally natural and so easy.

No otter today but a Ring Necked Duck and four turtles sunning on a log and lots of Mallard Ducklings all about.

And the best part was to see the Bullocks Oriole again. He's soooo stunning I just had to find a good pic of one for any of you who've never seen this beautiful bird.
https://bobzeller.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/img_9402_blog_bullocks1.jpg

Tomorrow I have the 10x32 Leica Ultravid coming via mail for something else to look though. I'm a little less certain about this than I was about the EL. I just knew the EL was going to work.

Click to expand...

Well, I think 10x is always a choice for more detail than anything else, and you can expect that at least-but it's not a be-all binocular, I doubt, like all the other 10x's out there. They are speciailized in scope, and what they deliver, and only you can choose what works for you. My Cabelas B1 Meopta is all I could ask for in a compact 10x32 bin-the view is such an immersive wide view, that I could not ask for better, besides the sharpness. I have 10x42's that are not as impressive, yet still a great view besides. Though one of my 10x42's seems to have a shallower field of focus-and needs to be refocused more often than some others I have. I don't know why, but I would like to know. When they are focused on a particular subject though, they are indeed sharp to the eye, even if it is not as sharp in more distance than another 10x at about the same distance parameters.

I know there are many reasons for such to appear that way including individual eyesight, but I don't rememmber exactly what they are, when you have more depth of field of focus in a similarly powered and spec'ed binocular. Like going from a 10x to an 8x, and having more forgiveness in the field with an 8x than 10x.

Anyone know what I mean, or have observed this too with different binoculars?

bluespiderweb said:

Hey guys, you've been having far too much fun and contemplative dalliences with birding and binoculars in comparison to me lately. I am jealous, and envious, and anything else you can imagine! I have been on a mundane but necessary quest for peace at home and tranquility just for being in a quiet state of mind there. You do what needs to be done, and all I can do right now is look through my bedroom windows, and see not much in the way of birds, but just Spring happening. The neighbor's dwarf sour Cherry tree started blooming in popcorn spurts this week-one or two blossoms at at time, and culminating in complete Japanese scenes of the flowring Cherry in bloom. Very nice!

No birds to speak of, other than the very loud Mocking Bird when I retire in the wee hours before dawn, along with the Robins too, I imagine. I turn my air conditioner on to block the raucous Spring birdsong so I can sleep! Yet, when I arise and look for the birds, they are seldom there! Very frustrating, to say the least! But the new blooms of the Cherry or Maple leaves gives me some focus to enjoy and admire, depending on the light of day. Just before sunset it is the best to see the backlit leaves and dramatic lighting on the brick buildings nearby.

I did see a Crow courtesy of 10x the other day about 25 yards away, and in such light that I have never seen before, all the feather details that Black Crow probably was so taken by in his recent experience too. The patterns in the feathers, like many birds are amazing, only if you see them though! I never realized the beauty of the Crow's plumage, nor even many of many of the Duck's complicated patterns of feather tatoos in them, that I am even more impressed with birds and birding, if only for that simple notice by me, recently.

I have always been a nature observer, but not in this detail. 10x certainly helps at times, though mere observance leads to other revelations in the other power bins under that, that will still stunn you when all is right and you see it!

So yeah, there is a lot to be seen and discovered, in the birding and binocular path to enlightenment, and I am happy to be on the path to find out. And I'm happy with what I've been seeing too. I think that is the key-you just need to observe for long enough before it becomes a realization to what you are seeing. If you have a good camera, like Bill (wdc) has, it might just help show what you see and make you appreciate it too.

So, Bill, I know you've said before about your camera, but if you wouldn't mind repeating, it would be good to know. Your photos keep showing that you have an eye for the pictures, and also that your camera doesn't hold you back in displaying what you see!

Thanks guys, it's been an inspiration to keep reading of your new travels in the field and binoculars besides. Enjoy and have a blast! I'm just waiting to get out again, when I can.

Click to expand...

Hi Barry, I think the some of the best observing is when there are limits, so you really pay attention to what it is you've got in front of you. That will sharpen your observing skills, regardless of what it is you're looking at. It might be a time constraint, or a location limitation of some sort. I think you're making the best of it.

Regarding the camera, I'm using a relatively inexpensive, fixed lens bridge camera, that has a very long zoom capability. Its a Nikon P610. I'm not sure it if it is still in production. I purchased a re-furbished one for $379 a few years ago. I do a 'weekly bird' email to some friends and family, so I send out about 4-8 pictures a week with simple notes about them. A few of those images are what I'm posting on this thread from time to time. They are lo-res screen grabs that I crop in from the full frame to get a subject based (bird-centric) composition. I may slightly adjust levels in photoshop to get a better read inside of a silhouette.

My primary advice from the observing side of it is this:
1. You have to show up (just like birding).. Whatever it is you like to look at, do it as often as you can. You not only get more experience using the camera, you have more opportunities to take a good shot. Most of the shots are not good, but you improve your ratio by experience... better position, better lighting circumstances, etc.

2. Get as close to the bird as you can. The zoom on my camera is amazing, but nothing beats getting close to the subject, if you want any appreciable detail.

I'm really out there to look at, and listen to the birds, as well as enjoy the light in the world. I love using binoculars to literally transport myself closer to the subject at hand. The camera is a way to share that with others, and also to help me see some things I would not have been able to spot, either with my own eyes, or even the bins at times. I've had numerous experiences that have proven this to myself. In that context, I consider it an extremely portable 'static' digital spotting scope. It is NOT a substitute for a good spotting scope at all in terms of optical quality, but you can use it to analyze something far away... even in the comfort of your own home.

-Bill

black crow said:

And the best part was to see the Bullocks Oriole again. He's soooo stunning...

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There are pensile nests around a lake here that look like the beakiwork of a Bullocks (thanks Gordon for the bird-nest book!) but I have yet to see one, among the tons of Red-winged Blackbirds. I'll keep looking. Nearly as stunning as the Western Tanager we see occasionally in the woods.

Good thoughts, Bill, thank you! But you are the one who is getting the good shots, from what I see here, so there is definitely something to your method and madness! ; ) Or system as you might prefer!

But yours is surely working, and admirably! My field camera is even an older Canon model p&s that has a good zoom, but nothing like yours. But I want to try mine for bird subjects just to see what it can do. I just need something to go by to ID what I don't know, and of course, wouldn't mind a nice photo now and then too, of some birds with good detail as you have been getting.

Good job, and carry on, Mr Birder, with your wide brimmed hat and binoculars-just remember to be a little aloof when meeting others on the trail-it adds to the mistique! ; )

bluespiderweb said:

My Cabelas B1 Meopta is all I could ask for in a compact 10x32 bin-the view is such an immersive wide view, that I could not ask for better, besides the sharpness. I have 10x42's that are not as impressive, yet still a great view besides. Though one of my 10x42's seems to have a shallower field of focus-and needs to be refocused more often than some others I have. I don't know why, but I would like to know. When they are focused on a particular subject though, they are indeed sharp to the eye, even if it is not as sharp in more distance than another 10x at about the same distance parameters.

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That Meopta B1 10x32 has nice specs, comparable to the alphas in FOV and weight (unlike their larger models). Only... no close focus? (38 feet? can that possibly be right?)

In camera lenses, depth of field is related to the f/stop. Could the fussy bino you're talking about have a shorter than average focal length objective?

tenex said:

There are pensile nests around a lake here that look like the beakiwork of a Bullocks (thanks Gordon for the bird-nest book!) but I have yet to see one, among the tons of Red-winged Blackbirds. I'll keep looking. Nearly as stunning as the Western Tanager we see occasionally in the woods.

Click to expand...

We have the Western Tanager in limited numbers here also. Several years back before I even knew they existed I was walking in dark pine woods along a mountain lake when a streak of sunlight lit up a small patch of trees where about 6 or 8 (I can't remember anymore) Tanagers were feeding in a small bush. I had some inexpensive reverse porro compact binoculars and from that moment on I've been in search to see them again. I've only seen them one time since. They are the other bird here that gets a "soooo" beautiful.

tenex said:

That Meopta B1 10x32 has nice specs, comparable to the alphas in FOV and weight (unlike their larger models). Only... no close focus? (38 feet? can that possibly be right?)

In camera lenses, depth of field is related to the f/stop. Could the fussy bino you're talking about have a shorter than average focal length objective?

Click to expand...

Real world spec on the B1 10x32 is 5 feet close focus.

No, the fussy bino is full size, not a compact. Maybe it's just how I see through it that makes it appear that way, not sure. Or maybe I have to reset the diopter again. Just noticed it the other day-could well be just that.

bluespiderweb said:

Real world spec on the B1 10x32 is 5 feet close focus.
No, the fussy bino is full size, not a compact. Maybe it's just how I see through it that makes it appear that way, not sure. Or maybe I have to reset the diopter again. Just noticed it the other day-could well be just that.

Click to expand...

Thanks... one more case of spec errors. Meopta's own website is omitting decimal points, so the close focus shows as 15 meters! (That also provides an impressive 635 degree field of view. Where B&H got 38 ft I can't guess, but it sounds better than 50.) The specs on that B1 do sound excellent, a nice glass at half the alpha price.

By "shorter focal length" I didn't mean a smaller bino, just how the objective lens is ground. That's the only way I can imagine DOF differing much between one 10x42 and another.

Yep, spec errors are abundant and free for the asking! Could be amusing if not so frustrating to potential buyers. Yes, they're pretty darned nice bins-especially for those who wear glasses (which I don't), but sometimes sunglasses. They have small eyecups, but I still manage for that view they provide.

Ah tenex, I see-I have no knowlege of how lenses are ground, but that's interesting. I took the other full sized 10's out today that I was talking about before, with the shallow dof. I reset the diopter, and they still seemed pretty shallow in dof even after, and in the real world. Saw some friendly and socially active Crows, heard mostly and saw some in flight Redwing Blackbirds, Doves of course, and Turkey Vultures sailing the seas on a breezy, 90 degree day here on the humid East coast. That's another reason I didn't stay, though not much to see at 2:30 in the afternoon in a pretty (now) sterile environment thanks to the wreak havoc method of taking all flora they can in an operation. Sad, but true. I have other places to go, but do the birds and other wildlife displaced by it? OK, hot enough already, let's calm down now! ; ) Ah, the A/C feels good!

What a great day at the pond today. I got the new Leica Ultravid 10x32 early this morning and did a long hike in the hills getting the hang of them. Eye placement is much more critical than the Swarovski's and with the small size and 10x it took awhile to hold them steady but once done I was amazed by the sharpness and vibrant rich colors. I took them to the pond in the afternoon and three Bullocks sat in a small tree and let me look to my hearts content. Two males and a female. Then two Osprey visited. One took a fish and sat in a tree and ate it while the other hunted. Also saw a Kite along with ducks, geese and lots of Redwing blackbirds. I love the colors in the Leica. They really are beautiful. I'm surely keeping both binoculars.

Great Views/Tract Toric 10x42 first generation; Hats!

Too bad you had a rough day out there today, BC! ; ) But glad you recovered and were able to manage all with aplomb, in the end getting used to your new Leicas! Sounds like you have another winner for you, and that's great! So many things are dependent on your own variables and views. You are certainly not lacking for good optics, nor even subjects to view. I think you've hit the bino and birding lottery, and are now enjoying the rewards-congrats on all accounts! Enjoy and be transported to the natural world, in amazing close-ups of life most humans never see!

By the way, the fiddly nature of my other 10x42's that seemed perplexing yesterday, are now explained by my readjusting the diopter today in the field, and coming home to see that they are no longer as shallow depthed as I had thought. Focusing on a neighbor's Cherry blossoms now is a pleasure, and not a torture in viewing as it was before. I thought it might be such, but didn't figure that the diopter had moved, but I have read that it is not uncommon in some bins. Good to know. If sometime things just seem a bit wonky, then check your diopter setting and see if adjusting it improves your view. Now I have another great 10x that I missed lately for that reason only, it seems. Not specs, or lens grinding, but possibly drifting diopter. In the new models of my bin, apparently that has been upgraded to a locking diopter, and now I think I know why! Just for your information, I was talking about the first generation Tract Toric 10x42. I can now say that without regret as they are by far an excellent wide and rich view with sharpness to match, but it may be that you need to check your diopter settings periodically if you have them. Or maybe it's my eyesight changing?! But then why would they go to a locking diopter in the next generation Torics, if there weren't problems with that?! Being that 10x's usually have a much shallower depth of field than the lower powers, it seems sometimes it can be critical in how they are adjusted to produce excellent or less than excellent results if the diopter is slipping at times. Just something to bear in mind, whatever bin you pick up and use. If that setting isn't right, it can give you grief in viewing, it seems. No doubt more experienced users already know this, but realizing it for the first time is pretty enlightening!

OK, happy to have had a little outing today even if it was a bit hot, but loved the breeze that made it tolerable. Even checked out a new wide brimmed hat from Sierra Trading Post that I've had, a Woolrich Wide Brimmed mesh Safari hat, with weathered waxed cotton: https://www.sierratradingpost.com/w...p~380pv/?filterString=s~hats/woolrich~b~7141/

I can say that it works well in a breeze, though the L size is a little loose, but I imagine in time it will shrink, especially if washed or wetted in rain. The brim is wide enough to protect, and not too large to obstruct, to me. So if the breeze is strong, it nees to be shoved down on your head to keep it from flying about. But otherwise, it worked as I had hoped, and looks pretty neat too with the bit of weathered effect it has.

Hey, I have that exact hat! Big heads think alike.:-O Now about those EIIs?:-C They will still get out but in reality they look quite dark now. Especially compared to the EL. Still sharp and beautiful but dark. Bright summer days will present little problem and I really do love them. I have some wonderful binoculars and they all came in a rush. Please lord let me stop now or I actually will have to get a job as a greeter at Walmart.

When I first put the Leica's up to my eyes I was used to the carefree viewing in the ELs and everything was black out. I said, "oh boy, these will be going back" Then I remembered what Chill6x6 said (to paraphrase) "put all your opinions good or bad away and just look" I relaxed and soon realized that eye placement was more critical with these and I needed to place them up under the bridge of my eyebrow. Then the blackouts ceased and a beautiful view emerged. With just a little practice all was well and I started to really enjoy the view. I had read that the color saturation was exceptional with the Ultravids and when I got a good look at the Bullock Oriole in the newly sprouted leaves and blue blue sky my jaw dropped. It was true, the color was electric. I looked at them until I got bored. They just sat and posed where on the previous days they were off after a few seconds. I must have watched for close to 10 minutes. Then looking at the colors of the Osprey they were just beautiful with the sun shining through the tail feathers. 10x brought them in close. It was all too much for this simple soul and I fainted from ecstacy. (just kidding:gh Anyway I really felt that both binoculars have it's own merits but I could not say one was the better optic. That surprised me after using the EL for a couple of days. I thought that things in the Leica would never be quite as amazing. Fortunately I was wrong.

The small size of the Leica did take some getting used to to hold steady. The EII 10x35 hold much steadier. Things got better with some relaxed breathing and bringing my elbows down a little. They really are a very small little binocular. Almost like the size of the Nikon Monarch 8x30. Really a small package. Very handsome to look at. I'm sure I'll be more attractive to the babes now.
Anyway I feel like a bino :king:.

Great and humorous story, thanks BC! Enjoy, and faint away! :bounce:

black crow said:

...I have some wonderful binoculars and they all came in a rush. Please lord let me stop now or I actually will have to get a job as a greeter at Walmart...

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Congrats BC on the UVHD+...Beautiful glass and build!

However remember, there are no known cures here...just a bunch of BF optic nut enablers...:-C

Maybe seek out your local BA chapter, known to support a constructive and powerful 12X program! 3

BTW...Love your Binocular Journal entries! :t:

Ted

Well I'm going to at least hope for a breather.

It's been a real inspiration to get into birding proper. I've even learned a few names.

BC,

I've wanted am UVHD+ 8X32 since I looked at one last may at Magee Marsh. They are really a sweet little binocular. The ER issue just doesn't work for me. ALMOST but not quite. It's great they are a winner for you!