BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="brocknroller" data-source="post: 1727014" data-attributes="member: 665">John,You just pointed to the other "Achilles Heel" of the SE, which is how stiff the focuser gets in the cold. That's when "Old Faithful" fails me, and I need to switch to an internal focus roof, though as I found, all internal roofs aren't created equal. Some hold up in cold weather better than others. The Nikon 8x32 LX's focuser worked well in 20* F weather. However, from what Steve (mooreless) said, the LX's focuser gets really stiff after a half hour at 5* F, but I'm not likely to be outside in 5* weather for 5 minutes let alone a half hour, so 20* is good enough. For "polar bear birders," I suggest a tube of Apiezon® N Cryogenic High Vacuum Grease, which works smoothly down to -269°C/-452°F/4°K: <a href="http://www.2spi.com/catalog/vac/apiezon-n.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.2spi.com/catalog/vac/apiezon-n.shtml</a>I'd like to shoot some Apiezon® N inside the focuser of the ZR 7x36 ED2, but that might not be the issue. The "stiction" could be due to the internal focus sliding lenses near the objectives. Leica's idea was to eliminate the grease, but from what I've read, that has resulted in "sticky" focusers, at least in some samples.So here's an idea. My old prof has an engine heater on his Maxima, like many diesel trucks use. So the engine and the oil keep warm so he doesn't have "cold starts" in the morning, which he said was "a major cause of early morbidity and mortality in engines". What if... a bin manufacturer designed a focuser heater with tiny heating elements inside so that the lubricant wouldn't freeze in the winter? Should I patent that idea, make a working prototype, and market the invention on YakAboutIt.com? Or is this another hairbrained scheme like the ones Uncle Joe used to come up with on Petticoat Junction? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

Verification