I was thinking the same thing, that’s a lot of people with a lot of good glass. 😃. It does seem to hold true that if someone has a alpha spotter , they usually have alpha binoculars , at least in my experience. I would say with confidence that the majority of alpha spotters that I see are Swarovski. I see more Vortex and Kowa spotters than Zeiss , yet rarely see Kowa binoculars.
Yes, that’s been my experience. Curiously, not always the same brand. Very common to see a Kowa or Meopta spotter paired with Zeiss or SW binocular. It is more common to see SW spotters paired with SW binos, but I’ve also seen a fair number of premium Zeiss binos around those necks as well.
I do quite a bit of birding in habitats where a spotter is a good idea. IME here in the mid-Atlantic Kowa is the most frequently spotted Alpha. Swarovski is not far behind; then an occasional Meopta MeoStar; infrequently a Leica or Zeiss. With non-alphas Vortex dominates, followed by the lower-end Bushnells, Celestrons, etc.
I've seen the same thing, Nikon Monarch 5's and 7's are the most common binos here.
Something modern or a porro? I have an old Bresser 8x30 porro, apparantly made by Kamakura J-B133 (the number is on the inside next to the prism) and apart from the old coatings it is excellent. Bak4 and really, really sharp. In the league of a Komz 7x30.
Hi, I have the ATX 85 and a small collection of Swarovski binoculars, but I think I have now found my ideal set up which is the NL 12x42 mounted on a tripod.
Thanks
. I almost never see people using binos either. Even last week while on vacation in the Lüneburger Heide, a nature reserve, I only saw 2 people using binos. Most people I saw who were obviously birding used cameras with huge lenses. I think I saw a Zeiss SF though around the neck of one birder but I'm not sure. Only had a glimpse.
Still early in the season. Going to be some warm weather this week, I’ll bet my observing areas will be hopping.
Tom, I assumed Beth was in the northeast of the States, NY and surrounding area. No doubt I see more cameras than scopes 10 fold. Some with binoculars, most without. Lots of times their with others that have binoculars. I will say the majority of Spotters will have a pair of binoculars around their neck.
What were the minox models? I have never even seen a pair in person.
Didn’t pay that much attention - they were older models ~40ish mm (42-44). I see the one guy occasionally. Next time I’ll make it a point to do a closer examination. Most folks don’t mind.
It was a walk sponsored by a local birding club I belong to. Interestingly enough, the Zen-Ray guy was a party crasher the we welcomed along.
