Birding with 20-25 x magnifications?? (1 Viewer)

[marzan]

Dear all,
Last Sunday I was birding on Mincio river natural Park, with my Swaros 7x30 and Docter Nobilem 15x60: the first to find out, the second to get closer. For a quarter I looked at a kingfisher flying on the spot (like a hummingbird) and throwing in the water…wonderful sight!
Docter are very fine binos, but I felt to need more magnification, at least 20x, may be 25x. Of course, a combo binos+tripod is required. Based on your experience: which kind of binos – quality in the centre, quite good FOV – I could searching for?
Moreover: how about to choose a 20 or 25 x binos for birding? Does it make sense? I had better to pass to a digiscope, although binocular vision has a different approach, more enjoyable on my opinion. What do you think about and what are your suggestion? Thanks.

 

[stereotruckdriver]

From my research anything above 15x requires some serious glass! At least for a binocular. Unfortunately many astro glass isn't designed for terrestrial day time observation. They lack ed glass which is needed to combat ca in higher powered binoculars. I have settled on 15x myself using the Minox 15x58 ed's. I do agree on the comfort aspect of using two eye's! That said the one that comes to mind is the Kowa highlander but, it cost more than my Swarovski 65 HD and it is huge! Bryce...

 

[brocknroller]

I agree with Bryce for the most part. I've owned 20x80s porros, and they weren't as good quality as 12x and 15x bins I've owned. The exception was the 20x60 Pentax PCF V, which was amazingly sharp, and did actually show noticeably better detail, but I wouldn't call its small 2.2* FOV "quite good" (although that's about par for a spotting scope @20x), and for terrestrial use, showed a lot of CA.

Other than the Kowa Highlander (which you could set up on a pier mount and charge people to look through from some observation point to help pay down your credit card), the only other high powered bins for terrestrial use that I've read good reviews on have been the various versions of the Docter Aspectum series, which go as high as 40x with a whopping 66 deg. AFOV.

http://www.eurooptic.com/docter-optic-binoculars.aspx

Since you already own a Docter porro, you are familiar with their optical quality and construction.

Brock

 

[ronh]

I'd give up and buy a scope. A straight through on a tall tripod would preserve at least some of the binocular's immediacy and connection with the scene.
Ron

 

[Mark9473]

I just came in from a wonderful session of birding in my back yard with my 107mm apo equipped with a binoviewer and giving 28x magnification. With all the back focus the binoviewer eats up, the scope is now extremely good at close focusing. Among others, I was looking at a little winter wren, that wonderful nervous little bird I so enjoy in winter. The two eyed view at 28x of the little thing a mere 5-6 m away from me was just incredibly detailed.

 

[Sancho]

Canon IS 18x50?

 

[edwincjones]

In an attempt to avoid a scope,
I got a miyauchi 22x60 but did not work
-smaller FOV at 2 degrees
-not very bright
-not real sharp
so then I got a scope
the above mentioned Kowa or Doctor
would meet your needs-but $4000-5000US

edj

 

[lmans66]

Like others suggested...a small scope would do wonders. With bino's...what does everyone think, will not 12 mag be just about the largest one can go handholding without your hand shake distorting all? jim

 

[edwincjones]

Like others suggested...a small scope would do wonders. With bino's...what does everyone think, will not 12 mag be just about the largest one can go handholding without your hand shake distorting all? jim

I am not the most steady,
but can hold 15x more or less steady
for a short period of time

edj

 

[marzan]

I was told that a good solution nowaday might be a pair of 22x70 William Optics ED: anybody knows or have tried them?

 

[james holdsworth]

When I finally got my hands on a pair of Zeiss 15x60 BGAT's, I was amazed at just how hand-holdable they were, for short periods. The wide AFOV and the stable platform for hand position made this bin. quite usable for longer distance birding.

I think they have a place - for hawks, seawatching, shorebirds, general birding from a car window etc.. Your arms do tire after a minute or two, so they would be ideal on a finnstick or propped on a fencepost for longer views.

 

[edwincjones]

at 20-25x you will need a tripod

edj

 

[normjackson]

I guess summary of options is

a) Scope (with possibility of binoviewer as mentioned by Mark9473) or
Bresser scope with built in binoviewer (doubt it is very good?) or
binoculars

with enhanced support such as :

tripod
monopod
Finn stick
shoulder pod etc

b) Image stabilised optics

Binoculars from such as Canon, Fujinon, Nikon, Zeiss and the unfortunately named Russian BS models.
Nikon have an image stabilised scope now but unfortunately rather heavy (and expensive). Not quite what hoped for.

c) Electronic Stabilisation

Sony DEV-5.

No doubt optics fans are shuddering at the thought of the electronics takeover ||