Wanderingphotographer
Member
Dear all,
I'm a mature Zoology student living and working in Cambridge in England, and as a lurking member on here I've learned a lot from the reviews and community over the past few years. I've been been doing more fieldwork of late and will be travelling a bit soon too. Whilst my current Hawke frontier ED 8 x43's have served me well for 4-5 years, I now find myself constantly frustrated by several points:
Size-too big and bulky to carry/shoulder when carrying rucksack, SLR and rucksack full of survey gear, and too large to stow in pocket for dog walking and grab bag.
Travel of focus wheel-far too long and slow! Many quick birds and inverts missed over the years whilst scrolling to refocus to a different distance (this is the older model, I believe they reduced/improved on later models but can't retrofit, I asked).
Minimum focus distance-whilst there was a time the 6 foot plus was a big improvement and find for me, I now find it frustrating when studying inverts and herps in the field and having to either move back, or forward with the naked eye. Either way, many creatures get spooked and scarper.
having used and borrowed 8 x 32's in the past, I believe a compact decent pair to be my best bet though student funds limit my options. Additionally a good friend of mine is also in the market, albeit with a slightly lower budget. With all this in mind I've been pondering the following options for £130-£240:
Vortex diamondback 8 x 32
Zen Ray ZRS HD 8 x 32
Celestron Trailseeker 8 x 32
Hawke Frontier ED 8 x 32
Nikon Monarch 7 ED 8 x 30
I hoped to hear opinions from those that have tried all or some, and how they compare head to head? Or can think of any options I'm missing?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
I'm a mature Zoology student living and working in Cambridge in England, and as a lurking member on here I've learned a lot from the reviews and community over the past few years. I've been been doing more fieldwork of late and will be travelling a bit soon too. Whilst my current Hawke frontier ED 8 x43's have served me well for 4-5 years, I now find myself constantly frustrated by several points:
Size-too big and bulky to carry/shoulder when carrying rucksack, SLR and rucksack full of survey gear, and too large to stow in pocket for dog walking and grab bag.
Travel of focus wheel-far too long and slow! Many quick birds and inverts missed over the years whilst scrolling to refocus to a different distance (this is the older model, I believe they reduced/improved on later models but can't retrofit, I asked).
Minimum focus distance-whilst there was a time the 6 foot plus was a big improvement and find for me, I now find it frustrating when studying inverts and herps in the field and having to either move back, or forward with the naked eye. Either way, many creatures get spooked and scarper.
having used and borrowed 8 x 32's in the past, I believe a compact decent pair to be my best bet though student funds limit my options. Additionally a good friend of mine is also in the market, albeit with a slightly lower budget. With all this in mind I've been pondering the following options for £130-£240:
Vortex diamondback 8 x 32
Zen Ray ZRS HD 8 x 32
Celestron Trailseeker 8 x 32
Hawke Frontier ED 8 x 32
Nikon Monarch 7 ED 8 x 30
I hoped to hear opinions from those that have tried all or some, and how they compare head to head? Or can think of any options I'm missing?
Thanks in advance for your advice.