First Spotting Scope, £1000 (1 Viewer)

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Hi everyone. First post from a very novicey yet eager newcomer to the pastime!

Sorry to hijack the thread but it fits in nicely with what I wanted to ask also.

43 now and the days of wasting money on drugs and alcohol are thankfully a thing of the past.

So now I have a lot more time that’s not sat in the pub I’ve been spending it at Attenborough nature reserve near Nottingham. I bought my first set of binoculars from there a couple of months ago and they’re great but I’m already yearning to be able to look much further afield.

With that in mind, what would be a good starter scope for someone with no experience using them at all? Budget…. Up to a grand maybe. And I’d like to have the full kit and caboodle for that which I understand would need to include a tripod!?

Thanks in advance for help and guidance.

 

[Mono]

If you are not in desperate rush and don't mind second hand it is worth keeping an eye on eBay. You will often find people selling whole scope setups, scope, eyepiece, case and tripod as a job lot.

This Nikon is old but good and comes with two eyepieces and three(!) tripods.

nikon spotting scope | eBay

<p>Nikon spotting scope </p><p>Advertising on behalf of an older gentleman </p><p>I don’t know all the correct terms for what is there in the photos but it all comes in the package </p><p>Three tripods </p><p>A separate lens </p><p>Original protective case </p><p>Lots of money spent on this...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[dwatsonbirder]

I'd advise looking into used kit, for £1k you can get a really good quality set up - e.g. you choice of Kowa, Opticron (same but cheaper), Nikon or Leica scopes, and a really good set of legs (trust me, it is worth spending more!) and a good fluid head (e.g. Gitzo, Leofoto or Manfrotto).

If possible, try before you buy, otherwise buy from a reputable seller (all the above are great, particularly LCE).

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Thanks for the feedback. From other posts I’m seeing on the forum 2nd hand is definitely the way to go. Another new person question. With a good 2nd hand scope and tripod. Would it be possible to see small birds and waterfowl half a mile away? A mile away? In good detail and well magnified?? Or what do I need to be able see that far in good detail. Thank again.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

If you are not in desperate rush and don't mind second hand it is worth keeping an eye on eBay. You will often find people selling whole scope setups, scope, eyepiece, case and tripod as a job lot.

This Nikon is old but good and comes with two eyepieces and three(!) tripods.

nikon spotting scope | eBay

<p>Nikon spotting scope </p><p>Advertising on behalf of an older gentleman </p><p>I don’t know all the correct terms for what is there in the photos but it all comes in the package </p><p>Three tripods </p><p>A separate lens </p><p>Original protective case </p><p>Lots of money spent on this...

www.ebay.co.uk

Do you know the spec of this Mono?

So I could look at some reviews of it online. Or would you happily recommend it as a good starter?? Thanks.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

I'd advise looking into used kit, for £1k you can get a really good quality set up - e.g. you choice of Kowa, Opticron (same but cheaper), Nikon or Leica scopes, and a really good set of legs (trust me, it is worth spending more!) and a good fluid head (e.g. Gitzo, Leofoto or Manfrotto).

If possible, try before you buy, otherwise buy from a reputable seller (all the above are great, particularly LCE).

Pardon my ignorance but what is the head for?? Doesn’t the scope come with that already?

 

[GreenRooky]

Pardon my ignorance but what is the head for?? Doesn’t the scope come with that already?

Tripod head is the part on top of the tripod that you connect to the scope and that swivels and tilts. There are different styles for different styles of photography and optics but for birding, a fluid head is most popular

 

[Mono]

Do you know the spec of this Mono?

It is a Nikon RA111 82, that scope was introduced in 2006, it was well reviewed at the time.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/new-spotting-scopes-from-nikon-3297

I have no experience of that scope it gives an idea of the complete setup kit you can get on eBay. I wouldn't pay much more than the £250 it is currently at.

 

[Binastro]

To see small birds a mile away in good detail you need a large astronomical telescope and good atmospheric steady Seeing.
Probably 100x plus magnification.

Unlikely in any spotting scope.

Perhaps think up to 1/4 mile with a spotting scope in good conditions.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

As to astro scopes for 1 mile.

A minimum is a Skywatcher 120 ED refractor and heavy tripod nearly £2,000.

A Skywatcher 150mm ED refractor £3,000.

A Celestron 8 SCT £1500 plus.

A Celestron C9.25 £2,500.

All are big and heavy.

An experienced user could buy these half price secondhand.

Regards,
B.

 

[wllmspd]

You’ll probably not be able/wanting to use >40x in the daytime, often heat hazes affect the view at long distances. Also higher powers lead to darker views and extra difficulty in getting your eye lines up with the eyepiece. A 60mm scope and reasonable tripod could be carried round a lot, an 80mm is heavier and thus you might not want to carry one all day.

Peter

 

[GreenRooky]

I think understanding what you think your style of birding might be helps, if it's sitting in the hide at Attenborough or willington for long periods weight and size is less of an issue, if its up and down long walks over the peaks or along the trent valley then they start to become a bigger factor

 

[wllmspd]

For long walkers I use a 60mm scope on a light tripod that I keep extended… carrying it over my shoulder for quick deployment. If it’s mostly hides then a bigger scope that goes back in the backpack is an option.
I know a chap who has used a wheely-suitcase to enable him to more easily transport more/heavier kit, saves your back, but not so good over rutted and muddy paths.

Peter

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

I think understanding what you think your style of birding might be helps, if it's sitting in the hide at Attenborough or willington for long periods weight and size is less of an issue, if its up and down long walks over the peaks or along the trent valley then they start to become a bigger factor

Hmmm. I’m probably a hybrid of the two styles haha. I would like to be able to do both. I’m pretty fit and go the gym regularly so carrying 5/10/20kg round with me on long walks wouldn’t be too taxing.

But most of the time I’d like to be moving from hide to hide at various nature reserves.

 

[jring]

Hi,

first of all, welcome to BF!

As for buying used, it takes knowledge and the ability to test before buying or the ability to return no questions asked. The same goes for new scopes, btw...

As for this ebay offer linked above, the scope in there is a very entry level scope without ED glass and with ebay you can only return if it's really broken. "It is not as sharp as I hoped" will be tricky.

The great Nikon scopes are from the old Fieldscope ED series or from the current Monarch Fieldscope series. Nikon EDG scopes are also great but were very expensive and are rare...

But other brands can yield great used examples too. If it does not have ED glass or fluorite crystal, forget about magnifications larger than 30x or 40x, the latter in a stretch with some image degradation...

As for magnifications and ranges, you can expect a good ED full size scope (around 80mm aperture) to work well at 50-60x in good seeing, that is without heat haze. An exceptional example will be able to go higher up to 80 or 100x with either additional EPs, sometimes adapted or an extender from the manufacturer, but the image will be fairly dark even in bright sunshine and also heat haze will be much more visible.

My 30 year old Kowa TSN-3 very rarely is used at anything else than the maximum 53x that its adapted modern Opticron zoom EP offers. Heat haze is very seldom visible in my usual view from the balcony 200m over water. Larger birds like ducks and up are really well presented at that magnification with great detail visible, smaller ones are easily identified.

At half a mile, I can see a raptor but ID will be tricky.

Joachim

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Tripod head is the part on top of the tripod that you connect to the scope and that swivels and tilts. There are different styles for different styles of photography and optics but for birding, a fluid head is most popular

Thanks. Are most/all heads interchangeable with most/all scopes? Or are there manufacturers who have taken their lead from Apple and decided that to use a Nikon (for example) scope you have to buy a Nikon head?

 

[wllmspd]

?? Tripod heads - some scopes have tripod mounting bracketa that are “arca Swiss” shaped that can natively fit some tripod fluid heads. Otherwise you need a specific mounting plate for the tripod head. Eg I have two manfrotto video heads and so my scopes all have long manfrotto plates screwed to the bottom (always use as many screws are your scope/mounting plate allow - peace of mind!)
If you are thinking of eyepieces… these are essentially ALL bespoke fittings for all manufacturers, ie you can’t put an Opticron eyepiece in a Swarovski scope or any other. A few scopes can natively (or be adapted) to take “Astro” eyepieces, which are nonthreaded 1.25” diameter, this gives more flexibility, but there can be issues as not all eyepieces will work - check the forum for people who may have tried different combinations first.

Peter

 

[Peregrine Took]

You have so many questions (as we all did when we started out), so I think your best bet is to go to a shop that sells a variety of scopes, but within budget will be an Opticron 60mm MM4 with SDLv3 eyepiece, plus Manfrotto or Benro tripod and a head to suit, and maybe a bag to carry your gear. The Opticron with that eyepiece is the stand-out scope in its price bracket.

Might sound obvious, but the staff at birdwatching shops are going to be enthusiastic birders, and they'll understand your needs far better than any general photographic/optical shop will.

BTW, I gave up pubs (and alcohol - never did any other substances) 17 years ago. Good luck.
.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Thanks everyone.

There’s an optics open day at Attenborough nature reserve taking place in February that I’m mindful to go to. And the recommendations by everyone on here are very helpful and welcome.

Another question. Will every scope in my budget have the ability to take pictures on a mobile phone fairly easily as well? Thanks.

It’s certainly not confetti money to be throwing around so I think I would definitely be more comfortable making a final decision once I’ve had a look and feel at some of the options at Attenborough.

In the mean time I’m going there again tomorrow and looking forward to seeing more new species and hopefully starting to learn what certain ones are without having to turn to my book every time!

When we were there the other week I was watching a Heron on a bank, 100 yards up the path my mrs was wildly gesticulating that a kingfisher was perched on a branch in front of her! Try as I did my 43 year old legs just wouldn’t muster the speed necessary to get there in time!😅

 

[wllmspd]

You should be able to mount a phone camera behind any scope, you just need to get it in the right position and have a stable adapter and a stable scope mount. I’ve got some images this way.

Peter