Finally, after many years of trying, I managed to convince OH that a Spotting Scope was a need rather than a want.o
After looking through many at various hides - most birders are great and keen to share their experiences - I ended up going by the online reviews and high recommendations of fellow BFer Ratal (cheers:t:B). Some of the scopes I tried included Opticrons, Swarovski, Kowa, Leica, Nikon and RSPB. The only one I didn't like (tried at RSPB Loch Garten) was the RSPB scope. For me it gave some sort or weird goldfish bowl effect. Personal faves were the big Kowa (out of price range) and the Nikon ED50. As this was going to be my only scope I decided more was more in this instance.
Again, reading online reviews, a Slik D3 Classic was ordered to pair the scope up to.
Everything was ordered from www.uttings.co.uk as they were having a sale to coincide with Bird Fare. £75 off orders over £500:t:.
Unfortunately the first scope delivered appeared to have a loose fitting eyepiece so it was duly returned. This was last Saturday (23rd Aug). The new unit arrived Friday the 29th. There's an argument to say there should have been no issue with the first unit but the speed at which Uttings rectified the situation was quite superb:t: I'd definitely use them again.
So I headed off to Penclacwydd yesterday to try it out. This second unit has no problems at all and feels reasonably robust. The armour has a nice feel and the focus is slick. Not as well made as my Trinovids but I've seen Welsh slate which isn't as well made as the Trinovids. The cover fits well and also appears to be well made. Personally I would have like to had the objective cover tethered to the body but that's maybe just me.
Pairing it with the Slik was one of my better decisions. This really is a strong set up. If it were a rugby player it would be Adam Jones:-O. Big, powerful, structurally solid and a fair amount of weight to it. The weight maybe the only downside for some but for me, it's not an issue.
The conditions on the day were overcast which the Hawke managed well. Colours (to me) seemed natural and overall the image was very bright. I enjoy watching Greenshanks with my bins but the extra detail afforded by the scope was a new experience - fantastic. A bird I sometimes struggle with is the Spotted Redshank. The clarity of the image meant this is going to be much less of an issue. The difference in colouration and length of bill was immediately apparent compared to my bins so picking them out amongst the dozens of Common Redshanks was straightforward. I have no idea what the FOV is but there were no issues in the field. I'll post a link to the scope which will hopefully have specifications on it. The zoom on the eyepiece was smooth with some dimming evident when cranking it up. Still perfectly usable to me though at full mag. From memory, it was a lot brighter than my fathers Opticron which is a much older model.
Jeff (another member from the Carmarthenshire Bird Club) was keen to take a look as he'd heard good things about Hawke but never looked through one. Now Jeff is an absolute gent and would in no way slate my new purchase but he seemed genuinely impressed. Jeff uses a Leica Spotting Scope for comparison.
All in all, I'm really happy with the set up. Big thanks to Ratal for his advice. I'll keep an eye out for another Hawke user on the Moray Firth next March R.
Rich
After looking through many at various hides - most birders are great and keen to share their experiences - I ended up going by the online reviews and high recommendations of fellow BFer Ratal (cheers:t:B
). Some of the scopes I tried included Opticrons, Swarovski, Kowa, Leica, Nikon and RSPB. The only one I didn't like (tried at RSPB Loch Garten) was the RSPB scope. For me it gave some sort or weird goldfish bowl effect. Personal faves were the big Kowa (out of price range) and the Nikon ED50. As this was going to be my only scope I decided more was more in this instance.Again, reading online reviews, a Slik D3 Classic was ordered to pair the scope up to.
Everything was ordered from www.uttings.co.uk as they were having a sale to coincide with Bird Fare. £75 off orders over £500:t:.
Unfortunately the first scope delivered appeared to have a loose fitting eyepiece so it was duly returned. This was last Saturday (23rd Aug). The new unit arrived Friday the 29th. There's an argument to say there should have been no issue with the first unit but the speed at which Uttings rectified the situation was quite superb:t: I'd definitely use them again.
So I headed off to Penclacwydd yesterday to try it out. This second unit has no problems at all and feels reasonably robust. The armour has a nice feel and the focus is slick. Not as well made as my Trinovids but I've seen Welsh slate which isn't as well made as the Trinovids
. The cover fits well and also appears to be well made. Personally I would have like to had the objective cover tethered to the body but that's maybe just me.Pairing it with the Slik was one of my better decisions. This really is a strong set up. If it were a rugby player it would be Adam Jones:-O. Big, powerful, structurally solid and a fair amount of weight to it. The weight maybe the only downside for some but for me, it's not an issue.
The conditions on the day were overcast which the Hawke managed well. Colours (to me) seemed natural and overall the image was very bright. I enjoy watching Greenshanks with my bins but the extra detail afforded by the scope was a new experience - fantastic. A bird I sometimes struggle with is the Spotted Redshank. The clarity of the image meant this is going to be much less of an issue. The difference in colouration and length of bill was immediately apparent compared to my bins so picking them out amongst the dozens of Common Redshanks was straightforward. I have no idea what the FOV is but there were no issues in the field. I'll post a link to the scope which will hopefully have specifications on it. The zoom on the eyepiece was smooth with some dimming evident when cranking it up. Still perfectly usable to me though at full mag. From memory, it was a lot brighter than my fathers Opticron which is a much older model.
Jeff (another member from the Carmarthenshire Bird Club) was keen to take a look as he'd heard good things about Hawke but never looked through one. Now Jeff is an absolute gent and would in no way slate my new purchase but he seemed genuinely impressed. Jeff uses a Leica Spotting Scope for comparison.
All in all, I'm really happy with the set up. Big thanks to Ratal for his advice. I'll keep an eye out for another Hawke user on the Moray Firth next March R
.Rich
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