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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BobinKy" data-source="post: 1579602" data-attributes="member: 58027">I also agree. If the goal is maximum detail in low light one must go beyond handheld binoculars and turn to scopes. For kicks, last night at twilight I mounted my William Optics ZenithStar 70mm ED, a refractor scope that I use mostly for astronomy. This is not my best scope for viewing nature. My best scope for viewing nature is a Kowa 661 (66mm, nonED). I mounted the ZenithStar because I have more eyepiece options than with the Kowa. And I sometimes take my ZenithStar on nature viewing because I have a neat backpack from Williams Optics that the scope and accessories fit into.I inserted a Pentax XW 40mm eyepiece in the ZenithStar and returned to the oak tree. This configuaration delivered the following specs: 40 mm / 11x70 / 6.6mm exit pupil / 6.5° FOVWhoa! Who turned on the light? Now, to be true to the spirit of this thread, I ran through the Pentax XW series.40 mm / 11x70 / 6.6mm exit pupil / 6.5° FOV30mm / 14x70 / 4.9mm exit pupil / 4.9° FOV20mm / 22x70 / 3.3mm exit pupil / 3.3° FOV14mm / 31x70 / 2.3mm exit pupil / 2.3° FOV10mm / 43x70 / 1.6mm exit pupil / 1.6° FOV7mm / 61x70 / 1.1mm exit pupil / 1.1° FOV5mm / 86x70 / 0.8mm exit pupil / 0.8° FOV3.5mm / 123x70 / 0.6mm exit pupil / 0.6° FOV1.4mm / 307x70 / 0.2mm exit pupil / 0.2° FOV (Televue Powermate 2.5x on 3.5mm eyepiece)The 40mm (11x) was definitely the brightest. But as I worked down the list, I saw more detail due to increased magnification, until I ran out of light (acceptable exit pupil) somewhere between the 14mm (31x) and 10mm (43x).Which eyepiece gave me the most detail at twilight with enough light to study the detail? Probably the 20mm (22x). The 14mm (30x), possibly, but the detail was very dark. Which eyepiece gave me the most aesthetically pleasing view of the oak tree at twilight? The 40mm (11x) delivered the most color. (Color seems to be the first to go as the light fades.) But the FOV of the 40mm was too wide. So on this evening, I give the aesthetic prize to the 30mm (14x) because it had the best balance of light and FOV. Lest you think I have abandoned my binoculars--the Nikon SE 12x50 beat out the scope/eyepiece (14x70) in aesthetics at twilight. You get roughly a 25% increase in perceived magnification when you view with binoculars compared to the one-eye view of scopes. That puts the Nikon SE perceived configuration at 15x50 in scope specs.. . .For those of you who are interested, during full daylight I get acceptable views with the ZenithStar scope and Pentax XW eyepieces from 40mm (11x) through the 10mm (43x). However, I sometimes view with the 7mm (61x) and 5mm (86x), but I get dark views. The 5mm (86x) is the absolute limit for this 70mm scope. Since I can pack 3 eyepieces in my Williams Optics backpack, I usually take the 20mm (22x) for aesthetics, and the 10mm (43x) for best all-around view, and the 5mm (86x) for maximum magnification. At night, when viewing the Moon, planets, and double stars, I pack other eyepiece sizes. As I said earlier, the nature views through this scope are not as nice as those with my Kowa 661. I have 20x and 30x wide-angle eyepieces for the Kowa. I do not use zoom eyepieces on any of my scopes. I have tried them, but I just do not like them. Like Kevin, I am a fixed eyepiece man.. . .My recommendation for viewing the most detail in animals under low light, as others have stated above, is to switch from binoculars to a spotting scope or astronomy scope--the biggest aperture in a top quality scope and eyepieces that you can afford and carry about in the wild. Plus, get several eyepieces because the views definitely change as the light changes....BobKentucky</blockquote>

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