ATC - First Impressions:
Two things struck me first about Swarovski's new ATC spotting scope:
First, how small the ATC is compared to the ATX85 (my wife's comment was "how cute!").
Second, that at no point do you feel like you're looking through a mini spotting scope.
The viewing behavior is just as good and just as relaxed as with my ATX - this is probably where using a similar eyepiece to the ATX pays off.
As a spectacle wearer, I really have sufficient eye relief and it is fun to scan the landscape with the large field of view of 62m and then zoom in closer on a bird.
The resolution and contrast are without fault and both the focus and magnification settings are very smooth.
After a few days of use, 25x has proven to be the "standard magnification". In my opinion this is the best compromise between magnification, brightness and contrast.
Beyond that, the image is OK up to about 35x, but after that, contrast and of course brightness do decrease markedly.
But mind you: if you use the ATC and the ATX85 side by side, the image of the ATX is always distinctly better at the same magnification. Here, a larger objective aperture pays off visibly.
Unfortunately, even the ATC cannot override the laws of physics.
All in all, the ATC's performance is better than I expected, and (after only a few days of use) I'm very happy with it.
Will my ATX85 now be collecting dust in the cupboard? I don't think so, since for e.g. watching waders and sea watching a higher magnification than the ATC provides is very useful.
However, it will be interesting to see how often I leave the ATX at home because the ATC with a Gitzo 1545 tripod are just so much lighter.
ANK