New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope (8 Viewers)

[dwatsonbirder]

Wondering if the ATS 65 HD would be any better or not?

With the 30x, it is one of the best options for people who wear glasses. The 20-60x is quite good, but with a dip between 35x - 50x where (for me) there isn't enough eye relief. Some swear by the 25x - 50x WA zoom, but doesn't work for me.
Have you tried an ED50 with the 27x wide?

 

[HenChamp]

The only scope I've ever used was that ATC 17-40, and one time on a trail some guy had a Zeiss (not sure the model, didn't seem like the newest) scope I used. The Zeiss looked nice as well, less of an issue for me with glasses.

 

[Hermann]

Have you tried an ED50 with the 27x wide?

The 27x DS is excellent if you wear glasses - and it's still available.

Hermann

 

[grackle314]

Optics4Birding graciously put an ATC on a tripod for me to use outside their shop on a bright sunny Southern California day. Subjective impressions here include wonderful images over the range of magnification, ease of viewing with and without glasses, and ease of mechanical use. Did not try it off the tripod. I have been happy with a small Kowa scope for this usage niche where mobility and quick, short viewing may dominate. Definitely the ATC will be a top player for a long time for this niche. I prefer the BTX for longer viewing times, but can imagine getting an ATC at some point, while even hoping a BTX equivalent at ATC size might come to be if an extender could be in the mix since BTX is fixed magnification (fixed at 35 and 1.7x further with extender on the 115). BTX at 35 is what I use most, but I do enjoy the ATX with its variable magnification as well.

 

[crinklystarfish]

I'll eventually offer some views, Will: but I'm afraid I won't have the luxury of a side-by-side comparison. The CTC has had to form a p/x for the STC.

I'm an infrequent scope user (and even less so since I started to wrestle with an NL12x42 as something of an all-rounder) but I enjoyed the CTC, not least because of the portability and unencumbered (by tripod etc) useability. Fashionable they are not: functional they absolutely are.

I'm hoping the STC will offer similar optical performance, and additionally confer the benefits of being more robust and even more portable / versatile. For context, the STC will mainly be used from inside my camper / travelling hide, and will also occasionally be carried in my pushbike rackpack as a complement to my Victory Pocket 10x25.

Just for completeness, I reported upthread in more than one post how the ATC/STC 17-40x56 left me underwhelmed and after battling on with ownership for a while I sold it on and returned to a CTC 30x75.

Going 'back' was - for me - an excellent decision. Though I'm still unable to offer any direct side-by-side comparisons, the moment I looked through my new CTC I was more than sure that it was optically superior. Plus, the sheer (tripod / formal-rest free) useability of the CTC was a joy to have back in my life.

In a world of hype and skilful marketing, the utterly unfashionable CTC 30x75 is - in my view - something of an unsung masterpiece. Time and again it can be quickly deployed to make accurate distant identifications and with a bright, sharp and very natural image to boot. It just plain works.

In all seriousness, if anyone is considering a ATC/STC 17-40x56, you could do far worse than investigate a CTC 30x75.

 

[DRodrigues]

Just for completeness, I reported upthread in more than one post how the ATC/STC 17-40x56 left me underwhelmed and after battling on with ownership for a while I sold it on and returned to a CTC 30x75.

Going 'back' was - for me - an excellent decision. Though I'm still unable to offer any direct side-by-side comparisons, the moment I looked through my new CTC I was more than sure that it was optically superior. Plus, the sheer (tripod / formal-rest free) useability of the CTC was a joy to have back in my life.

In a world of hype and skilful marketing, the utterly unfashionable CTC 30x75 is - in my view - something of an unsung masterpiece. Time and again it can be quickly deployed to make accurate distant identifications and with a bright, sharp and very natural image to boot. It just plain works.

In all seriousness, if anyone is considering a ATC/STC 17-40x56, you could do far worse than investigate a CTC 30x75.

You are comparing 2 completely different scopes...
Never looked through an CTC but already looked through and STC. Although used to a STX115, the STC looked fine to me...
I don't know if the "CTC is optically superior to the STC" but I'm sure it has wider AFOV and more magnifications than the STC at minimum mag - don't know if is what you noticed...
A side by side comparison is always the best way of reaching a conclusion on the scope preferences of each one!

 

[William Lewis]

Just for completeness, I reported upthread in more than one post how the ATC/STC 17-40x56 left me underwhelmed and after battling on with ownership for a while I sold it on and returned to a CTC 30x75.

Going 'back' was - for me - an excellent decision. Though I'm still unable to offer any direct side-by-side comparisons, the moment I looked through my new CTC I was more than sure that it was optically superior. Plus, the sheer (tripod / formal-rest free) useability of the CTC was a joy to have back in my life.

In a world of hype and skilful marketing, the utterly unfashionable CTC 30x75 is - in my view - something of an unsung masterpiece. Time and again it can be quickly deployed to make accurate distant identifications and with a bright, sharp and very natural image to boot. It just plain works.

In all seriousness, if anyone is considering a ATC/STC 17-40x56, you could do far worse than investigate a CTC 30x75.

Totally agree that the CTC 30/75 is an entirely underated scope. I've said it before but it's just great for chucking in a bag with a monopod and heading out with. Light enough and bright enough.

It's not optically perfect but really only having 30x mag is its greatest limitation.

 

[crinklystarfish]

You are comparing 2 completely different scopes...

Accepted, but they will probably both be appealing to people who want to travel light and not rely upon a *pod / hide clamp / beanbag etc. In that regard, they are very much in the same stable.

...I don't know if the "CTC is optically superior to the STC" but I'm sure it has wider AFOV and more magnifications than the STC at minimum mag - don't know if is what you noticed... A side by side comparison is always the best way of reaching a conclusion on the scope preferences of each one!

Accepted that side-by-side is the only truly meaningful way to attempt to quantify pros and cons but I didn't have that luxury. It's why I haven't tried to quantify such nuances as resolution and colour cast etc.

I have, though, repeatedly used both scopes in all manner of circumstances over time and my concluding sentiments are simple. When I went from my original CTC to an STC I was consistently left thinking 'well this is pretty dim, not terribly sharp and a real fumble to deploy without a tripod'. When I returned from the STC to a CTC I actually said out loud 'ahhh, that's much better'.

I completely accept that different people will have different needs and come to different conclusions. All I seek to convey is that I feel my experience may prove useful for anyone considering a truly portable *pod-free scope.

Regards.

 

[pintie]

does anybody have a bag for the ATC ? the only thing i found was the LensCoat neopren thing.

i would like to have a kind of bag to throw it in my backpack

 

[Dyrlege]

You could order a large neoprene camera lens pouch bag (as they are called by Ali express and the other China mail order people). Cheap and good.

 

[pintie]

do you know a specific model ? i have the atc with 45°.. so it will not fit a lens bag very good

on ebay i found Aufbewahrungstasche Für Spektiv Schutzhülle Staubdicht | eBay

these are expensive and i'm not sure if you can focus Swarovski ATC 17-40x56, LensCoat

i guess i will make my own... 3d print parts + neopren

 

[Dyrlege]

I've used Ali Express with good results...
Mind you, that would only be for transport, if you need one while using the scope your stitching idea is probably better. Mind you, I'm using my ATC outdoors in wintertime with no apparent need of any extra "clothing" (for the 'scope, for me, absolutely!).

 

[Dyrlege]

 

[pintie]

looking outside i would call this wintertime, too

the ATC ist robust and the coat ist great.
I have at least a monopod in my backpack as well, as other stuff. my concern is that this stuff rubbs on each other.

i guess i will make my own bag. (front and back out of rubber (TPU) printed parts and a neopren piece in between.

thanks for your picture

 

[Dyrlege]

I use a (fairly) large padded shoulder satchel with soft dividers. Gives me space to carry ATC, Curio (when not in hand/pocket),Habicht, small camera, powerbank, and "spares (Incl monopod)" with some space for notebook, bird guide and pencil...

 

[pintie]

i need a backpack - most of the time i'm on a MTB...

 

[4John]

i need a backpack - most of the time i'm on a MTB...

Pintie,

From experience when I was looking for a "travel" case for my Swarovski ATS HD 80 it is hard to find ready-made and made-to-measure cases for scopes that are not too big and not too small. You also need two types of protection : soft, so that if you drop the scope the impact when it hits the ground is absorbed and hard, to absorb heavy impact/crushing loads so the scope doesn't get crushed e.g. if you fall off your bike. Years ago when I did a lot of cycling the advice was don't put weight on your back, put it on the bike. One of the reasons for that is that if you fall off your bike you don't want a hard object in the rucsac between you and the ground - you could end up with serious bruising and even internal injuries. You might therefore want to consider a rack and pannier for your scope. They even make panniers that convert to back packs these days.

The hard protection I use for my ED50 is a short piece of 130mm diameter pvc ventilation ducting. I don't know if an angled ATC will fit, but you get the idea. I have lined it with thin foam from a sleep mat. This goes in my back pack or birding grab bag. Another type of soft padding that can easily made to measure is a layer of pick and pluck foam with the outline of the scope "plucked" out and sandwiched between two layers of thick foam. The three foam layers could then go in any normal flat rectangular plastic box/case for hard protection, or held together with some velcro straps in a stuff sack if you weren't bothered about hard protection.

 

[MiddleRiver]

Shop for a used neoprene top (shirt) and cut a sleeve off. Often can be had for less than cost of purpose-made cases.

 

[pintie]

@MiddleRiver thats a good idea...

@4John i have a backpack with protection... and for the rest of the body,too.
you don't want to know how often i fell on my DSLR... but with the padding in the evoc - they all survived.

usecase for the ATC... take it with you in the alps. see picture
compared to my 10x42 it is a complete other level. realy love it.

 

[ReinierB]

I use the FBP field bag pro XL for it: FBP-XL field bag pro - SWAROVSKI OPTIK

It is pretty tight, but it fits.