I started reading a bunch of threads here and in the tripod section but am having a little trouble defining a list of items to choose from/evaluate, so I am hoping you guys can start me off in the right direction to make a decision.
I am starting to plan for a scope purchase sometime in the next 6 months. I have held off so far because I already have Canon 18x50 IS binoculars which have served me well for medium range views. I have often carried both my normal binoculars (a small group but most used is a Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42) and used the 18x for long views at lakes and such.
I also have a 5 inch Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with a 45 deg. diagonal and various TeleVue eyepieces which works well, but I am realizing that I almost never use it due to size and annoyance of setup.
So my thought is to get a scope for ocean viewing and longer looks. I am thinking larger since I have the binos for shorter views, so probably at lest 80mm I guess...
I went to Cabelas today and looked at a few Vortex and they seemed pretty good but the guy behind the desk was not very knowledgeable and I am not sure what tripod or head to pair it with or if I should look beyond just Vortex and if I should settle on straight or bent. I like the idea of a zoom and I hope by going with a larger scope I can have a usable 60x. I seem to like the straight scopes better but I do have kids that might want views at some point so I am thinking bent would be better? But then is it harder to get the bird in view with bent?
So I am sure you guys get lots of these requests but I didn't see one matching my criteria recently and I would really appreciate any specific assistance on brands and models to look at. My price range is not very specific but I want to get to that point of diminishing returns in the same way the Conquest binos I have are. Something rugged and good optics but not top dollar for that last 5% of performance. Thanks!
I am starting to plan for a scope purchase sometime in the next 6 months. I have held off so far because I already have Canon 18x50 IS binoculars which have served me well for medium range views. I have often carried both my normal binoculars (a small group but most used is a Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42) and used the 18x for long views at lakes and such.
I also have a 5 inch Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with a 45 deg. diagonal and various TeleVue eyepieces which works well, but I am realizing that I almost never use it due to size and annoyance of setup.
So my thought is to get a scope for ocean viewing and longer looks. I am thinking larger since I have the binos for shorter views, so probably at lest 80mm I guess...
I went to Cabelas today and looked at a few Vortex and they seemed pretty good but the guy behind the desk was not very knowledgeable and I am not sure what tripod or head to pair it with or if I should look beyond just Vortex and if I should settle on straight or bent. I like the idea of a zoom and I hope by going with a larger scope I can have a usable 60x. I seem to like the straight scopes better but I do have kids that might want views at some point so I am thinking bent would be better? But then is it harder to get the bird in view with bent?
So I am sure you guys get lots of these requests but I didn't see one matching my criteria recently and I would really appreciate any specific assistance on brands and models to look at. My price range is not very specific but I want to get to that point of diminishing returns in the same way the Conquest binos I have are. Something rugged and good optics but not top dollar for that last 5% of performance. Thanks!