Scope Lenses 101 (I posted in wrong forum previously) (1 Viewer)

[chrispie]

Sorry for the duplication--I just realized I posted this in the Camera/Photography forum yesterday when it should have been here. I didn't know how to delete/move it. I guess the question could be applicable in either forum, but my question is specific to my new scope:

I ordered my first spotting scope (Nikon Fieldmaster III 60mm EDA) and ordered the 30X wide angle lens. I know nothing about lenses, as I never owned a 35mm camera before, so had no need to learn. Now that I will have a decent spotting scope, I want to learn about the different applications for the various lenses. Is there a good thread or link to an article that explains all this for me? I don't know why someone would choose a zoom over fixed, and what the different powers are for. I didn't have enough money to buy more than one lens yesterday since I also had to purchase a tripod/head. For birdwatching (and possibly digiscoping in the future), what do you recommend that I purchase to make my kit complete? I know, it's probably never going to be complete, but at least adequate for my purposes.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Swissboy]

Sorry for the duplication--I just realized I posted this in the Camera/Photography forum yesterday when it should have been here. I didn't know how to delete/move it. I guess the question could be applicable in either forum, but my question is specific to my new scope:

I ordered my first spotting scope (Nikon Fieldmaster III 60mm EDA) and ordered the 30X wide angle lens. I know nothing about lenses, as I never owned a 35mm camera before, so had no need to learn. Now that I will have a decent spotting scope, I want to learn about the different applications for the various lenses. Is there a good thread or link to an article that explains all this for me? I don't know why someone would choose a zoom over fixed, and what the different powers are for. I didn't have enough money to buy more than one lens yesterday since I also had to purchase a tripod/head. For birdwatching (and possibly digiscoping in the future), what do you recommend that I purchase to make my kit complete? I know, it's probably never going to be complete, but at least adequate for my purposes.

Thanks for your help.

Can't help with the theory, but let's first clarify the name of your scope. I assume it's called FieldSCOPE not Fieldmaster. If so, I think you have just about the most important things you need. The 30x is an excellent eyepiece. It should be perfect for digiscoping. And among the compact scopes you can't really get anything better. (There are "equivalents" though.) I often use a zoom because it allows to get things closer for some details. But the present Nikon zoom (20-60x MCII) while excellent, does have a rather narrow field of view. Thus, whoever prefers zooms might also prefer one of the other top models. Personally, I have started to use my 30x more and more in recent weeks, whereas before, I tended to prefer the zoom.

 

[chrispie]

Swissboy: Thank you for reassuring me that I have ordered a great scope and eyepiece. I had planned on purchasing a different scope, but after looking through the Nikon, I immediately changed my mind.

 

[Keith Reeder]

Hi Chrispie,

I'm a Zeiss 65mm scope/zoom eyepiece owner myself, but rest assured that the scope/eyepiece you've got is uniformly considered to be among the best there is.

I use a zoom on my scope primarily because the Zeiss zoom EP is known for it's ridiculously wide field of view at low magnifications.

Aside from that though, zooms on scopes provide an element of flexibility which may or may not be an advantage, depending on your style of birding.

For me it's a good thing because I can back the zoom right down to 15x if I'm digiscoping (broadly speaking, the lower the scope magnification the better when digiscoping) and besides, the fantastic resolution provided by the combo I've got means I can often ID birds at lower magnification - all the detail is still there, only smaller - but the lower zoom lets in so much more light.

I enjoy sea watching though - in which case the ability to go to a high level of magnification (45x in my case) is sometimes the difference between "skua/jaeger species" and "pomarine skua".

I also just like smaller scopes. Mine is so bright in all but the most marginal conditions that I just have no interest in the 85mm version: and I'd feel the same about the Nikon 60mm/80mm dilemma.

If I was asked to suggest a scope/eyepiece combo that will do the the job for the vast majority of birders, the Nikon 60mm ED fieldscope + 30x eyepiece would be in the top five, without a shadow of a doubt.

 

[chrispie]

Keith--Thanks for the input. I'm feeling really good about my selection. Will even feel better when it arrives next week!

Still looking for a good resource to explain lens magnifications and the appropriate situation for using one over another. If anyone has a good link, please pass it along.

Chrispie