Zeiss Diascope 85 T* FL year of manufacture (1 Viewer)

[Joker9937]

Good luck, Ian! Thanks for the ID.

Regarding the Redbelly, I should have started trying to get pics of him sooner. I had lined up on the eagle's nest, had everything set just right, and was hoping to hit the button for some burst shots of him/her landing. She was busy chasing ducks or something. I could see her flying all around, but she was out for over an hour. When I saw she was gone, I thought I might get a lucky and cool shot. NOPE.

The little Redbelly was hanging around for most of that time. But, I ignored him with high hopes. Then, as soon as I gave up and started shooting the woodpecker, he flew off. LOL.

Oh well.

It is still dark, but looks clear. If my wife will tolerate me heading out again, I might sneak back to the woods again. LOL.

By the way, since the spotters, this one specifically, are water-proof, etc, is there a concern about condensation from bringing a cold scope into a warm home? My astro scope I use with great caution, during the cold season. Considering the purpose of a spotter, I assume that is not as necessary. Thoughts?

 

[Ian Byrnes]

I think they are bulletproof as far as condensation, rain, cold, heat etc.... But only time will tell.

Went out this morning early 6.00am ....see photo below of dawn.

If you go to the threads for " Grimley and Holt " from today you'll see the shots I took this morning... Got great ones of Red Crested Pochard, Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank....also saw many different kinds including Kestrel, Pied Wagtail, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Teals, Shovelers, Reed Bunting etc.....it was brill this morning but I think that might be last for now as I'm getting really concerned about contact. Even at 6.30am I spoke to Doctor out doing some photography.....we spoke but kept our distance and exchanged our concerns.

 

[Joker9937]

Wow! What a beautiful sunrise! Nice shot!

Yes, be safe! Too bad that even walks outdoors are risky! I will post a few pics, that I took this morning, in the "Birds of North America" gallery.

I will try and find that thread. Is it a "gallery" thread?

Here is a squirrel I snapped this morning. Pretty much full sun, but he would not sit still. Typical issue, but I am not sure why I expect anything else. LOL.

You can really see the yellow tint in this pic. Although, the Fox Squirrels have that coloring anyway.

 

[Ian Byrnes]

Cool shot Scott......why don't you set up a new thread for Eagle Marsh Nature Reserve, Fort Wayne. Not certain whether it's a gallery or not but fellow naturalists/birders in your area can share and compare without you worrying about posting too many shots.

Upton Warren and Grimley are my local hotspots.

 

[Joker9937]

Cool shot Scott......why don't you set up a new thread for Eagle Marsh Nature Reserve, Fort Wayne. Not certain whether it's a gallery or not but fellow naturalists/birders in your area can share and compare without you worrying about posting too many shots.

Upton Warren and Grimley are my local hotspots.

Good suggestion, Ian. I will do that. None of my shots today were taken there, so when I get some decent stuff again I will start one. I have been posting stuff in the "Birds of North America" gallery. I think I posted 3 things, and am going to post a few more from today. The stuff today was just from my backyard, and my neighbor's acreage.

I saw two mink today. Yesterday I saw a coyote. They have been a real problem for my neighbor, and it was a huge one. I saw his tracks today. They were substantially bigger than my dog's tracks. Our dog is 40#. So, given the fact that coyote tracks are usually narrower than a similarly sized dog (from my own understanding) and these coyote's tracks were much bigger than her tracks, this is a very large coyote.

I wish that I would have been able to get some pictures of it. Oh well. Next time. I wasn't fast enough with the camera.

 

[Ian Byrnes]

PM sent

 

[Joker9937]

Here you go, Ian. https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=387800

 

[Leo Vezina]

It showed up unscathed. It is gray and dreary here today. Plus, I could only take handheld photos. But, it doesn't look too bad to me.

I figure for the money (less than $800 shipped) it is a good start, at minimum. It came with the scope, tripod and head, and a Kowa stay on cover.

The tripod seems a little shaky when focusing, which was a bit of a disappointment, but not bad. Any recommendations, or is that to be expected?

At 60x it seems to be a bit less than at 30 and 40. Would that change with a different (newer) ep? The gray day certainly factors into my first impressions, but taking that into consideration, this scope seems very sharp. I look forward to star testing it.

The focus knobs are smooth. As silly as it sounds, the fine vs coarse focus knobs are not easily identified by me. If anyone has a suggestion on where to obtain a manual, I would be open to the info. I found focus with no issues, but a manual would be nice to have.

It needs a little overall cleaning, and the glass cleaned too, but it is in really nice shape. One hairline scratch, around an inch or two long, on the body. It is barely discernible. There is a spot on the ep where something scratched the outside edge of the rim around the glass. It is missing the dustcovers.

The eyecup is annoying. It would be nice to be able to push it down, to allow my eye to get a little closer, but I do not see that it is possible. The ER is much tighter than I expected, but I think it might feel tight because of the cup.

Overall, I think it is great deal, and going to work well as I learn how to use my phone/digiscoping adapter with it. My adapter should be here by Monday. I will post some legit pics when it arrives.

The pics include shots of my neighbor's grain dryer/elevator, which is around 1000 to 1500 yards away. One pic is at 20x and one is 60. I think that the 60x pic was taken with the app "Firstlight". Other than that, I made no modifications. Obviously, through the ep is much nicer than the handheld shots.

I will say that the dewshield seems plasticky to me.

Hello, I am new to this forum but your reference to a Kowa stay on cover piqued my interest. I have a Zeiss 85T*TL angled diascope that I have owned for 2 or 3 yrs and cannot find a cover for it. My scope looks to be the same model as yours with two focusing wheels. I would really appreciate the model number and/or some form of id for your case so that I can order one.

 

[Joker9937]

Hello, I am new to this forum but your reference to a Kowa stay on cover piqued my interest. I have a Zeiss 85T*TL angled diascope that I have owned for 2 or 3 yrs and cannot find a cover for it. My scope looks to be the same model as yours with two focusing wheels. I would really appreciate the model number and/or some form of id for your case so that I can order one.

Hello, Leo. I have been absent for some time. I just now logged on, and saw your post. This is the cover that I had on mine. It worked well for me.

I hope that helps. Good luck!