Tweets,
As far as binoc power goes I would say that any serious birder would feel
hampered by anything less than 8x. !0x is the max, but there are close
focusing 10x binocs out there and given the mixture of landbirds and
seabirds here in the state I think probably a 10x with a good close focus
might be the preference of a lot of birders. The other option birders
choose is to go with a good 8x binoc and supplement this with a good scope
that can pick out those waterbirds that are just too far out for an 8x
binoc. A lot of it is personal preference. I personally have a 10x42 and a
scope as even a 10x binoc cannot reach out to properly identify many of
the birds like Shorebirds, waterbirds and raptors that I see.

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA

"Birds don't read bird books. (That's why they are seen doing things they
are not supposed to do)." -Mary Wood


On Thu, 24 Jun 1999, Ed Schulz wrote:

> Lydia,
> In terms of power most binoculars on the market range from 7X
> to 10X, with 7X and 8X probably being the most popular with
> most birders. People who tend to watch more distant birds
> would probably prefer the 10X. Anything over 10X gets a
> little hard to hold steady. Some of the "giant" (80mm
> objective lens) go to 11X that can be managed hand-held and
> 20X for tripod use. The sheer mass of these large "mothers of
> all binoculars" helps dampen the "wiggles", (but not for the
> triple-shot espresso drinkers). I am not aware of anything
> comparable to the bino you describe on the market today.