Dear Tweeters,

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the lively
discussion on binoculars. What a pleasant topic of
conversation!

The binocular I liked best early on was the Brunton
8.5 X 43 Epoch, so that's what I got. The ease of
focus won out: no more missing birds because of slow
focussing from near to far or vice-versa!

I liked the Leicas, both the Ultravid and the much
heavier (and less expensive) Trinovid. However, both
had a strange-feeling focus to me, almost a gritty
feel. Besided, they did not focus as fast as the
Bruntons.

I must admit, one thing that bugs me is that not all
bins have the same focus direction. That is, with my
Swifts, I turn the focus wheel counterclockwise to
bring the bird closer, while with the Bruntons, it is
the opposite. Why don't the manufacturers all sit down
together at some expensive convention site and decide
one way or the other!? Do any Tweeters happen to know
what the majority direction is (Clockwise or
widdershins)?

I picked a good day to go to Anacortes Telescope, and
enjoyed good customer service, so I bought the
binoculars there. I felt better about the expensive
purchase when I overheard one of the telephone
operators closing an astronomical telescope deal. I
recall hearing something like, "Okay, that will be
sixty-two ninety-eight and fifteen cents." Ouch! Glad
I picked a cheap hobby like birding.

Once I had the new binoculars in my hands, I decided
to take a nice little "honeymoon" with them by Skagit
Regional Airport. The first bird that caught my eye
was a Merlin. Wow! Those babies can really stoop! Then
I realized it was not a Merlin. It was a Cliff
Swallow. The new binoculars made the swallow look so
huge that I thought it was a falcon!

Next up was a beautiful Evening Grosbeak. Yep, you
guessed it--American Goldfinch. Then I realized--all
the birds looked big and bright, giving a whole new
look. It took quite a bit of getting used to. I hope I
don't see any Ostriches too soon--I might mistake them
for Allosauruses.

The capper was when I got home. A little brown bird
flew up from the feeder. I grabbed the binoculars and
located it as it was flying away. Halfway across a
hayfield from the bird, I could still see the
identifying marks of a House Sparrow--on a flying LBJ!


Thanks again for all the helpful pointers, Tweeters.



=====

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com




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