Subject: [Tweeters] more re: scopes
Date: Jan 19 21:09:35 2006
From: Kevin Li - kdli at msn.com


My Leica scope hit the ground in December in Discovery Park; I panicked
briefly, brushed off the dirt, and zoomed in clearly on a snowy owl.

>From: "mike ullmann" <mike.ullmann at kcjn.com>

>In about 1997 we spent a week up at Cape May observatory (that's run by NJ
>Audubon, in Kevin's post below,) and among other things tried all their
>scopes. For several reasons, including price but also because Pete Dunn et
>al were high on them, we decided that when we invested in a scope it would
>be the Kowa.
>In 1999, preparing for a trip to Iceland, we decided to make the
>investment and called the observatory. They were no longer so fond of the
>Kowa, because every time one fell off the hawk watch platform, it had to
>go back to Kowa for repairs.
>We instead took the plunge and their advice and bought Leica's
>top-of-the-line APO Televid 77, with the angled body AND, most
>particularly, the 32X wide eyepiece. We are completely happy with it. When
>the Leicas fall off the platform at Cape May, they just pick them back up
>again. We've taken ours to several remote places, including Iceland and
>Costa Rica, and never ever had a problem. But we actually justified
>spending the money in part because we DO live in rainy Seattle with a lack
>of light, hence the pricy glass (and we
>kayak, to boot.)
>We don't use the cover, incidentally, just carry it around bare. Also, as
>noted, another advantage of an angled scope is that, if necessary, you can
>run the tripod up high and rotate the whole scope around to where the
>angled eyepiece is pointed slightly down, keeping it out of the rain.
>In Costa Rica, the standard is the larger Swarovski.
>Mike Ullmann
>(Mable Leaf neighborhood)
>
>
>I've been happy with a straight Leica 77mm APO 20-60 zoom, but I might
> > rather have an angled scope. An angled scope allows for ;shorter
> > tripod, which is often much more stable, and accomodates a wider range
>of
> > user height. A shorter tripod could also weigh a bit less. Regarding
>rain getting on the eyepiece, many scopes can be rotated along their
>long axis; the glass doesn't always have to be facing upwards, and can
>even be facing down when not in use. For use in a car with a window
>attachment, the scope can be rotated 90 degrees.
>I've compared the Leica side by side with a number of
>scopes, and I much preferred the Leica and the Swarovski; I had high hopes
>for the Zeiss, but found the field to be uneven. One test I use is to scan
>across a relatively straight line, such as a power line; pan along
>the line and look for distortion as you view down the line. With some
>optics you can see the line seem to wiggle or get fuzzy as you
>pan.
>NJ Audubon has a good scope brochure on-line:
>https://www.njaudubon.org/NatureNotes/PickScopes05.pdf"
> > _______________________________________________
Kevin Li
Ballard, WA