Subject: [Tweeters] Scopes: A Contrary Opinion
Date: Nov 26 13:05:06 2011
From: Carol Riddell - cariddellwa at gmail.com


Buy the best scope you can afford to purchase. It doesn't matter if
you are a beginner birder. In fact, a beginner more than an expert
birder will want every edge to get the best view of a bird. We live in
an area where seabirding and distances really come into play. We also
live in a perpetual state of low light--or so it seems. So if you have
decided you really like using a scope, then go for the very best
optics that give you the edge in distance and low-light conditions. If
you buy an inexpensive scope now, you've just added that to the cost
of a better scope once you start kicking yourself for having bought
mediocre optics and start looking for a better scope. (I say this as
one who did just that.)

The top optics to consider are Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Kowa, and the
upscale Nikon. Then you have to decide whether you want heavy (80 mm)
or lighter weight (60-65 mm). Most scopes come with a kit eyepiece
that is usually a 20-60x zoom. A zoom eyepiece gives you a narrow
field of view. And most of them really diminish in quality at any
setting much over 35-40x. So consider buying a 30x fixed eyepiece. It
will let in more light and give you a wider field of view for getting
on your target. That said, Ruth Sullivan bought the new 20-50x wide-
angle eyepiece for her Swarovski scope and it's a big improvement over
the 20-60x kit eyepiece. It does let in more light and it really does
offer a wider field of view. You don't have to buy a scope with the
kit eyepiece. You can purchase the scope and eyepiece you want
separately.

You then have to consider a straight or angled eyepiece. It is
strictly personal preference. If others will be using your scope, the
angled eyepiece allows viewers of varying heights to use it without
resetting the tripod. If you are the only one who is going to use the
scope, then that is not a consideration.

Ask birders in the field to let you look through their scopes and ask
them questions as to why they bought what they did. Then go to stores
such as Captain's in Interbay (Seattle) or Anacortes Telescope on the
west side of Swinomish Channel (just across the Twin Bridges) or the
Seattle Audubon Nature Shop to try scopes out. Given the cost of the
best optics, many decide to buy from internet sites where you will get
free shipping and no sales tax. We can debate the ethics of that,
given the state's budget crisis and the desirability of supporting
local businesses. But it's your choice to buy local or buy online.

I'd say this is just my two cents, but with four paragraphs I'll up it
to four cents.

Good scoping,

Carol Riddell
Edmonds