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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Recent content by Owlbarred

  1. Owlbarred

    Eyecups for older Elite models.

    I was not able to find replacement eyecups. I gifted my Elites to my grandson with the old eyecups patched on the outside. Ugly but worked fine for him.
  2. Owlbarred

    Swarovski NL 8x42 vs Skyrover apo 8x42 sharpness contrast microcontrast etc

    Well said, all of it. Add to your comments: Customer service (repair), quality control, and durability of the SRBC are unknowns at this time. Reminds me of folks who eagerly bought the 3-cylinder Triumph Trident motorcycles in the late 60s-mid 70s after excellent short-term road test reviews in...
  3. Owlbarred

    Swarovski NL 8x42 vs Skyrover apo 8x42 sharpness contrast microcontrast etc

    Pardon my frankness below. Seems to me that the very premise of comparing a Skyrover to an NL is, on its face, a ludicrous endeavor akin to comparing a Fiat to a Lexus. Several rungs have been recklessly jumped: a more appropriate initial comparison would be the Skyrover with at most, a...
  4. Owlbarred

    12x42 NL Pure.....

    Good stuff. For about 2 hours today, I birded with a colleague's 12x42 NLs while he used my 8x42 NLs. I found myself in awe of his awesome 12x42s -- especially when scanning the sky for raptors and distant waterfowl. Truly, incredible binoculars. But I now realize I would not want to own...
  5. Owlbarred

    A strange 8x32 choice.

    Well said.
  6. Owlbarred

    S.O.N.A. Repair 8x32 EL

    Smart move holding onto the old pair. I've own and heavily used a beater pair of 8x32s Els (bought new in 2003). For about the last 15 years, all I've done is carefully clean the lenses, but the binos haven't been in a case and neither have I used lens caps -- during this period they have...
  7. Owlbarred

    First Love Rekindled

    Truly Swarovski’s repair service is the best in the known universe.
  8. Owlbarred

    NL Pure 8x32 field of view

    Rest assured with NLs you are at the top of the binocular summit. For what it's worth, my 8x42 NLs have an even wider FOV than the NL 8x32s and their large FOV, for me, is a big advantage with no downside. Give yourself time to adjust to your new binoculars.
  9. Owlbarred

    Baby S

    But all the green ones have veiling glare -- the blue ones have Leica lenses, are too heavy, and have excessive chromatic aberration.
  10. Owlbarred

    NL Pure vs EL - 10x42

    Wish I could help, but I've never owned 8.5/10x42ELs. My brief looks through pairs owned by others were very impressive. If I were you, I'd keep what you have and feel blessed.
  11. Owlbarred

    NL Pure vs EL - 10x42

    "...NL needs few seconds to find right position." Glad you like the ELs -- they are superb. But I can't agree with your comment on the NLs.
  12. Owlbarred

    AX Visio: is it really as bad as some reviewers claim??

    Thanks for the correct info on magnification. "Most birder here use focal lengths of 400-600mm to document observations. Some use even longer focal lengths." Whew! I've used Canon 600 mm f/4 IS and ISII lenses for 14 years. I don't know of any sane person on earth that carries a 600 mm lens...
  13. Owlbarred

    AX Visio: is it really as bad as some reviewers claim??

    Anyone who has spent time at a raptor autumn migration count site (there are more than 200 in the U.S.) -- where relatively few species are involved -- knows that even seasoned count-site experts disagree on occasion. A 10x AV photo could prove a useful tool for later examination. This is...
  14. Owlbarred

    Swarovski NL vs EL

    All good stuff above. I can only comment on the 8x42 NL and 8x32 EL SV. The NL and EL SV optics are both superb-- clear edge to edge and formidable optically. I still love and use the EL SVs on longer hikes -- their smaller size and lighter weight are a blessing. But the NL's unrivaled huge...
  15. Owlbarred

    NL8x32 vs 8x42 microcontrast/ resolution

    My brain started to overheat after reading some of the posts on this thread. When I found myself rhetorically muttering 'how many angels can dance on the head of a pin,' I realized I needed to go birding for at least 4 hours to cool off my aching brain cells -- whatever is left of them --so I...
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