• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Search results

thxpress_search_the_forum Search Opus
  1. Buff1ehead

    Case for EL 8x32?

    I carry mine in the small size neoprene covers by Op/tech. A good snug fit that would be too tight if the neoprene were not so stretchy. And they come in camo.
  2. Buff1ehead

    Car binoculars

    In my Sprinter van I keep a Mark I pair of Swaro 8x32s. The Mark II version is my main working bin, so it's usually with me when I'm camping. The older Mark I is there as a backup or a loaner for research assistants. It saves the day at least twice a year. In my boat I keep a Kowa BD II 6.5x32...
  3. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss T*FL 8x32 v Zeiss Conquest 8x32 - discuss!

    I have the EL 8x32, the EL SV 8x32, and the 8x32 Conquest. I find the Swarovision pair to be superior to the other two, but feel that the Conquests are comparable to the original EL 8x32.
  4. Buff1ehead

    Would you get an NL Pure 32mm if you already had a 42, or maybe something else?

    I have both versions of the EL 8x32s, and in the Mark II version the rolling ball was tamed, at least to my eyes. (I understand that I am less sensitive to the phenomenon than others.) I actually prefer the EL 8x32 SV to the NL because of the greater eye relief.
  5. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss SFL 8x30?

    I look forward to your review. A big factor for me, which I haven't seen discussed here, is ruggedness. I spend long days afield wearing bins as part of my research, and only the hardiest bins hold up to that much use. I'm strongly attracted to the light weight, but hope that they will hold...
  6. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss SFL 8x30?

    These specs just arrived by email from Zeiss Performance Magnification 8 × Effective lens diameter 30 mm Light transmission 90% Exit pupil diameter 3.75 mm Twilight factor 15.5 Field of view at 1,000 m (yds) 142 m (426 ft) Subjective viewing angle 63° Ww Close focusing...
  7. Buff1ehead

    Victory FL 7x42 vs Victory SF 8x42

    I prefer the 7x42's. They are the most immersive binoculars I've ever used, especially when birding inside a forest. As a bonus, they are much easier to keep stable when pelagic birding from a boat than binoculars of greater power. The biggest drawback is that they are relatively heavy in...
  8. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss SFL 8x30?

    So true. It's the students who show up with 10x42's who have the hardest time locating the birds. Happens in every class I teach. What's the point in having more power if it means you'll miss twice as many birds?
  9. Buff1ehead

    The new ZEISS SFL - Maximum Image Quality. Minimum Weight.

    Agreed. Information on the forthcoming SFL 8x30 would be greatly appreciated.
  10. Buff1ehead

    Large hawk - San Mateo County, California

    That's a classic cooper's hawk profile. Note the delta on the outer rectrices.
  11. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss SFL 8x30?

    Same here! I still have the 7x42 Victory, the most immersive bins ever. But they weigh a ton. I'd order 7x30 SFLs sight unseen.
  12. Buff1ehead

    Victory FL vs SF

    I couldn't agree more about the FL 7x42's. They are the most immersive binoculars ever! Of all my bins, they remain one of the two favorites, especially in the arboreal environment.
  13. Buff1ehead

    Swarovski el 8x32

    I have both, and I find the MK II version to be significantly better, especially in terms of eye relief. That said, my old MK I's are not slouches. I keep them around to loan to research assistants in the field, and they've put up with a ton of use over the years.
  14. Buff1ehead

    How many ditched their spotter for higher powered bino’s?

    I've owned 50x56 bins and found them less useful that a scope/binocular combination for birds in flight. In the past year I've picked up a Swarovski BTX scope, and it's absolutely amazing. You lose the ability to zoom, and there's a substantial weight penalty, but the resolution is unmatched.
  15. Buff1ehead

    Could someone who's compared both discuss why one would choose the Swaro CL Companion 8x30 vs Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 or vice versa?

    Oops. My mistake. My wife has the Swaro CL 8x30s, not 25s.
  16. Buff1ehead

    Could someone who's compared both discuss why one would choose the Swaro CL Companion 8x30 vs Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 or vice versa?

    I have the Swaro EL 8x32 SV's, and my wife has the Swaro CL 8x25s, which she prefers. In a word, it's the light weight, but I think she also appreciates the size in terms of ergonomics. They are the bins she would rather take on a long hike or an all-day birding experience. I think the big...
  17. Buff1ehead

    Wish List...

    The Zeiss Design Selection "Night Owls" were a roof prism binocular built on a carbon fiber frame. Official designation was Carl Zeiss 10x56B/GA DS T* C.F. They also made an 8x56 version, which I have. These were being manufactured in the mid 1990s, and were the last lead-crystal binoculars...
  18. Buff1ehead

    Small and light scopes ...

    I did some beta testing for the Vortex Razor HD 11-33x50 twenty-some years ago, and made a strong case for a fixed 25x wide angle eyepiece. They considered it, but never came out with it. I've found the scope useful on international treks where I wouldn't othewise have been able to bring a...
  19. Buff1ehead

    Did Gilbert White use binoculars?

    Sorry about that. Gilbert White is considered the father of phenology, and Thoreau's phenological studies, as recorded in his journals, have been so accurate that they've recently been used to document climate change. Here's a link to a book on the subject: Walden Warming
  20. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss SF 8x32 vs Swarovski SV 8x32

    I own two pair of the Zeiss 8x32 and two pairs of the Swarovski EL 8x32 in that size. The Zeiss are used at my primary research site and remain there without travelling, but are used extensively in the field. One of the Swaros is the older mark I version, while the other is a much-improved mark...
  21. Buff1ehead

    Did Gilbert White use binoculars?

    Sorry to come on this late. The American naturalist, Henry David Thoreau, purchased a brass telescope for birding in 1854. A photo of the telescope can be found on the Concord Museum website Thoreau’s Spyglass | Concord Museum Thoreau's library contained a copy of The Natural History of...
  22. Buff1ehead

    yesterday in the Swinomish Channel (coastal Washington State)

    7 bald eagles 6 short-eared owls 5 rough-legged hawks 4 great blue herons 3 belted kingfishers 2 peregrine falcons 1 gyrfalcon plus dozens of trumpeter swans and countless ducks: northern pintails, American wigeons, bufflehead, mallards, and green-winged teals.
  23. Buff1ehead

    Looking for advice on attracting Orioles [South Central Minnesota]

    A shame you can't plant palm trees up there in Minnesota--the Hooded Orioles love them. I've had considerable luck with grapefruit halves. But that was in Arizona. I suspect that any leftover jelly works.
  24. Buff1ehead

    How far do birders walk?

    I think of my birding in terms of hours spend rather than miles covered. I recently spent six hours and identified 76 species. Exhausting. But I didn't cover more than three miles.
  25. Buff1ehead

    Zeiss Harpia 95 - Swarovski ATX 95 - Subjective comparison

    Thank you for the excellent review. I recently wanted to purchase a second scope, angled, my other scope being a well-used, older, straight Zeiss Diascope 65mm. I had the opportunity to compare the Harpia and ATX scopes side by side for several hours. My findings astonished me, because I...
Back
Top