• 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. P

    Budget 16x binoculars or straight scope?

    Thanks folks. Confirmation of my thoughts, that a small (straight) scope will be better than high powered but low quality bins. An Opticron MM3 body would make most sense, as I have the 60mm MM4, angled. .
  2. P

    Budget 16x binoculars or straight scope?

    Come on guys - someone must have an opinion on this...no?
  3. P

    Analysis Paralysis- Please help me choose!

    I can't afford a Henry Moore sculpture, but I like looking at them. .
  4. P

    Budget 16x binoculars or straight scope?

    Thinking about having a pair of high power budget (sub-£300) bins for casual viewing from the car - for more reach when I don't have my scope and tripod with me. What would you recommend? Kowa SVP, Nikon 16x50? Or should I buy a straight scope like the Kowa TSN-502 or Opticron MM3 50mm...
  5. P

    Composition

    I was trying to help, but learning takes a bit of effort on the part of the 'student' and if you can't find anything on the internet about composition, or the rule of thirds, then I'm flabbergasted (I got pages of the stuff when I just did a Google search). As with most people starting out in...
  6. P

    Composition

    None of the pictures do. You need to research (Google etc) composition - it's too big a subject for people to cover it here. .
  7. P

    Composition

    The immediate impression is that the images lack 'visual tension'. Techniques for good composition in image-making are universal (ie. bird photography isn't unique), and I suggest a good place to start is by studying the 'rule of thirds' - used by painters and photographers for decades, if not...
  8. P

    Zeiss

    Well, you asked in January and have seemingly disappeared, so I might be wasting my time, but here's my experience with the Gavia. I have Zeiss Conquest bins, so I like Zeiss a lot, so I excitedly tried the Gavia a year or so ago when comparing to a Kowa TSN-773, Opticron MM4 77 and a Swarovski...
  9. P

    confused about tripod head types for birding scope

    What did you go for?
  10. P

    Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 - oh my!

    No idea what you mean... reported where? They are 32's - what more do you need to know? I bought new for £700.00 GBP, so yes. .
  11. P

    blue tits breeding season

    Rural, Cotswolds. Very lucky to live where we do.
  12. P

    blue tits breeding season

    We have two boxes (a year and two years old) currently occupied by blue tits. They have been in-and-out for about a month. Robins from another box have fledged. There was a stoat sniffing around the garden the other day, with a blackbird following it from high in a hedge and going ape, so there...
  13. P

    To Balance Rail or not?

    As a former photographer and relative newcomer to 'video' or fluid heads (and with no intention of using such a head for video), I went around in circles figuring out what I needed in a head for birdwatching, until I eventually realised that a lot of what was written about video/fluid heads was...
  14. P

    To Balance Rail or not?

    Hello Q. I used a Gitzo GH2720QR head and plate with that scope. It's not a true fluid head (I never did video), but has a single kn0b to adjust both tilt and pan resistance. There is no need to balance a 65mm (or even 80mm) scope with a longer plate than the one that comes with it, because only...
  15. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    Hermann has already had the courtesy to reply to this question - #26 - with his images showing the ergonomics of how a rotating collar enables viewing at all angles. In a thread called: 'Straight vs Angled Scope?', I'm sure people new to scopes will find the images informative, especially as...
  16. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    You're being ridiculous. And I'm probably not the only one who thinks so. .
  17. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    Some people will want to consider who else might be using their scope. But regardless of how you use your scope, it's another aspect of birding for OP to consider. .
  18. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    Like I said, and Hermann agreed, subject acquisition is a simple enough skill to master... but many angled scopes (like Swarovski) have a sight-finder. I enjoy sharing with whoever I'm birding with and the collar can make that easier. Handy... if you have friends. ;) .
  19. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    It's no different to finding them at any level with an angled scope - it's a simple enough skill. Plus, with a rotating collar you can share a view with another person, sitting, crouching or lying beside you, without moving yourself, the tripod or scope. Try that with a straight scope. ;) .
  20. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    That's what a rotating collar is for. ;) .
  21. P

    straight vs angled scope ?

    Kylie-bird... try using a straight scope to look high into trees (or at the night sky) and, unless you have a 7ft tripod, you'll appreciate the value of an angled one. I would only buy a straight scope if it was pocket-size, like a Kowa 502 and wanted to use it ad-hoc and sans tripod, like when...
  22. P

    My 300,000. Post :)

    I'm sure we all want to thank you for sharing your expertise, but do you need to get out more? 😃 .
  23. P

    confused about tripod head types for birding scope

    No. It means you might consider leverage as well as downward force. Just to add to your confusion. But seriously, forget leverage and buy any two-way fluid/video head that is rated from about 3kg upwards and with base diameter of more than 46mm, and you'll have a sturdy base for your scope...
  24. P

    confused about tripod head types for birding scope

    The worst feature of the BeFree live heads is that the pan kn0b is also used to lock the scope when attaching it to the tripod base. If there is a locking screw on the underside of the base (as with many Manfrotto's), fine, but if not there is always that feeling that the whole head can come...
  25. P

    confused about tripod head types for birding scope

    I thought you meant the one below, BeFree Live 2-way head. The Befree Live 3-way head is not what you want for birding regardless of safe payload... you want a 2-way head, unless you enjoy fiddling with levers/arms. Regards payload, don't forget a scope isn't like a camera; a scope exerts more...
Back
Top