• 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. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Forgot to mention: I don't use a cover/protector for the scope. I just wrap it in a microfiber towel in my backpack. Cheap and it works fine. This thing is pretty sturdy!
  2. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Yes, I need to get the Gitzo hook for my tripod so I can weigh it down a bit.
  3. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    I've done a few group excursions with it and a LOT of people from the birding group now want to buy it too. Even a guy with a Swarovski ATX 85 was interested in the ATC because he just doesn't bring his heavy ATX along enough anymore. I was surprised that the more senior birders of the group...
  4. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    In any case, this is a great telescope when you're on the move more often than the average birder :) @ANK I ordered that book, thanks!
  5. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    For sure, it definitely depends on the situation. I totally get that. An electrical bike can definitely be nice for anything up to 50km. Here there are a couple of nice area's in a 15km radius. For anything further away we usually check the reachability by train and make a weekend out of it...
  6. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Interesting, I will check that read. This is actually what we are trying to do. Go by bike and if it's too far we take the train + folding bicycles. Works great. The whole idea of slow travel comes into play here too. You'll more easily carve out a weekend to go out to a reserve that's a bit...
  7. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    My Swarovski ATC arrived a week ago. Good timing, since I had a long weekend planned to go birding. The perfect chance to put it to the test. Mind you - this is my first telescope and of course it was a blast to finally have one all to myself. I usually get to use someone else's for a few...
  8. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Sounds like it is what I was hoping it would be. Does it stay attached to the Gitzo well? I.e. did you tether it to the tripod when transporting or anything like that. I just ordered my Gitzo GT1545T Traveller (with ballhead) myself! And the Swaro ATC should be in the shop at the end of next...
  9. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Haha I soo agree with this. Who needs perfection in every possible situation? Who cares you miss that one bird in that one scenario? Are you really gonna spend another 4k on a second scope for those edge cases... Having said that, no judgment. I can see myself buying a second binocular. But it...
  10. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Kind of, at least when you have enough with 17mm magnification, which the others don't have. At 25mm it is slightly less light gathering than the others at the same magnification but not by a whole lot. For me the size difference is a lot bigger in comparison. The ATX85 is a whole different...
  11. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Indeed, I was confused by my typo, which said 25-60mm but was supposed to be 20-60mm in post 287. Thanks for clearing that up. I must have copied the exit pupils of the ATX85 objective then because the difference at 25mm you mentioned is way too big. Here's the correct stats, please ignore my...
  12. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Agreed! Good summary. I do find the wide view to be a feature for the ATC. From the review mentioned: I was surprised to see the 25-50mm exit pupil on the ATS65 to have a smaller exit pupil than the ATC.
  13. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Cool that it works as an eye piece! I have been wanting to find one.
  14. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    One of those bean bags in a shelter might work. I wouldn't try hand-holding it personally but for a quick spot check it might work!
  15. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Thanks for the info. I think for most of my birding the 40x will suffice. For the few occasions it doesn't, no big deal, I suppose. Concerning exit pupil I compared it with the ATS/ATX65. ATS65: 25-60mm: 3,3 - 1,1 mm 25-50mm: 2,6 - 1,3 mm ATX65 25-60mm: 3,4 - 1,4 mm ATC: 3.4 - 1.4mm There's...
  16. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Wondering, is the 40mm zoom on this sufficient for most birding? E.g for seaside it might be somewhat missing? Compared to the ATS 65 which has 60max zoom. That's a third more. Any thoughts or experiences on this?
  17. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    How's the stability with the Sirui actually? Haven't looked at that specific tripod.
  18. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Take a look at this post: https://www.birdforum.net/threads/swarovski-atc-which-lightweight-tripod.432995/post-4405747 I think it shows how compact the whole setup is.
  19. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    I would not get too hung up on grams. To me, it's more about volume. The ATC is incredibly compact and seems to be very well built. This means you can just drop it in your day pack without too much added protection. This, in itself, is more valuable than mere grams. I'd also use a heavier and...
  20. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Yeah don't expect to use it without a (lightweight) tripod I would say.
  21. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    You can go for a much lighter tripod, a Gitzo travel tripod should work well enough with the ATC. The optical performance is very similar to the ATS65. You might lose a few minutes of last light but that doesn't weigh up to the compactness of the ATC in my opinion. It's much easier to pack in...
  22. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    As Hermann mentioned in the thread before, didn't all scopes use to be without this pin in early days? I'd just make a habit of checking it habitually. Strange it would come loose that quickly though.
  23. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Thanks for the info, appreciate it!
  24. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Is that with Habicht included? Nice spec! The Habicht is pretty bulky in volume though. Is it mostly for weight you choose a Habicht as your secondary bins? How do the Curios compare in eye cup comfort to larger bins?
  25. G

    New ATC/ STC 17-40x56 Telescope

    Funny, I feel the same way about the optics of the CL Pocket 8x25 by Swarovski. I take it everywhere, too. I can't imagine doing that even with a 8x32. The only thing I gave up was a bit of comfort in the eye cups, I feel like. That shouldn't even be the case for the ATC at all as it has the...
Back
Top