Best tripod mounted high power terrestrial Binocluars (1 Viewer)

[Rathaus]

Rathaus

Which 10x Canon do you have? the 30 mm or the 42?

For what you describe, I'd go with a combo of the 42 mm Canon and a scope rather than a bigger binocular, but I understand your wish to have large binoculars instead of a one-eyed viewing scope. It would help with our suggestions if we had an idea of the viewing distances in question. It is quite a different matter if the distance is mainly under a quarter of a mile or often a mile or more.

For binoculars, I second the suggestion of the Kowa Highlander. It is quite big and quite expensive, but the view is fabulous. 32 x eyepieces give excellent high-power views.

For scopes, any of the big guns from Swaro, Leica, Meopta, Zeiss or Nikon would be very good. Wide-angle zoom that starts from 25x or either of the Meopta zooms would be the best. If you dislike viewing with a scope, try strapping onto the prism housing or the bottom of the eyepiece a dark grey or black obstruction in front of your idle eye the way sharp shooters and biathletes do. It helps immensely to be able to keep your non-viewing eye open while using the scope, since it takes much of the strain off one-eyed viewing and, almost more importantly, takes away the accommodation time needed to go back to a binocular after scope viewing. I started using such an eyeshade on my scopes about ten-twelve years ago, and would not be without one now. Something slightly smaller than the cupped palm of your hand placed about an inch or two in front of your idle eye is more or less what you need. It can be held in place with something as simple as a rubber band or two.

Among smaller high-power binoculars, the Swaro 15x56 SLC or the Zeiss 15x56 Conquest would be excellent tripod-mounted, but in my view the difference to an image-stabilized 10x42 Canon is perhaps not big enough, so I'd much rather use a scope with the Canon.

Hope this helps.

Kimmo

Kimmo

In 10x I have the cannon 10x42 L IS. It's a great binocular indeed. I've tried all the other cannons but to my eyes they just weren't as good. The cannons aren't light for 42 and I do worry a bit about their fragility...though I haven't had a problem in four years or so.

Now I'm thinking more about my viewing distances,..mainly 50m through to 250m or so for the terrestrial animals.

I have a terrible 80mm zoom spotting scope I picked up from a junk shop for fifty bucks...nevertheless I can see Jupiters red spot and the Cassini ring(I think) ok...for fun. I did try a Swarovski spotting scope next to mine once and nearly fainted...it was so good. It's a possibility yes.
Can I put a bino viewer on a Swarovski spotting scope?...so I don't have a neglected eyeball?

Cheers

 

[Rathaus]

the fuji is way to big/heavy for field work such as this;

instead of the fuji you might look into the new lunt 16x70 [cheaper and almost as good]

even 250m is a stretch for binos -when i went to the US i took some 20x80 vixen with me;when watching bears feed about 1/2 mile away they came up short & i always used the 90mm maksutov i had with me..being able to rack up the power was a big improvement. looking at whales down in Sth VIC & SA also definitely requires a spotter or scope imo -binos just dont resolve the fine details/markings

my 2 suggestions are;
the 70mm binocualr telescope sold by teleskop express [about 600E ..we dont pay their VAT] OR
something like a 80mm refractor or 90mm mak [questar birder/field if you have the money] -then buy a binoviewer to put on, during the day the image shouldnt dim too much it is unusbale?

if you do want to stay with binos something like the 25x80 steiner could be useful; oyull appreciate the extra magnif.

what part of Oz r u observing in , & how much are you looking at spending?

Lastly what tripod head/combo do you have -you will want a good video head like a manfrotto 500 series for big binos..this can be a limiting factor

the fuji is way to big/heavy for field work such as this;

instead of the fuji you might look into the new lunt 16x70 [cheaper and almost as good]

even 250m is a stretch for binos -when i went to the US i took some 20x80 vixen with me;when watching bears feed about 1/2 mile away they came up short & i always used the 90mm maksutov i had with me..being able to rack up the power was a big improvement. looking at whales down in Sth VIC & SA also definitely requires a spotter or scope imo -binos just dont resolve the fine details/markings

my 2 suggestions are;
the 70mm binocualr telescope sold by teleskop express [about 600E ..we dont pay their VAT] OR
something like a 80mm refractor or 90mm mak [questar birder/field if you have the money] -then buy a binoviewer to put on, during the day the image shouldnt dim too much it is unusbale?

if you do want to stay with binos something like the 25x80 steiner could be useful; oyull appreciate the extra magnif.

what part of Oz r u observing in , & how much are you looking at spending?

Lastly what tripod head/combo do you have -you will want a good video head like a manfrotto 500 series for big binos..this can be a limiting factor

I was thinking $1-2K Aus....but hey this crosses into the emotional purchase catigory so who knows....though I do tend to occasionally siphon money to quell my never ending Swarovski Habicht obsession. I have fresh new 10x40 armoured Habicht on the way. Great as they don't slide around a dashboard or car seat...I digress...

Thanks for the suggestions.

One particular binocular I've had my eye on for quite a while (originally for astronomy use) is the Takahashi 22x60 Flourite binos - probably enough muscle over 10x to make it a justifiable option...but getting that type of bino in oz is going to be a pain. According to Cloudy nights etc, they punch way above their weight and specs.

I use..not very often, an ancient (1970s) velbon tripod. This is an area I need to address. Can you give me a little further advice regarding a reasonable tripod and head option...without looking like a news cameraman?

My winter viewing area is located in the New England region.

Cheers

 

[dannat]

New england nice, i lived in Armidale for some years -great part of the country

The Tak flourite binos have become collector's items & are prob overpriced -they would have been perfect for you though, light , high quality & high mag.. finding one in the US at a reasonable price is a challenge...better start learning to read japanese so you can pick up one in their secondhand catalog's

for tripod head something like the manfrotto 501 [depending on weight -better see what you get first] i also am a fan of the gimbal style heads -i have induro but there are many good brands

 

[Rathaus]

New england nice, i lived in Armidale for some years -great part of the country

The Tak flourite binos have become collector's items & are prob overpriced -they would have been perfect for you though, light , high quality & high mag.. finding one in the US at a reasonable price is a challenge...better start learning to read japanese so you can pick up one in their secondhand catalog's

for tripod head something like the manfrotto 501 [depending on weight -better see what you get first] i also am a fan of the gimbal style heads -i have induro but there are many good brands

Just been looking on the net for the Tak flourites and you're right, they're going to be hard to get. Out of production.

A question - would you or others here feel comfortable buying something like the flourite Taks second hand via eBay etc with a view to having them collimated or serviced in Australia etc if required?....or are they just too rare and specialised...a potential problem product?

I remember reading something years ago about a Tak user claiming he could see peoples heads through a large passenger jet's windows at some absurd distance. Could be bs, but sounded very cool! He was using a very advanced mounting system.

 

[Binastro]

. Regarding the passenger windows on aircraft, I can see the individual windows at ridiculous distances with the handheld Canon 18×50 I S. But this is at night and I must admit that I've not seen the passenger's heads, although I may have a go at this.

My problem with the Takahashi 22×60 is that it is a binocular telescope rather than a binocular. They did make a telescope, which is basically one half of that binocular telescope. It is long for a binocular and I think heavy for handheld use. However, on a tripod it should be very good indeed and probably outresolves the Zeiss 20x60.
In addition, I would be wary of a second hand fluorite binocular in case moisture had got into the fluorite element. If this happened the crystal could deteriorate. But I don't know if this actually happens or not.
It would be much better to buy one that you can see and try first.

Vixen makes very good binoculars or binocular telescopes, I think 70 mm, 81 mm and 125 mm. I think that they have about eight different focal length sets of eyepieces. And these binoculars I think can take high magnification well and remain collimated.

Another alternative may be to buy the Nikon P 900 camera and use this for long distance work, either looking through the viewfinder or at the screen. It should not need such a substantial tripod. The Nikon P 610 is also good.

I don't know if it is possible to fit a binocular viewer to a Swarovski spotting scope. I think I've seen maybe something like that or maybe even a Swarovski binocular telescope.

To get within your price range a 80 mm ED telescope with a binocular viewer would I think work very well.

The Zeiss 30x60 BGAT is within your price range and has good resolution but of course it only uses one eye.

There are some very good Russian Maksutovs that are sturdy and of good optical quality and not very expensive.

Two Opticron 20×50 mighty midgets mounted side-by-side are really low price and if carefully mounted should do the job.

 

[dannat]

you could buy via ebay because paypal will always get your money back - i would not get them collimated in Australia though, 1 guy in sydney does bino work [pm me for his details] but i'd be sending them to japan for checking/cleaning/collimation if they needed it

 

[JerryLogan]

Hello,

Surprised no one has mentioned the Lunt Engineering binoculars.

http://luntengineering.com/our-products/

Two possibilities. If you're willing to go for tripod mounting the 45 degree apo is very, very hard to beat. Uses standard, interchangeable astro eyepieces so almost any magnification is possible. 2K$ less than Kowa and, in my view, better and more flexible. (And I'm a Kowa fan of major proportion; great products and service.)

If you're committed to hand held then the magnesium series 16x70 might be for you.

Both types are thoroughly discussed and positively reviewed at Cloudy Nights in the binocular forum.
http://www.cloudynights.com/forum/64-binoculars/

Apo is also discussed in detail at bino mania.
http://www.binomania.it/recensione-del-binocolo-apm-100-ed-apo-45-i-parte-osservazione-terrestre/

You should definitely check these out before making a final decision.

Best of luck,
Jerry

Can discuss Lunt/APM if there's any interest in this company. I've dealt with them with good experience. Well regarded in the asto community so name brand issue doesn't trouble me.

 

[Saxatilis]

Hello
I use the excellent (in my opinion) Vortex Kaibab HD 15x56 on a Manfrotto 190 PROL tripod, but still happy to own the bigger and heavier 15x70 Wega HD (the same as the Gemini brand in the USA market) only for raptor sky-scanning from a fixed point or with short walks from it, on a wooden Berlebach Report tripod -of course- as well.
Wega's optical quality is good for the price, mechanics are weaker.
Clearly, I also use a Nikon ED 82A spottingscope for detail or more long-distance observations.
Higher magnification binoculars for this purpose don't convince me because they are more prone to air turbulence and have a narrower FOW.
greetings

 

[dannat]

the Lunt binos are far too heavy imo to be useful for field obs. the kowa highlander is as heavy as you would want to go.

the Nikon f/scope are excellent, my 82 with 25-75x showed excel. clarity, even the images of Jupiter it put up were very good. quality prism with little degradation of the image

 

[Hermann]

A *big* binocular? Docter Aspectem, and nothing else: http://www.docter-germany.de/de/pro...sfernrohre/prod/docteraspectem-80-500-ed.html

Not something I'd want to carry for more than a few meters though.

Hermann

 

[Binastro]

I suppose one could have a donkey to carry a big binocular and tripod the 1 km to the observing location.
I don't know how strong kangaroos are, but the collimation might suffer if one is used to carry the binocular. Also I don't know if they follow instructions or just bound off into the outback.
Mind you I think that there are many camels in Australia, which would do the job.

 

[Saxatilis]

Hello
is someone personally experienced with dual focusing binoculars for birding ?
Is not the single eyepiece focusing difficult and annoying when observing moving or approaching birds - e.g. raptors - or not that frustrating?
Because a high quality 45° binocular would ideally prove to be perfect for my purposes (counting raptors in migration at a fixed watchpoint)

 

[dalat]

is someone personally experienced with dual focusing binoculars for birding ?

Good point. The dual focus on all the big binos may actually be less than ideal for Rathaus purpose (and yours). Observing wildlife at medium distances and with magnifications of 30x or higher will require a lot of focus adjustment. Unless the objects oberserved are really stationary, a good scope is probably more suitable.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Hello
I use the excellent (in my opinion) Vortex Kaibab HD 15x56 on a Manfrotto 190 PROL tripod

I've taken a look through these and was impressed. They also offer them in a 20x56, with significantly reduced FOV.

Have never seen one, but have heard good things about the Meopta Meostar 15x56. They have fluoride objective lens.

 

[JerryLogan]

the Lunt binos are far too heavy imo to be useful for field obs. the kowa highlander is as heavy as you would want to go. ......

Highlander is 13.6 lbs, Lunt apo is 14.5. Yes, both are heavy, but the extra 14 ounces makes the Lunt "far too heavy" compared to the Highlander? Note that for 14 ounces your gaining an extra 20mm of diameter in each objective. Plus access to much less expensive eyepieces.

Neither binocular is walkabout eqipuipment, but the OP seems to have fixed locations in mind.

Also, I reiterate that the Lunt 16x70 is holding its own against the Fujinon and Nikon large handhelds. It's also hundreds of dollars less expensive than either.

Best to all,
Jerry

 

[dannat]

Jerry you're about the smaller lunt, I recommended it but I dont think 16x is enough, for 250yards+

To the op, here is something local http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vixen-AR...60?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item28007df94c

 

[Binastro]

. The binocular at the lifeguard station in the TV series Baywatch, seems to be something similar to this. Although possibly a 20×80 Vixen or Swift.

There may be problems with the 30×80 if one uses glasses. One has to check what the eye relief is.

 

[Rathaus]

Jerry you're about the smaller lunt, I recommended it but I dont think 16x is enough, for 250yards+

To the op, here is something local http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vixen-AR...60?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item28007df94c

Interesting find. Collimation issues for this type of bino concern me. Are any of them user adjustable for collimating via exterior prism/housing screws? It's a relatively easy process. I can research this but thought I'd throw it out there. Also, The docters are very serious looking binos.

The super cheap celestron 15x70 had these and I put the collimating screws to good use....(this bino wasn't bad when new, but then with use it's optics went south at an astonishing rate...fading, yellowing, incurable floppy focus bridge...now it's in the parts bin)

 

[brocknroller]

Hello,

Surprised no one has mentioned the Lunt Engineering binoculars.

http://luntengineering.com/our-products/

Two possibilities. If you're willing to go for tripod mounting the 45 degree apo is very, very hard to beat. Uses standard, interchangeable astro eyepieces so almost any magnification is possible. 2K$ less than Kowa and, in my view, better and more flexible. (And I'm a Kowa fan of major proportion; great products and service.)

If you're committed to hand held then the magnesium series 16x70 might be for you.

Both types are thoroughly discussed and positively reviewed at Cloudy Nights in the binocular forum.
http://www.cloudynights.com/forum/64-binoculars/

Apo is also discussed in detail at bino mania.
http://www.binomania.it/recensione-del-binocolo-apm-100-ed-apo-45-i-parte-osservazione-terrestre/

You should definitely check these out before making a final decision.

Best of luck,
Jerry

Can discuss Lunt/APM if there's any interest in this company. I've dealt with them with good experience. Well regarded in the asto community so name brand issue doesn't trouble me.

Jerry,

Doesn't surprise me that nobody here knows about them, most birders don't use large aperture bins like amateur astronomers. It seems that everybody is slapping their name on General Hi-T larger aperture binoculars, from Oberwerk to Orion Optics and even Astrophysics, which sells high-end APO telescopes.

AFAIK, Lunt Engineering or APM doesn't "engineer" these, they just slap their label on them like Obie, Oriion and Astrophysics (and others) do.

Here's Obies "Ultra" series:

ObieUltras

Here's General Hi-T's original version

Hi-T in Italiano

I think the IF EPs might be a turnoff for some birders. Also, at those high magnifications, ED glass would be helpful for terrestrial use. Or at least it would for me since I'm sensitive to CA.

Where you can find reviews/info on "Big Eyes" for terrestrial use are hunting bin forums. Here's one from Optics Talk.

vortex-kaibab-15x56-and-swarovski-slcneu-15x56

Here's another one, more comprehensive, but somewhat out of date:

24hourcampfire/big_eyes

Brock

 

[ads]

JerryLogan, thanks for pointing out the options from Lunt Engineering. I wasn't aware of them.

Their product description made me laugh though:

Lunt Engineering binoculars have a body made from Magnesium, the lightest of the metal elements. Magnesium is also noted for its strength and resistance against corrosion.