C70 review
Greetings all
after a long time reading, I thought I'd finally try and contribute to these forums myself.
And what better way to start as with a review, so here it goes:
I'll start off by stating that my experience with scopes is rather limited; I've had brief looks through other (better) scopes, but I won't be comparing it with anything, just a plain old 'monograph'.
I've had this scope for about 3 years now, bought it maybe a bit impulsively because it was rather cheap, there aren't many scopes around in the proximity and well I wasn't really ready to splash out for a scope since I had never used one.
So I'll start off with a 'technical' description of the C70 followed by some experiences in the field.
Eyepiece:
Having never used a scope before, the view initially pleased me, but as stated by others, zooming in results in fast image degradation
after reading this thread as wel as another (
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=116740&highlight=C70+mak) I decided to try out a Plössl eyepiece(25mm), and is has never left the scope since. It's a no-brand eyepiece but still provides a wider FOV and increased brightness.
Focussing:
the focussing mechanism is an sich smooth, but it is laggy so getting the focus right does require some getting used to. This also means focussing can be slow and difficult. Furthermore it takes quite some turning to go from near to far focus and vice versa.
Image Quality:
overall, I've always been able to see what needs to be seen, so I find it a good tool for the job. What I find a real plus is there is no CA, something the C70 has over other low budget scopes (or at least I think so, I haven't found others reviewed or had the occasion to look through any). But it has to be said that the view is more like looking at something rather than experiencing it, if that makes sense. Contrast, resolution and sharpness are sufficient, though not super, as you would expect.
In the field:
it has been used mostly on the local patch (lake, marsh, forest/park) which has allowed me to see things I would have never seen with binoculars only, so it has been, as stated above a tool for the job.
I used it one time for seawatching on a field trip but the cloudy conditions didn't work too well with the far off smudges with which I have little experience.
On occasion I try to digiscope a bit as well, without adapter or anything, I'll add some examples
Ideal conditions: summer, bright, subject not too far (sharpened in post-process)
Buteo buteo digiscoped by
Boris Flaccus, on Flickr
Not so ideal: winter, subject farther off and smaller
IMGP3936 by
Boris Flaccus, on Flickr
Regrettably I tried using it with a DSLR + T2 ring + adapter, I advise against this, the results are terrible
In conclusion, after 3 years of use it has served me well, but I'm starting to yearn for a true high quality view, to really enjoy what I see rather than just being able to ID it.
phew, een hele boterham
