The Big Year Bins (1 Viewer)

[Kammerdiner]

Like a lot of us I'll be going to see "The Big Year" this weekend, even though it veers pretty hard from the fabulous non-fiction book it's based on (written by Mark Obmascik), and even though it seems to be getting uniformly lukewarm reviews (at best).

The three main characters are competing in a North American "Big Year" for those unfamiliar with the story. The record set that year has never been equalled, probably never will be equalled.

Anyway, in the movie version Steve Martin's character birds with a Swarovision, Owen Wilson's character birds with a Zeiss FL, and Jack Black's character birds with, for me, a total mystery.

Kudos and one of Brock's "no prize" prizes to the first who can ID it. I'll leave it to you to search for more pics, but here's one to get you started:

 

[FrankD]

Generic Bosma product or one of the Minox B-somethin series. ;-)

 

[eitanaltman]

Kowa BD! What do I win!! .... ooh.... wait....

 

[macs]

Kowa BD series?

 

[brocknroller]

A second vote for the Kowa BD. Notice the writing on the top of the right barrel just below the eyecup, and that the bridge appears to be Black like Jack.

Here's what cinched it for me. Check out this video review, pause it at 42 seconds and look at the bin's strap. Looks like the BD's strap:

http://images1.tacticalstore.com/1020-680-ffffff/opplanet-kowa-bd42-10x42-binoculars-05.jpg

Here's the clip (pause at 42 seconds):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQcmIJFMNSU

But why is Black using a BD and not the top o' the line Genesis you might well arsk..

According to this article, which is about the book the film is based on, "Black's slacker character is in the midst of a 'no-life crisis.'”

Slacker's can't afford alphas. I know.

Or it could be he found the Genesis's "rolling ball" too disturbing. -

I don't know, I guess I'd better read the book!

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/149533

Brock

 

[Kammerdiner]

Kowa BD it is! Good call.

The Kowa is an interesting choice. Jack Black's character, in real life, wasn't a slacker; he just wasn't rich enough to pull off a Big Year carte blanche like the other two. He had to keep flying back home to put in some hours at the office. I believe the year was 1998 (not sure because I read the book years ago and loaned it/lost it long ago). None of the bins in the film even existed then.

I read somewhere that Swaro sent the studio bins and scopes free of charge and without any product placement agreements. Apparently many on the crew were converted to birding and bought the stuff anyway.

NAS is taking some heat for product placement and promotion efforts totalling $100,000 but I figure if it brings some more folks to birding that's all for the good.

The book, by the way, is simply a great read. Think I'll track down a copy and reread it.

I found a photo that clinches the Kowa ID:

 

[ceasar]

The book is set in 1998. What year is the movie set in? Those are pretty modern binoculars.

Bob

 

[brocknroller]

Kowa BD it is! Good call.

The Kowa is an interesting choice. Jack Black's character, in real life, wasn't a slacker; he just wasn't rich enough to pull off a Big Year carte blanche like the other two. He had to keep flying back home to put in some hours at the office. I believe the year was 1998 (not sure because I read the book years ago and loaned it/lost it long ago). None of the bins in the film even existed then.

I read somewhere that Swaro sent the studio bins and scopes free of charge and without any product placement agreements. Apparently many on the crew were converted to birding and bought the stuff anyway.

NAS is taking some heat for product placement and promotion efforts totalling $100,000 but I figure if it brings some more folks to birding that's all for the good.

The book, by the way, is simply a great read. Think I'll track down a copy and reread it.

I found a photo that clinches the Kowa ID:

The article about the book mentioned the financial issue of having to fly to exotic places such as the Aleutian Islands to get the required bird IDs.

Even with Priceline.com today, that's still a pinch on the wallet. Was Black's character also a computer programmer in the book? If so, his job was probably outsourced to India by now.

Besides not having as much free time as his deeper pocketed competitors, another reason why Black might be behind in his bird count is that he's missing some birds due to narrowish FOV of the Kowa BD. The $590 8x42 BD only has a 6.3* TFOV, the same as the recently after-rebate priced $199 Monarch ATB!@%

I gather from reviews that the optics are better, but that's still a rather stingy FOV for a $600 bin. Even Kowa's $1,390 Rolling Ball Genesis has only 7*.

You would think that a company that only makes two binoculars would make them with the maximum FOV possible for each price point.

Given the second tier priced/midsized FOV, I don't know if the movie will boost Kowa BD sales, but if it gets more people out birding, that would be a good thing.

Brock

 

[Mike Penfold]

My wife and I just saw the movie, and the reviews miss the boat. Completely worth seeing.

Mike

 

[CliveP]

Just out of interest is Ray Mears well known over the pond?

Was watching his new show and he seems to have switched from Leica to Zeiss. Its probably he just got offered more free bins to advertise.

Roy Dennis was with him for a while. Nice guy whom I have met when he guided a group I was with and he is still using his Swaro. Perhaps the pair that he let me try a few years back.

Anyhow I like Ray Mears a lot. Would love to have his knowledge of the outdoors and done some of the things he has.

 

[Kammerdiner]

My wife and I just saw the movie, and the reviews miss the boat. Completely worth seeing.

Mike

Thanks for the endorsement. I have to drive 60 miles roundtrip to see it so good to know it's worth it.

Jack Black's character is based on Greg Miller, who was indeed a computer programmer or IT guy of some sort. These days, thanks to the book and movie, I guess he's mostly a birding celebrity. Lucky dog.

The other two were Sandy Komito (Owen Wilson) and Al Levantin (Steve Martin). Komito won.

Mark

 

[Lisa W]

Definitely worth seeing. Don't know how long it will be around, only about 10 people in the theater with me yesterday.

 

[Kammerdiner]

Definitely worth seeing. Don't know how long it will be around, only about 10 people in the theater with me yesterday.

Another endorsement here. It's a real treat for birders.

I wasn't too impressed with the CGI birds (go ahead and try to get a computer to make a bird: it will fail, utterly), but otherwise Martin, Wilson, and Black do a great job with this movie. Real characters, real motives.

Best song on the soundtrack, and the homemade video grows on you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSi3_izdRZE

Go and see it. Enjoy.

Mark

 

[mayoayo]

The book was fun to read,and I loved the accurate descriptions of species,places,optics,and the strong personalities and different approaches of the main characters..I wish the movie was set in the real year of the story,and the binoculars of the guys true to the real story,for they were described in detail ,and emblematic glasses,if I remember well...
I will definitely go to see the movie,as soon as they play it in Barcelona

Now that birding entered the movies...Is "Kingbird Highway" Next ?

 

[brocknroller]

The book was fun to read,and I loved the accurate descriptions of species,places,optics,and the strong personalities and different approaches of the main characters..I wish the movie was set in the real year of the story,and the binoculars of the guys true to the real story,for they were described in detail ,and emblematic glasses,if I remember well...
I will definitely go to see the movie,as soon as they play it in Barcelona

Now that birding entered the movies...Is "Kingbird Highway" Next ?

I was thinking perhaps a remake of "The Birdman of Alcatraz," based on the book about the life of "jailbird" Robert Stroud. Of course, they took some liberty with the story. In real life, Stroud wasn't allowed to keep birds in his cell like Burt Lancaster's character was in the film.

If "The Big Year" can get 10 people in the theater in Bisbee, Arizona, which has a population of about a third of Lisa's post count, there's hope for the picture to become a big hit despite the film critics.

Birding is already the fastest growing hobby in America, so I don't think the movie could hurt us even if moviegoers came away thinking that all birders are "cuckoos".

Brock

 

[Tero]

The book did not get a Wiki page of its own. A short summary on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_year
if you did not read the book. The movie was a little inaccurate regarding the outcome, I think, though the winner is the same.

 

[joannec]

Best song on the soundtrack, and the homemade video grows on you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSi3_izdRZE

Go and see it. Enjoy.

Mark

Thanks for posting that. It's going to be ages before we in UK get to see the film and that's something nice to get us going..........made me smile.:bounce:

 

[Kammerdiner]

The book did not get a Wiki page of its own. A short summary on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_year
if you did not read the book. The movie was a little inaccurate regarding the outcome, I think, though the winner is the same.

Yeah, the record year was 1998, but the movie is set in 2003, and the bins (and the cars and everything else) are current. Why? I dunno. Easier I guess.

The real big year record is 745; movie record 755. Why? I dunno.

Some of the changes seem arbitrary. Some develop the characters' lives more.

Does it matter? Not really. There's a prominent disclaimer to start the movie, something like: "This is a true story. Only the facts have been changed."

The record probably will never be broken because you can't get to the island of Attu anymore. Attu gets vagrants from Asia.

BTW: I was out birding today (more Yellow-rumped Warblers than I can remember) and that goofy song by the Eels was playing in my head. I liked it.

Mark

 

[jaymoynihan]

Why can't a person get to Attu anymore?

 

[lulubelle]

It was a largely uninhabited island with a military installation there. They shut the installation down and literally left the equipment & buildings as they sat. No flights go there any longer, no people running the store, no place to stay. I guess you could find someone to fly you & all of your supplies there, you could camp, bird and then have someone fly in to pick you up. For a huge price someone may be able to bird Attu again, assuming that the military allows access of any sort!! Now it would appear that Adak (sp?) and the Pribilofs are the next best place available in Alaska, but from what I have read they don't get quality of vagrants that Attu was known for.