Originally posted by KatPal Hello Pentaxians,
I have been roaming with my 300mm for past 5 months and I love it. However I need advice as to which near vision device I need, either binoculars or spyglass. I am not a birder per se, and am not looking to roam and spy. I am looking to be able to scan the horizon/trees/sea/nests for birds, before I set up to photograph them.
Example: I went to a shore, where a huge nesting colony of terns, skimmers and plovers is..I took photos, and some of them I later discarded thinking they were useless. But upon pixel peeping examination, I found several baby skimmers embedded in the sand. Glad I did not discard all photos.
Next time if I go to such place I want to be able to scan the nests, to know what I'm photographing.
Also, when i do go out, I often use my lens as a binocular, scanning the area...but I think I would rather not keep using the expensive autofocus mechanism just to see if there are indeed any birds in the trees.
Do you have recommendations on types of oculars that are small, light, half decent? Or even a spyglass? When I drag my camera around the last thing I need is added neck weight. Maybe some pocket style nearing device?
Thank you,
Kat
if you generally use a 300mm you already have a fair "ocular".
for what I think you want/need there are very few quality (full-size) glasses that are light. Nikon's monarch atb's are notable exceptions.
mine are old but can still resolve detail at night if there is any ambient light at all.
eight power is about as much as most people can use handheld. I use 8x42 as my regular carry.
for long distance I carry either a 10x42 binocular or a 20-60x80 scope (vortex). however both are very heavy.
you should look for optics that are close focusing.
never be satisfied with optics that are focus-free.
the real trick here is to decide how much you can afford.
try out as many glasses in as many environments as you can.
most shops selling optics will let you wander around to experiment.
then buy the one you felt most comfortable with.
the best advice I received was to buy what works for you.
not the "best" because something will come along tomorrow that really is better.
that's all I think I know.
so, good luck.