Lost birding opportunity, but more bins.
We have had a fairly thin time with birding lately. Walks in the park have been rewarded with odd sightings of a Great Spotted woodpecker and the usual host of Tits.
Our plan to stay fit and healthy (and hangover-less) for the new year to allow a couple of long days out have been scuppered due not only to extreme weather but as my wife has hurt her back, we are grounded for the weekend.
I spent a little of the time watching over our small back garden, on the lookout for visitors to our new feeder. I saw a nice Dunnock, but the expected Tits are nowhere to be seen. In fact they are missing from the area. I wonder if they go to a more rural location for the winter/worst of the weather?
Leading up to Christmas I had bought a pair of 8x32 Opticron Discovery for my wife who wanted something lighter than a standard 8x32. Earlier I had returned a pair of Helios Poros as they were heavier than advertised also because they had a focus fault. More about this focus fault later, it seems to be the bane of my bin purchases lately.
The Discovery bins are nice, my wife likes them and finds them a great improvement over her 8x25 set. I could not convince her to try a full size set. These are so small and light that they are a little harder to hold as steady as a good big pair. Anyway, she is very pleased with them.
For myself, I had decided to look out for an Opticron Countryman during this year. A quick check on Ebay for them and I ended up buying a pair of Seben 10x42 and a pair of 8x32 Helios Patrol bins, because they were very cheap. As cheap as they were, they weren't worth it.
The Sebens have the resolution of jam-jar bottoms (could be a fault) and the Helios have that focus problem where the right eye has to be forever re-adjusted for different distances. This must be a common fault, I've seen it on many of my cheap bins. They may do as car bins.
It has made me appreciate the bins I have.
Here's to a good birding year for us all.
Dave....
Our plan to stay fit and healthy (and hangover-less) for the new year to allow a couple of long days out have been scuppered due not only to extreme weather but as my wife has hurt her back, we are grounded for the weekend.
I spent a little of the time watching over our small back garden, on the lookout for visitors to our new feeder. I saw a nice Dunnock, but the expected Tits are nowhere to be seen. In fact they are missing from the area. I wonder if they go to a more rural location for the winter/worst of the weather?
Leading up to Christmas I had bought a pair of 8x32 Opticron Discovery for my wife who wanted something lighter than a standard 8x32. Earlier I had returned a pair of Helios Poros as they were heavier than advertised also because they had a focus fault. More about this focus fault later, it seems to be the bane of my bin purchases lately.
The Discovery bins are nice, my wife likes them and finds them a great improvement over her 8x25 set. I could not convince her to try a full size set. These are so small and light that they are a little harder to hold as steady as a good big pair. Anyway, she is very pleased with them.
For myself, I had decided to look out for an Opticron Countryman during this year. A quick check on Ebay for them and I ended up buying a pair of Seben 10x42 and a pair of 8x32 Helios Patrol bins, because they were very cheap. As cheap as they were, they weren't worth it.
The Sebens have the resolution of jam-jar bottoms (could be a fault) and the Helios have that focus problem where the right eye has to be forever re-adjusted for different distances. This must be a common fault, I've seen it on many of my cheap bins. They may do as car bins.
It has made me appreciate the bins I have.
Here's to a good birding year for us all.
Dave....
Total Comments 2
Comments
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My wife uses Opticron Discovery 10x42 because they are the only decent quality bins that will close up enough for her to see thru them. I use Opticron Imagic 10x42 and they are fantastic comparable to the most expensive bins on the market. Have a look at my review here.Posted 04-01-10 at 08:37 AM by Merlin
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I bought my wife Opticron Discovery 8x32 last September and she is well pleased with them. Weight was an important factor for her, and they produced the best image of the 8x32’s she tried.
I've been using Opticron Imagic 8x42 for the last 4 years and I’m very happy with them.
As Merlin says Opticron Discovery and Imagic bins are great value for money.
IanPosted 07-01-10 at 07:39 AM by ijwilki
