Birdfair, my chance to look at big scopes

[michael23]

Hi everyone, went to the Rutland water birdfair yesterday, and I looked through a lot of stuff.
I know my views are only brief, but I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

The first Scope I looked through was the new Swarowski 80mm which had the new zoom eyepiece fitted, I was really impressed, the sharpness remained at all focal lengths as did the contrast, and i was suprised at how it kept the brightness really well too, only suffering a little dimming.

I was very pleased to get a look through the new carl zeiss photoscope, and what a superb piece of kit the have there, It should be considering its price, £5000 or something like that, but the optical quality was amazing, the image was superbly sharp at all zoom lengths, brightness was incredible and the contrast was just the same, The LCD for the camera was very bright and was a pleasure to use, Unfotunately it remain to be seen the quality of the camera, I wasnt showed any print outs.

I came across the amazing KOWA 883/4, I can now see why people regard this as the best birding scope, Everything about it just says you have to buy me! I have never seen anything so sharp even at the edge of vision, but then most of you know this...:smile:

Nikon edg! Now I was very impressed with this scope, the zoom eyepiece was impressive with great levels of sharpness and contrast and brightness, the 38x eyepiece yielded a bright and sharp view with excellent contrast, I also tried it with the 20x eyepiece, Again excellent viewing experiences were gained. It was a tad overcast when i looked through the edg, One thing I liked about the edg, were the eypieces and the way they were designed, totally waterproof, and i found them very comfotable to view through.

And the new Leica, a very impressive scope, but im not sure if it is worth the extra money over the kowa, but again yet another superb scope which did impress, APPARENTLY there are 2 new eyepieces being released but the person was not allowed to divulge any information, I did try though.

One comment I will make, and I think some of you will agree, the quality of all of the big scopes has got so so good, it is now coming very hard to differntiate between them.

All the best, Michael.

[Colin Key]

Very nice report Michael, I hope that others who have been to Birdfair and compared these 'scopes will add a comment.

As I have stated in other threads, the Zeiss "Photoscope" is a dead duck.

Colin

[michael23]

Yes, that would be great, especially if any of you own the kowa, to see how people would compare them, im still on my 13 year old-built like a tank opticron hr66ed,
On a slightly different note,
By the way colin, I have decided I love The Canon 800mm f5.6, :smile::smile:

[MichaelF]

So this is a Zeiss Photoscope? :laugh:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Duck_plague_victim.JPG

[Downy]

H Michael very informative, I agree the Kowa is an excellent scope, loathe hough Iam to say it it does shade my Swaro 80 HD, although I haven't seen the new zoom eyepiece yet! I can not believe that none of the major makers have looked at producing a quality mirror scope for birders, it would be so much lighter, (yes I know Questar do one, but oh the cost!), they are common in the US but quality is not all that.

[SzimiStyle]

Thanks for the report Michael. I hoped to read something like this as I am hesitating between top models of two brands. Kowa or the updated Swarovski (I owned the 80 HD model) could be the winer for me. The Nikon EDG scope is the next possible player but need more to be read about it however a bit costly compared to KOWA or Swaro.

Leica kicked out itself of the game as having a crazy price. I would never spend that much money for a spotting scope.

Szimi

[SzimiStyle]

As I have stated in other threads, the Zeiss "Photoscope" is a dead duck.

Colin

Why Zeiss Photoscope is a dead duck? :)

Szimi

[michael23]

I know celestron do a c90 mak which is a mirror design, which is rubber armoured and i think waterproof, they do a 125mm version, i understand this is a great piece of kit but its not armoured or waterproof in anyway, no good for us birders, I know the questar is superb, i have looked through one and its excellent, perhaps celestron will have to be urged further into the birding market, their regals certainly appear to be great for the price, So i think they could produce a great scope in a mirror format.

H Michael very informative, I agree the Kowa is an excellent scope, loathe hough Iam to say it it does shade my Swaro 80 HD, although I haven't seen the new zoom eyepiece yet! I can not believe that none of the major makers have looked at producing a quality mirror scope for birders, it would be so much lighter, (yes I know Questar do one, but oh the cost!), they are common in the US but quality is not all that.

I look forward to reading about yours thoughts on them Szimi, will you post your thoughts when you have looked at them?


Thanks for the report Michael. I hoped to read something like this as I am hesitating between top models of two brands. Kowa or the updated Swarovski (I owned the 80 HD model) could be the winer for me. The Nikon EDG scope is the next possible player but need more to be read about it however a bit costly compared to KOWA or Swaro.

Leica kicked out itself of the game as having a crazy price. I would never spend that much money for a spotting scope.

Szimi

Colin, do you think the zeiss photoscope is a "dead duck" because of its camera? If the quality is good enough, it may well satisfy its owners for a very long time, admittedly the price is massive and only a small percentage of birders would be able to buy one

[Colin Key]

I have stated my views on the Zeiss "Photoscope" in other threads.

Anyone buying a top level 'scope from Swaro, Leica or Zeiss (and, of course Kowa) will have an instrument which will last them the rest of their lives if looked after carefully - to stick a camera in a 'scope and expect the same degree of longevity (and reliability) is just plain ludicrous to me. The analogy in the top level DSLR world serves as a good lesson - a good quality telephoto lens will last forever, a "state of the art" pro body will last on average 2 - 3 years before it is superceded by something better; the difference is that the lens and the body are not irreversibly married together.

An attempt to integrate a digital camera into a 'scope has already been tried (can't remember the name of the manufacturer or any details) - it took off like a lead balloon.

Colin

[Colin Key]

By the way colin, I have decided I love The Canon 800mm f5.6, :smile::smile:

Did the Canon reps say anything about availability of this lens? To date, my dealer in the U.K. (Walters Photo & Video) has not been able to get any stock.

I was prepared to buy it a year ago when the "street price" was around £7,500, Walters are now advertsing it at just over £10,000 (on "back order") and Canon's RRP is £15,000 :eek: - but there still aren't any for sale :err:.

Colin

[Colin Key]

Leica kicked out itself of the game as having a crazy price. I would never spend that much money for a spotting scope.

Szimi

I heard a reliable rumour from someone in the trade that as soon as the new Swaro and Leica 'scopes start hitting the shelves the prices will drop considerably.

Colin

[michael23]

Hi colin, nothing was said about availability of the 800m lens, sorry I cant help you anymore with that colin, BUT i have done a little google search on it and found it here at simply electronics, dont know anything about them but here is the link--and it says its in stock
http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=4396&gclid=CLzW_5OxvJwCFdYB4wodgBbjog

With regards to your thoughts on the zeiss photoscope, I do agree with you, perhaps they should update the diascope 85 with the optics used in this new scope.....



Did the Canon reps say anything about availability of this lens? To date, my dealer in the U.K. (Walters Photo & Video) has not been able to get any stock.

I was prepared to buy it a year ago when the "street price" was around £7,500, Walters are now advertsing it at just over £10,000 (on "back order") and Canon's RRP is £15,000 :eek: - but there still aren't any for sale :err:.

Colin

[Colin Key]

Hi colin, nothing was said about availability of the 800m lens, sorry I cant help you anymore with that colin, BUT i have done a little google search on it and found it here at simply electronics, dont know anything about them but here is the link--and it says its in stock
http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=4396&gclid=CLzW_5OxvJwCFdYB4wodgBbjog



Thanks Michael, but that outfit are a bunch of thieves who I have heard about before on DPReview (just Google "Simply Electronics review") - they are based in Hong Kong, not in the U.K. as their website implies. Giving them your credit card details would be financial suicide.

I buy all my gear from Walters in South Wales ( http://www.waltersphotovideo.co.uk/ ), a Canon Professional Retailer, and would not buy from anyone else. Their service is absolutely superb. If they say there is no stock, there is no stock.

Colin :smile:

[michael23]

thanks for that little nugget of info colin, I shall leave well alone!

[SzimiStyle]

I heard a reliable rumour from someone in the trade that as soon as the new Swaro and Leica 'scopes start hitting the shelves the prices will drop considerably.

Colin

For both or for Leica only?

Szimi

[Colin Key]

For both or for Leica only?

Szimi

Both. But, of course, rumours are rumours so until it happens you cannot believe anything.

Regards,

Colin

[MichaelF]

Depends on how hard they hit the shelves . . . hard enough to crack the lenses, and you'll be able to get them very cheap :laugh:

[Brian S]

I have just received for review the new Leica 82mm APO Televid and 25-50 WW eye-piece. I will post my opinion in the near future........

Brian S

[Colin Key]

I have just received for review the new Leica 82mm APO Televid and 25-50 WW eye-piece. I will post my opinion in the near future........

Brian S

Will look forward to reading this Brian. Any chance of also testing using the fixed 30WW eyepiece? (I am not a great fan of zoom eye-pieces, however good they purport to be).

Colin

[michael23]

Is this one of the 2 new eyepieces i couldnt be told anything about at the birdfair, or is it an existing eyepiece?
Look forward to reading the review brian.


Will look forward to reading this Brian. Any chance of also testing using the fixed 30WW eyepiece? (I am not a great fan of zoom eye-pieces, however good they purport to be).

Colin

[Colin Key]

Is this one of the 2 new eyepieces i couldnt be told anything about at the birdfair, or is it an existing eyepiece?


Don't know Michael - I just assumed that there will be a new fixed x30 eyepiece for the new 'scope.

I have heard that new zooms for the Leica and Swaro are very good, but I hate the "old" zooms; I bought the 20-60 for my Swaro ATS 80HD and have probably only used it two or three times, much preferring the 30WW.

Colin

[michael23]

ok, as i say all i know is there will be 2 new eyepieces, but as to what they are is a mystery at the moment, I found the zooms very good on them, but i did not have enough time to see how good they really are, but i was imprssed, which is a first for myself as I, like you colin hate the old zooms!