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OpticsBlog – Thoughts and reviews of binoculars, telescopes, scopes, sights, and much more - birdwatching, astronomy, target shooting - pretty much anything related to optics, nature, and life!Thursday, August 28, 2008Cooper's hawks in the suburbs
I am constantly amazed at how many Cooper's Hawks I see as I pedal through the suburbs. Years ago, had I been asked to predict which raptor would be the most frequently seen when moving to the Chicago area, I probably would have responded with Red-tailed, or perhaps Kestrel, even Sharp-shinned, but not the Cooper's. Mostly I see the Cooper's as it flies and darts from backyard to backyard and only now and then is there time to actually get it in the binocular. What I have been seeing in the binocular, recently, are immatures (no surprise, there), but I do see mature birds, too. In the past, I have set up a spotting scope and camera at a birdfeeder to get some pics, since these birds regularly visit bird feeders, but not for black oil sunflower or millet. Their food is of the feathered kind.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008Cameras and photo opportunites.
Rarely a day goes by when I don't see deer, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, rabbits by the score and other wildlife normally considered to be nocturnal in their habits. Guess it's life in the big city, free of predators and plenty of conditioning to the presence of humans that makes these animals feel so safe by day. I'm not so sure this is a healthy thing from an ecological point of view, but it certainly provides some photo opportunities for anyone willing to pack a digital camera. Really little need for long telephoto lenses, either. I've had deer refuse to move out of my way back in the Forest Preserve trails when riding my mountain bike. One of our employees actually had a deer walk up to his telescope and sniff it while he was trying to do some astronomy. Thta's life in the suburbs, these days. Cameras and the widlife landscape have usred changed.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008East versus west spotting scope
I know how rare it is for birders in this area to use a spotting scope, simply because I see very few of them with a spotting scope and also because I have get so many people who think my spotting scope, mounted on a tripod, is a camera. I have to explain it is a spotting scope and, of course, I gladly give them a peek at whatever bird happens to be in the scope. Guess this is largely an east versus west, forest versus open country kind of tradition when it comes to birding, but still surprised more eastern birders don't own or carry a spotting scope.
Monday, August 25, 2008Digital cameras for trains
Trains have always fascinated me. They're big, bold, colorful and found everywhere, which makes them perfect subjects for a digital camera. In the past, I used to use 35mm film SLRs to take pics of trains, but these days, a digital camera is just too darn cost effective to ignore. With digital, shoot, review and shoot some more and all without a concern for film and processing costs. As for lenses, leave those big telephotos needed for wildlife photgraphy at home. A normal 50mm lens will do fine for most shots and a zoom telephoto 70-200 will handle anything in the way of train pics.
Thursday, August 21, 2008The moon with or without a binocular or telescope
As a backyard astronomer, I use a weather forecast, not just to see if the sky will be clear, but also to check when the moon will be rising and setting. Next to a clear sky, knowing when the moon will be up is the most important piece of information I use when planning an observing session with my astronomy binocular or a telescope. Of course, if I want to observe the moon, it needs to be up in the sky, but, like most astronomers, I don't want the moon up in the sky when viewing other objects. Light pollution around here is bad enough, but seeing any deep-sky object with binocular or telescope is hopeless when the moon is doing its thing. On many a moonlit evening, I just leave the telescope or binocular in the house, but at other times, I enjoy seeing all that detail through a binocular or telescope. Just depends on my mood.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008Best season for a telescope
When is the best time to do astronomy? Anytime the sky is clear! Seriously, though, each season brings a whole new batch of things to see with a telescope or astronomy binocular and I can't really say which season is my favorite. Much depends on your location, too. Spring is the best season for hunting galaxies, but that game really needs a dark sky and a fairly large telescope if you want to see any numbers. If you are stuck in the big city with light pollution, your galaxy hunting will be over in a hurry. In other words, astronomy in an urban area and astronomy under a dark sky have different approaches. It's a wise astronomer that adapts to whatever a location has to offer. It's a lesson I have had to learn in a hurry when I moved to Chicago.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008Scouting with a spotting scope
I know from my experience outfitting hunters with binoculars and spotting scopes, that a lot of them are, or soon will be, in the field, driving the back roads as they scout for game. The usual technique in open country is to use a spotting scope mounted on a car window mount. For this type of work a straight body spotting scope is more convenient and easier to use than an angled spotting scope, but you can still use an angled spotting scope, of course. As for the window mount, any spotting scope will fit any car window mount, but I like a well-built window mount, such as the Nikon 7070
Monday, August 18, 2008Cases for spotting scopes and binoculars
Been trying to find a hard case of the proper dimensions that would work for spotting scopes. So far, no luck. Out of all the dry boxes we carry, when you get a case of the proper length, you also get something too wide to be practical fit for the usual spotting scope. Same for a small telescope. Been trying to get the manufacturers to give this some thought, but no success, so far. For binoculars, the situation is a bit better. In the past, I have used a Pelican Protector Small case with good results for full-size binoculars. It's large enough to fit any full size bino with enough room for the strap. Hard cases are not only useful for protection agianst moisture and water, they are also something I highly recommend for very dusty areas.
Thursday, August 14, 2008Cheap tripods
Nothing aggravates like a cheap tripod when you are doing serious work with a camera, spotting scope or astronomy binocular. You find an object, center it in the field of view, lock the tripod head and the weight of your instrument causes the cheap tripod head to flex and sag. Bingo! Your target is no longer in view. You try again, this time over-compensating. Still not there? You try again and … Hey, tripods may not be the most glamorous piece of equipment, but only beginners make the mistake of trying to save a few bucks by using a cheap tripods. Anyone with any kind of experience with optics knows better.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008Nikon Fieldscope ED is a premium spotting scope
Did a shoot out with a Nikon Fieldscope 60ED, now supplied with a 20-60x zoom eyepiece, and a high end, 65mm European model, which I will not name, but the European model is $600 plus higher in price by the time you add an eyepiece and case - both standard on the Fieldscope. No surprise that both scopes were impressive, but the results prove, yet again, what I have always claimed: the Nikon Fieldscope ED belongs right up there with the pricey European spotting scopes. The slightly smaller Nikon Fieldscope wasn't quite as bright, but I scored it higher for edge of field sharpness, contrast, lack of distortion, color correction and it tied for resolution. Makes the Nikon Fieldscope one of the best buys in a premium grade spotting scope, in my book. Only issue I had with the Nikon was the lack of eye relief on the zoom eyepiece. Just enough to be useable for me with my glasses, but some eyeglass wearers might want to add a fixed power, wide-angle 30x.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008Birding spotting scopes
In serious birding circles, there tends to be a bit of rivalry as to which birder has the best spotting scope. Truth is, most of us die hards are carrying more scope than we really need, either in terms of performance or actual size. Over the years, I have cut back on scope size, dropping from all the 80-85mm spotting scopes down to premium 60-65mm spotting scopes. It's been a good trade-off - only a little less in the way of performance, but a whole lot less in the way of weight to carry. My shoulder and back know the difference, but my bird lists do not. Bigger is not always better in optics. A spotting scope, no matter how expensive, when left in the trunk of a car because it was too much hassle to carry, will never identify a single bird.
Monday, August 11, 2008Birding spots
"If you always go birding in the same place, you will always see the same birds," is a good rule of thumb for a birder. Most birders take this as a reminder to vary habitats if they want to add a lot of different birds to their list, but it can also be a positive thing. I've gotten to know several families of birds along my bike trails and get a real kick out of seeing them raise their young. Kind of like seeing old friends each evening along the bike trail. Actually have observed two Red-tailed Hawk families, this year at opposite ends of my favorite trail. Might say they greet me going and coming. That's why I ALWAYS carry a binocular or, at the very least, a monocular.
Thursday, August 07, 2008Getting started in birding
One of the many reasons I so love birding is that it is, in essence, a very simple pursuit in terms of equipment. Despite our headlong rush into the digital age, the basic equipment for birding and bird watching is much the same as it was fifty years ago. All you need to get started is a binocular and a bird guide. If you want to get closer to certain groups, you can add a spotting scope and tripod, but the binocular and bird guide will get you started. After that, it's entirely up to you on how much and how fast you want to learn or at what level of birding you wish to do.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008Dark skies for binocular or telescope
I have fought light pollution for many years, though I'm not sure a label as a "light pollution buster" is accurate. It's been more a matter of survival using a telescope or a binocular in the big city when doing astronomy. How does Joanie do battle with this evil intruder to her night sky? For a local light source, I block it with a building, tree or even a car, so just a matter of fine tuning where I set up. Moving around is easier with an astronomy binocular, of course, than with a telescope, but it is well worth the effort. When moving isn't practical, I will even resort to wearing a towel over my head (the neighbors love this one).
No escaping sky glow, however, here in Chicago, but in outlying areas, skyglow is often directional. In other places I have lived, just a matter of concentrating in the direction where the sky was darkest. Lastly, as always, directly overhead offers the best observing conditions and the darkest sky, even under severely light polluted skies. I only observe objects close to the horizon when I have no choice. May your skies be dark. Tuesday, August 05, 2008Urban astronomer
Yes, you can do astronomy in the big city, despite severe light pollution. I tell this to aspiring, but city bound, astronomy enthusiasts in the hopes that they will not give up on what I regard as one of my life's greatest interests. In a sense, amateur astronomy, as a pursuit, may be all the more important for those of us who don't have access to dark skies or more natural surroundings. No matter where you are in a metropolitan area, you can use astronomy to provide a much needed connection to the natural world. Grab an astronomy binocular or a telescope and see what the night sky has to offer. You, too, can be an urban astronomer.
Monday, August 04, 2008Photographers meet digiscoping
Stopped and chatted on the bike trail the other evening with a photographer I know. He was trying to get close enough to get pics of young Barn Swallows, perched on a wire, but couldn't quite crank out enough image size from his 300mm, f4 Canon lens. Getting closer was not much of an option, since it would have meant hacking his way through some nasty brush and he was wearing shorts. I suggested digiscoping and, as I suspected, he wasn't familiar with the practice. A lot of photographers don't know about digiscoping. Most of the digiscopers I know were birders, first, with spotting scopes and added a digital camera, later. They were not hard core photographers at the start, but some of them are, now. Digiscoping, like any wildlife photography, is very addicting.
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