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!

2010 was a rather quiet year for me in terms of binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes and even digital cameras, though some of our digital cameras are showing their age, if you can call five years “old” for a camera. I did collect another old film camera or two, but even though some were made in the 70s, they still take great photos. That’s the difference between digital and film, I guess. You don’t buy cameras to last a lifetime, anymore; now you buy cameras to get by until the next model replaces it in a few years. Where does it end?

For 2011, I am still debating whether to buy a telescope to cover some of the bases my current telescopes do not. I now have the room and the dark sky that makes it practical to setup& use a telescope of some size, so I am back in the how to choose the right telescope game. . Should be a fun year.

I will be giving an astronomy presentation, this coming spring, to an LIR (learning in retirement) group and I’ve already begun to think in terms of what topics in astronomy I will present. This is no small undertaking. After all, how do you cover a subject so enormous as astronomy in a mere two hours, especially to a group that is likely to pepper me with questions? What central astronomical theme should I pursue? How do I share what astronomy means to me with others?

For some reason, the word “imagination” comes to mind when I think of what motivates me to spend hours and hours with the astronomy binoculars and my telescopes. Clinically, I know what all those little points of light and faint smudges really are when I look through a telescope eyepiece and I could recite a definition of each, right out of the textbook if anyone would want to listen. I didn’t start astronomy, though, some forty plus years, ago, to recite definitions. I turned my binoculars and telescopes to the heavens to give my imagination a “full steam ahead” signal to wonder what it would be like to actually visit those distant alien specks and smudges or, perhaps, to wonder if anyone, out there, is looking in my direction with the same thoughts. My imagination has never ceased to soar, since. Astronomy will do that for you in a way that few other things will. Anyone care to look through my telescope and wonder?

By now a lot of folks who received that first telescope as presents are scratching their heads on how to setup & use a telescope. Let’s face it, many beginner telescopes come with less than helpful instructions. Then, too, more than one beginner makes the mistake of using their new telescope before reading the instructions. The good news is that there are plenty of articles that can help in this category, including telescope observing tips to avoid common beginner mistakes. (Be sure to check these links if you are new to telescopes.)

There is, however, another issue for a beginner to tackle that is not mentioned in any telescope manual or instructions. That is the matter of expectations. Too many beginners simply have no idea what to expect when they first look through a telescope or their expectations are downright unreasonable. No, the images seen in a telescope eyepiece will not and cannot match the glory of images seen online or in magazines or even on the box used to package the telescope. Those images are typically taken with observatory class instruments that are as much giant cameras as they are telescopes. The only way to get Hubble class pics is with the Hubble. Not going to happen in typical backyard telescopes.

On the other hand, amateur astronomy is not about trying to duplicate the views available in professional telescopes, anyway. It is about seeing the wonders of the universe, firsthand, with your own eyes, rather than seeing it all second or third hand. Amateur astronomy is about learning your way around the night sky on your own. It is something akin to the difference between driving a vehicle, yourself, versus having someone doing the driving for you. That first view of Saturn or Mars in a small beginner’s telescope may not look like much, but it yours. You did it, yourself. In this day and age of letting someone else do most everything for us, that is gold.

Common Ground-Dove? Well, it may be common down here in the Mexican Baja, but catching one in the binoculars in northern Wisconsin would cause quite a stir and, yet, these things do happen. I remember when an Inca Dove wandered into Nebraska many, many years, ago, and birders flocked from all over the country to add it to their bird lists. Same can be said for the Common Crane from Siberia that I added to my bird list when I lived in Nebraska. Such is the fervor of so many of us hard core birders and, now, here I am, right where many of these “exotic” birds live. It is a thrill.

Today, we visited an estuary near the El Presidente hotel in Cabo del San Jose' which has a reputation for being an excellent birdwatching site. The reputation is well-deserved. We counted eight species of ducks, including my favorite, the Cinnamon Teal. Shorebirds were also present in good numbers with a Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, a great many Stilt Sandpipers and one Oystercatcher seen. Wading birds were plentiful with Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Black-Crowned Night Herons, American Bittern, Green Herons present. Rails included a Sora, American Coot and a Common Moorhen. This is just a partial list, but you get the idea. Truly, a wonderful marsh to visit. Be sure to stop if you are in the area and if you can manage it, add a spotting scope and tripod. It will see plenty of use.

Yes, our trip to Mexico has been a birdwatching dream. Knowing that any bird you see in the binoculars could be a life bird makes it so, at least if you’re a birding gal who has never spent much time south of Kansas, let alone south of the border. Now I wish I had made a trip like this with the birding binoculars and birding spotting scope, years ago, instead of waiting until I was nearing retirement. Oh well, never too late to start exploring. That's the way we stay young.

About the pic: Some impromptu digiscoping through my Leica binoculars.

Sunday was our fishing day off the shores of San Jose del Cabo. I’m sure it was old hat to our captain, Marcell, but it was a completely new experience for us landlubbers. As we walked down on the docks, my mind was on fishing, but soon turned to birdwatching when we saw all the Pelicans, Egrets and Osprey perched on the dock and even boats. I could have spent the day, right there with my binoculars, but everyone was eager to shove off and do some fishing. Okay, twist my arm.

As on most of these guided fishing trips for tourists, Marcell, our captain, did most of the work. All we had to do is detect the bite, set the hook and reel ‘em in and then fire up the digital cameras for pics (and grill some fish for dinner, of course). Everyone caught fish and had a great time. Fish species caught were bonito, Spanish mackerel and one triggerfish. We kept only enough to eat and share with our neighbors. The biggest fish of the day, a bonito of about ten pounds (mine, of course), was released.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what I could have done with my favorite casting reel and some artificials, especially when tuna were breaking the surface. Okay, next time, I will bring my own fishing gear and now I have yet another excuse to come back.

Hey, I think I look like I belong on a fishing boat. Might just have to get my own.

We all went on a whale watching excursion boat, yesterday evening, and I must say that I really had little hope of getting close to a whale. Maybe it was the fact that the “whale watching” boat was quite large and could accommodate about a hundred people or maybe it was the Mexican disco music that made me doubt if anyone was serious about seeing whales. Then, too, this is a bit early in the season for watching whales. Nevertheless, my trusty Leica Ultravid 10x25 BL was around my neck and Bill had a camera case with our digital cameras. Okay, even if we didn’t see whales, we would be very comfortable and get some good pics of the sun setting over the Pacific.

Next thing I knew, someone shouted, “Whale!” I raised my binoculars just in time to see a whale blowing, well out in the distance. The captain then set course, accordingly, and we soon joined three other boats already on location. It appeared to be a mother and a calf and perhaps one more adult. One of the whales jumped on several occasions, but I just didn’t have the camera pointed in the right spot at the right time. I did, however, get a picture of a whale “finning” and also a pic of a tail, so the digital cameras did see some action. No really a disappointment, though. The sight of a Humpback whale nearly clearing the water right next to our boat is a sight I will never forget. Since boats are restricted to certain length of time near a whale, for the sake of the whale, we left in short order, but now we really had something to party about. Did I mention the food onboard was excellent and, once again, the crew was very entertaining and accommodating?

We’ll be back.

Last evening we did a sunset sail on an actual Americas Cup sailboat and I have to say that it was the highlight, so far, of our entire Cabo San Lucas vacation. This was a boat that actually came in 2nd, back in the 1999 Americas Cup, so no phony tourist imitation, here. The crew are all experienced sailing competitors and, best of all they were wonderfully engaging and humorous. We especially liked the fact that this was a hands on excursion where guests were enlisted as part of the crew, helping to raise the sails and pilot the boat. Bill and I both got a chance at the helm and all crew members were eager to explain the basics of sailing such a wonderful performance craft.

No digital cameras are allowed – our onboard photographer takes pictures and let’s you buy them, later, but she does a very good job. Sure, it sounds a bit touristy, but it does keep everyone’s attention on sailing the boat and avoiding the hazards, rather than taking pics, so I can’t argue the no camera rule from the standpoint of safety. For sure, a working sailboat is no place for beginners to get distracted, what with all the moving lines and a sometimes steeply pitched deck. I did not take my Leica binoculars, either, for fear they would also get in the way, but when we started to see all the Manta Rays flying over the surface, I wish I had brought them. I had seen them flying out of the water from our beach though my binoculars, but wasn’t able to identify them due to the distance. I know what they are now, though. All in all, it was a first rate experience and one we will never forget.

Tonight, we have booked a whale watching excursion. This time, I will bring the digital cameras, the compact binoculars and high hopes that we can get a good view of some Humpbacks. Hey, we don’t have them in Wisconsin! If not, it will still be good to be out on the ocean, again. We don’t have those in Wisconsin, either (though the Great Lakes come very close).

Specifically, there is an Osprey I have seen each day in the Leica binoculars. It is truly magnificent, so much so that I am determined to get a pic with one of our digital cameras as it flies overhead, as it has each day on the beach. Failing that, I will do my best to spot some whales on our whale watching tour, this afternoon. Have compact binoculars and digital cameras, will travel. This gal's work is never done. I just have to remember to bring the sunblock.

Okay, yes, I fall in love with every beautiful place I visit and Cabo San Lucas is no exception. I can see why several Americans I have met got of an excursion boat, years, ago and never left. No, I’m not talking about all the fancy resorts and tourist draws; I’m talking about the incredibly interesting ecology and geology of the area, not to mention all the many ways I could stay very busy with my film and digital cameras, telescopes, spotting scopes and binoculars of all kinds. I’ve even indulged myself in the fantasy of offering bird tours into the desert or setting up my spotting scope on the beach and selling peeks at the whales, fish and birds offshore. Why not? The beaches are crowded with folks selling all types of wares, already. One more won’t make much difference and, besides, what I would be selling would be the real thing.

Mostly, though, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to setup and use a telescope out away from the resort areas. With such a deep southern exposure, dry climate and dark skies, my telescopes and astronomy binoculars would see a lot of use. Have to wonder if any other astronomer/birder ahs been thinking the same thing? Can’t believe I am the first.

Cabo San Lucas has been an experience, that´s for sure. I´ve made some mistakes, as to gear I have packed and made some good choices, as well. Telescopes and astronomy binoculars would have been largely useless, given the phase of the moon - that I should have checked before leaving, anyway. A spotting scope and tripod, though, would have been very handy to spot whales in a bit more detail, though my Leica 10x25 Ultravid BL has done aqbout as good a job as any binoculars of any size could be expected to do, given that most of my whale spotting has been in bright light. My compact binoculars have also done quite well on birds, with a couple new hummingbirds added to my list.

The digital cameras have also done well, up to a point. Reminder: all the image stabilization in the world won´t compensate for the motion of a boat on the Pacific when you have a stiff breeze - not if you want really good, sharp pics.

More from deep in the heart of Mexico, later

Sometimes it’s the little things that trip you up when you want to use a telescope. Making the right choice when it comes to telescope accessories can make or break you and I’m not talking, here, about the obvious matter of choosing a telescope eyepiece. I’m talking about those other accessories.

A good finder scope is high on my list. Nothing can frustrate like a lack of a good finder scope, except, maybe a bad finder scope. As far as I’m concerned, a small optical finder scope is as worthless as no finder scope. It’s almost impossible for these old eyes to see enough in a typical 6x30 or 8x25 finder scope to make them work. Whenever I’ve gone to optical finderscopes, I move right p to the 50mm class finder scopes, such as the excellent Stellarvue F50M2. Good quality optical finder scopes with crosshairs, such as the Stellarvue, are nearly essential when I am using extreme magnifications to split double stars and to zero in on tiny planetary detail.

In truth, though, most of my observing is at low or medium magnifications and that means a good red dot. I used an original Tel-Rad for many, many years on my large Dobs and loved it. Now that I have moved more toward using small refractor telescopes, I still find that a good red dot, such as the superb Televue Starbeam is all I need and the smaller size of a red dot is a better match for the smaller telescope optical tubes on my refractors.

Okay, adapting to sunny weather in the 80’s with a gentle breeze off the ocean hasn’t been quite as hard as I thought. Yes, I do miss my zero temperatures, my snow and my skiing, but I will survive. My digital cameras and my binoculars have had no reservations, whatsoever, about this trip, though. Cabo San Lucas is a photographers and sightseers dream. My only regret is that I just couldn’t handle the extra weight of a tripod and my film cameras. Next time …

Famous last words, I know. Really, though, how can you deny the convenience and ultimate portability of digital cameras? I especially appreciate the image stabilization you get with nearly any digital camera, these days, that allows me to leave the tripods at home for all but the most extreme shooting situations. That camera feature was still science fiction back in the good old days. Also, as much as I hate and criticize plastic construction on so many of today’s cameras, it does make for a lighter camera to carry, all day. These old arms appreciate that.

Tomorrow, we are going to take a whale watching tour, possibly in a Zodiac, so I may be able to get some whale pics – a first ever for this aging wildlife photographer. My digital cameras will get a good workout, if the seas remain calm and the whales don’t mind some well-mannered company.

In the meantime, I have a little poolside sun and tan to catch.

PS. Our Mexican hosts are terrific, but, then, I expected no different.

After a lifetime of using optical equipment of all kinds - everything from binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, microscopes, film and digital cameras and more – I have developed a taste for good optics and, yes, that means expensive optics. One look at what I own, now or have owned in these later decades of my life and you might be tempted to call me an optics snob. You might assume that all I have ever owned is the best when it comes to birding binoculars, astronomy binoculars, telescopes and so on. You might assume that I am just another one of those experts that preaches you can’t learn the basics with cheap equipment.

You would be wrong, oh so wrong. Fact is, I started out with the bare bottom in terms of all that optical equipment. My first microscope? The very worst quality toy microscope, but it kept one eight year old busy for months and that same child later became a science teacher. My first camera? It was a Christmas gift from my mother. We never had much money, but my mother and I shared a love of Nature, so she bought me a camera that we could afford so I could take some pictures when I was out wandering in the fields and woods. That camera was an all plastic Kodak Instamatic 120. It was about the farthest thing from a wildlife camera that you could buy, but it sparked an interest in outdoor photography that has been with me all my life. Thanks, Mom. My first birding binocular? About twenty dollars, down at the camera shop and I still remember the snickers from the optics pros behind the counter when I told them it was all I could afford, but that old Tasco 10x40 binocular taught me all the basics of birdwatching. It was enough, it was more than enough. I wore the covering right off that first birding binocular. My first telescope? One of those awful, and I do mean awful, 60 mm refractor telescopes of the same ilk that you still see in department stores, today. It’s all I could afford as a college student. It was enough, though. I spent nights - entire nights, from sundown to sunup - with that first telescope. Forty plus years, later, I am still nuts about astronomy, though these old eyes are no longer up to all night observing sessions.

If you’re hesitant that binocular or telescope or camera gift won’t be good enough for that young person, this holiday season, just remember that it is the person that counts, not the price tag on the gift. That cheap equipment got me started and that was the greatest gift of all. For that, I am ever grateful.

How does a person go from sub-zero cold to sun-bathing-perfect mid 80s in the space of one day? How will my body react? I’m not sure, but today I’m about to find out as we fly from northern Wisconsin to the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. That’s a quick thaw in anyone’s book.

Okay, I’m not a big fan of flying, especially in these security obsessive times. It’s not just the security delays and flying that hurts, it’s also the fact that flying limits a person so severely as to how much gear you can pack, safely and affordably. So, here I am flying to a distant destination and no spotting scope, no tripod, no telescopes, not even smallish astronomy binoculars. Forget the big digital cameras and digital camera lenses, too. By the time I packed my small digital camera and my every trusty Leica 10x25 Ultravid binoculars and enough clothing for two weeks, I barely had space left for a toothbrush.

On the other hand, a truly good compact binoculars have gotten the job done and done, well, when I have found myself doing some birdwatching in distant ports of call. A compact binocular is no astronomy binocular, to be sure, but it is better than no binocular and by a wide margin, at that. Best of all, a compact binocular can stay right in my purse, where it is safe and sound. I hate leaving good optics, behind, in a motel room.

Digiscoping or big telephoto lenses?

I have used digiscoping – taking a pic through a spotting scope or telescope eyepiece with small digital cameras – to photograph just about everything and anything that captures my interest. I love it. I have found digiscoping to be a valid bird photography and wildlife photography tool and have even used digiscoping for some impromptu astrophotography. So, should an aspiring wildlife or astronomy photographer go with a digiscoping setup or go with conventional digital cameras and a large telephoto lens, instead? I’ve used both approaches.

As much as I love digiscoping for its convenience, ease of use and access to all the magnification a photographer could ever want, it does have some serious limitations for wildlife photography and even more limitations for astrophotography. All that magnification and that convenience that comes with using small digital cameras comes with a price. The bottom line is that digiscoping, photographically speaking, is a very slow technique, with horrendously high f stops. That means it is not suitable for low light photography of any kind; you need plenty of light to get results when you digiscope. That’s not much of problem under normal daylight conditions, but it is a serious limitation early and late in the day and those are the prime times for wildlife activity. You’ll need large aperture telephoto lenses for those periods.

For serious astrophotography, a DSLR, a telescope mount with a quality drive and plenty of expertise is a must. I have managed to get some nice shots of bright objects, such as the moon, with my spotting scope, mounted on photo tripods, but the extremely slow capture times you get with a small digital camera will blur pics of the dimmer objects unless you have access to a telescope mount with a drive.

Despite these shortcomings and more, I do most of my wildlife photography, these days, with digiscoping. Indeed, that extra magnification you get with digiscoping will allow you to get pics you could never get with conventional telephoto lenses, assuming, of course, you have enough light.

Digiscoping for ... muskrats?

The cross country skiing, yesterday, in the snow was magnificent, just as I knew it would be. Okay, my aching legs tell me I may have overdone it, this early in the season, but I will most likely go back out, today, to complete some unfinished business.

I was still on the ice in front of our property when I spotted a dark object on the white expanse of the lake. It wasn’t there, a couple days earlier, so I slowly approached on my skis. Through my Nikon Premier LX 10x25 binoculars, I could see it was a muskrat and a very dark colored muskrat, at that. I suspect it’s nearly black color was an adaptation to the dark stained waters of our lake, though that would be a guess, on my part. Anyway, the muskrat had an air hole in the ice and was calmly grooming, itself, so I decided to move a little closer. Could I get close enough for a decent pic with my little digital camera? 3x optical zoom on digital cameras is pretty anemic, but I had to try, anyway. No go. I hadn’t gone another ten feet when the muskrat retreated down its hole in the ice.

Today, I may just take the spotting scope, the tripod and that same digital camera out on the ice for another try. That will give me all the optical magnification I want, even if I choose to remain back from the muskrat. That’s the beauty of digiscoping.

It is snowing, again and that is good news. I love to cross country ski in the snow much like I used to love to play outside as a child when it was snowing. Guess there is still that child in me and that is a good thing. Today will be a snow play day for me, but that doe I see in the yard also reminds me that it is time to put out more feed for the deer and also the squirrels and birds. Chores come first.

Snowy days are quite the opposite of rainy days for me. Rainy days limit my options, but snowy days sometimes give me too many. Today, for instance, I guarantee I will spend some time on the skis, but I also love to do photography in the snow, especially digiscoping for birds. Fresh snow adds such a beautiful background to bird pics. I also love to go birdwatching when the snow flies, though I’m not sure the birding is any better on snowy days than on any other winter day. It’s the ambiance, I suspect.

Then there are those snowy days when I leave the skis, the binoculars, the spotting scope, the tripod and digital cameras behind and just go for a walk in the falling snow to enjoy winter. As a child, I used to follow fresh rabbit, squirrel and pheasant tracks in the snow to see where they went on their daily activities. Kind of like being a nosy neighbor, I suspect, but it sure was fun. Heck, it still is.

I think we humans complain too much about the weather, at times, as if we arrogantly expect Mother Nature to give us just what we want, when we want it. I suspect this is somewhat a by-product of our frantic, climate controlled lifestyle where the only time many of us are exposed to the weather is the few minutes it takes us to travel from our vehicle to our home, place of business or other destination. Then, too, who has time for weather-related delays and inconveniences?

I’ve been caught up in this urban attitude to the weather, a time or two, myself. It is not, however, my basic approach or philosophy to the weather, at all. I tend to be more flexible and accepting of what Earth Mother throws our way. It is my job to adapt to the weather, no matter what that may be. The universe does not revolve around my wants and needs (thank heavens).

Yesterday, the skies cleared during the day, even though the forecast called for snow. Naturally, I set up a telescope and the uncased my astronomy binoculars in the hopes that the sky would remain clear after dark. However, I also noticed that there was maybe, just maybe, enough snow on the ground to try some cross country skiing, so I grabbed the birding binoculars, clipped into the skis and off I went.

The only place I found to ski, at first, was the lawn. There still wasn’t enough snow in the woods to cover the debris on the trails, so no trail work. Who wants to just ski around the house in a circle, though? That’s when I headed to the lake and I am glad I did. The ice was thick enough to hold me, the snow deep enough for an easy glide and the scenery and open air was just plain magic. The birdwatching wasn’t much, but I didn’t care. I was skiing on a frozen north country lake without a care in the world. I was in heaven.

You guessed it; the clouds rolled right back in, later in the day, so the binoculars and telescopes remain in the house for another night. On the other hand, we picked up a little more snow, overnight, so you know where I’ll be, today. The weather can do no wrong, in my book.

Perhaps my astronomy prayers have been answered. The moon is in a favorable dark phase for some serious work with the astronomy binoculars and telescopes, but the clouds and snow have been constant companions for over a week, now. Today’s forecast is for more of the same, but we awoke, this morning, to clear skies instead of clouds and snow, despite the forecast. Will the clouds stay away long enough for some astronomy, tonight? Could the weather folks be wrong? (Hard to believe, I know.)

My southern astronomy friends and acquaintances offer up the same prayer when the clouds roll in. That much all astronomers have in common. What my southern friends and I don’t have in common, though, is setting up and using a telescope in serious winter cold. Some of them are amazed that anyone could be crazy enough to look through a telescope eyepiece when temperatures are in the single digits. As a rule, I don’t tell them that I have often used telescopes in even colder weather, well down in the below zero range; I don’t want them to think I am entirely out of my mind, after all. Yes, you do have to know what you are doing when you setup and use a telescope in truly cold weather, but, no, I don’t think it is crazy at all to observe in cold weather. I just have to remember to bring my cell phone so I can call for help the next time my eyelashes freeze to the telescope eyepiece.

One of the hazards of living outsider the “astronomy belt” – the arid areas of the southwest that have an abundance of clear nights – is that you sometimes get long stretches of cloudy nights. This is especially true, it seems, in our area of northern Wisconsin, sandwiched as we are near a couple of the Great lakes where things are relatively moist. This week is all clouds, unfortunately, so the astronomy binoculars will remain in the case and no need to setup and use a telescope. Darn! And the moon is dark this week, too. Okay, as much as I hate not using my binoculars and telescopes, though, I wouldn’t change things if I could. This is the north woods, after all, and the same climate that limits my astronomy, gives me the wonderful forests and lakes that I love. Still, there has to be a way to enjoy astronomy when the clouds roll in.

Of course, there is. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy astronomy, cloudy nights or not, is to join a local astronomy club and/or an astronomy organization, such as the Astronomical League. Getting together with fellow astronomers is often as much fun as peering through the telescope eyepiece and it gives astronomers a chance to compare notes. Astronomy clubs and organizations also provide wonderful resources on the latest happenings in astronomy and that, in itself, is almost a full time undertaking, these days. Most importantly for the beginner, there really is no better way for a beginner to learn about astronomy, telescopes and telescope accessories than joining an astronomy club. All the astronomy clubs I have joined, without exception, have gladly welcomed beginners. In fact, most astronomers I know, get a little on the windy side when you ask questions about their telescopes and astronomy, in general. Join your local astronomy club and have some fun.

A spotting scope is actually a small telescope that has been set up for day use. It is, however, a telescope, at heart and that means a spotting scope can also be used for some astronomy. There are some shortcomings, of course and, if your main activity is astronomy, you should buy a telescope, rather than a spotting scope. Still, I have done quite a bit of astronomy with various spotting scopes, over the years. Sometimes it has been a matter of curiosity as to what a particular spotting scope could do under the stars; sometimes it was a matter of convenience, since I typically have a spotting scope mounted on a tripod somewhere in the house for birdwatching and digiscoping and I didn’t want to bother to setup a telescope.

There are some spotting scopes that are better than others when it comes to putting them to work for astronomy. The best choice in a spotting scope that will see duty as an astronomy telescope are the few models that use standard telescope eyepieces. This allows you a much wider range of magnification options than a conventional spotting scope. The best of the breed, here, are the fabulous (and expensive) Televue spotting scopes, such as the Televue-76 and Televue-85. Optics and construction are as good as it gets with these fine instruments. There are more affordable options, though, in a spotting scope that can be used for more than just casual astronomy. One of these, in particular is the Celestron Regal 80F-ED. Optics are remarkable for the price and with the right telescope eyepiece and mount, you have a nice, small astronomy telescope. The good news, of course, on any of these scopes is that you also get a great spotting scope for day use, as well.

I hate blue snow. (I also hate yellow snow, but that’s a horse, er, dog, of another color.) Blue snow is what both digital cameras and film cameras produce when you set the camera on program or automatic exposure and put all your faith in the light meter, since a light meter, left to its own, will, try to turn everything in a scene to photo gray, so to speak. That means dark areas in your finished pics are lighter than what you see with your eye and that pure white snow you so love to photograph comes out an ugly off white or with a bluish tint in your pics. The solution is to overexpose that snow compared to what your camera tells you is correct. Even half a stop can make a difference.

On old film cameras, this was a breeze to accomplish, since most of these had actual knobs that you could turn, instantly, to compensate for shots that were excessively skewed to the either very dark of very white end of things and even on those that didn’t offer such “deluxe” features, you could simply meter things, manually to get the needed compensation. Yeah, we are talking about those old, primitive film cameras that had no menus and all controls were at your fingertips. Now, of course, with many digital cameras, especially some point and shoot digital cameras, you have to go wading through menus and punch buttons several times in succession to get this done and, hopefully, you brought your manual along if you didn’t already know how to do this. Of course, that’s sometimes easier said than done since many digital cameras manuals are on CDs, rather than paper. What ever happened to simple?

Sure, you can always do some digital editing with the exposure with your photo software, later, once you have downloaded your pics into your computer, but that seems a bit like closing the gate after the horses have escaped. I, for one, would love to see a digital point and shoot camera that left all controls as to ISO, metering and so on, right at your fingertip and did away with all the silly icons, default auto idiot modes and a zillion menu options that no one actually uses. Hey, some of us actually know how to set a camera up for special shooting situations - we are not all dummies - but we do want a small digital camera at times. Closest thing I can find, yet, to a small digital camera with easy to access controls is the Leica X-1. No, it's not cheap, but it is intelligently engineered. That's a Leica digital camera, for you.

As with so many optical products, telescopes have been subject to marketing trends and product development and over the years and the current trend in telescopes seems to be ever more sophistication via computerization and advanced telescope designs. There was a time, however, when things were quite different. Step back to, say, 1970 or so.

Telescopes, at that time, were both smaller and simpler. A three inch refractor or a six reflector defined the typical telescope used by a “serious” amateur astronomer. A ten inch reflector was a true giant and the stuff of magazine articles. Truly large reflector telescopes would arrive on the scene with the Dobsonian craze, still some years, away. Telescope manufacturers had only begun to start thinking in terms of mass production of Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutovs; what few were on the market were prohibitively expensive for most amateur astronomers. That, of course, would change and revolutionize amateur astronomy. As for computerized telescopes and telescope mounts in 1970 ... pure science fiction. Only NASA had computers. CDs hadn't even been invented. As for astronomy binoculars, that was automatically a 7x50. The term “giant binoculars” hadn’t even been coined, yet. There were no 25x100 astronomy binoculars in 1970.

Yes, the world of telescopes has come a long way since 1970. Today’s amateur astronomer has more choices than ever before and, though that can mean a little more homework when it comes time to buy a telescope or astronomy binoculars, it does mean that we astronomers have never had it so good.