The Zen Birdfeeder

Featured Midwest Birding Symposium Speaker: Ben Lizdas of Eagle Optics

My second interview is with Ben Lizdas whose 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium topic will be Answers to Your Optics Questions.  

Many binoculars and scopes are now carrying an HD or ED label.  What does this REALLY mean, can the label be applied indiscriminately, and is it worth the extra money?

The term “ED” refers to extra-low dispersion glass.  This type of glass is denser and has better light transmitting properties.  Colors tend to be truer, contrast is sharper, and overall resolution can be improved. 

Having said that, all ED glass isn’t equal, there are different grades.  There are models which use ED glass that sell for $300 which won’t provide as nice of a view as some models using ED glass that may cost $600 for example.  ED glass is best viewed as part of lens system that can enhance your view, but the degree to which that is accomplished will depend on the other elements (lens coatings, prism glass, etc…)  Just because you put racing tires on your Ford Fiesta doesn’t mean it will go as fast as a Maserati. 

The term “HD” on the other hand does not refer to a specific glass type but is rather more of a marketing term used to define an entire lens system which often times uses ED glass elements.   I suppose this term could be used indiscriminately though to date I haven’t seen anything that I would consider a flagrant abuse of the terminology.

The best indicator to a binoculars overall performance by and large remains the price.   It’s hard to say on a consumer’s behalf if the added cost is worth it though I can objectively tell you that the more expensive binoculars on the market are noticeably better than the less expensive models.  The ideal point on the cost-to-benefit ratio curve will largely depend on how deep your pockets are. 

I would rate the $300-$600 price range to be the sweet spot in optics where a consumer gets some of the best performance for the money.  Many birders purchase optics in that price range and seldom feel compelled to upgrade.  Having said that, you can’t buy a pair of binoculars for $600 that give you the same view of those costing $2000.  Those top shelf models cost that much for a reason.

Is interest in digiscoping waning?

I would say that interest in digiscoping is as popular today as it’s ever been.   Digiscoping can be both fun and easy, so what’s not to love about that? 

I think the biggest obstacle for the end user is to find the right mix of camera/adapter/spotting scope.  That’s where the challenge lies and where good technical assistance when making your purchase can make all the difference.  Once you have equipment that complements each other nicely, digiscoping is a piece of cake.  If you’re struggling with your digiscoping equipment, the experience can be quite frustrating.

Why has it been so difficult to develop excellent two-function binoculars like zoom binoculars or binoculars with a built-in digital camera?

Binocular design always involves compromise.   You gain magnification, you lose field of view.  You can make a binocular small and light weight but you’ll lose low-light performance.  Zoom binoculars represent a good example of how these compromises make it difficult to make a high quality zoom.  With the various lenses working at multiple focal lengths, it’s almost impossible to make a zoom binocular with adequate eye relief for eyeglass wearers.   Another drawback is that zoom binoculars are mechanically complex because you need to have precise magnification adjustments working in unison for both your left and right eyes.  Over time, most zoom binoculars wear into a cycle where the magnification in one eye is slightly different than the other, to a point where eye-fatigue is inevitable.  The end result of an product well engineered to overcome some of these issues would likely come at a price point that would be beyond what most consumers would be willing to pay over a standard, fixed magnification binocular.

A similar problem is at the heart of the digital camera/binocular.  Consumers love the concept though to develop a product that would meet the expectations of what most consumers have about how such a binocular would function, would result in a pair of binoculars costing upwards of $5,000, and likely not having as good of an image as “standard” models costing a fraction of that.  Zeiss for example, recently developed a spotting scope with an integrated camera.  The optics were great and it was user friendly.  It also cost $6,500 which just took it to a place in the market where very few consumers are able to reach it, despite it’s wonderful design and attributes.  With binoculars having two barrels rather than one, you can imagine how a pair of binoculars with similar capabilities could be more complex and could cost even more!

What advancements do you see coming in optics in the next 2-3 years?

Everybody likes compact and light weight.  Finding ways of making binoculars smaller and lighter while not sacrificing optical performance is going to be an item on the development frontier.  It’s hard to imagine the current performance levels of top-shelf binoculars leaving much room for improvement.  I would expect to see current high-end brands continuing to push the innovation boundaries and at the same time, getting to be more expensive.  I can also imagine that we will continue to see mid-priced binoculars getting better and better, offering consumers a degree of performance that continues to narrow the gap between what is “affordable” and what is “the best”.

Many readers of this blog are backyard birdwatchers and casual birders.  If you had just $300-400 to spend on binoculars, what would you get?

$300-$400 can get you a really nice set of binoculars with all the features sought by casual and avid birders alike.  Our most popular binocular is the Ranger 8x42 and it’s the one I recommend the most to friends and family.  It has all the features that a birder or naturalist is looking for.  It’s compact and light weight for its size, good for eyeglass wearers, and has a fully-multi coated lens system with dielectric prism coatings.  The end result is something both comfortable to hold and look through at any point in the day. 

For those whose interest goes beyond just our feathered friends, the Ranger’s 5-foot close focus makes it just as suitable for enjoying butterflies, beetles, and plants.   In a nutshell, the Ranger has all the features (though maybe not the same performance) as a $2,000 pair of binoculars, though at a fraction of the cost.   You don’t need to take my word for it though, as it’s one of the most highly reviewed products by our customers.

Thanks Ben, that's great information.  I'll be interested to hear questions from other attendees at the symposium!

BIOGRAPHY
Ben Lizdas answers loads of questions each day from bird watchers looking to purchase the right binocular or spotting scope. This experience, along with his many appearances at birding and nature festivals across North America, makes Ben uniquely suited to offer solid advice on optics for bird watchers.

Bring your optics questions along and Ben will answer them during his session at the Midwest Birding Symposium, September 15-18, 2011 at Lakeside OH.  Click here to register.

Check back in a couple weeks for an interview with Symposium speaker Nicolle Peretta, the Bird Call Lady. 
Click here to read my interview with wildlife photographer Marie Read.

Jupiter Shines in the Night Sky

Jupiter is putting on a show this month and if you have a spotting scope or even a pair of binoculars, you can take it in.

It begins shining brightly in the southeast sky beginning around 9:30pm, and viewing it through a pair of average birding binoculars tells you this isn't just any star in the sky.  Even at only 8x magnification, Jupiter shows as a disc in the sky.

Up your magnification to the 15x or greater of a spotting scope and you'll see it even clearer and 4 of its moons may also be seen.  The photos here are digiscoped images of Jupiter.  They're not the clearest images, but remember, this object is 391 million miles away! 

When you click on the image to enlarge it, you can clearly see one of Jupiter's moon to the right, and another moon is to the left though dimmer.  When I viewed Jupiter yesterday, four moons were easily visible through the scope.  It's humbling to think that these are the four moons discovered by Galileo 400 years ago. 

"The largest planet in our solar system is a commanding presence for much of the year. It looks like an intensely cream-colored star, shining brighter than anything else in the night sky except the Moon and Venus. Jupiter is at opposition in mid-August, when it appears brightest for the year and remains visible all night. Late in the year it is visible only in the evening sky, dropping lower each night."
Source:  StarDate Online

Read more about Jupiter at Stardate.org.  Here's a link to a short movie telling us what to look for in the current night sky.

Digi-grosbeaks

After I had saved my Grosbeak Gallery post, I remembered that I had some Rose-breasted and Evening Grosbeak images that I had digiscoped all on one day in mid-July.  So I'll share them with you now.

I digiscope with an older Nikon Sky & Earth Series scope, 15-45x, 60mm objective lens. It's a smaller scope, but I like the close-focus capabilities of it. I spend most of my digiscoping time in the 15x zoom range. I dream of getting a new scope, but this one will do for at least a while longer. 

I use a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 with Carl Zeiss 3x zoom lens, 10.1 megapixel, and a large touch-screen LCD.  The Zeiss lens sold me on this camera, and the touch-screen LCD display is especially helpful when digiscoping.

I attach the camera to the scope with a Vortex Universal Digiscoping adaptor (small).  I often just leave my camera attached to the scope.  This keeps my digiscoping setup ready to go!

  

My tripod is an older Bogen 3001 and an old, cumbersome Manfrotto head.  I'm looking to replace that head with a better tripod head for digiscoping.  Any suggestions out there???

Give digiscoping a try!

Great Adirondack Birding Celebration June 6 - 8

The sixth annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) is scheduled for June 6-8, 2008 at the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in Paul Smiths.
 

All programs, including field trips, are FREE. Registration is open for trips/programs by calling (518) 327-3000.

The 2008 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration will feature birding trips, lectures, workshops and the popular Teddy Roosevelt Birding Challenge. Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs will be there with a nice selection of binoculars and spotting scopes, including digiscoping set-ups.

2008 Schedule
Download the 2008 schedule. (A 119k pdf file)

The guest speaker at 7 p.m. Friday, June 6 will be Lang Elliott, the author of many book/CD packages, including Common Birds and Their Songs, Music of the Birds, and The Songs of Wild Birds. He is the owner of NatureSound Studio, which he created in order to celebrate the sounds of nature.

The keynote address at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 7 will be given by Miyoko Chu, author of "Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds." 

2008 Field Trips
Download the field trips list. (A 49k pdf file).  All field trips are FREE though registration is required at (518) 327-3000.

For more information about the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration, contact Lydia Wright at (518) 327-3000.

Showing off Spotting Scopes

Last weekend, we had a booth at the Adirondack Sports & Fitness Summer Expo.  We were there to introduce local outdoor enthusiasts to our Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop, especially our great optics selection.

We brought a great selection of binoculars by Eagle Optics, Vortex Optics, Stokes, and Leupold, and we introduced many show attendees to digiscoping, which is taking photos with a digital camera through a spotting scope.  The cardinal image below was digiscoped in my yard.

At the show, we highlighted two spotting scopes.  We showed the Vortex Skyline scope with the optional MK1 QR Digital Camera Adaptor. 

The scope has a fantastic 20x-60x magnification, and the 80mm objective lens ensures bright, sharp images.

The digital adaptor fits the Skyline scope (only) and provides a quick-release feature that allows you to switch from using the scope to digiscoping in seconds.  Watch this 5 minute video on YouTube showing the Skyline scope and digital adaptor in action.

The other scope we showed and are especially excited about is the Stokes Sandpiper scope. 


This scope was recently included in "Living Bird" magazine's Scope Quest 2008.  Here's a little of what they had to say:

"An even nicer surprise was the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper, which at $359 or less could be the best buy of any model we tested."

"With so many fine scopes on the market, choosing the right one should be easy and fun. Your selection should be based on budget— how much you can really afford—and the kind of birding you do most, or hope to do more of with a new scope. If you’re on a tight budget and want decent optics in the least expensive package, I’d try the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper."

Here's a link to the full Scope Quest 2008 article.  And read what Don & Lillian Stokes themselves have to say about the scope.

This is a great mid-priced scope that can help get you into the digiscoping hobby. Digiscoping with this scope is accomplished with the use of a Vortex Universal Digital Adaptor. 

The universal adaptor can work with just about any scope.  The adaptor seats the camera securely behind the scope eyepiece to provide the stability required to enhance your digiscoped images.

On Saturday, I conducted a seminar called "Capturing Images of Your Backyard Birds" to help attendees attract birds to their feeders and to take photographic or digiscoped images of the birds.

NOTE: If you know of a local group that would be interested in this presentation or other optics or bird-related presentations, please contact us at wbu@nycap.rr.com.

It was fun talking about binoculars, spotting scopes, and digiscoping to a whole new audience.  Stop by Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs to check out our great optics selection.