I guess most of us who have any kind of interest in wildlife have a pair of binoculars. Mine get used a lot, and when I go for a walk without them I often wish I'd brought them.
However, often binoculars do not provide enough magnification. This is particularly a problem if you frequent wide open spaces; moorland, estuary, the open hill. I live on the edge of the highlands and often find this. This year I have started deer stalking and sometimes the binoculars will let you see a deer like object, but nothing more. For more detail (is it a hind or a stag? A royal?) you need a telescope.
Serious birdwatchers, and some American hunters, use short telescopes (they use either prisms or short focal length lenses) with a tripod. I would not choose to lug these up a Munro (Scottish hill over 3000ft asl) and neither would you. So the local solution, for the past century or more, is the draw telescope, ie, a telescope that is, er, telescopic.
Some professional stalkers use Ross telescopes dating to WW2 or earlier, but the vast majority choose the Gray 25x50 http://www.graytelescope.com/home/home.html
which is made in Scotland, but with Schmidt and Bender lenses from Germany. Schmidt and Bender make arguably the best riflescopes available.
I have long coveted a Gray, but the £870 price tag
put me off a bit. So I bought a Russian 2 draw 20x50 Turist 3 telescope. This is no longer made, but until recently was available new for £30-£40. They crop up on ebay at stupidly low prices. If you can get a good one, do so. They come with a cheap but functional screw top plastic case
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The Turist 3 is optically fantastic. It is highly praised by astronomers as a budget scope - although a terrestrial scope (ie, it gives a non-inverted image) you can see the rings of saturn with it when the seeing is good. I have done this myself, and have found it an excellent thing to have when out on the hill.
Recently I came across a 22 year old Gray at a price I could not refuse. The current Grays probably have newer and better lenses, but nevertheless I am well pleased. It is a bit better than the Turist 3 optically but not dramatically so. The difference is more noticeable at the edge of the visual field. Ergonomically it is vastly better - the longer tube makes it easier to hold and build quality is much better. The leather case is extremely robust, though less waterproof.
Quick real world trial today yielded these results:
Steiner 8x30 binos: Is that an osprey?
Turist 3: Yes, it's an osprey
Gray: Yes, and the fish it's holding is a pike......
Neither telescope would be ideal if wearing glasses but the Gray is better in this regard.
If you spend time in open country, think seriously about a telescope.
I have also seen small 15x30 brass scopes by Helios and Tasco. would be interested to hear if these are any good.
However, often binoculars do not provide enough magnification. This is particularly a problem if you frequent wide open spaces; moorland, estuary, the open hill. I live on the edge of the highlands and often find this. This year I have started deer stalking and sometimes the binoculars will let you see a deer like object, but nothing more. For more detail (is it a hind or a stag? A royal?) you need a telescope.
Serious birdwatchers, and some American hunters, use short telescopes (they use either prisms or short focal length lenses) with a tripod. I would not choose to lug these up a Munro (Scottish hill over 3000ft asl) and neither would you. So the local solution, for the past century or more, is the draw telescope, ie, a telescope that is, er, telescopic.
Some professional stalkers use Ross telescopes dating to WW2 or earlier, but the vast majority choose the Gray 25x50 http://www.graytelescope.com/home/home.html
which is made in Scotland, but with Schmidt and Bender lenses from Germany. Schmidt and Bender make arguably the best riflescopes available.
I have long coveted a Gray, but the £870 price tag
put me off a bit. So I bought a Russian 2 draw 20x50 Turist 3 telescope. This is no longer made, but until recently was available new for £30-£40. They crop up on ebay at stupidly low prices. If you can get a good one, do so. They come with a cheap but functional screw top plastic case
The Turist 3 is optically fantastic. It is highly praised by astronomers as a budget scope - although a terrestrial scope (ie, it gives a non-inverted image) you can see the rings of saturn with it when the seeing is good. I have done this myself, and have found it an excellent thing to have when out on the hill.
Recently I came across a 22 year old Gray at a price I could not refuse. The current Grays probably have newer and better lenses, but nevertheless I am well pleased. It is a bit better than the Turist 3 optically but not dramatically so. The difference is more noticeable at the edge of the visual field. Ergonomically it is vastly better - the longer tube makes it easier to hold and build quality is much better. The leather case is extremely robust, though less waterproof.
Quick real world trial today yielded these results:
Steiner 8x30 binos: Is that an osprey?
Turist 3: Yes, it's an osprey
Gray: Yes, and the fish it's holding is a pike......
Neither telescope would be ideal if wearing glasses but the Gray is better in this regard.
If you spend time in open country, think seriously about a telescope.
I have also seen small 15x30 brass scopes by Helios and Tasco. would be interested to hear if these are any good.
