Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 1:17 PM -0500 1/18/07, telyt@earthlink.net wrote: ><thinkofcole@aol.com> wrote: > >> If you want a binocular mainly for birding, you want one where the >bird's >> image doesn't jump around because it's difficult to hold the binocular >entirely >> steady without a tripod...The stronger the binocular's power -- your >> Voitlaender is 7 power -- the harder it is to hold steady on the >bird...Therefore, I >> suggest no more than 6 power. > >6x isn't anywhere near enough power to see most birds. 8x is recommended >most often. I'm using 10x and the image isn't too jumpy. > >Doug Herr >Birdman of Sacramento >http://www.wildlightphoto.com The 15x Canon IS are very easy to use, not too bulky and heavy considering the IS and would work well in this application. No problem of the image jumping around; they are a lot easier to view through for any length of time than any non-stabilized glasses of 10x that I have tried. When I said that the Canons are maybe not up to the very best, this was not to say that they are not good. They are very good, and certainly better than anything I've seen from most of the mid range glasses. I've handled a Zeiss image stabilized set; I think about 20x60, but the price was a fair bit more than an M8 :-). As far as top end non-stabilized glasses go, the majority of people that I've talked to think that Swarovski has the edge. I'm not a big user of binoculars; I have a pair of 25yr old 8x20 Leica glasses which serve well but mostly because they have decent performance and are tiny. If I got something in a higher magnification for birding now I would head for the Canons. The IS technology changes everything. -- * Henning J. Wulff /|\ Wulff Photography & Design /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com