Travel scopes can also be mounted on a monopod or a lightweight, compact tripod. Some (e.g., the Celestron Hummingbird) can be hand-held at low power. ” They are lightweight and compact enough to fit in a carry-on for air travel or in a backpack if you are taking the subway and walking to the Central Park Reservoir. Scopes smaller than 60mm are promoted as “travel scopes. Birders also often put a scope on a car-window mount (an inexpensive accessory), using the car as a blind. But a good tripod and head in the $200 and up range may serve you well for 20 years or even longer.Ī smooth-panning video pan head is the default for effective scope use. The few years that a cheap tripod lasts may seem longer as you are tormented by shaky images and stiff, jerky panning. And do not skimp! A wobbly tripod will make the world’s best scope useless. Keep balance in mind do not put a massive scope on a lightweight tripod. Carbon fiber legs are lighter and quieter than aluminum but more expensive.
Best handheld telescope for bird watching plus#
Depending on objective size, a combined scope plus tripod and head weighs between 5 (travel scopes only) and 13 pounds. A stable support makes the scope usable at high magnifications. Consider the scope and tripod together as a matched set. Saturn is not going to be flushed by a Peregrine and lead you on a chase down the beach.īut birds and birders are often on the move, and as you would expect, with increased size comes increased weight. But in astronomy, you move the telescope by car and set it up in one spot. Spotting scopes range from 50mm to 85mm, and a few manufacturers go up to 88, 95, and even 115mm.Īstronomers know that when considering objective lens size, in terms of light-gathering ability, resolution, and high magnifications, the bigger, the better! That is true for spotting scopes for birding as well. For most birders, an angled scope with a zoom eyepiece is the best choice: another decision down!īut what size should you get? Size, in this case, refers to the diameter of the objective lens. Just do not expect to use the maximum magnification in any but the highest-quality optics. Even entry-level scopes offer eyepieces that work well through the lower two-thirds of the range. A zoom eyepiece allows easy scanning at low power and a fast increase in power when you see something of interest. But today’s zoom eyepieces are much better, and most scopes come with a zoom eyepiece by default. Fixed 22x or 30x wide-angle eyepieces were popular then and are still valid options today. Through the 1980s, zoom eyepieces were not particularly good. Some models are only available in angled versions, which takes one decision out of the equation for shoppers. Depending on vehicle headroom, using a car window mount may require rotating the barrel 90°, which points the scope 45° from the direction you are looking.īut angled scopes have become so popular among birders that at Cape May Bird Observatory, they are all we stock, though we happily order straight scopes when asked. You may need to rotate the barrel to keep the eyepiece dry in rain or snow. Objects in the foreground may obscure your view, as you lose the advantage of height. Angled scopes have some potential downsides. It intrudes less, so long-term viewing is more relaxed, good for long-term scanning.
A key advantage is that the scope eye focuses on a distant object, while the other eye looks at the ground nearby. With the 45° angled eyepiece, 60° above the horizon is in easy reach. This can lead to eye fatigue if you are scoping for hours.Īn advantage of angled spotting scopes is that when you set the scope for the shortest person in the group, everyone else can use it too! Set below eye level, the tripod is more stable and less prone to tipping. Lastly, with both eyes looking in the same direction, the non-scope eye tries to bring the horizon into focus, so most people will close the non-scope eye. To view the zenith, you must raise the scope above your head, crouch down low, or both. If you lower the scope for a shorter person, it becomes uncomfortable for the taller users. Downsides are that the eyepiece must be at your eye level, and it might be less stable at that height, which may require a larger tripod. They work well with a car window mount, and in rain, it is easier to keep the eyepiece dry. Straight scopes are easy to aim just point them where you are looking! At eye-level height, you can see over plants/fences and get longer looks behind wave crests. We will look first at the pros and cons of straight and angled scopes.
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