Re: scopes vs. binoculars

donquijote1954 wrote:
I just spotted this scope, and it seems to have all the right stuff...
package, brand name and very close focus...

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/product.php?group=15&subgroup=153&product=8314

Spotting scopes are designed for viewing a rather small, already located object -- a rifle target. They are not as good for locating objects as scopes with wider fields of view. Zoom eyepieces make for a relatively narrow field of view. An apparent field of view of even 40 degrees is meager in my opinion. Fixed-magnification eyepieces with fields of 60 degrees are readily available, and some have 75. That's one reason I prefer scopes with interchangeable eyepieces. (Doubling the angular field shows four times the area.) Close focus can be augmented by drawing an eyepiece partway out of the mount.

The eye relief at 48x may well be inadequate for eyeglass wearers. (They don't list it.) The exit pupil at 48x is about 1.35 mm, just comfortably above the size where image quality suffers.

You'll probably enjoy using it if the tripod is sturdy enough. I hope the supplied tripod head has fine-motion controls. You'll need them at all but the lowest power, especially with the narrow field of view.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: f-stop question
    ... Llanzlan Klazmon the 15th wrote: ... Somewhere I read there is an issue with fast scopes. ... For moderately priced eyepieces with wide-angle fields, ... the exit pupil would differ with the f-ratio. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Zeiss Universal Or Leitz Othoplan...Which One Would You Buy?
    ... polarized light) to find for these scopes considering ... Orthoplan...or for that fact any Leitz is a major pain. ... but eyepieces are a part of the 160mm tube length ... far better to get the manufacturers ...
    (sci.techniques.microscopy)
  • Re: Zeiss Universal Or Leitz Othoplan...Which One Would You Buy?
    ... polarized light) to find for these scopes considering ... Orthoplan...or for that fact any Leitz is a major pain. ... but eyepieces are a part of the 160mm tube length ... far better to get the manufacturers ...
    (sci.techniques.microscopy)
  • Re: Starter scope for 9 year old: StarBlast or SkyQuest?
    ... Such eyepieces are easier for beginners to use ... the altazimuth mount is simpler ... the standard StarBlast. ... scopes with their ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Have refractors hurt the hobby?
    ... Actually, Meade does produce such a telescope, 60AZ-A and it costs $50 at ... exactly how bad these scopes are. ... The good points are that the objective and eyepieces seem decent, ... have cheap refractors hurt or helped the hobby? ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)