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Big Binoculars for Birding Part II



Carolinabirders,

In my previous post on this subject I described purchasing a pair of big
binoculars to
function as an alternative to my spotting scope.  The new binoculars are
Pentax PCF 20x60 WP that cost about $220.  My spotting scope is an Kowa
TSN-2
(non-fluorite) with a 20-60X Zoom eyepiece.  Several people responded to the
post; most are interested in the binocular idea, and want to know how well
they work compared to a good spotter.

Daylight viewing has been limited, but in direct comparisons with the Kowa
scope at 20X, the Pentax binoculars held up well.  The clarity and
brightness of the image are just as good as the Kowa.  The Kowa has perhaps
a bit more contrast, but not much.

Last night I got a brief opportunity to test resolution by viewing the
stars.  In between bouts of relatively good seeing, I had to wait for clouds
to drift by.  I concentrated on the Orion Nebula which contains a close
group of 4 stars known as the Trapezium.  At first glance they appear as
one, but at 20 power a good scope might resolve 3 of them or perhaps 4.  My
Kowa at 20X was easily able to resolve 3.  My Pentax was also easily able to
resolve 3.  Tonight I went out again and with persistence, I was able to
resolve
all four with the Pentax, although the dim 4th star was not always
perceptible.
By contrast, my 8x50 Swarovski binoculars, although of excellent quality,
are not able to resolve the Trapezium into anything but 1 star.  They just
don't have not enough magnification.

My impression is that the 20X of the Kowa is actually a slightly higher
magnification than the 20X of the Pentax, but this cannot be confirmed
because they two have different fields of view (the Pentax has a larger
field of view).  Stay tuned.

John
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
John and Paula Wright
1953-A Quail Ridge Rd
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 756-5139