Hi I've been reading the various discussions on choice of binoculars with interest.
I would be particularly interested to hear any views on what are the best bins for pelagics particularly in terms of magnification. I once went on a pelagic off North island New Zealand with an expensive pair of 10X bins and was frustrated at how another birder with a cheap pair of lower magnification bins was picking up all sorts of stuff which I could hardly get let alone keep in my field of view. Any comments? - apart from the fact that he was probably a better / more experienced pelagic birder! I suppose it's a trade off because the long horizons you could potentially get out at sea would tend to veer me towards 10X whereas the lower magnifications would probably give a wider field of view and be less affected by handshake.
Also has anyone tried the image stabilised bins which I think Canon do - are they any good?.
Charlie R
Watcha Charlie
as you kind of allude to above the wider the field the easier it is to pick stuff up which is invaluable when out at sea. Most seawatching id is down to flight pattern, general impression etc and being familliar with common species rather than being able to spot a field mark at a mile range. 8x42 would suffice at a push but i'd really prefer to use 7 x 42 such as the old Zeiss dialyts due to the excellent field of view.
Hi Charlie,welcome to Birdforum from the Moderators and Staff.
Interesting question,I'll be reading the replies with interest.