not the best thing for bird watching with independent focus i know, got them mainly for astronomy and long distance sea/nature watching.
the binoculars are helios apollo 15x70's
just bought these along with a new 501HDV head
not the best thing for bird watching with independent focus i know, got them mainly for astronomy and long distance sea/nature watching.
the binoculars are helios apollo 15x70's
[QUOTE=mark22c;1349539]just bought these along with a new 501HDV head
not the best thing for bird watching with independent focus i know, got them mainly for astronomy and long distance sea/nature watching.
the binoculars are helios apollo 15x70's[/QUOTE]
I would have thought for seabird watching the IF will be fine (they're all distant after all).
How do they look for birding?
well for starters there a lot heavier and more cumbersome to set up cart about than your average spotter at 2.5kgs, you wouldnt want to leave them attached to the tripod while slung over your shoulder walking so there only really usefull for static observation.
that said they do offer certain advantages over a scope ie they are comfortable to view through for long periods and despite generally having a lower mag than most prefere on a spotter ie 15x you get the impression the mag is much higher using both eyes. when compared to a scope at 25x using one eye you'd think the 15x bins were actually 20x until you compare them side by side obviously. must be something to do with the higher resolution using two eyes but the bins certainly dont feel under powered.
the helios apollo bins are the same as the garret signatures, oberwerk ultras and orion resolux in the states, fully broadband multi coated through out and waterproof.
they have a very sharp centre 50% field of view that does drop of towards the edge but using them on a good mount negates this, ca is minimal at 15x and the apparent fov is wide in this configeration. well made good quality and very popular astronomy bins on other forums, being a bino lover i just couldnt resist these.
regarding the individual focusing eyepieces, when mounted as these bins should be its not so much of an issue as long as you realise it takes a little longer to get it adjusted correctly in both sides till you get the hang of it. the focus is quite stiff so no danger of it moving accidently.