Hello,
Any trained storm spotters out there? I am not new to binos. But i have trained recently as a storm spotter and I am looking for your thoughts for the relatively best binos for this task.
This would be mid-west USA.
I assume very good light gathering, waterproof, shock resistant. Crucial use would be determination at a distance of wall cloud or funnel cloud rotation, or in the absence of a funnel all the way to the ground, a debris swirl above the ground.
What a refreshing question and unique topic for discussion! I have to say I don't have a clue as to what would be the most appropriate optic. But taking a WAG I would think a marine binocular with built-in compass/rangefinder would be most usefull. Bushnell makes a few like this I think. And of course, there is Fujinon.
Just had a quick look at the Nikon Marine range.
http://www.nikon.com/products/sport...arine/index.htm
Made me wonder if filters would be of benefit. The Tropical ones have an optional polarising filter, but maybe a yellow tint might help with contrast under storm conditions. Perhaps a military spec pair might be one way to go?