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This
article is from the March, 2003, issue of Bird Watcher's Digest.
It also includes some extra material, with reviews of scopes covered
in more detail in our July, 2000, "Scopes Roundup" in
Bird Watcher's Digest
Our
general impressions of the full-sized scopes.
Some
are very good indeed. Even better than when we last looked at scopes
for Bird Watcher's Digest, just over two years ago. Here are some
of the standouts.
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The
new Zeiss 85T FL trumped all when it came to sheer optics
in the 80mm division. It got the best resolution score at
60 power of any dedicated birding scope we tested. And we
loved its dual focus knobs. MORE
DETAILS
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The
new Swarovski scopes took the honors for elegance of design.
We thought the previous Swarovski scope, the AT80 HD, was
great, but this new one, with its hand-friendly rubberized
exterior, is more compact, lighter, and more maneuverable.
MORE DETAILS
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The
eyepiece is waterproof even when not attached to the body.
The PF-80ED-A is longer and a few ounces heavier than the
other top-end birding scopes we tested. However, the price
is smaller. MORE DETAILS
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The
brightness is striking. The resolution is superb, sharp from
edge to edge. It's noticeably longer and a bit heavier than
the Zeiss Diascope and the Swarovski ATS80. MORE
DETAILS
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It
sells for a fraction of what the top scopes cost. At low power
(20x) it resolves surprisingly well compared to best birding
scopes. MORE DETAILS
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This
scope has an attractive light-green metallic body. The broad,
ridged focus ring that circles the scope body is accurate
and smooth turning. Not waterproof. MORE
DETAILS
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This
new compact scope from Deutsche Optik (made in Germany) feels
rugged and well engineered. It focuses remarkably close, 10
feet. MORE DETAILS
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Briefly
reviewed . MORE DETAILS
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The smaller scopes,
of approximately 60mm apertures, are reviewed on Page
3. |
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The following
scopes were reviewed or mentioned in Michael and Diane's prior
"Scopes Round Up," in BirdWatcher's Digest, 2000.
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Brief
r eview from scopes review in BirdWatcher's Digest 2000. MORE
DETAILS
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Brief
review from scopes review in BirdWatcher's Digest 2000. MORE
DETAILS
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The smaller scopes,
of approximately 60mm apertures, are reviewed on Page
3. |
Continued
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