The Leupold Katmai comes in a 32mm objective lens with a choice of six power, eight power, or ten power magnification. The unquestionably sharp and bright optics present a full edge to edge view without distortion. Not only is the optical quality impressive, the external build is admirable. All three binoculars are 4.1 inches high and 4.75 inches wide. Don’t be fooled by the compact size. At only 18.2 to 18.9 ounces, the Katmai is comfortable to hold, yet you can feel the substance of its high quality components. Throw in a 4.9 foot close focus and generous eye relief and the Katmai performs on par with some much higher priced binoculars.

This binocular is a definite “customer favorite” when it comes to buyer satisfaction. Whether you would like the Leupold Katmai binocular for yourself or a gift, order early. These will be flying off the shelves when holiday shopping gears up. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kristin

Eagle Optics

Technorati : leupold katamai

Why does this binocular make all of us wish we could own a pair? Obviously its bright, three dimensional view plus the lightweight size and comfortable ergonomics will please all users, young and old. It is especially good for kids because of its small interpupillary distance, large and easy to use focus wheel, and best of all it comes in red, natural, or the traditional black. Both the eight power and the six power offer amazing fields of view-important for keeping moving wildlife in your sight. The close focus is listed as 16 feet, but the six and eight power Yosemites we tested in our showroom were closer to a 12 foot close focus.

If you are considering a pair of binoculars as a gift for your child, order a pair of the Yosemite binoculars early. They are a hot item for the holidays and one you will want your child to have for their next outdoor adventure. I love their delightfully eye-catching design and the great optical quality. I think you will too!

Kristin

Eagle Optics Staff

Technorati : leupold yosemite

As with all sport optics, we have to compare spotting scopes for birding in their respective price categories. For the birder wanting to enhance their birding experiences but not break the bank, we have options that will certainly fill the bill. Many of you may already be familiar with our Eagle Optics Raven Straight Scope. With its 20-60×78mm size, this scope is especially popular among birders watching or digiscoping pictures of hawk’s or eagle’s nests. It’s $199.99 cost makes this an entry level sport optic with much better performance than any other scope at this price. Other favorites under $500 would be the Vortex Nomad 20-60×60 Spotting Scope and the Stokes Sandpiper 15-45×65 Spotting Scope. I like the somewhat extra brightness of the Stokes Sandpiper—a natural occurrence with the larger objective lens and lower magnification. Both of these scopes are easily portable while offering good performance. They are ruggedly constructed for a lifetime of use with waterproofing, fogproofing and the great Vortex VIP Warranty. Currently, Eagle Optics is offering a free Stokes Birding Series Full Size Tripod Kit with the purchase of the Stokes Sandpiper Spotting Scope, which (with free UPS Ground Delivery) helps to keep your initial investment under $350.

Many of our customers have had very pleasing results with mid-priced spotting scopes. In the $500 to $1000 category, the staff has many favorites. For a great value which includes the extra feature of ED glass combined with a 20-60 zoom eyepiece, take a look at the Bushnell Elite and Vortex’s new Skyline ED. (The Skyline is also available without ED glass.) Both the Bushnell Elite and Skyline ED offer the 80mm objective lens for optimal light gathering and make these attractive scopes to use for digiscoping. When a company packages the zoom eyepiece with a scope, it will usually save money over buying the scope body and eyepiece separately. However, some of you don’t always need the zoom feature and would prefer the wider field of view offered by a fixed eyepiece. Nice options to achieve this would be the Pentax PF ED 65mm scope combined with the Pentax XW 20 Eyepiece giving you a 183 ft. field of view. This Pentax scope also comes packaged with the 20-60 XF zoom offering a field of view of 111-51 ft. field of view. Quite a difference if your birding habits require a wide field of view as opposed to the 60 power magnification.

Moving forward in performance and price level, the $1000 to $2000 priced scopes offer numerous choices. At slightly over $1000 is the Leupold Golden Ring 12-40×60 HD and the Pentax PF 80 ED w/21-63x Zoom. We had the Leupold Golden Ring HD out for a customer this week, and I found the size, wide field of view and true colors a winning combination. Right now it comes only in a straight style. I hope Leupold has an angled version in mind. If you want additional light gathering ability, the Pentax PF 80 ED is a great choice. Even at the highest magnification, I found it still provides a bright, sharp view. The extra light gathering is important if you are considering digiscoping in the future. The Nikon Fieldscope ED 25-75×85 provides the classic Nikon brightness with the option of fixed wide angle eyepieces and three Nikon Fieldscope Digiscoping Eyepieces for digiscoping with their Coolpix Digital Camera. For a standout in this grouping while staying under $2000, definitely consider the Zeiss Diascope 85mm Spotting Scope. This scope easily competes in the upper class of spotting scopes.

Finally, we are all tempted by the elite spotting scopes such as the Kowa TSN 883 Prominar Spotting Scope, Leica Televid 77mm APO Spotting, Scope, and the Swarovski HD 80mm Spotting Scope. Performance of all these scopes falls in the excellent category and really comes down to personal preference. It is always interesting to have a customer drive (often times from out of state) to the showroom and spend several hours comparing the different high end scopes. They take a lot of time discerning the minute differences in edge to edge sharpness and color resolution. After enough time, they will find the most comfortable scope from their optical perspective and in body styling. For example-do you like the warm, gold toned optics or the cooler blues and grays offered by some scopes? Do you like a smaller focus wheel such as Leica’s or the large helical focus ring found on Swarovski? Call us at 1-800-289-1132 and we are happy to share our observations and those of our customers. Talking with you helps us target the scope with the most desirable features based on your preferences.

Admittedly, this subject was triggered by my own desire to start using a spotting scope. Not quite ready to take the plunge myself, I have the great luxury of having many terrific scopes to work with. As I continue to analyze the choices, I look forward to your calls with questions or observations to share. We can help you with your progression to this next level. And, we promise to be easily available when you reach the “some assembly required” part of your purchase.

Kristin

Eagle Optics Staff

Technorati : birding scopes

The higher end binoculars in the 8×32 size are a great example of saving money and curtailing the binocular weight. In addition to those advantages, they still offer bright views due to their high quality optics. The Swarovski EL 8×32 is a perfect example of this. This 8×32 binocular weighs only 21.5 ounces. The Swarovski EL 8.5×42 weighs in at 28.9 ounces. The 8×32 EL not only weighs 7.8 ounces less, it provides a wider field of view and better close focus than the 8.5×42 EL. Top this off with spending $200 less and I find the 8×32 EL to be a binocular with winning combinations. You will find very similar advantages when comparing the Leica Ultravid 8×32 and the Leica Ultravid 8×42 or the Zeiss Victory FL 8×32 T* and the Zeiss Victory FL 8×42 T*.

Looking at the under $1000 price range, the Nikon Premier LX L 8×32 is an excellent choice. Like the other high-end binoculars, this 8×32 provides a wider field of view, better close focus, lighter weight and a price tag which is $350 less than the Nikon Premier LX L 8×42. If you are a Pentax sport optic fan, take a look at the Pentax DCF ED 8×32. The differences between the 8×32 and the Pentax DCF ED 8×43 are not quite as dramatic as the others but I like the 8×43 performance and would definitely enjoy the 8×32.

If your budget is in the $400 range, look at the Pentax DCF SP 8×32, the Minox BD 8×32 BR and the Steiner Merlin 8×32. In the $200-$400 budget, Eagle Optics carries the Bushnell Legend 8×32 Roof Prism, the Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8×32, the Leupold Katmai 8×32, and the Minox BL 8×32 BR. Want an 8×32 for under $150? We offer the Bushnell Hemisphere 8×32, the Vortex Lightning 8×32 or the Vortex Spitfire 8.5×32.

When you shop and compare, you will see how the 8×32 binocular offers many advantages for the size and money. The only drawback for this size is the decrease in light gathering ability. Light gathering comes into play while in the deep shade or predawn and late evening hours. If you spend a lot of time birding or hunting in those low light situations, then a full size binocular should be your choice. Having held many of these 8×32 binoculars, I really appreciate the smaller size and lighter weight. I am anxious to see the Leupold Golden Ring 8×32 HD and the Vortex Fury 8×32. These binoculars are not yet available-hopefully soon! So take some time and look at the benefits of the 8×32 versus the 8×42 size. Your next binocular purchase might be something smaller than you ever thought you could use-an 8×32 binocular!

As always, the Eagle Optics Staff is just a phone call away at 1-800-289-1132 and happy to answer any questions!

Kristin

Eagle Optics Staff

Technorati : 8X32 binoculars

We have already had the pleasure of receiving the brand new 10.5×44 and 8.5×44 Kowa Genesis Binoculars and they should interest birders and hunters looking for a good field of view and close focus. The 44mm objective lens size allows more of the always important light gathering ability. Another addition for Kowa is their top of the line Prominar Spotting Scopes. These are offered in the Kowa TSN 77mm Prominar Spotting Scope and the Kowa TSN 88mm Prominar Spotting Scope (either angled or straight). This design displays remarkable optics in a surprisingly compact body for full-sized scopes.

Vortex Optics will soon have a new addition to its offerings. If you are familiar with the Vortex Skyline Spotting Scope, look for the new Vortex Skyline ED 20-60×80 Spotting Scope. At $649.99 for the straight scope and $679.99 for the angled scope (angled scopes require an extra prism which explains the higher cost), they will offer more options in the market of moderately priced spotting scopes providing high-end performance. Expected availability of the Skyline is May ‘07.

Leupold has added an 8×30 size to their much loved Leupold Yosemite Binocular. It comes in black, red or natural and the extra magnification will only enhance this very bright, waterproof, porro prism binocular. Bogen Manfrotto has upgraded its popular 3001 BD tripod legs to the Bogen Manfrotto 190 XB Tripod Legs with improved ergonomics and a lighter weight. Log on to www.eagleoptics.com for a look at the many different offerings of binoculars, spotting scopes, and tripods along with a variety of different accessories for all those items.

Ben is back from the San Diego Bird Festival where he enjoyed seeing previous Eagle Optics customers and meeting new ones. Representatives from Leica, Nikon, Swarovski and Zeiss were also available to discuss their great products. While there, Ben had the opportunity to do some birding and digiscoping with his Leica Televid 77mm APO Spotting Scope. His photo of only half a Prairie Falcon has most of us thinking Ben needs more practice-especially when compared to Mike’s Digiscoping Blog , a fellow Eagle Optics Staffer. We’ll keep you posted on Ben’s progress.

We have filled many orders for Valentine’s Day gifts of binoculars and spotting scopes. We wish all of our fantastic customers a very “Happy Valentines Day” tomorrow and we look forward to providing you with great gift ideas for future holidays.

Kristin

Eagle Optics Staff

Technorati : new optics