Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 17:46:02 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Kurt R. Schwarz" Subject: Re: Inexpensive Optics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oh well, I might as well, too Swift Ultralite 8X42 are a great value (see birding mags for ads in the $195-$215 range), BUT the focus wheel gets sluggish at temps below 40 degrees after a few years. And mine have only begun fogging in wet weather AFTER I'd bent them in a fall. I just dropped mine on concrete this afternoon, to no apparent ill effect (they landed flat). Swift Ultralites were the ONLY poro-prism glass to pass a Cornell Lab product test in the '80s that involved hosing them down, then putting them in the hot sun. Take a look at Swift Plovers. They're even cheaper, but provide a good view. I have NOT used these in the field. Retail for about $150. ----- Original Message ----- From: "LMarkoff" To: Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 1:11 PM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Inexpensive Optics > Hello Mike and MDOsprey, > > >I know Marshall Iliff suggested private messages to him on this subject, > >but since no one else followed that suggestion, neither will I! Actually I > >think it's a good subject for MDOsprey, as most of us get questions like > >this pretty often. Not everyone is crazy/keen/rich enough to spend $1300 > >on a pair of binoculars. I'm not rich enough, but I am crazy and keen. > > > ............................ > > > >Birders World magazine is a good place to look for advertisements for less > >expensive optics from a variety of retailers. > > > >Mike > > >D.H. Michael Bowen > >8609 Ewing Drive > >Bethesda MD 20817 > > > I already responded to Marshall privately, but since Mike mentioned checking > out birding magazines for retailers advertisements, I thought this might be > of interest to some other folks as well. > > In October, after using my starter pair of binos, Nikon Egret II 8X40, for > several years, I bumped up to a pair of B&L Discoverer 10X42. I compared > about 6 different retailers, local and on the internet, shopping for the > best price. The best deal was with National Camera Exchange, Golden Valley, > MN, 800-624-8107, . There was quite a difference in price, > so if you are in the market to buy new equipment, be sure to shop around. > > Lori Markoff > Vienna, VA > Fairfax County > markoff@cais.com > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================