Re: Leica Scope
Tyler Bell (bell@say.acnatsci.org)
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 08:39:48 -0500
Fran Saunders wrote:
>
> My thanks for all your wonderful comments....but you were
> supposed to convince me NOT to get the scope. <grin>
> Well, I'll have to see what I can do to make a deal with Santa.
OK Fran, here's a negative comment about the Leica. The focus mechanism
is belt driven. Over time, the belt begins to slip and focusing becomes
slower with a bit of play in the wheel. The alternative would be to look
into the Swarovski 80mm. The focusing mechanism is a metal gear that
should never wear out in any of our lifetimes! Jane and I have sampled
all of the various scopes at the ABA conventions in Utah and Texas and I
would have to recommend the Swarovski. I couldn't see a difference in
optical clarity between the two. The one thing I really liked about the
Leica that no other scope had was the dual focus wheels. The fine focus
feature was pretty sweet.
The alternative to all of these tube scopes would be to get a
Schmidt-Cassegrain-type scope (mirror reflector). If you can't spring
for the $2500 for the Questar then there is a much cheaper alternative
in the Meade or Celestron lines. They both make 5 inch reflectors that
are also camera ready. Just a thought!
--
Good Birding! The probability of a given
Tyler Bell event occurring is inversely
mailto:bell@say.acnatsci.org proportional to its desirability.
California, MD
http://www.audubon.org/chapter/md/smas/