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Binoculars, Spotting Scopes
Until the End of May
Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta) Image via Royal Botanic Gardens
Autumn is an ideal time for birdwatching in Australia
Cooler weather and changing rain patterns see birds migrating both within Australia and even from overseas.
There's not really a bad time to enjoy birdwatching in Australia, but autumn and spring are great opportunities to spot birds as they move to and from their winter habitats.
What size of binoculars is best for bird watching & nature viewing?
You're always welcome to chat to the folks at BINTEL about your best choice for bird watching and nature viewing binoculars, but here's some general suggestions.
8 x 42: Are these the "Goldilocks" binoculars for bird watching?
Like all optics, binoculars come in a wide range of sizes, magnifications and quality. Larger binoculars collect more light and produce sharper, brighter views but they're also heavier and more expensive. There's no "one size fits all".
The "8" in 8x 42 refers to the magnification or how many times enlarged the image appears to your eye. The "42" is the width of the main front lens of each side of the binoculars. A 8 x 42 a pair of binoculars are ones that magnify 8 times with a 42mm main front lens. 7 x 50 means they magnify 7 times with 50m lenses - and so forth.
We find many bird watchers enjoy views through 8 x 42 or 10 x 42 binoculars. Not too heavy, not too small. Just right.
Upgrading your current binoculars
Your current binoculars have likely provided years of enjoyment, but you might be surprised at just how bright and clear the views through modern optics from companies like Nikon or Celestron. Visit our Sydney retail showroom to see for yourself.
Free shipping on Celestron and Nikon binoculars until the end of May
When to use a spotting scope?
Spotting scopes are more powerful than binoculars. Perfect for viewing nature in the distance - whales included
A spotting scope offers better views of distant objects than binoculars. They're larger and normally require mounting on a tripod for stability. Spotting scopes often have zoom eyepieces. This lets you change the size of the image or "zoom" into what you're viewing with a simple twist. A spotting scope might have numbers like 20-60 x 80 meaning it has an 80mm front lens and magnifies 20 times to 60 times.
As they're more powerful spotting scopes can see details that binoculars can't. Being tripod mounted they can't be moved as quickly to follow an object. You wouldn't use a spotting scope to follow birds in flight or at a football match. Grab your binoculars for those! Close up views of scenery, nesting birds or whale watching from onshore locations are ideal for spotting scopes.
Whale migration up the NSW coast. Image via ABC
Humpback Whales migrate up the east Australia coastline from their winter feeding grounds near Antarctic waters towards warmer conditions from May onwards. The greatest numbers heading north are seen from June to July.
You can watch their travels from many points overlooking the water right up and down the coast. Keeps a look out for reports of whales from the news or social media! You might be lucky enough for a group to close enough to the shore to see them even without a pair of binoculars, but a spotting scope is ideal to get up close to them even when they're a bit out to sea.
Breaking news - new Celestron Telescopes
Announced last night are the new Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" and 10" Dobsonian telescopes. These use the proven the StarSense technology to quickly locate astro objects in the night sky. We don't have pricing or details of Australian availability yet. As soon as we do, they'll be placed on the BINTEL website and our social media.
Sky-Watcher and ZWO Stock updates
We announced the new Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI mount in our last newsletter and it's generated a huge amount of interest. In fact, our first allocation from Sky-Watcher quickly sold out and we're now taking orders for July delivery.
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi Computerised mount
ZWO Delays. You've now doubt read in the news about the COVID outbreaks in China and the efforts of the authorities to get on top of it. Astronomy camera and accessories maker, ZWO, are located just south of Shanghai where lockdowns are extremely strict. This impacted on the already-stretched supply of their cameras, autofocusers and the popular astronomy computer, the ZWO ASIAIR. ZWO products are still arriving on a regular basis, not just in the quantities we'd all like to see. If you're after a ZWO product that we're showing as being out of stock, drop us a message and we'll pre-order it for you. This will make sure you receive it when ZWO stock does arrive.
Milky Way Season - exciting news!
A new star tracker mount is on the way.
The annual winter spectacle of the glowing centre of the Milk Way being overhead all night is just around the corner. It's the perfect time for taking astro photos and your DSRL camera plus a star tracker mount. We'll be covering options for star tracker mounts that start from just $399. There will also be details of a high end, fully computerised star tracker mount from a new supplier that's one of the most game changing astro gizmos we've seen in a long time.
Stay tuned!
Image by Adam Williams posted to the BINTEL Society Facebook group
