spotting scopes

[captaincarot]

cheers for that cellarman.
looks like 2 of them aren't particularly good then.

can you remember what the problems were with them.
chromattic abberations, lack of brightness, spherical abbreations, degradation from internal reflections/ lack of baffling,

it's ok being technical with me as i studied optics the first time as part of my A level in physics, not to mention the stuff i studied while doing the physics degree.

looks like i'm off to buxton too then.

[Stevelphoto]

Once again, I would recommend the IS series over the MM2. A more rugged scope, and the recent ones are waterproof. I was speaking to a guy who used to work in a leading optics shop and has looked through 100's of scopes, and he was pretty sure the ED midget offered very little more over the standard model - unsuprising when you consider ED tends to only benefit over 30X, and these magnifications on a MM2 are going to be pretty dark. A HDF eyepiece alone will likely blow the budget of the thread starter.
I'm not going to refute what your eyes have told you about the brightness of scopes, although coatings tend to only help with transmission of a few % of lighting. In my experience, if at the same magnification, significantly bigger scopes are normally brighter. Sometimes that gets hidden under superior contrast, sharpness etc.
Of course, all of this is for you to decide captaincarot - only your eyes can decide

[captaincarot]

yes i could afford the eye piece or the scope but not both.
but when i get me business up and going properly in a few years, at the mo the choices are to pay the rent or other bills cos the money won't stretch to both, haha.

[Stevelphoto]

I reckon this will do you well if all else fails:
Opticron IS50 spotting scope with W/A Lens on eBay (end time 19-Jul-09 19:52:58 BST)

[Cellarman]

I can assure you that there is a significant difference between the standard and the ED MM2 - I've compared them side by side!

The IS scopes are not bad, but they are not as good optically as the ED MM2. One of the drawbacks of the IS scopes is the eyepieces that come with them are not particularly good and the better quality eyepieces either don't fit or need a (supplied) adapter which all makes for fiddly bits.

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with much that Stevelphoto says in his last post. I handle optical equipment all the time and have the chance to compare many different makes and sizes. I stand by what I say, the bigger scope doesn't necessarily mean a brighter image, and that's from MY experience of actually looking through them, not just hearsay.

[Stevelphoto]

Hi,

I did say in my last post that I can't refute what your eyes tell you. I'm speaking from experience too - except for the MM2/MM2 ED debate, whereby I was informed by a reputable birder.

The MM2's need the adaptor for an SDL eyepiece, just as the IS series need it for the HDF and SDL eyepieces, and the necessary adaptors are either supplied with the eyepiece or a few pounds. For me, the waterproofing and more rugged design of the IS series outweighs that disadvantage. I was very, very close to getting an IS60 once, but ended up with a 2ndhand Kowa Ts614 - a 60mm ED scope - because it came up at the same price as a new IS60 + e/p, or maybe even less, I can't quite remember now.
I think it helps reitterate the bang for your buck 2ndhand can give - by the time you buy a MM2 ED and a HDF eyepiece, you're probably talking £300-400, for which you can get a 60mm ED scope secondhand - provided you look in the right places and for long enough.

[aland]

I too have been toying with the idea of a scope for my wife she cannot get the hang of bin,s i do not know why, I did start a thread some months ago but it did not take off, Thanks for the help that i have just scavenged from your replies to captiancarrot, I may be able to sort some thing out, buying these thing is always it and miss and costly due to inexperience etc, aland