Binoculars? Scope? What vision-enhancer do you favor?

[sgtdraino]

EDIT: POLL IS UP!

Aside from corrective lenses (which obviously you would have), what do you think are the two most important vision-enhancing items you would keep in/with your personal gear?

ORIGINAL POST:

This will eventually be a poll, but for the time being I wanted to get everbody's favorites. Don't want to leave anything out!

If you were going to be out in the field for an extended period of time, with access only to what you can carry, what (if anything) would you bring to enhance your vision? For those listing more than one, which one do you regard as most important?

Different options (off the top of my head):

Binoculars
Monocular
Telescope
Spotting Scope
Rifle Scope
Night Vision
Nothing

What do you guys like?

[Rick]

Well, enhanced vision has to include:

reading glasses/contacts (rx and otc)
magnifying lense

Unless you are just concerned about distance vision. I can't see anything up close if it's small. Reading a map can be a problem depending on the size of the print.

[Camp10]

It depends on what I am out for the extended period of time for. If I am hunting, I have a scope on my rifle and a pair of binoculars around my neck. If I am hiking/camping, my camera's zoom is usually adequate.

[tipacanoe]

In Maine, same as Camp, if I was out west it would be a spotting scope vs. the binoculars (10X42). I wish my rifle had iron sights along with the scope.

[Rick]

Good call, Camp. I forgot about my camera but that's usually it. And glasses. And a magnifying lens. And a yell to my wife for help.

[huskymill]

if i won the loto i might consider one of these
http://www.nightvisionus.com/Thermal...nThermalSystem

although you can get a new car for about the same price lol

[ATough]

depends on my trip but i usually pack a mono for its size and quick sighting. gets the job done.

[DOGMAN]

For me, I like a good set of bino's, a nice spotting scope and a good rifle scope. I will often watch a mountainside for hours looking at wildlife...i will do a naked eye scan first, then a more detailed scan with the bino's until I find something interesting...then focus on it and really observe with the spotting scope.
A nice high powered spotting scope is very important if your hunting trophy class animals in big country...you can save yourself a lot of walking with a spotting scope- you can find stuff with the bino's...but with a nice spotter you can make out the size of the animal and really judge them from afar, and then make the decision to move-in or not. Quality optics are a very important tool for the serious hunter/wildlife watcher

[pete lynch]

It depends on what I'm doing.
I have a small 8x21 monocular in my canoe bag and two sets of binoculars for everything else:
A 10x50 Nikon for my truck and to take on hikes and a 20x80 Orion set for spotting, star watching, etc.
Like others have mentioned, I use the zoom feature on my digital camera, too.

[lucznik]

As already mentioned, eyeglasses are the start and the most important element of my vision-enhancing optics.

As to the more "sporting" kinds of glass...

I keep a small 8x25 binocular in my pocket pretty much all day, everyday - there are just too many opportunities to look at stuff that I don't want to miss.

When I am actually going somewhere with the intention of looking at/for something, then I replace the mini-binocular with a larger 8x42 binocular.

When hiking and/or hunting I pack a 15-30x50 spotting scope and a small tripod.

In my vehicle and/or in camp I keep a 20-60x80 ED spotting scope and a subsequently larger tripod.

With my DSLR I keep a selection of different lenses, including a 400mm prime lens. However, I generally consider all of these lenses to be rather poor substitutes for the more powerful optics listed above - at least for "glassing" purposes.

On some, though not all, of my rifles I will have a riflescope. Mine are all, generally speaking, in the 3-9x40-ish range. As an aside, I feel compelled to point out that riflescopes are strictly for aiming at previously-identified, acceptable targets/game animals. They are never to be used for "glassing," "spotting," or "trophy identification and/or evaluation" purposes.


Like Dogman, I will often spend many hours staring through glass in an attempt to locate and evaluate game animals. I believe that quality sporting optics are some of the most critically important tools for ensuring hunting success as well as for just generalized enjoyment of the backcountry.

[rwc1969]

Scopes aren't really needed where I'm at. There aren't too many wide open spaces.

I do use a scope, 3-9X50 on my air rifle, and 3-9X40 on my mini-30. I'm planning on removing the scope from the mini and possibly the air rifle too.

I do have sevearl small pairs of binos which I never use.

the one thing I like about a scope is it's ability to see thru brush. Works good for hunting wabbits.

[SARKY]

Obviously terrain is the key. In thick cover, high power glass really isn't of much use.
Low to medium power (a varible scope) works quite well for gathering detail on a critter hiding in the brush.
In open terrain high power glass is more useful as getting close without being spotted would be more difficult.
I like 1.5-5 and 2.5-10 scopes for close in spaces for open spaces I prefer a 4-16 or a 6-24 power scope.
Now I really would like a night vision scope the kind that sits in front of your every day scope.

[DOGMAN]

optics aren't just for wide open spaces. If you spend some time really looking through a good set of bino's into thick trees, deadfall, bush, etc... you will be blown away at how much more game you'll see. A really, really good set of bino's can help you make the distinction between an animals ear, and a leaf at a couple of hundred yards...

Good optics are like a "super power" if used correctly you can see stuff you'd never have seen with the naked eye

[canid]

i wonder: does anybody make a monocular/spotting scope with interchangeable object and ocular lenses?

that might be handy. you could have one scope with a couple of readily swapped lenses and have a wide range of magnification, depth and width of field.

[lucznik]

i wonder: does anybody make a monocular/spotting scope with interchangeable object and ocular lenses?

Lots of spotting scopes, including almost all high-end scopes, come with the ability to change eyepieces (what, I believe, you are terming ocular lenses). The added versatility can, indeed, be very useful.

There is no scope that I'm aware of that allows any kind of interchangeability of the objective lens. I would doubt you could accomplish this little task as the positioning of so much of the rest of the scope's insides (prisms, housings, etc.) is somewhat dependant upon the size of the objective lens - as is the overall size of the scope itself.

[canid]

the optics in my microscope are of a comparable level of precision, and interchanging the lenses presents no problem.

in a spotting scope, as long as the erector is fixed i can't see there being a problem.

[Camp10]

the optics in my microscope are of a comparable level of precision, and interchanging the lenses presents no problem.

in a spotting scope, as long as the erector is fixed i can't see there being a problem.

How weather tight can you make that kind of system? A spotting scope is nitrogen charged with multi coated lenses to keep it from fogging up from the inside when it is subjected to the different temps and elements. I'm not saying it wouldnt work but I dont know the construction of a microscope well enough to know if it would.

[sgtdraino]

What do you guys think of quick-detachable scope mounts, that would (I would think) enable your rifle scope to be removed and used independently, and then put back on and immediately ready for action?

I've just begun to look into these, I'd be interested to hear more about them.

[oldsoldier]

Hmmmmm............? good question I/we have everything from compact 8X21 tasco Bino's up to and including a telescope that you can darn near see the rocks on the moon, inbetween a couple of monoculars, a spotting scope, 4-5 pairs of bino's scopes on all my rifles except my M4 including a "sniper" scope on my barrett. Favorite???? No particular favorite...... What I use depends on what I'm doing, You know the correct tool for............

[kyratshooter]

If you were going to be out in the field for an extended period of time, with access only to what you can carry,

When will it ever end?

What is an extended period of time? If it is more than two days why have you not gotten in out of the rain yet?

My God does everyone have to carry a book to Alcatraz?

If I go somewhere it will probably be in my Jeep. If I can't drive I do not go because I'm not carrying my whole life on my back. Been there, did that, have not mentally recovered from it in 35 years!

The contents of the Jeep include:

20-60 spotting scope
8x minibonoculars
.22 w/3-9x40 scope

You guys would like the Jeep, it carries a lot and keeps you dry in the rain.