Vortex Razor HD scope

WOW, all of the lengthy searching, scrutinizing and reading on the web, led us to Eagle Optics and the Vortex Razor! Not a moment's regret!

Our first experience with a scope..and the wonders it provides. Who would have thought the best part would be sharing with anyone passing us along the trail. Either they want to know about our scope and where to buy it, or there are gasps as people view a beautiful bird they had never seen close up!

Our digital photography is progressing slowly with the scope...fortunately the spotting of a Kirtlands Warbler and a Purple Galinule (very rare in Ohio)...has more than made up for it!

We could not be happier with our Vortex Scope!

EO Newsletter: Selecting a Tripod!

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Pentax Papilio

From Lynne in Vermont: I recently purchased the Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 binoculars to use on a car trip that my husband I just took to Atlantic Canada from Vermont. From my online research/consumer reviews I was leaning toward purchasing the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 Binoculars, and found them on the Eagle Optics website for $119. However, I decided for $10 more to purchase the 8.5x21 model. The package arrived in a few days, so before our trip I tried them out to watch birds in our yard and deer visiting our pond. I was impressed with the clarity of the view, and the compact, lightweight design. On our trip we used them to view whales in the Bay of Fundy off Campobello Island, to spot eagles soaring over Saint John, NB and enjoy closeups of ships in Halifax harbor and lighthouses along the rocky, wave swept South Shore of Nova Scotia. What a great purchase! I highly recommend the Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 binoculars. Good quality at an affordable price.

New Specials!

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Manfrotto 701HDV tripod head

From JLF in Pasadena:

Amazingly light for its size. It's a bit stiffer than my old 3130 head but not to the point of being any sort of problem and likely will loosen a bit with use. Tilting and panning is very smooth and build quality is excellent.

The mounting plate attaches very securely to the scope (in fact if your scope accepts both 1/4" and 3/8" mounting screws you can use both of them for a very secure mount). Both mounting screws are fully adjustable forward and backward. There's also a pin at the front of the plate which holds your scope securely whether you use one or both mount screws.

The mount plate also slides forward and back until you lock it so you can perfectly balance your spotting scope. Manfrotto just keeps getting better.

Atlas Optics Sky King 8x42

From Terri in Oklahoma City: I purchased these binoculars on behalf of my office coworkers for a retirement gift for a friend who is interested in birdwatching. I did try these (to make sure they worked, of course) and they were excellent viewing quality and very easy and quick to focus. My personal binoculars are not very good quality, and I plan on buying a pair of these for myself. My friend who was the gift recipient was also thrilled with the quality.

Bushnell Natureview 10x42

While these are generally a good pair of binoculars, beware of the weight stated by most retailers, which is based on Bushnell's INCORRECT marketing specification. The Natureview 10 x 42 roof prism binoculars (221042) are shown as weighing 652g (23oz), on a great many Internet websites, but this information is WRONG. The Natureview 10 x 42 binoculars (221042) actually weigh around 730g (26oz), about 75g (3oz) more than stated. This is quite significant when they are hanging around your neck, or in use for any length of time. It is surprising and disappointing that Bushnell should issue such a misleading specification

Pentax Papilio 8.5x21

From a customer in Arizona: The Pentax Papilio binocular I recently purchased have more than lived up to my expectations. Originally purchased for close up views of lizards, I have been having fun with close ups of spiders, arthropods, birds and butterflies. It is now so much easier to identify each because of so many details I was unable to see previously with binoculars. I would recommend this product to any one that needs extreme close up views.

Fujinon 14x40 IS

After begging, borrowing, reading, and much research into stabilization binoculars, I had all but decided upon a pair of these Fujinon Techno-Stabi 14x40 Binos........ UNTIL I researched the warranty period of the various available models and brands. It seems Fujinon has enough faith in their regular line of glasses to offer limited lifetime warranties, but only provides a cheesy one year warranty with these. To me, that did not present any degree of reliability if the maker itself had no more faith in their own product than to undercut their own warranty period in comparison to their other products. Fujinon glasses are excellent optically, but such a poor warranty offering in their IS range turned me away from purchasing.

Atlas Optics Intrepid ED

From Mary Lou in Massachusetts:

I am notorious for only buying brand name equipment. So it was amazing that I ordered the Atlas Optics Intrepid. After receiving an email from Eagle Optics about how popular this set of binoculars was, I read all of the (many) reviews. They were so overwhelmingly positive that I took a chance, and I am so glad I did. These are by far the best binoculars I have ever had, worth twice the price. They put my former Pentax and Nikon binocs (bought at approximately the same price) to shame. I can't say enough about the light and field of vision. I don't find the focusing speed a problem at all (I'm a birder). I highly recommend these binoculars!!

Pentax CS 8x42

From Ron in Texas:

The Pentax CS 8x42 binoculars were purchased for a research project that required days of extensive hiking over rugged terrain. I chose the Pentax CS for their light weight, wide field of view and my own experience with Pentax products.

Two design flaws have come to light. First, the two intermediate eye cup detents are quite shallow, although my limited testing at these adjustments did not cause the eyecups to collapse. With the long eye relief, most people will use the eyecups fully extended, where the eyecups lock solidly. Second, the diopter adjustment, located just behind the focus knob, has no markings outside of center. This clip stop adjustment, while not a locking type, stays in place.

The CS focus from about 6 feet to infinity takes 1 1/4 turns, with good resistance. Nearly a full turn of the total rotation focuses from 12 feet down to the minimum. Depth of field, as compared to several other 8X bins, is quite good. The IP distance adjusts from 54mm to 74mm. These bins focus counter clockwise from close to distant. The light weight and fine balance make these bins a pleasure to hold even for long sessions. These bins work wonderfully with eyeglasses.

I could detect no chromatic aberrations or noticeable distortions. Contrast and color fidelity are excellent. The Pentax CS binoculars produce sharp, bright and vivid images across the entire field.

The Pentax 8x42 CS are impressive binoculars, which hold up in comparison to far pricier bins, even my Zeiss 8x42 FLs. Solid construction, great warranty, excellent optics and light weight make this binocular a best buy and highly recommended. These binoculars will see lots of field time.