Remaining 12 months I bade farewell to an outdated good friend, or, to be extra actual, my much-loved Swarovski scope. Technically, it used to be an ATS 80 HD recognizing scope, along with 3 eyepieces, a 20x, 30x and a 25×50 wide-angle zoom; the latter used to be the lens I used maximum steadily.(The 20x wide-angle lens used to be nice in deficient gentle within the rain woodland.) I had owned the scope, from new, for 23 years, through which time it had travelled with me to 4 other continents and round 40 other nations. I’d be interesting to know the way many species of birds it used to be pointed at throughout its time with me, but it surely should had been neatly over 1,000.
My Swarovski ATS 80 HD, in motion on a rainy day in North Norfolk, August 2022 (looking at Bee-eaters)
Not like many recognizing scopes, it used to be by no means granted the luxurious of a zip-on duvet. It proved robust sufficient to take the numerous knocks and falls {that a} hard-used scope reviews throughout its lifetime. I’ve by no means somewhat understood why such a lot of other people wrap their scopes up in little jackets, (however nor do I perceive why it’s so standard to decorate canines up in coats, too, as they’re already wrapped in fur. Most likely it’s a elementary human want to decorate issues up.)
A couple of Sarus Cranes, digiscoped at Baratphur, India. The shot used to be keen on the Swarovski ATS 80 HD recognizing scope with 25×50 zoom (set at 25x), the use of a Panasonic DMC-T27 digicam
For a few years I used it for digiscoping, for I discovered {that a} compact Panasonic digicam fitted well into the 25×50 eyepiece so I used to be ready to get remarkably sharp pictures with out the desire for an adapter. As a bird-tour chief, the scope used to be an very important a part of my apparatus, and I changed into beautiful fast at getting it directly to far away birds in order that my shoppers may just see them, too. Chicken-tour main and severe images don’t combine (be cautious of any chief who turns up with a large digicam), but it surely used to be simple to take hold of a digiscoped image as soon as my shoppers had loved their view of the fowl. I were given my sharpest effects via by no means the use of the zoom at the digicam, most effective at the scope.
Prize-winner: my shot of a Wryneck, digiscoped in a Polish orchard
I seldom input photographic competitions, however for a few years the mag British Birds held an annual images festival. In later years it integrated a category for digiscoping which I entered a couple of instances. I used to be positioned 365 days with {a photograph} of little egrets, taken at Kerkini in Greece, whilst the next 12 months I gained the category with a shot of Wryneck, photographed in an orchard in Poland (above). There used to be a profitable money prize, which I spent on a sculpture of a swimming Otter – each time I take a look at it, it strikes a chord in my memory of taking pictures the Wryneck shot.
This Ctretzchmar’s Bunting used to be digiscoped in Cyprus
Digiscoping is a remarkably efficient approach of photographing far away birds, whilst the good fortune of my images mirrored the sharpness of the Swarovski scope. Alternatively, it does have its disadvantages, leader of which is the trouble of photographing flying birds. I attempted time and again with various levels of good fortune – the Dalmatian Pelicans (beneath) have been certainly one of my higher efforts. A a success digiscoped {photograph} additionally takes time to arrange, as it’s important to get the scope out, up and focussed, during which time your matter would possibly neatly have flown away. It used to be the arrival of light-weight, mirrorless cameras that noticed me in any case abandon digiscoping, whilst the Panasonic digicam I used didn’t have an excellent pixel rely.
I used to be steadily shocked on the high quality of my digiscoped pictures. This Slavonian (Horned) Grebe used to be photographed in Estonia
Digiscoping is excellent for taking pictures far away, cautious birds, equivalent to this Nice Bustard in Spain
I’d opted for an angled eyepiece at the Swarovski as I had discovered that angled scopes are a long way awesome when the scope is being seemed via via other people of various heights. It’s a lot more uncomplicated for a tall individual to bend down to appear via an angled scope than it’s for a brief individual to appear via a straight-through scope arrange for a six-footer. The Swarovski did have a sighting software to lend a hand pointing it at a goal, however I by no means used it. Quite a few apply ensured that I may just generally to find my fowl in no time.
Difficult, simple to make use of, nice optics – there wasn’t a lot to not like concerning the Swarovski except for something: it used to be heavy, tipping the scales at round 2000gm. It wanted a considerable tripod to enhance it. I used a Swarovski carbon fibre tripod with Swarovski fluid head, which labored neatly, however the mixed weight of the scope and tripod got here to greater than 4000gm (or about 9 kilos). I were given used to lugging it round, however the true downside used to be when I used to be travelling. I’m a professional at travelling gentle – I will be able to do 14 days in India with hand baggage most effective – however the weight of each scope and tripod merely took up an excessive amount of of my weight allowance.
Thus I used to be thrilled when, within the autumn of 2022, Swarovski got here up with the solution, a light-weight, compact shuttle scope. The ATC 17-40×56 gave the look to be precisely what I sought after. Because it used to be made via Swarovski I used to be assured that the optics could be terrific, whilst the burden of simply 970gm (2 kilos, 2 oz.) represented a big saving. There used to be just one hassle. Regardless of launching the brand new scope with a blaze of exposure, the scopes have been in such quick provide that it used to be virtually inconceivable to shop for one. Sooner or later I controlled to trace one down, however there used to be no collection of color, and it used to be burnt-orange or not anything. It now referred to as the Orange Peril.
Staring at Lesser Kestrels over Mértola, within the Portuguese Altentejo, March 2023
Now over a 12 months later I’ve come to like my orange scope, and given the selection, I’d most probably go for orange once more. Don’t question me why, but it surely’s a laugh to have one thing that isn’t black or an army colour of inexperienced, whilst the birds don’t appear to thoughts, both. Optically, it’s simply as excellent as I used to be anticipating, giving a superbly vivid symbol in maximum stipulations. Alternatively, at most zoom on a lifeless wintry weather day it’s now not so spectacular, however that’s rarely unexpected. I love the large center of attention wheel at the frame, whilst the zoom at the eyepiece works easily and simply. It is going to center of attention all the way down to 11ft, which is spectacular for a scope.
The Swarovski ATC recognizing scope, fixed on a SmallRig Variety fluid head
The ATC recognizing scope comes with a slightly curious plastic part shell which lets you use the scope, and not using a tripod, on a flat floor such because the shelf of a fowl conceal, and nonetheless use the focal point wheel. It’s a suave thought, however didn’t actually paintings for me, so the shell used to be got rid of and is extremely not likely to ever get used.
My one mistake, having purchased the scope, used to be not to get a brand new tripod, so to begin with I didn’t actually admire the burden saving. Previous this 12 months I purchased a five-section Sirui carbon tripod (an AT-125), with what is said as a snappy telescopic motion. It’s a suave and efficient design and weighs most effective 930gm, or simply over 2 kilos. I’ve now changed the ball head-on the Sirui with a a SmallRig Variety compact fluid head, a small however efficient piece of apparatus weighing simply 280gm. The combo of scope, head and tripod works actually neatly, and is unusually solid. There’s the approach to grasp a weight from the center pole of the tripod, which could be to hand when the use of it in a robust wind, however the small length of the scope signifies that it doesn’t get buffeted via the wind in the similar approach as a full-size telescope.
My outdated telescope as soon as spent an hour sitting, unattended, along side a Spanish street once I’d pushed off with out it. It used to be most effective once I stopped to scope an Orphean Warbler that I realised I had left it at the back of: there used to be an enormous surge of aid once I returned to seek out it the place I had left it. I can be doing my highest by no means to put out of your mind the Orange Peril, whilst the loss of weight signifies that it’s a excitement to hold, now not one thing I may just ever say concerning the outdated scope/tripod aggregate.