Ditto everything John notes here--except that I still have the larger  
model because the smaller ones came out AFTER I bought it and can't  
justify the replacement expense---this decade.

One other point:  the original inquirer indicated he was looking at  
Zeiss, so I kept my comments relative to the high end brands, BUT, I  
started with a KOWA.  I picked it because I felt it was plenty  
quality for my skill level and it fit the budget.  Only after my  
skills improved dramatically (thanks to its use) did I begin to lust  
and drool over higher priced models.

Simply put, not everyone needs a top of the line top dollar scope (or  
binoculars) at every stage of birding.  Working up through the  
options was fun--a way of rewarding myself when I knew I had improved  
enough to warrant the additional expense and quality.

Edge Wade
Columbia, MO
[log in to unmask]
On Jun 2, 2006, at 1:32 PM, John and Nancy Solodar wrote:

> One more aspect of spotting scopes to consider is whether or not  
> you plan to
> travel with it.   We travel on airplanes with ours quite a bit.    
> Because of
> this and the desire to keep down weight and size we opted for the  
> smaller of
> a major manufacturer's newer scopes.   The optical capabilities  
> between the
> two were not that great so we gave up a bit of light gathering  
> ability for
> the convenience of much easier transportation.    Generally we pack  
> our
> tripod surrounded with jackets in a duffle bag that is checked and  
> put our
> scope in a backpack that we carry onto the plane.
>
>
> John Solodar
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
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