Alpen 20-60x80 Spotting Scope Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Solid construction. Image is bright and resolution excellent at 20mm to roughly 40mm, falls off from that point on but is still decent at 60mm. Eye relief is good, but I wish the rotating eye cups had detents that would hold them in place at various extensions. I'm used to ring-type focusing mechanisms, such as those on DSLR camera lenses, so it took me a while to get used to using the Alpen's focusing knob. It isn't as fast as a focusing ring, but once I got accustomed to it, I found focusing to be easy and precise. Plus, unlike a ring focusing mechanism, it is easy to use with a soft support, such as a bean bag. This is a big scope, so you really need something solid on which to mount it. The table-top tripod that comes with the scope is usable in circumstances where you have a reasonably flat surface on which to place it, but if you're in the field you'll probably need a full-size tripod. (I haven't tried it on a monopod.) One nice feature is the rotating tripod ring, which allows you to rotate the body of the scope without changing the aiming point. Obviously, top end scopes from Swarovski and Leica will outperform this scope, particularly at the far end of the zoom range. But then, those scopes cost on the order of 7-8 times as much. This may be the best scope at its price point, and other reviewers have noted that it outperforms some "big name" scopes that cost 2-3 times as much.

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This Alpen 20-60x80 zoom spotting scope KIT includes the full size 80mm waterproof and fogproof spotting scope with 45 degree eye piece.The zoom magnification provides nice field of view at 20x and super close up viewing at 60x.The retractable sun shade helps reduce glare and the BAK4 multi-coated optics deliver a bright crisp image.The 45 degree eye piece design can be adjusted to any viewing position by simply loosening the adjustment collar on the center of the body to fit any situation. Comes with a micro adjustable horizontal - vertical table top tripod and durableattractive aluminum foam filled case.Backed by Alpen's lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.The spotting scope was awarded Great Buy as seen in Outdoor Life magazine's gear test issue.

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Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF VR Nikkor Zoom Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Well, I finally got my D700 and have had it for about a week now so I wanted to put up some initial impressions of the pros and cons from an experienced amateur's perspective (been taking photos for almost 15 years now, but I wouldn't consider myself in any way a professional).
From the pro side:
I am VERY pleased with the full-frame CCD. Before this camera, I had the D100 and was happy with it, but always was a bit annoyed that my Nikon lenses were converted by the different size of the CCD. Now that I'm back to 35mm, I feel like the SLR acts a lot more like my old N90s. My favorite lens, the 85mm 1.4 produces astoundingly beautiful shots with increadibly shallow depth of field. I'm in heaven.
On the whole, the features I've used so far have been quite impressive. At normal ISOs the quality is just outstanding. I don't think I've ever seen digital pictures with this level of detail period. This said, what really impressed me was the 6400 ISO. I've played around with a number of digital cameras over the years and I don't think I've ever seen a camera that can produce the kinds of low-light images that the D700 does. The noise is so unbeleavably low that I am just floored.
I've been using a 16gb Sandisk Extreme memory card and have been very impressed with the write-speed of the camera. On RAW quality imaged, I can get 800+ shots to the memory card and the transfer rate to the computer is excellent considering the size of the files. Shooting speed is also excellent. I do mostly portraits, but when I do candids I do find myself shooting multiple shots in succession and the D700 performs wonderfully. It does make me curious as to how much faster the D3 is, but I can't imagine it being that much faster.
Some minor gripes (I would discount 1/2 star for these if I could, but rather than rating the camera at a 4, I'm giving it a 5 because I am very happy with it).
1. The live-view is somewhat odd in the way that it works. I was hoping that the camera would lift the mirror and then basically become like an average point-and-shoot. It doesn't really work that way and frankly, makes me appreciate the view-finder all the more. The instructions to get the live-view to work are somewhat complex (it isn't just a switch, you also have to go into menus, make selections, and then depress the shutter button half-way each time you take a picture in order to activate the live-view every time). It is a nice option for when you can't look through the viewfinder easily, but definitely not for all-the-time-use.
2. Software compatibility has some quirks. It seems to me that my Cannon worked with XP and Photoshop right out of the box, whereas with this camera I had to go to Nikon's website and download Codecs in order to get my computer to recognize RAW images... also... why does Nikon insist on calling RAW images NEF files? Seems to add a layer of complexity that is just unecessary. Another odd thing is a note on Photoshop's (Adobe's) website which tries to let consumers know that Nikon and Adobe are "comitted to working together" but actually seems to have the opposite effect given the tinkering that is necessary in order to get NEF files recognized. That said, now that I've got it all set up properly, it works fine and I'm very happy.
Summary: Seems to pack all the bang of the D3, but at a nice savings. Definitely not cheap, but you get what you pay for and it is very nice to be putting my Nikon lenses to good use. Picture detail and quality is through the roof, impressive low-light sensitivity. Full-frame CCD is awesome. Camera feels great in the hand, solid construction, good menus, dials, buttons, etc. all feel great.


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The Nikon D700 SLR Digital Camera brings professional imaging with a full frame image sensor to a lightweight yet durable camera body. It features the exclusive 12.1 Megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, measuring 23.9 x 36mm, which is nearly identical to the size of a 35mm film frame - thereby eliminating any significant crop factor or focal length multiplier.

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