Wednesday, May 22, 2019

A Survey of the Most Popular Birding Optics

The Swarovski Optik SLC 8x42 Binoculars
The Canon EF 400mm Telephoto Lens
The Canon EF 100-to-400mm Zoom Lens

Considering that he just spent a week surrounded by considerable numbers of birders from across the country, and from the heartland of the Midwest, we thought it would be interesting to ask our Editor, Paul Konrad, what appeared to be the most popular optics among birders attending The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival, especially including the people birding around the infamous Magee Marsh boardwalk during the peak of spring migration.

Among the hundreds of binoculars in use, Paul reported that it seemed that Swarovski binoculars were noticeably the favorites. We found this interesting because Swarovski Optik’s models tend to be among the highest quality optics, and they are among the more expensive binoculars. This was revealing in that it indicates that birders who are serious enough to attend a popular birding festival and spend time in the field among throngs of migrating warblers and other songbirds are willing to invest in the finest level of binoculars.

Paul thought that more than 90 percent of birders were using roof-prism models, which appear to be highly preferred over porro-prism binoculars. The least utilized models of binoculars used by birders in the area were compact binoculars – Paul estimated only 1 percent of birders were using compact binoculars, and that includes children and youth birders. Konrad added that he was impressed with the young birders he encountered, for their enthusiasm, and the quality of their binoculars and cameras.

According to Paul, it was even more obvious that most cameras in use by birders were Canon models – perhaps as high as four out of five cameras in use were Canons. That trend was likewise true for lenses – Canon telephoto and zoom lenses definitely outnumbered other lenses in use along the boardwalk by far.

Between the two camera lens types, Paul thought zoom lenses probably outnumbered fixed magnification telephoto lenses, but not by much. The two favorite models in use were clearly the Canon EF 100-to-400mm zoom lens and the Canon EF 400mm f5.6 telephoto lens.

While our questions for Paul do not suggest a true optics survey, we thought it was interesting to share some impressions from the field. The next time you are birding at a popular location, take a look at other birders’ optics and, if possible, ask a few questions. They may even offer to let you take a look for a moment. You never know, someone may ask you about your optics too. It’s all a part of the fun of social birding.

For more information about Swarovski Optik binoculars and other optics, see https://www.swarovskioptik.com/birding/slc-42-c21010301/slc-8x42-p5068621#

And to check out the Canon lenses mentioned, refer to https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/lenses/ef/super-telephoto/ef-400mm-f-5-6l-usm/ef-400mm-f5-6l-usm

and

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/lenses/ef/telephoto-zoom/ef-100-400mm-f-4-5-5-6l-is-usm/ef-100-400mm-f4-5-5-6l-is-usm