It’s happened to both avid birder and the casual nature-lover alike: out on a walk, something is spotted in the distance, reaching for your binocular you hope to identify the suspect, but it’s just too far away, and it remains a grey speck on the horizon. It’s in this moment that we all realize the limitations to fixed magnification optics. Each person has a personal preference they swear by—8x, 10x, and for the steady-handed, perhaps a 12x—but ultimately what is at stake when out in the field, either hoping to spot a rare bird or the local robin, is that we are all at the mercy of mother nature. Will we be close enough?
What if I told you there’s a solution to this problem? The spotting telescope. With a zoom eyepiece of up to 25x-60x magnification, your range is increased drastically. The telescope is a mammoth upgrade in terms of magnification, and more notably it also comes with a larger objective lens, thus gathering more light, making the image crisper and brighter. Sounds good, doesn’t it? So why, you might be asking, isn’t everyone walking around with a telescope? The quick answer is weight. Telescopes are normally larger than binoculars, and because of their extreme magnification they also require stabilisation through means of a tripod, further adding weight. But the more nuanced explanation I might argue would be the price. Something that optically powerful is going to cost me, right?
Wrong.
Here at Viking Optical we make our business by providing state-of-the-art, up-to-date, and cutting-edge optics for an affordable price. While most telescopes from name brands begin around the multi-thousand-pound mark, our Viking telescopes never eclipse £500. Our wide range of kit gives you the option to go small with a 50mm objective lens, an in-between size at 65mm, or the ability to go big with the 80mm objective lens. Each size is also offered with or without extra-low dispersion (ED) glass depending on how much you would like to spend, allowing for a variety of price ranges. At our most affordable price one quality telescope starts at only £159.95.
At the high end of our range, the most powerful telescope is the Viking Swallow ED 80mm kit. This spotting telescope comes with dielectric coated prisms, providing sharp clarity and exceptional light gathering power. Its polycarbonate body is a robust, fully waterproof, nitrogen filled, weather-tested design that retains a portable and light weight. And the stay on case, included with the purchase, grants even further protection from the elements. The dual focus wheel demonstrates our dedication to cutting-edge design by allowing you to rack focus over vast distances in seconds with one dial, and then fine-tune your image focus with the other dial. Back all of this up with a 10-year guarantee, and you might find it hard to argue with our telescope which offers a similar quality in optics to our not-so-similarly priced counterparts.
Use this telescope and other variations from Viking to never again be at the mercy of mother nature. With an abundant range of magnification that grey speck on the horizon just might become an osprey, a kite, or even an eagle. Either way, you won’t miss it. or you can find our selection of telescopes, including the Viking Swallow ED 80mm on our website.
