Great Optics for Sports
Christmas is upon us and the holiday shopping season is in full swing as are the high school football championships and before you know it it’s college bowl time. A great gift for the avid sports fans might be some great optics such as binoculars or a spotting scope. There is nothing like a great piece of glass to really keep track of the game on the field especially if your seats are really far away from the action. When I am out in the stands as opposed to the field taking action photos, I usually carry either a pair of Swarovski 10x50s or Leica 7x42s.
When I am out in the woods trying to shoot some wildlife, I also pack along a Swarovski spotting scope. My personal inventory also includes a lightweight pair of Leica 8×20 binoculars. There are many good brands out there, but it’s tough to beat great glass. If you want the best and your budget is amenable, I would go with Leica, Swarovski or Zeiss. In the mid-range, my preferences are Steiner or Leupold. The aforementioned comments about glass are from personal experience using the products in the field from Florida to Alaska. Also, I personally own them all.
There are many places to buy really good optics, but few carry a really wide selection. One site I just ran across Optics Planet, which seems to have everything I just mentioned and more. It’s got a huge selection of the finest quality brand name binoculars, telescopes, sunglasses, goggles, prescription goggles, riflescopes, range finders, spotting scopes, flashlights, microscopes, and more! They even have holsters for the outdoorsman, who may carry a sidearm in certain places such as the wilds of Alaska where a grizzly may be just around the corner. If you need gift ideas for a die hard sports fan or a bird watcher, you may want to take a look and get a few ideas.
