Using Vortex Razor Binoculars to Turn Birdwatching into a Sport

Aug 27
08:28

2010

Mikhail Orlov

Mikhail Orlov

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Have you heard of "high impact adventure birding"? This new trend may not catch on, but it is fascinating to see how the advancements in optical technologies clash with new cultural trends to create activities previously unheard of. Binoculars and spotting scopes have been around for a long time, but as the technologies evolve - so do the ways humans use them.

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"Turning on my X ray vision." My wacky friend,Using Vortex Razor Binoculars to Turn Birdwatching into a Sport Articles Jason, leaned out of my pickup, pulling out his Vortex Razor Binoculars, scanning the field before I even parked. He's the craziest birdwatcher that I've ever met.  I know, I know, birding's not exactly the kind of activity where you'd find unusual people. But Jason's taken the sport and turned it into something that he calls, "high impact adventure birding." What does that mean? He makes bird watching into an athletic competition. First, he's always running between birding sites. He says it's like aerobic golf.

His Vortex Razor Binoculars are about as close to superhuman vision as one can get. They take advantage of the latest engineering and high-definition glass technology to deliver incredible natural color distinction, even in the dim light of dusk or dawn. The details they bring out make bird watching amazing. And though they're not giving him X ray vision, he might as well be a superhero, what with the views they give him.

We get into the field and he runs for a small tree in the middle. I run after him, no easy feat what with the brush grabbing my boots. When I join him, he's hunkered down at the ground and he's scanning the field. "You sense it? That itching on your eyebrow? There's a Cape May warbler here for sure." Enthusiasm in his gullet, he proceeds to do his bird calls. He can puff up his neck and trill like a grackle, and I've seen him strut through the underbrush with both hands in front of his face, flapping his fingers and getting a real warbling mourning dove cry.

I settle next to him and bring out my own Razor. The ArmorTek advanced-performance multilayered lens coating gives me the best image I've ever seen in a pair of binoculars. And I'm going to be able to go all day with Jason, my Razor is beautifully balanced and the multi-positioned eyecups reset quickly, making it a very comfortable pair of binoculars. Its got long eye relief, and through argon gas purging, is fully waterproof and fog-proof. The 8x42 is only 29.4 oz and has a 410 ft. field of view at 1000 yards. This rugged binocular will last me a lifetime.

We're in luck. There's the Cape May warbler. The songbird glides into a tree, and with my Razor I can see all the details. The yellow on the rump, the streaks on its back, the yellow almost-ring around its throat. Jason glances at me from the flared eyecups of his 8.5x50 Razor and adjusts his digital camera, mounting it to his eyepiece. His Razor, with its extra size in the objective and extra power in the magnification, really pulls in the details. Patented multi-layered lens and prism coatings give unmatched image quality. The XD glass brings truer color and detailing while the phase corrected roof prism surfaces are expertly cut, polished, and silver-coated. Only Vortex Razor Binoculars could produce the refined color and high definition images to catch the gloss of fear and surprise that lurks in the eyes of his subjects. You can tell that those birds aren't used to seeing too many wacky guys.