First binocular
Do you remember your first binocular? Not too tough if you are young, but when you are eligible for senior citizen status, like me, you may have to reach far back in the old memory banks. In my case, though, I remember that binocular quite well. I was a freshman in college and had worked all summer in various part-time jobs, so, with a pocket (okay, small, pocket) full of money, I headed to the nearest camera store.
The clerk was a guy I knew from high school and though we never dated, he and I were on good terms. I’m not sure why he grabbed a Leitz binocular, first and handed it to me, but I suspect he was being paid on commission or maybe his boss was watching. Naturally, I was very impressed with the Leitz (later to be known as Leica binoculars), but the price tag was a lot bigger than my small cache of money and not in the budget of a college student.
I settled for something far more modest in a Tasco 10x40 binocular, which was serviceable, or so I judged, based on my limited experience and expertise with binoculars. That Tasco binocular did, indeed, prove to be quite serviceable, and more than adequate to start my career as a serious birder and binocular astronomy addict. It lasted for many years, only to bite the dust when my brother-in-law dropped it when I let him take to a football game. I sent it back to Tasco and they offered to repair it for the very reasonable price of thirty dollars, but by then, I had my eye on more expensive binoculars.
Is there a moral to this story? I think so. It proves that you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a first birding binocular or first astronomy binocular. Truly, I hate to see anyone, especially a young person, balk at trying their hand at bird watching or astronomy because they have been convinced it cost too much.
CE Webster: 8:53 AM )