Adjusting Your Scope
Getting your vision in sync with your scope is kind of like going to the eye doctor, except a lot more fun. The beautiful thing is that you can do it even if you don't wear glasses. The focus adjustment on your scope is similar to that machine optometrists use to check your prescription¡ªif you turn it one way, the power gets stronger and, if you turn it the other way, the power gets weaker. Follow the simple steps below to adjust your scope:
? Loosen the eyepiece lock ring (if applicable).
? Rotate the eyepiece in the negative direction (check your scopes owners manual).
? Look through the scope toward the sky, or at a white wall about 10¡¯ away.
? Rotate the eyepiece clockwise until the reticle appears sharp and black at a quick glance.
? Don¡¯t look into the scope as you turn the eyepiece, as your eye will adjust to the out-of-focus condition.
? Glancing through the scope will reveal the reticle as distinctive and black when it is properly focused.
? Lock the eyepiece in place by tightening the lock ring.
Caring for a Zeiss Scope
Rifle scopes are self-contained units with "no user serviceable parts" inside. With proper care and mounting, your Zeiss scope should last a lifetime, unless your drop yours down a ravine or run over it with your truck.
The unique internal seals and special lubricants in your scope maintain a dry gas atmosphere that prevents foggy lenses in any conditions. You don't need to slather them with lubricants or squirt solvents into their intimate parts to preserve mechanical function.
Birding Scope Basics
Birding scopes fall generally into two groups: dedicated birding scopes and astronomical scopes that have been adapted for terrestrial or birding use.
Rugged and well sealed against water, dust and weather, dedicated Zeiss birding scopes are designed for heavy field use. Many are waterproof, with their focus mechanism and prisms protected inside the scope body. Astronomical scopes often have their erecting prisms and focusing mechanisms outside the scope body, allowing you to customize the back end.
Instead of using prisms, as most birding scopes do, with the inevitable loss of brightness and resolution that results when light passes through the prisms, you can replace the prisms with a 90 degree diagonal mirror and get better image quality. The eyepiece will then look down at a 90 degree angle into the scope. The picture will be right side up but reversed left to right. Note that astronomical telescopes tend to be somewhat fragile, and they need to be protected from the elements.