Here Come The Holiday Binos!

I am glad that I spent a childhood wrestling polar bears and rattlesnakes - it prepared me for the difficulties I face getting the staff at Camera Electronic to pose for advertising shots. It's not that they are fierce, or poisonous, or hairy, but they are getting awfully wary these days. I have had to change my approach from lighthearted fun to dire threats. But I did succeed in getting two of the sales staff to show off this holiday season's binoculars. That's them at the bridge of the ship. Camera Electronic has always had little binoculars for sale - our founder, Ron Frank, liked them and always said that they were a good seller. And he was always right. Over the years I worked behind the counter we always had some form of small binocular from one or other of the makers; Tasco, Bushnell, etc. for sale most of the time. We have always had the Leica binoculars as well, but they are in another optical league altogether - the subject of today's column is the minor players. These little Konus binoculars are sitting on our front counter for $ 49. That's the sort of price that this sort of instrument has been for the last decade - it is a price that brings a solidly made product but is still reasonable for many users. And you can use the dollar you get back as change to pay the parking meter out the front and stave off the grey ghosts... The people who benefit most with these little field glasses are farmers, shooters, fisherfolk, casual racegoers, tourists, and sports fans. Also parents and grandparents, for a different reason. The binos come in a padded bag that you can chuck into a purse, a suitcase, or the glovebox of a ute. They will bounce around in there and survive until you have that moment when you just need to see if there are roos in the top paddock, or whether your racehorse has bolted off the track. If you are a casual birder*, these are casual binos - all you need are casual birds. They are ideal for sports carnivals or a trip to the observation platform at the airport. And if you are tourist in Whambamalam, none of the local pickpockets will bother to steal them. Parents and grandparents can fill kid's stockings with these and score high on cool points - they are neither big enough nor expensive enough to require you to hover over the kids as they use them. No wonder we have always cleared the counter every holiday season - and had to get more from the storeroom. No wonder Ron was right all those years ago... * Serious birders should gravitate to the Leica Boutique stands in Murray Street and Stirling Street. The staff will be delighted to talk about serious binoculars for serious money. And that's one serious bird there at the Jurong Bird Park...