Review on 🐦 Celestron Hummingbird ED Micro Spotting Scope 9-27x56mm - Birder-Friendly Design with Close Focus Distance by David Perry

I really wanted this tiny scope to work. I'm a casual ornithologist in the Northeast looking for a little more detailed observation. I like to go for walks and don't carry too much gear with me. For reference, my binoculars are Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 (Zeiss mid-range). I like their image quality and small size (see thread here?). To me, this is a great balance of quality and value. I was looking for the same thing from a Hummingbird scope. While the Hummingbird 9-27x56mm gave me more options, I didn't find image quality that came close to Zeiss binoculars (although I'm fully aware of the price difference). Although the bird was larger/closer in size, it didn't help much in identifying new species. When looking into the bushes/roof shade, the picture was not very bright. With good light, I was able to take a closer look at the birds I already knew. While it was nice, if I want to pick up a scope, I wish it had given me more than my binoculars can offer. As I've read about many oscilloscopes, Hummingbird's image quality falls off at the top of the range. magnification scale. If I zoomed out a bit the picture would be much better, but it's not worth carrying around in my opinion. If I don't take it with me, then it's just not worth it. In general, the build quality matched the price. It was mostly plastic, including the tripod mount. It's not a knock, it seemed decently constructed and very light. However, it will not be something that will last for generations. I knew I was tempting fate a bit with this scope and it ended up being what I expected. I wasn't expecting the image quality of the Swaro/Leica/Kowa at this price point. With the larger front optics and the ED glass, I had hoped for an image quality close to that of binoculars. I REALLY liked the compact size, would happily pay more for the much higher image quality in this tiny scope. I returned the scope and am now looking for compact options in the next price range ($500-$1000). I'm hoping to find a similar price/quality/value balance that I've found in my binoculars.