The following links provide information about binoculars, spotting scopes, and tripods:

Redstart Birding
Audubon Guide (click on Binocular or Spotting Scope)
Vortex Optics
Observation Site
optics4birding.com
Birdwatching.com
Birdforum.net (click on Equipment Reviews)
B & H Photo and Video (click on Optics)

The following links provide information about digiscoping or the technique of taking photographs with a digital camera attached to or held up to a spotting scope. These pages include many other references to digiscoping. 

laurencepoh.com
digibird.com
digiscoped.com
cornell.edu Digiscoping
optics4birding.com Digiscoping

To find other optics and digiscoping resources, search for either one in your favorite browser.

The following list of businesses that sell binoculars or spotting scopes is not meant to be inclusive or exclusive. Corrections or other suggestions may be sent to WebEditor.

State College stores offering low priced optics:

Wal-Mart
Target
Dunham's Sports

State College stores offering medium priced optics and accessories:

Dick's Sporting Goods

The Lost Creek Shoe Shop near Lewistown, PA has a large selection of many different brands of binoculars and spotting scopes including Bausch & Lomb, Celestron, Kowa, Leica, Swarovski, Swift, and Zeiss that range in price from low to very high. They also sell tripods including Bogen tripods. They have an excellent outside covered observation deck that looks out over fields, streams, hills and distant mountains that provide a good setting for evaluating the optics.

Address: 643 Oakland Road, Mifflintown, PA 17059

The Lost Creek Shoe Shop can be reached at the number 717-463-3117, but most of the time, including store hours, someone at their answering service will answer the phone. You may leave your name, a phone number for returning your call, a preferred time to return your call, and a message.

Store hours:
Monday and Friday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
All other days except Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday closed.

Directions: To get there from State College, PA (about an hour), take Route 322 about 12 miles beyond Lewistown and take the exit marked 35N and proceed northeast on Rte 35 for 4 miles toward Oakland Mills (If you reach McAlisterville, you have gone too far). As you enter Oakland Mills, watch carefully for a left turn and a sign for the shop which can be easy to miss. Turn left onto Oakland Rd (a large stone house is on the left at the turn), go .6 miles, and the Shop is on the left.