New Binocs, for big heads

[Rational Root]

Against the day that I might actually finish the boat and have to sail the thing, I've started accumulating various bits and pieces that I'll eventually need.

I picked up a marine compass a while back, and a last week I came across this http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/trailfinder_ii.htm

8x42 roof prism waterproof binocs

Note the Inter Pupillary Distance. 58~77mm. For those who can't get a one size fits all baseball hat to fit, the normal ~72 mm IPD on binoculars leaves you with a very cumbersome monocular, with a spare attached.

If you are to look through both eyes at the same time, these may be worth a look, so to say.

The are (to my unpractised eye), pretty good, solid, the focus mechanism is reassuringly free of play, and they have a 5 year guarantee.

I don't have any real experience with Optics, so someone more knowledgeable may pour scorn on my advice, but two eyes able to see at the same time is a huge improvement.

I would have preferred the traditional 7x50, but they were ~74mm IPD, and I could not try them out locally.

No attachment to the company etc.

[Lew Barrett]

I don't want to judge a book by it's cover, but even the image of those binoculars looks cheap.

In any case, I'd be concerned with the question you raised about the 8X42 optics. Everything else being equal, a unit that provides a brighter, less highly magnified image is going to be the easiest to use at sea. It's already tough enough to read a mark at half a mile with high end 7X50s. Just a thought, but optics is usually one of those places where you get what you pay for. You can get decent performance in a budget unit, but you won't get truly durable build.

I have had my Steiner Commander IIIs for almost 20 years and there's no reason to think I won't be enjoying them for the next 20. That's worth something.

[Rational Root]

I don't want to judge a book by it's cover, but even the image of those binoculars looks cheap.

In any case, I'd be concerned with the question you raised about the 8X42 optics. Everything else being equal, a unit that provides a brighter, less highly magnified image is going to be the easiest to use at sea. It's already tough enough to read a mark at half a mile with high end 7X50s. Just a thought, but optics is usually one of those places where you get what you pay for. You can get decent performance in a budget unit, but you won't get truly durable build.

I have had my Steiner Commander IIIs for almost 20 years and there's no reason to think I won't be enjoying them for the next 20. That's worth something.

These have a feel of solidity in hand. I don't have any expertise in optics, but they seem very well put together. Time will tell.

Steiner Commander III have an IDP of 55 mm to 72 mm, so they are no use to me.

[Ian McColgin]

8x42 might make a nice glass for walking but it's unusable on a small boat - too small a field of view to locate anything and just enough power to be hard to keep stabile. Add to that an exit pupil of only a nudge over 5mm and you have a glass getting dysfunctional at dusk and worthless after dark.

My Steiner 7x50 with compass opens to about 78 mm IPD. Actually with the larger exit pupil if you sacrifice a mere 1mm of the light from each eye, that gives an IPD of 80mm.

If you really need a bigger IPD than you can get from a Fujion, Steiner or other real binoc, think about getting it through Celestaire. They will have contacts with someone at the manufacturer that can make a unit with a bushed out center post. Pricey but worth it.

Before that, however, go to a quality store and try some different brands. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

There are NO bargins in the world of optics. You get what you pay for. Among the medium-high-end brands the major differences reflected in price are mostly bulk and long-term durability. Here the $$ difference between say Steiner and Fujion may be worth it to you. I assume you're not going to the ultra-high end units that indeed have a sharper image but not enough sharper than at 7 power I can tell.

I am astgmatic and I don't use contacts. I've not had Celestaire make an optic attachment to correct, which would allow me to use the glass without glasses, as they eye relief is good enough that I'm fine as they are. Not all binocs can accept a corrective lenses so it's also something to consider.

Having endured bad and ill-suited optics in the spirit of economy let me tell you - bad choice and waster of money. It's of no value to have affordable binocs if you can't use them for a snap glance at an emerging headland or momentarily visible buoy.

G'luck

Gluck

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

I scored a pair of these (http://www.harpersphoto.co.uk/product/bresser_nautic_8x42_roof_prism_waterproof_binocula rs_/) roof prism 8x42 and waterproof.

Compared with 7x50s in low light conditions with fully dark adapted eyes they are slightly less bright - but I'm 54 and it is possible that your pupils open up wider than mine do now.

Daytimes the difference is utterly insignificant


The Field of view is significantly smaller than on my 7x50s but most of the difficulty in target acquisition is resolved with practice - until you can go smoothly from naked eye to bins and back you are always going to have trouble - no matter the make and size.

On the point of P.D. - I can't imagine what the designer was thinking - the measured max. is about 88mm - nobody I know needs that.....

If you are not familiar with using bins - then there is a lot to be said for a cheap initial pair and a shed-load of practice - bird-watching is especially good as the little buggars flit about...

[PeterSibley]

For everyones amusement I shall report that my set of 7x50s were disassembled on the back lawn by nameless small children , but were found however by me, with the lawn mower .

The result after some hacksawing is a very useful 7 x 50 monocular .....not quite as pretty as the original but bearing in mind my 30/70 vision , quite useful ! :)

[RodB]

Hard to beat the Nikon Monarch 7x50's

RodB

[OconeePirate]

Can you get used to comfortably using binoculars if you have an extreme difference between eyes? My right eye has fairly normal vision, but my left eye is rather near sighted. Anytime I've used binoculars I always wind up just using my right eye.

[PeterSibley]

Can you get used to comfortably using binoculars if you have an extreme difference between eyes? My right eye has fairly normal vision, but my left eye is rather near sighted. Anytime I've used binoculars I always wind up just using my right eye.

I recommend my solution !:D

[Lew Barrett]

Can you get used to comfortably using binoculars if you have an extreme difference between eyes? My right eye has fairly normal vision, but my left eye is rather near sighted. Anytime I've used binoculars I always wind up just using my right eye.

This is why most binoculars have at least one focusing eyepiece in addition to central focusing. The big Steiners focus exclusively at both oculars which obviates center focusing and makes them arguably the strongest
mechanical package on the market. But either way good bins are adjustable for the differences in your eyes.

[Ian McColgin]

Individual focus is the only way to go. There are no serious quality binocs with center focus and one eye.

The only reason for center focus is to acclimate the observer to inferior optics.

OK - that's a hair rough. It might be hypothetically the case with very high power binocs that there's something to be said for keeping the difference between the eyes constant and being able to focus for near or far quickly. Bull. I've not seen that level of power with commersurate optical quality in anything center focus. Even if it exists - I am hardly the world's optical expert with utterly encyclopedic knowledge - it's irrelevant to 7x50. For a working glass in marine conditions, individual focus stands alone.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Can you get used to comfortably using binoculars if you have an extreme difference between eyes? My right eye has fairly normal vision, but my left eye is rather near sighted. Anytime I've used binoculars I always wind up just using my right eye.

This can be a very subtle thing - the common adjustments either IF (Individual Focus) or centre focus + offset on one eypiece, are both capable of coping with the focus discrepancy between two eyes.
However - there is a significant part of the population which does not use "binocular vision" - these people often have differential astigmatism or considerable focal difference between the two eyes - and/or had a serious and uncorrected visual problem in childhood. For these people, the binocular, be it marine or microscope is of no use at all.

There are often compensations - I can peer down a microscope OR draw on a piece of paper - my wife can do both at the same time.

Thanks to the joys of modern economics it is now easier and cheaper to find a pair of 7x50 (or 8x42) binoculars than it is to get the same quality in monocular form - perhaps they should be thought of as a good quality monocular and a hot-standby spare.