davaid
journeyman
Reged: 11/09/06
Posts: 9
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I am new to all of this I need to buy a zoom binacular that would enable me to see the dust over a 5 miles away building.
I encountered this binacular on e-bay ZOOM Binocular
Is it any good, I am looking for a quality zoom binacular that its zoom range is from 8 to 100 or more...
Please help
fixed long url
Edited by EdZ (11/11/06 06:25 AM)
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2108
Loc: Washington, USA
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There is not a good zoom binocular on the planet and anyone who would try to sell a 180 X 72 binocular should IMHO be in jail, a mental institution, or both.
Cheers,
Bill
PS the Zeica Duovid is NOT a Zoom.
--------------------
William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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davaid
journeyman
Reged: 11/09/06
Posts: 9
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So what do u think is the best, quality zoom binocular that I can get at a good price.
thanks for response
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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well davaid, like BillC said, 'there's not a good zoom binocular on the planet', so my guess is there isn't anything.
what do you want a binocular for? is it for astronomical purposes? if so, look at the 15x70's by Celestron. but I guess it would be good to ask what your maximum price range is.
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2694
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Davaid, you'll find that the general opinion on this forum is that zoom binocular are really no good. I tend to agree.
Why don't we think outside the box for a moment. If the sole purpose of your quest is to see "dust over a 5 miles away building" then for sure there are much better solutions than zoom binoculars. A high-powered spotting scope, or even a telescope, comes to mind. Have you considered this?
If you have the time, you should wander over to the Cloudy Days forum where there are several threads about viewing things at 5 miles away - most notably vehicle license plates, but that's a detail. You could learn a lot about what it takes, optically, to get a good view that far away.
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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ChrisR
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/11/05
Posts: 518
Loc: Washington
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Bad question to ask. Bad bad bad.
Save your money, and then buy a good fixed magnification bino.
Zoom bad bad.
Peace,
Chris
P.S. I am trying to be funny, if I failed; sorry.
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Journeyman Optical Technician
Amateur Astronomer.
All around good guy
Orion, StarMax 127
Canon, 12x36 IS
Minolta, 8x25 WR
Halco, 7x50
Nippon Kogaku, Micron 7x35
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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2694
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Another something you could consider is one of the 80 or 100 mm binoculars which take interchangeable eyepieces. Several of those are capable of good views over 50x.
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5311
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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One of the Leica Duovids. They aren't exactly zoom binoculars but you can switch between two magnifications.
If you must have 100x in the daytime you should look for a good little astronomical telescope that can accept different eyepieces.
Most spotting scopes only go up to 60x. One of the Pentax models goes to 100x.
You aren't likely to find a binocular, telescope or spotting scope that prefroms well at high power... without spending quite a bit of money.
You might look for a used Celestron C70F or C80F. One is a 70mm f/8 and the other is an 80mm f/8. They have very nice optics. The "F" means it has a fluorite element in its doublet objective.
Good luck,
Rich
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davaid
journeyman
Reged: 11/09/06
Posts: 9
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Hi,
I need it for astronomical and city, people watching..... I need to feel close to the degree that I would think I am there What do u think about getting the Nikon or Olumpus I think they wouldn't produce a zoom binocular unless its of a high quality what do u think about this pricegrabber
or this buydig
Edited by EdZ (11/11/06 06:29 AM)
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charen
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/28/05
Posts: 786
Loc: New Zealand
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Do not buy them ! 1/ 'Zoom's' are not generally recommended -as they give a narrow 'F.O.V.' ['Tunnel vision'] 2/To advertise '15x-180x' power is totally misleading and false. 3/ These type of binoculars usually have inferior [cheap] lens coatings and build quality.
The strong suggestion would be to read the reviews and forums on 'Cloudy Nights' and then visit a reputable optical store and try out various binoculars.
Edited by charen (11/10/06 06:22 PM)
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5311
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Quote:
Hi,
I need it for astronomical and city, people watching..... I need to feel close to the degree that I would think I am there What do u think about getting the Nikon or Olumpus I think they wouldn't produce a zoom binocular unless its of a high quality what do u think about this or this
Both have small aperture objectives. Even if the optics were excellent, at full zoom 24x or 30x the view would likely not be a bright as you would like.
The other thing to consider when you are running more than about 12x a binocular becomes difficult to hold steady. You will need to mount the binocular on something like a photo tripod.
You could get a small telescope and a binocular viewer but that again will be pricy if you want good images.
You need to get out and look through different binoculars and telescopes before you spend your money.
Good luck,
Rich
Edited by EdZ (11/11/06 06:30 AM)
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ChrisR
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/11/05
Posts: 518
Loc: Washington
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Davaid:
Take this to the bank. THERE ARE NO GOOD ZOOM BINOCULARS. They have too many parts that have to move to make them work. Because of said moving parts they have alot of "play" so that the collimation goes out easily, and the barrels have a very good chance of not being at the same magnification.
Now add in that a large percentage of people start to see the shakes really bad at 10x and this problem gets worse as the power goes up, (remember EVERYTHING gets magnified), trying to hand hold a small binocular at 20x without a tripod or stabilization technology becomes an excercise in futility.
One more point. For looking at things on this planet, Terrestial viewing), 80x is about the practical limit on a good day with good optics, and very little thermal distortion. The reason why is because, everything between you and your target becomes part of the optics system, (ie windows, dust, thermal distortions, glare from other buildings, pollution, etc etc).
Sorry just trying to help.
Peace,
Chris
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Journeyman Optical Technician
Amateur Astronomer.
All around good guy
Orion, StarMax 127
Canon, 12x36 IS
Minolta, 8x25 WR
Halco, 7x50
Nippon Kogaku, Micron 7x35
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5311
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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A Canon 15x50 IS binocular might work well for you but they cost about $800.
The Canon 15x50 IS had very nice optics and it use an image stablizing system.
Canon also has other models but IMHO the 15x50 is the highest power model that works well for me.
Rich
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5311
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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It looks like the new Celestron 6 inch SCT is selling for around $500. Check the Astronomics website.
You could mount the OTA on a sturdy photo tripod. You could also get a couple of eyepieces and a small finder telescope.
The entire setup should be under $1k. You can get some pretty good zoom eyepieces. You could also add a binocular head.
This would give you the best chance for relatively high power views.
I just hope you're not watching me. 
Rich
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2108
Loc: Washington, USA
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Quote:
Hi,
I need it for astronomical and city, people watching..... I need to feel close to the degree that I would think I am there What do u think about getting the Nikon or Olumpus I think they wouldn't produce a zoom binocular unless its of a high quality what do u think about this
or this
Over the years, I have come to like horse poop over cow poop by about 3 to 1. However, I see no reason to expend that much investigative energy comparing zoom binoculars. In addition, I would like point out that the vast majority of binoculars produced today are produced by companies that do not have their names on the side.
Once, after declaring that there was not one single line of hand-held binoculars that were designed and built in the United State, I had to offer a $100 to anyone who could prove me wrong, to get my point across. I still have my hundred, and I am just as sure about zoom binoculars.
On the other hand, there are some folks on the list with incredibly low expectations. On the OTHER other hand, if you try to use a 180x72 binocular, I think you will come up with a pretty CLEAR idea of how things really are. Of course, you won’t get a really BRIGHT idea, because at 180 power you will have a .4 (POINT 4) millimeter exit pupil and a field of view the size of a dime at a million miles and which jiggles more than Charo in her younger days.
If to this point we have not dissuaded you, by all means have fun. 
Just a thought.
Bill
PS Welcome to CN
--------------------
William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
Edited by EdZ (11/11/06 06:31 AM)
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10137
Loc: Lancashire UK
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davaid ,
If you are PARTICULARLY interested in seeing DUST , then this 180 x 72 binocular may actually be a very good choice.
Almost EVERYTHING you will see through it will look like DUST anyway ! :-)
For an INCREASED , kind of " SUPER DUST " factor , you could always buy TWO of these instruements , set them both to the 180x magnification and place one objective lens of the second behind an eyepiece of the first , to get a monocular magnification of 32,400x !
Good luck ( although I KNOW you are going to need MORE than good LUCK if you buy ANY 70mm zoom binoculars ! )
Regards , Kenny
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4415
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brief review 15-140x70 binoulars from Sharper Image. I do not remember the name, but think it started with a Z...
Ok, my details are vague because I was not planning a review, but we have a new shopping center in the area with a Sharper Image store, and while visititing, I "played" with their zoom binocular.
At low power, eye relief poor, exit pupil small but image okay; but as power went up, image deterated into NOTHING.
Tripod was very weak and flimsy, but since I could not see much in the binoculars, the shakey tripod didn't make much difference. $199.
For $200 you can get a good fixed magification binouclar, or a low end beginning scope from Orion/others.
edj
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4415
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brief review 15-140x70 binoulars from Sharper Image. I do not remember the name, but think it started with a Z...
Ok, my details are vague because I was not planning a review, but we have a new shopping center in the area with a Sharper Image store, and while visititing, I "played" with their zoom binocular.
At low power, eye relief poor, exit pupil small but image okay; but as power went up, image deterated into NOTHING.
Tripod was very weak and flimsy, but since I could not see much in the binoculars, the shakey tripod didn't make much difference. $199.
For $200 you can get a good fixed magification binouclar, or a low end beginning scope from Orion/others.
edj
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4415
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I do like zoom eps in telescopes, but to get a good zoom you must spend $200-400 just for the eyepiece.
A quality zoom is fun, but a poor quality zoom is useless.
Binoculars have yet to create a quality zoom*, and if they ever do the cost will be high due to needing two quality zoom eps.
edj
*Vixen did have a zoom 25-75 x120 binocular that used telescope zooms at cost around $4500; and the BT binoculars that use interchangeable telescope eps can be fited with zoom eps.
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
Edited by edwincjones (11/10/06 07:07 PM)
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4415
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WOW-my brief review was considered so good that CNs computers posted it twice.
I feel honored.
edj
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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