Jeronimo Cruz
super member
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 141
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Hi all,
Last night I was enjoying the night sky through binoculars. I was using my Pentax. It has a nice focus lock. It made me wonder...
...Why don't binoculars have a similar interpupilary distance lock? It would be great for my 50mm porros that I like to keep in a backpack. Whenever I reach for them, I always have to adjust the IPD. It would be nice to have a lock of some sort.
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Jeronimo
TeleVue 101 + Gibralter
Celestron NS11 GPS/wedge + Hyperstar
Photon Instruments 127mm + SV F50W2
Lunt Solar Systems LS60DS Ha + Celestron CG-5
Naglers, Panoptics, Radians, Nikon binoviewer
Fujinon 10x70 FMT-SX, 7x42 CD; Canon 15x50IS;
Pentax 7x50 PCF WP, 10x50 PCF WPII, 10x50 DCF SP
Work
20" R/C RCOS on Paramount + Tak FSQ
16" R/C RCOS on Paramount + TEC 140
16" Meade LX200 SCT + TV 76
Ethos, Naglers, Panoptics
Coronado Solarmax 90mm Ha
Coronado Solarmax 70mm Ca
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14731
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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IMO, it would add unnecessary cost. In 10 yeras, out of over 70 binoculars I've used, I can remember ONE, maybe two, that would not hold the IPD setting.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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Erik D
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 3196
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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I am with Ed.
I usually have about a dozen binoculars out of the case around the house. 1/2 dozen by my 2nd floor bay window where I do lots of bird watching & winter star gaziing. A pair by the large window of the exercise room. A pair or two by the kitchen window. They are all set for my exact IPD of ~65 mm. Also store my less used 6x30, 7X50, 10X40(roof), 12X60, 20X80 and 25X100 in the case set for my IPD. Sometimes a pair could sit around for over a year. When I take them out of the case the IPD remains the same. Sometimes I leave my binos in the car for weeks during the summer. Don't recall them losing IPD setting either.
My current stable of 2 dozen+ binoculars include roof prisms, porro prisms, compact reverse porros. Single hinged roof prism subcompacts. Don't have a problem with drifting IPD settings with any of them. Sometime I do Very minor adjustment to get the IPD and eye relief just right. But that takes only a second or two. I spend more time fine tuning the focus than that.
The only IPD issue I have is with of the double-hinged subcompacts roof prisms. They usually require more care to set the IPD exactly to my liking. Then I have to fold them to store. The next time I take them out I have to start over. That's the main reason I go out of my way to search for single hinged subcompact binoculars for air travel.
ERik D
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Mark9473
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 3209
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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I am with Jeronimo on this one, and have wondered exactly the same. Any hinge not so stiff as to be difficult to operate, would benefit from a lock.
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63; Docter 15x60
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1767
Loc: Connecticut
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Vintage binoculars will sometimes have IPD locks or thumbwheels. Perhaps they weren't designed to have sufficient friction to hold the IPD adjustment and relied on tightening a thumbwheel to maintain an IPD setting.
Can't think of a modern binocular with one at the moment. A couple of mine could use one though. 
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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DJB
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/23/05
Posts: 1589
Loc: Lisle NY
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Hi all,
An IPD lock would certainly add to the cost. However, I feel that most mfgs. don't offer this as, again, probably most binoculars would be used by more than one individual. This could create a confussion issue, to say the least.
I think that this is not a design implementation for most modern bincoulars. Nice idea though. Just my take on it.
Best regards,
Dave.
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2237
Loc: Washington, USA
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IPD locks . . .
They do; It's called hingepin grease.
In some binos like my 8x32 SEs its pleanty tight.
Cheers,
Bill
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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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ronharper
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/14/06
Posts: 1276
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It's not unheard of, like feature #3 on this Loop-holed:
http://www.ambientsw.com/gs46481.html
Ron
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RichD
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 564
Loc: Derbyshire, UK
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unnecessary on any bino worthy of the name
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Clear skies
Rich
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Erik D
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 3196
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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The Leupold Gold Ring series is their premium line. Supposed to be a cut above the Green Ring Olympic roof( 12X50) I own. I noticed they said this in the product description:
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"Interpupillary Distance Lock (IPD) — lock in the distance between your eyes, so no adjustments are necessary during use. You can easily use your binoculars one-handed."
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I do use my my 8X32 and 10X42 roof prisms one-handed from time to time. Never felt I needed an IPD lock. In fact, I expect my 20X80s and 25X100s to maintain correct IPD without a lock. The Leupold Gold rings are heavy a pair of 8X42s weigh over 33 oz. My 12X50 Olympic weighs 25.7 oz. I wonder how much HD glass and IPD lock contributes to the additional weight.
I travel with my Leupold Olympic 12X50s quite a bit. I have them in a sling pack or shoulder bag all day when I am touring overseas. Take them out when I want to observe distant vista every now and then. They may go in and out of the pack up to a dozen times a day and still maintain IPD.
ERik D
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94bamf
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/15/08
Posts: 706
Loc: Kansas City,Mo
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I like both focus locks and IPD locks, I haven't yet found a binoculars that offers both.
One decent binocular that I own that does feature a IPD lock is the Zen Ray Summit 10x42..
Ken
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Telescopes:
Celestron C6 SCT on CG4 mount
Skywatcher 8 inch F/5 Newt on a GEM
Celestron 8 inch Starhopper Dob
Celestron Oynx 80ED
Celestron C130 Mak
Celestron C102HD
Binoculars:
Nikon 7x35 Action
Nikon 7x50 Action
Zen Ray Summit 10x42
Celestron 10x42 Noble
Orion 10x50 Scenix
Celestron 10x50 Noble
Pentax 12x50 PCF WP II
Celestron 15x70 Skymaster
Oberwerk 20x60
Zhumell 20x80
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Simon S
sage
Reged: 01/07/07
Posts: 387
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
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Some of the early service binoculars have an ipd indent to aid in quick setting and some allowed locking via thumbscrew. This made it a bind when putting the binocular away in its case.
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My binocular collection recent first
http://www.flickr.com/photos/binoculars/
My binoculars in Alphabetical order http://www.flickr.com/photos/binoculars/sets/72157613812824211/detail/
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