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Anonymous
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Hi all, for some odd reason I have a hankering to pick up a pair of binos...no real need, just want something for fun but with a good long range...I live in in a hilly area and have a view of the city and would like something to look around with....maybe zoom style...or just a good long range pair like the Tasco 20x60....not too pricey (under 200). I also wear glasses for reading and have been researching eye relief (right eye is worse)...so keep that in mind if relevant....thanks in advance...
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Would you also like them to work well for astronomy? If not I would suggest something like the Oberwerk 20x60mm; with a 3mm exit pupil they may be a little over your actual pupil size- but if you plan to hold them (Can you hold 20x- if it's horizontal? I think you might be able to. If you have a mount this doesn't matter *as* much) the exit pupil bigger than your eye will help because you'll still see the image if your eye moves a little. BigBinoculars.com has them. They are about $100. I'm not sure if the eye relief is enough- you should check before you buy- if you like them.
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10143
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Hi nightvoyeur,
I reckon you could do far worse than check out this Minolta 12 x 50 Waterproof Porro Prism ( 16mm eye -relief )and available for less than $200 in the US.
12 x 50 is a great all -round size for occasional hand -held
I've heard this bino gives the Nikon Superior E a run for it's money -- and that is high praise indeed -- much higher than any praise I have EVER heard for Tasco or any Zoom bino
Check it out here :
http://www.opticsplanet.net/minolta-12x50-activa.html
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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Anonymous
Unregistered
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thanks guys....I'll look into them...how about these?
Oberwerk 12-36x70 Zoom Binoculars...I like the versatility of zoom for close in or far off but I gather that you give up other things....
Edited by nightvoyeur (02/02/04 06:34 PM)
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10143
Loc: Lancashire UK
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The Oberwerk Zooms MIGHT just be "yer man" for out and out "voyeurism" but don't forget the eye -relief at 13mm MIGHT be a little tight -- and all zooms have a narrow enough field of view to begin with :-)
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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Anonymous
Unregistered
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thanks Kenny...what would be optimum eye relief for 40 year old eyes that need reading glasses?
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edcannon
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 679
Loc: Austin, Texas
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Quote:
thanks Kenny...what would be optimum eye relief for 40 year old eyes that need reading glasses?
I can't find it right now, but I believe that EdZ has written here that most binoculars actually have 3 to 4 mm less usable eye relief than advertised. I think the general suggestion is that you need at least 15 mm usable for best results while wearing eyeglasses. So that means that you probably should look for at least 18 mm minimum.
Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
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Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
As of 23 August 2008 - Celestron Skymaster 12x60
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Charlie Fisher
member
Reged: 06/28/03
Posts: 38
Loc: Tampa, FL USA
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nightvoyeur,
You won't need to wear your reading glasses (presbyopia) when you use a binocular. Generally people who prefer to use their eyeglasses while they use binoculars wear glasses due to astigmatism (then it is necessary), or due to bad nearsightedness. You don't even need to use eyeglasses with a binocular due to neasrsightedness (you should still be able to focus clearly without eyeglasses in that case), except that when you put down the binocular you are back to your bad naked eye distance vision. Some folks don't like to have to put down the bin, and then stick their glasses right back on their face. In daytime observing especially, that would be a big hassle for someone who is fairly nearsighted. But reading glasses, probably not such a big hassle. Most farsighted people don't put on their eyeglasses until they need to read something anyway.
Charlie
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edcannon
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 679
Loc: Austin, Texas
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I forgot to include the possibility of daylight viewing while wearing sunglasses. That's another reason to pay attention to the eye relief.
Charlie's completely right that if you don't have astigmatism and only wear glasses for reading due to presbyopia, you won't need to wear the glasses with the binoculars!
I have astigmatism and am very nearsighted, and (1) I like seeing the sky in focus in between binocular looks and (2) I don't like the hassle of switching from glasses-on to glasses-off, so I always wear my glasses. I could use contact lenses, but since I have presbyopia, then I'd have to use reading glasses to read satellite predictions and see charts (or else use funky contacts that probably wouldn't work well with binoculars). (By the way, I've found that I cannot use bifocals with binoculars, so I call my single-vision distance prescription ones my "astronomy glasses".)
The other day I was told by a very reliable source about a real opportunity (with a very short time window) to get custom wavefront-guided laser eye correction for only $800 total for both eyes. After considerable discussion and thought, I concluded once again that I'm happy being nearsighted and wearing eyeglasses, which I've been doing for almost 45 years now. If they'd correct the astigmatism and spherical aberration (which was specifically mentioned, "just like the Hubble Space Telescope") but leave me nearsighted, I might go for it. But they won't do that.
Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
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Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
As of 23 August 2008 - Celestron Skymaster 12x60
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10143
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Considering the far sighted / near sighted issues it just occured to me that the Minolta 12 x 50s I recommended only have a diopter range of plus or minus 2.
This seems overly restrictive and I wondered why a manufacturer would restrict the adjustment thus in what is practically their "top of the range" model ?
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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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12566
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I would not consider anything over 12 x as hand holdable. Most people that claim they can hand hold 15x or 16x binoculars greatly over-exagerate their abilities. Even a small hand held binocular, when mounted, will show you all the things you were not seeing when hand held, and it will be a considerable amount.
As mentioned above, unless you have astigmatism, it is not necessary to wear your glasses when binocular viewing. Binoculars have separate diopter adjustment to accomodate any correction needed for your eyes. However, Ed C brings up a good point about sunglasses.
The right eyepiece settings +/-2, +/-3, ...+/-7, are not consistent from one manufacturer to the other. You may require a +4 right eye on one binocular and find that on another brand the reading is +1.5. You eye has not changed from one binoc to the other. The reading scale from one manufacturer to the other is inconsistent. The scales stamped on binocs do not necessarily coincide with diopters.
For my eyes, I get 8 different settings in 12 different binoculars, and that's with my glasses ON.
You could do much better than the Tasco you mentioned. Pentax Minolta and Oberwerk all offer fine binoculars reasonably priced.
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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Anonymous
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Damn...you guys sure know your binos....thanks for all the info...
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