Double image 7x50 binoculars. Again.

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NPMR

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We don't seem able to make a pair of binoculars last very long. Time and again they get 'double vision' with 2 images side by side. We have tended to buy the cheaper variety and tried both fixed and adjustable focus types.

This weekend, I noticed that once more, there were 2 of everything and the image was hard to decipher. Another pair gone wrong.

The debate I'm having, is will I be better served by a more expensive pair? For 3 or 4 times the cost of the cheaper ones, will they last 3 or 4 times longer (or preferably, even longer)?

My first pair, bought in France, in about 1980, are still usable (they were repaired once I seem to recall,) but the optics are just not up to modern standards.

Would it be worth the extra for an inbuilt compass, as well?

I have no idea why we seem to be so clumsy with the things. We have a felt lined, specially made cupboard for them down below for general storage and in the cockpit, there is a carpet lined purpose built tray to stop them sliding and falling about.
 
You more or less get what you pay for. Cheap binoculars don't seem to be repairable, and repairers seem to be few and far between. I have a couple of pairs of 8x25s and one was realigned by Monk Optics who I had bought them from. My ancient Yashica 7x50s were reset many years ago but had to be sent away somewhere, and have held their alignment since. My Canon IS ones are now 18yrs old and still fine.

I think it may be worth paying a bit more for quality, and this is my general policy anyway regarding equipment. I have never found a use for built-in compass but others swear by them.
 
Although monoculars have their uses, I think that most people find it easier to acquire information when using both eyes. Even though I have permanent double vision, I still prefer to use binoculars and keep both eyes open. In the days when I had normal binocular vision, I always found it strange that my visual acuity with both eyes was markedly better than each eye on its own, so some neural processing must be involved.
 
I got this on a pair of binos I dropped. Cost to get them looked at was more than they were worth. I was just about to throw them out but did an internet trawl and found on some binos there may be an adjustment screw on one of the prisms. It can often be hidden under the plastic trims as it's not supposed be a user adjustable item. I managed to find it without destroying the binos and managed to readjust the images so they were in sync again.
 
Loosen the front lenses , mark their position then slightly rotate the lenses to bring the images into line. Check alignment by focusing on a star.
Worked for me after taking out lenses to clean them and, lets face it, you have nothing to loose!
 
neilf39 said:
I got this on a pair of binos I dropped. Cost to get them looked at was more than they were worth. I was just about to throw them out but did an internet trawl and found on some binos there may be an adjustment screw on one of the prisms. It can often be hidden under the plastic trims as it's not supposed be a user adjustable item. I managed to find it without destroying the binos and managed to readjust the images so they were in sync again.
Click to expand...
I found the same on a pair of mini canon binos. Result!

For the cheapy ones you just have to remember which side you dropped them on and drop them on the other side.

The two pairs of Aldi binos I bought many years ago are now end of life. The rubber coating has gone sticky and the compass on one has stopped moving. But no complaints. They must be 8 years old and were £40!
 
When I worked for a living, an on-site facility existed for repairing expensive optics and included a collimating bench. I had an old East German Ziess binocular that had developed double vision. They were very heavy and extremely second hand so I had no hesitation in hauling them apart to see what was wrong. I took great care cleaning the lenses and prisms before setting them on the bench and with a lot of expert help managed to get them back together and working properly. It wasn't a 5 minute job. I'd not consider doing it myself again, even if I had access to the bench. My Aldi ones, also ~ £40.00 do it for me now and I'd not know how to get into them if anything went wrong. Sometimes Double vision occurs when the eyepieces are not correct orientated to the eyes, it only takes a wee bit of offset to make this happen and it they're a bit stiff, it can be a problem to reset them to your face.
 
Ruffles said:
I found the same on a pair of mini canon binos. Result!

For the cheapy ones you just have to remember which side you dropped them on and drop them on the other side.

The two pairs of Aldi binos I bought many years ago are now end of life. The rubber coating has gone sticky and the compass on one has stopped moving. But no complaints. They must be 8 years old and were £40!
Click to expand...

My Aldi compass binoculars went out of collimation some years ago
 
Ruffles said:
The two pairs of Aldi binos I bought many years ago are now end of life. The rubber coating has gone sticky and the compass on one has stopped moving. But no complaints. They must be 8 years old and were £40!
Click to expand...

I bought a cheapie pair, if I remember rightly it was about 1993 (so about 25 years ago), from Axminster Power Tools and Chandlery (as was), and certainly wouldn't have been spending £40 on them. They still work pretty much as well as they ever did (not great but quite usable), but they , too, have gone sticky in parts.

I've now splashed out on a cheapie monocular. (No downside for me, as I'm blind in one eye anyway.)
 
Cheapie binos seem to me to go out of alignment within 2 -3 years as a matter of course. Sometimes they can be corrected by turning the front lens, some have adjusting screws to realign the prisms. None stay in alignment very long!

Adjusting the prisms seems the most effective way of either restoring or finally wrecking binos that have gone out of collimation. Specialist repair will always cost more than replacement for cheapos, so there's little to lose having a go IMHO anyway. Prism adjusters are usually located under the handgrip at the back edge, one on top, one underneath. Done properly they have to be aligned both sides so the trick is to mount them so you can see through them from a little way away. This helps prevent your eyes from trying to adjust to the double image. It's a tricky and slow process, and with cheap ones the prisms may not move smoothly, so just as you think you got it right, one slips out of alignment again. This often doesn't happen until you think you have finished and are just trying them out!

However with a bit of patience I have managed to give several pairs a new lease of life. Of course, they will go off again wihin a season or two, but that's the price you pay for buying cheap!
 
Update: Dug out our old 'double-image' binoculars from various cupboards etc. where they had been dumped. With nothing to lose, I thought I'd give it a go!

Followed guide from Inter World Webnet.

I now have 5 pairs of useable binoculars!!

The complicated instructions made it look difficult but by holding the 'bins' up to my eyes and twiddling the adjusters at the same time, found it was simple to get the images to line up. Chose the best 2 for the boat so will have a spare on the boat and 3 more in the cupboard at home!!!

You have to strip the covers off to find the screw adjusters, so I have cut holes in the covers so, when I replaced the covers, the screws are still visible, so I can readjust as necessary in future, without hassle!
 
I bought a good quality, nitrogen-filled, rubberised pair of 7 x 50s 35 years ago and they are as good now as they were when I bought them, despite them being dropped a few times. Not sure of the make as they're not marked.
 
I have XM 7 X 50 bino's - with compass which I think IS very useful - I'm not impressed by the quality of lens caps etc, but they do still perform well, seem rugged and no sign of anything but a single image - £100, must be around 15 years ago.

I'd think most bino's around this mark are the way to go.

When I temped at a chandlery we were selling Tasco bins - never tried them in anger myself but seemed about the right price / use compromise...

One day we had a bunch of posers in biker leather jackets come in, " Ain't'ya got any quality, Zeiss ? "

" Well Sir if as an experienced small boat offshore sailor you choose to pay for Zeiss optics that is entirely up to Sir " - I think you can guess how I said this, on the lines of W******R ! :)

Several lighter to use cheapie ( not THAT cheapie ) sets have bit the dust within a season's use but I must say the XM jobs keep going.
 
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