Sorry - binoculars again

Not all built-in compasses are as easy to use as each other - try before you buy - a must for binoculars in any case. (And incidentally, try those Leica ones first to get your eye in: then see which cheapo ones match up to them best!) But I find the compass really convenient (e.g. a single action - looking at a possible collision risk, or identifying a landmark, and taking a bearing on it). Not necessarily much steadier than a hand bearing compass if you're moving around a bit, but no worse.
 
I'm not going anywhere near Leica (I used to use their stereo microscopes :D) as I would be too tempted and this would spoil anything else I could afford :(

I like the idea of only having a single hand-device on a strap around my neck at any one time (it's usually a DSLR), but I have experienced the need for clarity and magnification when taking bearings, so compass binoculars would seem logical. I was just wondering if logic and practicality went together in this case?
 
Phideaux said:
I'm not going anywhere near Leica (I used to use their stereo microscopes :D) as I would be too tempted and this would spoil anything else I could afford :(

I like the idea of only having a single hand-device on a strap around my neck at any one time (it's usually a DSLR), but I have experienced the need for clarity and magnification when taking bearings, so compass binoculars would seem logical. I was just wondering if logic and practicality went together in this case?
Click to expand...

I think they do.
 
Phideaux said:
Any recommendations for make/model (NOT Leica ;)) at a price under £200 (I realise this rules out Steiner)? The two I'm aware of are the Plastimo's and Fujinon Mariner 7x50 WPC (not tried these).
Click to expand...
Well as I said above, I'm really happy with my Monk Nautilus - try them at a boat show, Monk are usually there. (I have serial number 0002 bought at Southampton.) I find them extremely clear and bright. I don't know what the current price is, but is was in this range when I bought.
 
Malo37 said:
I would have a go at fixing them yourself. I've done that twice with different bins and in both cases the prism just needed popping back into its clip. The best ones I've had are Korean, and the cheapest.
Click to expand...

I've tried this.

Surprisingly, I have most success on el-cheapo where a wad of paper now holds one prism back in approximate alignment.

No success with my Tascos where I seen to be able to adjust the image fom side to side but not up and down - perhaps because the adjusting screw in the r/h side is blocked by the compass mexchanism. I did post for suggestion but got no real help. A professional re-aligment costs almost as much as a new pair!
 
Tasco Offshore 54

Tasco Offshore 54 with built in compass. Looks and feels like a Steiner but only $300 or less. No brainer. Just remember to read the instructions
 
Humblebee said:
In my experience the alignment between the two sets of optics can vary, even between otherwise identical bins. Maybe my eyes are just too sensitive to this, I don't know, but I would always try a pair first before buying. A distant TV ariel is a good object to look at as it will show up any faults in alignment quite easily.
I had a cheapo pair (£9.99!) for several years and they were excellent. I've also tried much more expensive models and found they gave me double vision. The moral is, don't judge on price but let your eyes guide you.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
In simple terms everyone’s eyes suffer from a small degree of misalignment. We have a compensation mechanism to fix this, but if stressed too much it fails and we get double vision.
If your eyes are poorly aligned (and I think than is probably your case) a pair of binoculars with a misalignment that matches your eyes may well be better than a pair with no misalignment. Expensive binoculars tend to have no misalignment, but cheap pairs are more hit and miss.

Oh and another vote for Leica if you can afford it is a long way ahead of the Steiner equivalent.
 
I had the same issue. Bought a Steiner, expensive. Dont use them , seem too expensive to bash about. My old pair works well and I tend to use them in preference.
Trying to sell the Steiners!
 
Badger said:
Tasco Offshore 54 with built in compass. Looks and feels like a Steiner but only $300 or less. No brainer. Just remember to read the instructions
Click to expand...

Those don't really look any different from the Plastimo, or other brands equivalent. Are they really worth the extra money ?

Boo2
 
1800A

If you come across a second-hand pair of Admiralty pattern 1800A 7x50 then get them and have them optically adjusted which is quite reasonably done. This is the pattern that went through WW2. They have sunfilters that can be flipped in or out and extendable spray shieelds. They can be individually focussed. I kept mine (made by Ross at Glasgow) when I left the serviceand they are superb The filters alone make them worth while.
The RN ocular service tested many different types and decided that 7x50 was best at sea. The Kriegsmarine U-boats used Zeiss 7x50, waterproof and coated in rubber against shock protection. These were much prized, but I never got my hands on a pair.
 
davidej said:
These are the type i dropped last year and now can't re-align!
Click to expand...
The same binoculars are sold under a large number of brand names. Same as the ones from Aldi.

Regarding alignment, we have an old compact pentax pair. When the alignment went on them, with nothing to lose (they're not worth sending off to get fixed), I peeled back the rubber grip and found an adjustment screw. A quick twiddle and it got a LOT worse. But a few more goes and it was fixed. It will probably go again since I assume something is loose. BTW it seems easiest to judge the adjustment when looking at a bright star.

No idea if the above applies to the Aldi/Tasco ones but worth a try before you chuck them.
 
VO5 said:
Binoculars at sea should optimally be 7 X 50 and no higher.

There are very good reasons for this.

The first is the property of luminosity. The greater the luminosity the clearer the vision at night. 7 X 50 has the ideal luminosity for use at sea and at night.
.
Click to expand...

Although true, this is not the whole story. The reason why 7 x 50s are favoured is because the exit pupil is about 7.1mm (ie 50 divided by 7) which happens to be the same as the pupil of the human eye when fully dilated.

This means that the image can be dimmed by the eye in bright light but full brightness can be recovered in marginal conditions, making the binoculars comfortable and practical.
 
Barnacle Bill said:
Well as I said above, I'm really happy with my Monk Nautilus - try them at a boat show, Monk are usually there. (I have serial number 0002 bought at Southampton.) I find them extremely clear and bright. I don't know what the current price is, but is was in this range when I bought.
Click to expand...

I don't think they do them any more - at least they aren't on the Monk website. They have various Fujinon though, so I wonder if they just re-badged them?
 
I got a pair of these:-
Bynolyt SeaRanger II 7x50 Compass Binocular.

About 150 squids. Very happy with them, particularly at night - very bright clear image. And yes - the inbuilt compass with a button to light it up at night is very useful. I haven't used the hand bearing compass since.

The RNLI use them, so they must be pretty good.
 
Ruffles said:
The same binoculars are sold under a large number of brand names. Same as the ones from Aldi.
Click to expand...

I don't think you should assume that. You certainly see a number that visually differ only very slightly e.g. the rubber grip pattern. However I investigated as best I could before buying and my impression is that the same casing is used by a number of factories (they are Chinese of course) but not (necessarily) the same optics.

If I'm wrong I don't want to know what the Aldi ones cost...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top