Sharky34
Well-known member
Of the 7 shown, only 2 are under £40, with the other 5 well above into £100's.
Shame on you YBW, why the con?
Shame on you YBW, why the con?
Given there are genuine, and expensive, autofocus mechanisms, fixed focus units should not be allowed to describe themselves that way!A friend has the £40 Plastimo's which are autofocus.
Given there are genuine, and expensive, autofocus mechanisms, fixed focus units should not be allowed to describe themselves that way!
Yes, I agree it's misleading. I guess it just means the focal point is set to infinity?
Yes, I'm sure the focus point is a compromise...I think "focus-free" is the right term. And the focal point is probably a bit less than infinity to achieve that.
I've bought lots of those over the years. One of my minor complaints is that the focus movement depends on lots of grease to make it smooth. And unfortunately it is not silicone grease with a viscosity that hardly varies with temperature. Instead they stiffen up in the winter (don't we all!)...I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.
Me too for the Lidl ones. Work well despite usually being 10 by 50s, when most people go for 7 by 50.I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.
I think "focus-free" is the right term. And the focal point is probably a bit less than infinity to achieve that.
They are no use for bird watchingThe focus of 'autofocus' binoculars is factory set at the Hyperfocal Distance of the optics which provides the maximum Depth of Field, thus allowing them to be 'focus free'. The only disadvantage is that they won't focus as close as focussing binoculars.
I didn't think it was so much of a handicap for birdwatching, when most birds might be expected to be a moderate distance away. On the other hand when looking for insects, and butterflies in particular, close focusing is useful. Hence my Pentax ones that focus down to 0.5m are called Papilio.They are no use for bird watching
I made the mistake of taking them to a repair shop along with a pair of more expensive ones as both were out of colimation. The cost of each repair was £40!I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.