Multitool.org Forum
Outdoor Section => Outdoor Tech => Topic started by: kkokkolis on July 19, 2014, 11:53:23 AM
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I am an amateur astronomer and I have a good set of optical organs. But I feel the need for a nice portable rugged set of binoculars around 250-450€.
Since I got rid of my heavy Celestron 15x70 my binoculars are:
1. Canon 18x50 IS AW. A real diamond with image stabilisation. Portable but not for hiking/tourism/bicycling.
2. Bresser and Rocktrail 10x50. Budget Chinese binoculars for quick views. One in the car permanently.
3. Asahi Pentax 8x30. This is vintage. Lightweight and small but since it ia a porro, not that small. Coatings today are better. I keep it in Canon's case for wider fields.
4. A Soviet 8x30 monocular. Same period (late 70's - early 80's) and quality with the Pentax. It is my tourist/hiking/bicycling nature optic. I use it for astronomy also (looked the partial moon eclipse from Geneva for example as well as Paris from Eiffel tower).
I want something lightweight, binicular, modern, with better coatings and Adler index than the 8x30 (either magnification or aperture or both) that would be waterproof and strong.
Options are a roof phase coated 8x42 or Canon 10x30 IS. I'd like a >2000€ Leica, Swarovski or Zeiss but it is out of the question. What I found as reasonable choices are Nicon Monarch 5 or 7, Pentax DCF, some Vixens and Zeiss Terra ED (assembled in China but still a Zeiss).
What's your opinion? As I said think that it should fit in my overloaded EDC for tourism/birding and occasionally astronomy.
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I've got an excellent pair of Luger 6 x18 binoculars and I'm very impressed with the quality of them but they may not be powerful enough for your needs???
Sent from the astropathic choir.
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:popcorn: Following with interest.
I'm after a new pair as well. So much choice out there. One on my radar is Nikon's Monarch 7 8x30.
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Monarchs with ED glass have great reputation. They have a slight better rate than the Zeiss Terra in Cornell reviews and a lower price. But I always wanted a Zeiss, even if assembled in China.
Does anyone birding here? I don't but I like to look at pigeons, seagulls, sparrows and shallows from my balcony. I get more interested day by day.
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Got the Zeiss Terra ED today. I like them. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/21/ha4y6e9a.jpg)
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They're a good choice for the money - you won't be disappointed :)
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Got the Zeiss Terra ED today. I like them. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/21/ha4y6e9a.jpg)
Wow!!!
Nice :gimme: :gimme:
:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/03/6u9ujeda.jpg)
Nice indeed!
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I've read the canon IS bins are amazing.
If it wasn't for my sad addiction to all things shiny, I'd have a pair too.
Would love to have a go with the IS L versions - rumour has it they are simply unbelievable.
Congrats on those zeiss
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Yes, the IS is amazing. They say that the L glass of the 10x42 is comparable to Swaro, Zeiss and Leica and costs 1000€ less than the Alpha models. Anyway, I'm happy with Zeiss for general use and Canon for high power. Up from there there are my telescopes, the WO 66ED for terrestrial is great. Downwards I am going to buy a Pentax Papilio 6.5x21, for close up and opera use.
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You know your optics, I'll give you that.
The papillons are supposedly amazing. I actually won a new pair off ebay years ago for peanuts - funnily enough they never arrived. Lol
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Nice score! I just stick to the lower end ones, but would love a good quality pair.
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I always liked optics but had practically nothing until 2009, when I started stargazing. Since I started concurrently with the great financial depression and I have two kids, I wouldn't go for the highest quality of premium binoculars, telescopes and eyepieces. But, you know how things are. You see through another person's equipment and you are hooked. You read the forums (I am a moderator in Cloudy Nights but follow other forums too) and see the Classifieds, how can you resist? With this and that I filled my arsenal with the following (and others that I sold and aren't in the list).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ilvhvkocpyhoxh1/My%20Astrogear%20kkokkolis.txt
But light pollution and lack of time (I roughly work almost double now to earn almost half the money of the previous decade) made me shift to binoculars. Giant mounted binoculars have the disadvantages of telescopes and I decided to get some good handheld pairs. I'm happy I did so and had my Terra with me in the bike ride I just enjoyed with my wife. I kept them in my EDC Victorinox sling bag. A 10x50 porro wouldn't fit. Those 30-42 roofs are really awesome. I might step up to a 32mm Conquest in the future, for even greater portability.
You said you have a pair of Leicas (at least). Now let me drool!
:drool:
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They reproduce. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/30/9e8y9y5e.jpg)
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Nice :tu:
And slighly newer than mine. :rofl:
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That's great! WWI? Maker? Model?
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Thanks, the glasses are still in a fine working condition - but for actual use it´s more of a monocular (for me). The distance between the centers is not variable as with todays binocs, and when your eyes have another distance ....... :think:
WWI, or short thereafter - if i had to guess. No idea regarding brand or maker or model, the only engravings are 1,2,3,4 ....6,7 .. on the length adjusting center mechanism, "8 Gläser" (8 lenses) on the left telescoping tube, and "patentirt" (patented) on the right.
And on the front of the center mechanism tube there is a cute tiny (around 10mm) compass build in. :D
If it helps you (i just liked it for display, am no expert) i can take some more pics from different directions, or from details. You only have to say what has to be on the pics. :salute:
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Yes please. Objectives and eyepieces for sure.
So it is German?
I wonder if it is a roof design or Galilean.
How did it come to your hands?
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I will take some pics. :)
Not neccessary "german", but from the german language area, could also be from austria or switzerland.
As mentioned, i´m no expert. But it looks galilean to me.
I´m a movie prop collector. And i was on the hunt for the binocs used by Indiana Jones, but couldn`t find out the exact make, so i went for a nice looking binoc of "similar" appearance in good condition. Found this on ebay - and won. :D
It´s a nice looking display piece. :tu:
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8 stands for magnification and Glaser is the maker perhaps?
Otherwise we have 2 objective glasses, 4 for the eyepiece and 2 roof prisms? Just guessing.
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I would have guessed the second, but it could also be your first thought.
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Is there such a product as an indoor binocular ? LOL.
I've used binos and spotting scopes for years.
These are my current users.
Zeiss Compact 8X20 binos.
Bushnell Elite 10X42 roof prism binos.
Bushnell Elite 15X45 spotting scope.
Stock photos.
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Yes, the Pentax Papilio are also indoor binoculars. And the Minox Macroscope is also an indoor monocular. I used the Pentax in Madrid, inside the Prado, the Reina Sophia, the Palace etc, as well as in the Botanic gardens and the park.
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They're not advertised as indoor binos.Their forte is the ability to focus at a much closer distance than other traditional binos.This enables entomologists,lepidopterists and wildlife biologists to view subjects more closely without getting so close as to disturb their subject .
I use my Zeiss compacts to view concerts and plays.Every pair of binos I've owned I have used indoors when needed.
I forgot to mention that I have a very old Argus poro-prism 20X telescope that my grandad used for target shooting in the 1940's-50's.
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I considered compact roof Zeiss or Leica but after the Papilio I feel satisfied. They are sharp up to the edge although their apparent field of view is less than that of the Zeiss Terra. The Canons with more apparent field of view are also sharp to the edge (they have a field flattener). But the sweet spot of the Zeiss is incomparable.
In fact what I meant with the term "outdoor" was in contrast with astronomical. Astronomical binoculars can be used from an observatory or stationary on a tripod. They are sometimes very big, heavy, with high magnifications and restricted field of view. They don't need to be waterproof or water resistant and they are usually of a porro design.
Outdoor binoculars should be light, small, impact resistant (rubber armored) and waterproof, with a magnification of x6-x10 that enables tremor free images, able to focus close as well as far away, and with a form factor that enables them to be put in a backpack and hang from one's neck for a long time when hiking.
They shouldn't need colimation every now and then and never in the field. They should have very good reflection control (something the Papilio doesn't have) and a good exit pupil (4-5mm for a 45er like me). Usually they are of the roof design and 8-10x32-42. Your Elite are real outdoor binoculars whereas your Zeiss, as compacts are general use for outdoors and indoors (concerts, architectural details etc).
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Now I understand.
My Zeiss compacts are almost 30 years old and they still provide a clear image.
I had an incident with them about 20 years ago.I was in a canoe on a river with a friend when he tipped over the canoe.I had my Zeiss in a shoulder bag.When I found myself in the water my first thought was to save my Zeiss.So I dove down and saw my shoulder bag slowly floating to the bottom.I dove farther down and pushed my arm through the shoulder strap and swam to the surface.
When I arrived home I discovered the Zeiss had been permeated by water.I sent them to Zeiss with a letter about what had occurred.They repaired them and returned them to me free of charge.They weren't under warranty.That's excellent customer service.
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Here are some pictures of the aforementioned glass.
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I like my eschenbach adventure 10x25, pretty good for my needs.
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d143/xfiles_nbk/11august2014/IMG_9587_zps73add63a.jpg) (http://s34.photobucket.com/user/xfiles_nbk/media/11august2014/IMG_9587_zps73add63a.jpg.html)
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And here are mine (the top three of my binoculars). I also EDC a Belomo triplet and have a good arsenal of telescopes, eyepieces, mounts and accessories.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/25/30cd9640a0091885341ab9be700d7937.jpg)
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/03/6u9ujeda.jpg)
Nice indeed!
Wow, nice pairs of binoculars. I think that these seems to be perfect for any outdoor survival trips like camping, hiking, trekking or so. I am planning to get these for my outdoors as well.
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That's what I mean indoor binoculars. They are like a dissecting stereoscopic microscope, working at 8x from 50cm and with a wide field. My Bresser Researcher gives me 1cm TFOV at 20x, so I use the Pentax also.
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I'm an amateur star gazer and Cloudy Nights member too. Here's my gear along with my field and birding binos.
Nikon 10X70 HP IF
Nikon 7X50 Tropical
Canadian Mil 7X50 (Pentax Marine)
Steiner Military 7x50 M22 Issue
Basuch & Lomb 7x26 Custom
(Sorry for the lousy pic...cheap camera)
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Very nice. Envy of the 10x70. Have you seen comet Lovejoy? It was better with binoculars than telescope. Tonight it is close to Pleiades, nice to jump between the two.
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Very nice. Envy of the 10x70. Have you seen comet Lovejoy? It was better with binoculars than telescope. Tonight it is close to Pleiades, nice to jump between the two.
No I haven't. Fell on some ice on Jan 1st and just getting back up and around. Will look for it tonight. Moderately dark skies here and will be mostly clear tonight. Thanks for the reminder and the nearby constellation.
I lucked into those 10X70's. Was looking for some big binos back before Halley's last appearance in '86. Bought some affordable 20X80's and hated them so returned 'em and kept looking. B+H had an old customer return pair of Nikons that were gray market with all Japanese cards, tags etc...so I got them for around $349.00. They were mint/unused and B+H probably couldn't sell them with a USA warranty so priced them to fly. Bought the Nikon tripod adapter and extra Prostar eyecups as well. They are remarkable bins but have read their edge performance is slightly inferior to the Astroluxe.
When the wildfire took my parent's farm in '06, my mom, on the way out the door, grabbed those 10X70's and a bag with a Sony SW77 shortwave. I had jokingly said months before that if there was ever a fire, to save those two items and she did!
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I love items that have a history.
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Got to see Lovejoy Sat Night! Used m 7X50 Tropical...my cousin used the Steiners.
Beautiful sight. Thanks again for the reminder and I'm hoping to start getting out more nights...hate to let these dark skies go to waste.