Show Us Your Binoculars.

[garryblueboy]

These are just superb and really give you the wow feeling the moon just pops 

[CyGuy]

My Celestron 25x100 binoculars

[Nakedgun]

On 17/09/2023 at 10:45, CyGuy said:

My Celestron 25x100 binoculars

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Stout glass. 

The tripod appears a bit overmatched, no?

 

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[bosun21]

Duplicate post.

Edited September 28, 2023 by bosun21

[johnbaz]

A few more of mine that I don't think i've posted in this thread.

Another old Russian Komz 8x30..

Swift Trilyte 8x40.

Yashika 8x40.

Old Voightlander that a friend gave me free!, They're very nice for such an old binocular!

Bushnell Birding 10x42.

Pentax zoom bins..

(Swift) Audubon mk2 8.5x44.

A little Nikon 9x25..

Tecnar 10x50, When these arrived I couldn't look through them as the collimation was so bad!, I got fed up of seeing them in the house and was on my way to stick them in the bin and noticed that one of the objective bells was on really skewed!, Someone had removed it for some reason and cross threaded It! It took me ages to get it to start in the correct way but got it eventually and collimation came back ok!

Zeiss Dekarem 10x50 Q1, I found these local through facebook, They were only a tenner!!

Opticron Polarex 8x40.

Simmons 7x42.

Barr & Stroud 8x30.

Russian 7x50.

Military Kershaw bins with graticles, They have the broadarrow stamped on them, Left side is lovely and clear, Right side is full of specks of paint!

Cheapo Chinese low mag that needs very little focussing, I initially thought they were the focus free type but they're individual focus!

Tecnar 12x50, Love these, Plus, They have a really beautiful 'Olde worlde' smell to them!! 

Tasco 7-15x35 in very nice 'looked after' condition. I dislike zoom bins though and don't know why I buy them! ☺️

Dowling & Rowe focus free and Tasco, Both armoured.

Swallow 15x80 with the normal sized Nikon Monarch 8x42 in front for a size comparison.

 

 

I have a few more but never got around to taking pics, Got a really nice Opticron 8x40 from a friend at 'Mates rates'!!

 

John 🙂

 

 

 

[Nakedgun]

15 hours ago, johnbaz said:

A few more of mine that I don't think i've posted in this thread.

Another old Russian Komz 8x30..

Swift Trilyte 8x40.

Yashika 8x40.

Old Voightlander that a friend gave me free!, They're very nice for such an old binocular!

Bushnell Birding 10x42.

Pentax zoom bins..

(Swift) Audubon mk2 8.5x44.

A little Nikon 9x25..

Tecnar 10x50, When these arrived I couldn't look through them as the collimation was so bad!, I got fed up of seeing them in the house and was on my way to stick them in the bin and noticed that one of the objective bells was on really skewed!, Someone had removed it for some reason and cross threaded It! It took me ages to get it to start in the correct way but got it eventually and collimation came back ok!

Zeiss Dekarem 10x50 Q1, I found these local through facebook, They were only a tenner!!

Opticron Polarex 8x40.

Simmons 7x42.

Barr & Stroud 8x30.

Russian 7x50.

Military Kershaw bins with graticles, They have the broadarrow stamped on them, Left side is lovely and clear, Right side is full of specks of paint!

Cheapo Chinese low mag that needs very little focussing, I initially thought they were the focus free type but they're individual focus!

Tecnar 12x50, Love these, Plus, They have a really beautiful 'Olde worlde' smell to them!! 

Tasco 7-15x35 in very nice 'looked after' condition. I dislike zoom bins though and don't know why I buy them! ☺️

Dowling & Rowe focus free and Tasco, Both armoured.

Swallow 15x80 with the normal sized Nikon Monarch 8x42 in front for a size comparison.

 

 

I have a few more but never got around to taking pics, Got a really nice Opticron 8x40 from a friend at 'Mates rates'!!

 

John 🙂

 

 

 

~

Have a wide-angle lens for a full family portrait?

 

 

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[plyscope]

Telescope Express have a special on the little 6x30 ED so I bought one to compare with the APM 6x30 that have had for a couple of years.

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p15261_TS-Optics-6x30-ED-APO-Outdoor-Binoculars---Magnesium-Body.html

[Nakedgun]

2 hours ago, plyscope said:

Telescope Express have a special on the little 6x30 ED so I bought one to compare with the APM 6x30 that have had for a couple of years.

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p15261_TS-Optics-6x30-ED-APO-Outdoor-Binoculars---Magnesium-Body.html

~

Same mfr?

What are your findings?

 

 

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[johnturley]

My recently acquired Helios Stellar II 16 x 80 Binoculars tripod mounted.

 

john 

[plyscope]

16 hours ago, Nakedgun said:

~

Same mfr?

What are your findings?

 

 

.

Yes I am confidant they are the same manufacturer. I like them both. The APM with centre focus is more versatile for general purpose use.  The TS is the better choice for marine use as it is more protected. Optically they seem almost the same. There is some more information in this link;

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/676116-apm-8x30-ed-and-6x30-porro-binoculars-prototypes/?p=9634993

Comparing them early this morning on star clusters and just general scanning the heavens, my first impression is that they are virtually the same with regards to optical performance.

[PatientObserver]

I started experimenting with binoculars with the Nikon AE line. The first model I purchased was the 7x50. I later aquired the 10x50 and the 8x40.

The 10x50 had a crack objective lens, so I returned it.

These served me well, but I was interested in what I could get with more investment. At first, I considered higher end Nikons, but after reading multiple good reviews of Maven binoculars, I started considering buying a Maven B6 10x50. Then on Prime Day, there was a deal I could not refuse on the MB2 9x45. Shortly after I saw an MB6 12x50 for sale in the Classifieds on CN. Given Maven's lifetime transferable warranty, I was confident that I would be able to get them repaired if there was any issue, or sell them if I was not happy with them.

The MB2 is my favorite handheld binocular. It fits me perfectly. The MB6 I use mounted and it has become my sunspot spotter.

I like the Mavens enough that my next binocular purchase will be an MB5 15x56. Though that will not be anytime soon as I have other astronomy priorities to purchase first.

Edited February 18 by PatientObserver

[Nakedgun]

~

With so much cloud-cover, do I really need big glasses? 🙃

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jjohnson3803]

On 18/02/2024 at 10:53, PatientObserver said:

I started experimenting with binoculars with the Nikon AE line. The first model I purchased was the 7x50. I later aquired the 10x50 and the 8x40.

What's your opinion of the 8x40s?  I'm thinking about getting a pair of 8xSomethings soon.

[PatientObserver]

On 26/02/2024 at 10:05, jjohnson3803 said:

What's your opinion of the 8x40s?  I'm thinking about getting a pair of 8xSomethings soon.

It is my favorite of the Nikon AEs. This may mostly be due to the decrease in mass compared to the other two (though I also prefer the magnification). Also note that I am in Bortle 6 or 7 skies. It is a great buy for the price; especially if you buy them on sale like I did.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Latest family portrait of my somewhat reduced collection of binoculars. 

Left are the two Carl Zeiss Victory bins: 10x42 mm in the rear, 8x25 mm (donning Opticron objective caps) in front.

On the right we have the Helios LightQuest 16x80 mm in the rear and the Lunt 8x32 mm SUNoculars.

I note there has been a shift towards roof prisms, and quality rather than quantity.

[DirkSteele]

Treated to myself to a birthday present and really looking forward to putting them through their paces. I had a quick 5 min go with a pair at a star party several years ago and found my mind drifting back to that experience so finally scratched the itch!

 

[Nakedgun]

On 14/03/2024 at 01:26, DirkSteele said:

Treated to myself to a birthday present and really looking forward to putting them through their paces. I had a quick 5 min go with a pair at a star party several years ago and found my mind drifting back to that experience so finally scratched the itch!

 

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Does this model have an on/off switch, or must the button be held down continually for stabilization? Some Canons did have the continuous pressure button, which seems a real encumbrance. My wife's 10x32s have the switch-type (two separate modes, actually).

 

 

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[Second Time Around]

I have 12x36 Canons where the switch has to be held down continuously.  However, despite having badly disabled hands I have no problem holding the button.  This is because my finger naturally falls into place on the button.

If I have no problem others shouldn't either.  So don't let this put you off buying such a model.

[DirkSteele]

1 hour ago, Nakedgun said:

~

Does this model have an on/off switch, or must the button be held down continually for stabilization? Some Canons did have the continuous pressure button, which seems a real encumbrance. My wife's 10x32s have the switch-type (two separate modes, actually).

 

 

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Gentle tap and it stays on. Hard press and you keep depressed to keep IS operating. So both.

[JeremyS]

2 hours ago, Second Time Around said:

I have 12x36 Canons where the switch has to be held down continuously.  However, despite having badly disabled hands I have no problem holding the button.  This is because my finger naturally falls into place on the button.

If I have no problem others shouldn't either.  So don't let this put you off buying such a model.

Indeed, easy to use and doesn’t waste the battery.

[JeremyS]

Home made solar filters for Canon 12x36is binocular 

[Nakedgun]

"Show Us Your Binoculars"

~

You mean all of them?

The last two winters were much wetter and colder than usual, here, and I found myself online more, and particularly with a new-to-me auction website hosted by Goodwill Industries where they auction donated items. Of course, the telescope and binocular sections are where I spent most time (and money) establishing, or adding to, my collections. Am I a "collector"? If you have more than one item hardly distinguishable from another similar item, are you collecting? Perhaps so. A large number of "classic" binoculars get donated and one can easily want to get every variation available.

Goodwill auctions are always a crapshoot. Until you examine and look through your find, you won't know if it's a gem, or a lemon. I have passed along marginal performers to a fair number of folks in my acquaintance who were only too happy to receive them, while some had to be outright tossed away. Junk.

I decided to conduct a binocular inventory while not doing anything else Sunday morning. I knew I had more of them than telescopes, a list of which I posted recently in a thread where someone asked how many scopes we had, but did not have a grasp on a ballpark figure for the two-eyed optical instruments I have, whether in the house, the vehicles, or travel trailer.

They can be divided up according to their intended purpose, too: astronomy; wildlife identification; topography; general daytime observing at home; or on the road; or while camping. And then (and here's where the "collecting" part comes in), there are the divisions between modern, versus classic, daytime use / nighttime use models, quick grab and short use, or serious all-night deep penetration viewing. I suppose as one acquires more models, justifications must be made for the use of each one.

Photographing the lot seems too much work, for now, and besides would take up too much room here, separately, although I could gather them all for a "family" portrait, which also seems more labor intensive than I'd like.

Shall I simply list the totals by manufacturer? That would be easiest.

As of today...

Kowa - 19

Tasco - 10

Swift - 7

Swarovski - 5

Pentax - 2

Jason - 2

Single units of - 

Canon

Celestron

Mayflower

Micronta

Sears

Sunscope

Prestige

Petlux

Binolux

Viewlux

I'm sure there must be some here who will scoff at my paltry summation, at least, I hope so.

Three of the Kowa models are on the "to be given away" list, as I have too many of them.

I'm sure nobody here wants a more detailed breakdown of them (probably TMI already), but that can be done if desired.

Thanks, if you read this far.

 

Edit: This evening, 30 May, while watching the ISS pass overhead with my Jason Statesman 7x50s I remembered a pair of Tasco 8x20 skeletonized, which I have in a backpack at the moment, so make that 11 Tasco glasses.

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Edited yesterday at 03:48 by Nakedgun