Binocular double image

[Kdiveruk]

Hello SGL I'm Kyle. This is my first post! 

Firstly I would like to say thank you for having me and secondly that I am a complete novice and I stumbled on this great site on my quest for knowledge to get me out there amongst the stars. 

I am working my way towards a scope but first I have borrowed some binoculars from work (ships binoculars). I am enjoying some dark skys in sweeden at the moment and trying to star hop and I have to say loving it! I have always star gazed but never tried to put it in order I have always just been in awe. 

But as the title states I am geting a double image when I look up. The binoculars don't have any focus on them I believe. Not that I can find anyway!  Is this the problem? I would really like to know what causes it. 

Thank you in advance as I know someone will know the answer as I have  been digging through the vast amount posts on here and there is a wealth of collective knowledge on SGL! 

Kyle Harper 

Southampton 

Uk

[Ships and Stars]

Is there a central focus wheel for the bins, or is each eyepiece adjustable for focus? Is there a model or make on them? And a number like 7x35 or 10x50?

If they are ships binoculars, they might be some non-adjustable focus type for easier use and they may have taken a knock during rough seas or handling which will put them out of 'collimation' and give double images.

Sounds like they've take a knock perhaps, but there is one more thing to try - that's flex the bins in and out on the central hinge so the eyepieces line up with your eyes perfectly (inter pupilary distance or IPD I believe). 

All else fails, tell the Captain any real ship would only use Fujinons and borrow those! But only when he's in a good mood 🤣

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you find an answer to your problem and continue to enjoy the hobby. Sorry I can’t help.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Double image, sounds like they are out of collimation.

[Kdiveruk]

7 hours ago, Ships and Stars said:

Is there a central focus wheel for the bins, or is each eyepiece adjustable for focus? Is there a model or make on them? And a number like 7x35 or 10x50?

If they are ships binoculars, they might be some non-adjustable focus type for easier use and they may have taken a knock during rough seas or handling which will put them out of 'collimation' and give double images.

Sounds like they've take a knock perhaps, but there is one more thing to try - that's flex the bins in and out on the central hinge so the eyepieces line up with your eyes perfectly (inter pupilary distance or IPD I believe). 

All else fails, tell the Captain any real ship would only use Fujinons and borrow those! But only when he's in a good mood 

Hi ships and stars thank you for your reply. The brand is eagle eye and they are 7x50. I think that they are only cheap from looking online. I can only find adjustment on the right eyepiece and it only turns a very small amount. I think they are fixed. Maybe they are out of collimation but they are okay to use on terestrial objects. I believe terestrial is the rite word there! 

 

Ps thanks for the other replies. 

[Ships and Stars]

Ah yes think those are fixed focus for marine - they've probably led a hard life at sea!  

If you can pick up some cheap binoculars with low magnification and central focus like another pair of 7x50s or something similar they'd probably work well both at sea and on land when you are ashore.

Even though the ship's lights are bright, you still might be able to view some stars way out at sea when conditions are calm because you'll be far from other light pollution sources, then when you are in a port somewhere fairly rural with good skies, maybe dark skies away from the harbour? If you're Southampton I'd probably look towards the New Forest for stars if you get a chance.

Have fun!

PS terrestrial is correct term for viewing objects on land. I guess at sea it would be simply marine viewing, dolphins, etc 👍

Edited September 23, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[Starwatcher2001]

That's a new one on me. I've never seen a pair of bins with fixed focus. The adjustment on one eyepiece is so you can get correct focus in both eyes, even if one of your eyes is weaker than the other.

Oh sorry, welcome aboard Kyle!

Edited September 23, 2020 by Starwatcher2001
welcome

[Kdiveruk]

1 hour ago, Starwatcher2001 said:

That's a new one on me. I've never seen a pair of bins with fixed focus. The adjustment on one eyepiece is so you can get correct focus in both eyes, even if one of your eyes is weaker than the other.

Oh sorry, welcome aboard Kyle!

Yeah they confused me a bit! And thanks glad to be aboard 😊

[Kdiveruk]

Ships and stars yes I think they have had a hard life to be fair!

so im off to look for some new ones as I think it's a worthy investment I can see a set will go well alongside my new scope star hopping with my wife! I was going to get a goto but I have changed my mind I think I'll just get a push to as I'm loving learning the sky. 

I figured extraterrestrial was space 👽😂 so I just removed the alien. 

I keep reading 10x50 for what I want? 

[Bruce Leeroy]

12 hours ago, Kdiveruk said:

I am geting a double image

Sometimes your eyes will deceive you so if the double image is from collimation ( 1 side higher in the left eyepiece - _ than the right eyepiece for example ) you should rotate the whole binocular so your left eye is looking in the right eyepiece and see if the difference is the same - _  or _- as when you viewed them normally. Hope I'm clear enough 😛

[Kdiveruk]

11 minutes ago, Bruce Leeroy said:

Sometimes your eyes will deceive you so if the double image is from collimation ( 1 side higher in the left eyepiece - _ than the right eyepiece for example ) you should rotate the whole binocular so your left eye is looking in the right eyepiece and see if the difference is the same - _  or _- as when you viewed them normally. Hope I'm clear enough 😛

Okay worth a try I didn't notice if one side was higher or not I'll have look tonight if it's clear 👍

[Peter Drew]

As a last resort, you could try unscrewing the front half of each that contains the main lens.  The lenses are seldom fitted perfectly concentric so rotating them causes the image to wander.  If you are lucky, you could find a position where the images merge properly.    🙂

[Kdiveruk]

That sounds like it's also worth a try peter 👍thanks 

[Kdiveruk]

Just a quick update! I tried some of the things suggested above but to no avail. So I gave up in the end. I shall just buy a new set when I am home. 

[Capt Slog]

I've had several pairs of cheap binoculars in the past, including some that I've had to 'twist' the two sides in opposing directions to get them to line up.  It's not ideal, or even comfortable to do this in the long term, but it might show where the problem lies.

[Kdiveruk]

Just a quick update! 

I have just purchased myself a pair old 7x50 binoculars for around £15. I have just been out north of gothenberg sweeden in I reckon about a bortle 4 and I am blown away by how much I can see😁 I just about made out the globular cluster in hurcules I can't wait to look through my telescope.

I also looked at a group of stars I think is hyades. I have always seen them faint with the naked eye looking like a small blue ursa major but tonight it was amazing. Bright electric blue really spectacular and through a set of £15 second hand binos! I am really glad I joined SGL I would never have thought to get binoculars. 

What a great website and what a great night I have had. Off to bed one happy chappy. 

 

Thank you for all the advice 

Kind regards Kyle 

[PeterW]

Great news! There are some people I know who actively mine secondhand shops for old 7x binoculars. There are some great models out there, check them in shop and if they’re good, you’ve got a bargain. One of my best pairs are from the 1960s.... don’t make bins like that anymore!
Fixing collimation is possible at modest cost, but few people offer the service. Fixed focus binoculars are notorious... they rely on your eyes doing the focussing work, so different people get on with them differently... only really a marketing gimmick. Not surprised you could use them in the daytime, stars make miscollimation much more obvious, especially bright planets.

those of us who like in cities envy your skies,

enjoy, learn your way around, ask more questions!

Peter

[Pixies]

13 hours ago, Kdiveruk said:

Just a quick update! 

I have just purchased myself a pair old 7x50 binoculars for around £15. I have just been out north of gothenberg sweeden in I reckon about a bortle 4 and I am blown away by how much I can see😁 I just about made out the globular cluster in hurcules I can't wait to look through my telescope.

I also looked at a group of stars I think is hyades. I have always seen them faint with the naked eye looking like a small blue ursa major but tonight it was amazing. Bright electric blue really spectacular and through a set of £15 second hand binos! I am really glad I joined SGL I would never have thought to get binoculars. 

What a great website and what a great night I have had. Off to bed one happy chappy. 

 

Thank you for all the advice 

Kind regards Kyle 

Cool.

The small cluster you saw is the Pleiades - it is a good binocular target. The Hyades is good too - larger and less dense, around Aldebaran in Taurus (half-way between the Pleiades and Orion). A bit further east is the Beehive cluster in Cancer. Theses are all great in medium bins.