Hi Guys:

I am pleased to direct you to the new article on the Home Page, "BINOCULAR BASICS, PART ONE: MANUFACTURING" by John Barsness (Mule Deer).

Please use this thread to ask questions about the article, and I look forward to the next installment.

Thanks, John!

John,

I really enjoyed this article. Have you ever had someone "not" agree that a particular set of binos were really good? That they thought what you believed to be a lesser set were better than one you thought was really good?

I have a 2nd job at an outdoor retailer in the optics dept. One thing I have noticed over the years is that not everyone "sees" the same details with binoculars.

Many customers that come in looking at binoculars cannot see the optical differences in high end glass and mid-range glass. Some have stated that they see no difference between a $300 set of Nikons or Leupolds, and a set of Swarovski SLC's (?). This has happened too many times over the years to be a fluke to me.

On the other hand, when young military pilots come in and compare binoculars they immediately see details in the glass that most do not. I am convinced that if one has excellent eyesight to begin with - they have a different viewing experience than the average person with average to poor eyesight, despite the fact that one can focus binoculars to obtain a clear sight picture.

I always encourage to try as many different brands as you can, because we all see things a bit differently. What may be clear and bright to me may not give you the same experience.

Just curious if you have noticed the same thing?

Mark

Oh, yeah, eyesight makes a big difference!

One of the things that happens as we get older is the pupils of our eyes don't open up as much in dim light. As a result, the advantage of larger exit pupils in binoculars is reduced, especially in dim light, because smaller eye-pupils can't take advantage of the "extra" light.

That's is pretty well-known, but another aspect of smaller eye-pupils is they tend to sharpen the view slightly, especially around the edges of the field of view--exactly like a smaller lens aperture in a camera sharpens the edges, and for the same reason: It reduces the amount of "edge" light, the rays that come in through the edges of the lens, which are deflected the most, both due to their distance from the center of the lens, and the interference of the lens mount.

However, this doesn't help the overall sharpness of older eyes. Instead it just reduces the difference in the perception of sharpness through optics.

Eyes also vary considerably in how they perceive color. One result is a lens system that emphasizes one color over another may look sharper to one person, and not to another.

There are other differences as well, the reason I try to gather several people now and then to look through a bunch of binoculars. It's always good to get a broader spectrum of opinions.

I recently bought a Leupold BX-1 McKenzie binocular. Seem like a nicely made unit, but they're not quite as sharp as I expected.

I know they're the bottom of the Leupold line, but it seems like my 20+ year-old porro prism Minolta mini's are significantly crisper.

Do these BX-1s have adequate correction coatings?

Scott

Apparently not.

JB, I have a pair of Pentax 8X43 SP DCF binoculars. They are well made, but the image has a yellowish tint. Any explanation for this?

Might just be the way you see color, combined with the lenses on that particular model. Human eyesight varies considerably in that regard. Do other people see the same yellow tint?

The binocular also might be made that way to enhance the view in certain light conditions, common in many optics these days.

John, I'm retired and a senior with old eyes....
Before reading your info, above, I didn't understand why a 300-dollar nikon monarch 5 was every-bit-as-good (to my eyes) as a 1000-European binocular.
So, by growing old, I have saved myself 700 bucks and am just as happy.
This is way-better than social-security.
:-)

OldCrab