Thoughts on Binoculars, by Phil Ridgwell

[philr]

“Thoughts on Binoculars”

By Dr Phil Ridgwell [email protected] ver2.2FR Dec 2021

When I was growing up my parents always watched birds, as I played, they would be peering through a well-used pair of binoculars, watching some exotic wader or even just the garden birds. As a result, I have always had an interest in birds, and thereby, binoculars. Fairly early on in my adult life bought a good pair to use myself (Leica Trinovid 10x25 BCA), I still have them 33 years later and have loved them so much. But I have always been interested in the other makes, models, sizes, designs and how they compared to mine. So, whenever I was on a wilderness trail, hike, bird watching expedition or just viewing the distant animals at a hide or from a game drive vehicle, I would ask to look through other people’s binoculars. This was pre-pandemic!
What strikes me is how very good even very cheap binoculars are, but also how unbelievably expensive really good ones are; the cheapest, Chinese made, Bushnell 10x25 Powerview cost under R500, while the Austrian made Swarovski 10x42 NL PURE are R60 000. If you pick them up in the shop, look out the door - people comment on how good the cheap ones are and ask how can the price be so high of the others, also, that they cannot see much difference. Ironically, those comments are true, but there are many factors to consider. Usually, when you are thinking of binoculars helpful sales people (who probably know less than you do) just quote or misquote the obvious stuff, which is mostly meaningless. Nikon has a brochure to download at;
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...ars/index.page then follow the link to “Download the complete binocular handbook”.
it is quite a good summary, including a glossary of the many aspects of most binoculars (I miss out specialist models here, like range finding, night vision, celestial and am mostly concerned with outdoor, bird watching or animals).
Regretfully, most sales people haven’t bothered to investigate this stuff, so be careful of what they tell you. I do not find most of the “Best binoculars” websites very useful as if they are local pages, they seem to be very biased towards what that store has in stock (there is a shocker) and if they are international pages then they often cite brands and models not available locally.
I found that the big photo shops, like Cameraland, Kameraz, The Digital Experience and SafariSA.net have a good stockholding; mostly know what they are doing and are not actually any more expensive than the less professional places like…... Ultimately only looking through binoculars, and preferably, many of them, can help you decide, - but here are my “Thoughts on Binoculars” irrespective of which end of the spectrum you are;
What do you have now? Maybe you have a pair of binoculars already, but they are not very good or broken? If so, don’t despair. Follow the cleaning and dioptre adjustment sections and have another look. If they need repair I use a small shop in Linden, Sunray, Steve works by himself and does a great job. 0117823525, he seems to only work Tuesday to Thursday 09h00 to 15h00 so try several times to call first and confirm he will be there. There is also Camera Tek who repair Canon and Future Specialist who repair Tamron. Maybe ask them too. Ultimately your old pair may just be too old or too broken or not worth doing much with, so now you look to buy a “New” pair.
Second hand or New? I have looked at many, many second hand binoculars in many cash convertors type stores. Mostly they are rubbish and mostly far too expensive (60% the cost of a new pair, with no guarantee). Maybe more importantly, when they are described by the seller as “very good condition” I often find they have major undisclosed problems; focusing, lose eyepieces, stuck dioptres, misaligned optics, fogging, even mould and mildew! If you don’t notice these issues, then you may be wasting your money totally. Buy new would be my considered choice.
Keep them Clean; whether new or old, a clean set of lenses is vital. I often see great binoculars that were used to dig the garden (or look like it). Always keep them clean and try to do it properly, not with an old rag or face mask, but using an optical quality micro-fibre lens cleaning cloth or LensPen type cleaner. Importantly, brush out any dust or sand or dirt with a lens brush (soft camel brush) If the sand isn’t brushed out first then you get damaging scratches on the glass of the lens. Next, use the cleaning fabric or cleaning pen. Never use a facial tissue, toilet tissue, flannel clothing or heavy cotton. Indeed, the harder the fabric, the more it removes the very costly anti-reflective coatings or scratches the glass - Not good. A cheap clean pair of binoculars is quite acceptable for most occasions and a lot cheaper than a new pair that’s dirty.
Dioptre adjustment; Every time my mother couldn’t see much through her old binoculars, I would diligently brush out the dust and clean the lens. But I also find that many times the dioptre was all over the place. While I understand that each eye is unique. but it is not often that the dioptre is different by more than 0.5 or so. When I pick up someone’s binoculars, I often find plus 4 or minus 3 on the dioptres. I put them back to zero, and then suggest they follow the many published instructions or YouTube video’s on adjusting them. Very rarely do they end up far off zero. Start there. It is also the reason I don’t like the Zeiss 10x25 binoculars much, their dioptre adjustment is identical in size and very close to the focus adjustment, so the dioptre always gets mis-adjusted.
My mother would get her pair back after this and be overjoyed at how clear and good they were now. Do this to your binoculars, often and see more and better every time.
Design: there are two major designs, and older bulkier type, the “Porro Prism”and the newer, sleeker type, “Roof Prism”
The bulkier design of the offset objective lens, the Porro Prism design, is how all binoculars were made. While they are bulkier, they are easier to make, so a bright, clear Porro prism 10x magnification (“10x” hereafter) can be bought for R600 to R1250. Don’t be fooled by brand names here, like “National Geographic” they are just a cheap Chinese make with a purchased brand on them. Having said that, it is what most people started with and many stores - Cape Union Mart, Outdoor Warehouse, Makro, Drifters, Camp & Climb, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Photo Discount World - have a selection available to look through. Some do keep brand names like Bushnell and Nikon, others sell Tasco and Voyager or completely unbranded. I suggest you go to several shops, get to know what is available and the prices and then buy what’s best for you there. I do not recommend buying online unless you have a very good reason, or know the binoculars well. Being able to pick them up, look through several brands and sizes and see which suits you and your vision the most, are very important (see why later).
The sleeker, narrow “Roof Prism” design looks very neat and modern, and almost all expensive binoculars are following this design now, pioneered by Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski. They are more complicated to make, so tend to be more expensive, but every manufacturer offers some similarity to this design (for better or worse). You can now get the very small, compact and light 10x25 at under R500, to full size 10x42 from about R1500 to R60000.
Budget and cost; For many, most people, cost is the major factor. They have worked out a budget, what they can afford and that’s it. Sometimes they consider the use, like in a glove compartment in a vehicle or in a back-pack, but not often. Then they look (often with as little effort as possible) and see what is available in that price range, often online or at maybe one shop and just buy it. It works, its guaranteed, so its Ok, right? Well maybe, but why not read on a bit more.
Also, a more expensive pair may be better and last longer. Recently on a WBC birding outing someone said they needed another pair of binoculars and commented that if they added up all the pairs, they had bought over the years they could have bought something decent in the first place and saved money by now. I bought my (first) Leica Trinovid 10x25 BCA in 1988, and they cost a lot, GBP300. But I have used them for countless walks and trails and outings and they are still good today. My reason for looking at buying a new pair of binoculars is that my use has changed, from walking with a small light pair, to sitting in a vehicle or hide and peering deep into the dark bushes where the extra clarity, light and colour accuracy is useful. That why I started this exploration.
Insurance; As mentioned, costs vary ENORMOUSLY; from under R500 to over R60 000. How does insurance affect your choice; Well, as soon as you get out of the R1500 price range it becomes a valuable and probably important piece of your birdwatching gear, maybe along with a camera. Insurance on these things is quite complicated, so, it usually has to be listed or even specified under All Risks and you may have a severe limitation what you can claim for, and under what circumstances.
Theft from a vehicle is often excluded. Also, each item under All Risks, even if listed can often only be a certain percentage of the total value insured on that section. So, one company, Old Mutual says that if you have R20 000 cover under All Risks, only 25% is the maximum per item. Buy a nice R9 000 pair of binoculars (Nikon Monach 7S 10x42, or Zeiss Terra) and they are not covered at all. You find that out after the incident. To be sure you must check the detailed terms and conditions of your All Risks policy. A specific policy just to cover your nice R50 000 pair of binoculars is probably over R400pm. Had you included this ongoing monthly cost in the price decision when buying them? Maybe buying a cheaper pair of binoculars and choosing consciously what to cover under All Risks is a good idea before getting your Amex card out.
Magnification; 8x or 10x are the most common. I find it too hard to hold a 12x pair still, I can see the shaking and the amount you can see if restricted, so you need to be very good at seeing with your eyes and finding them immediately with the binoculars. Many people really struggle with that. Don’t go for a very high magnification, like 15x, 18x or 25x as they need to be set up on a tripod with the optional tripod mount and even then, unless you are looking at a frozen chicken it doesn’t help much.
Field of view; I know people who have specifically chosen 8x or 8.5x because they struggle to locate a bird in a tree from the call only or after just a glimpse out the corner of your eye. They prefer the wider field of view. Also, a smaller magnification, with the same size objective lens creates a brighter image and better clarity (and is less complicated to make too, so cheaper)
Brightness; it is true that on any given pair, the bigger the front lens (objective lens) the brighter the image appears, because you are letting more light in. But the large front lens weighs more and people then struggle with weight. There is a compromise here, so don’t buy a pair of 70mm objective lens binoculars and expect to walk with them.
Weight; for 30 years I really only walked with binoculars, wilderness hikes, guided game trails, casual walking in the hills. As such, weight was a massive issue for me because I did not want to walk with 840gm around my neck, and chose the Leica Trinovid 10x25 BCA at just 255gms. They are great. Some people with the larger binoculars, 10x42, 10x50 etc use a “Binocular harness” to take the weight off the neck and shoulders. These work well, and while they look a bit like a bondage bra in use, I fully understand the benefit. Harnesses cost between R500 and R1800. As such weight may not be an issue as long as you don’t mind the sideways glances in the bird hide.
Waterproof/fog proof; just how important is this? Well, quite important if you live in a wet climate, the UK, Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Canada. On the highveldt it is less critical. What is critical is protecting the binoculars from the rain and dew by using a waterproof bag to carry it in. The cheaper the binoculars the more important it is to keep them dry, and if they get fogged up then try the repair people after a period of trying to dry them. My Leica Trinovid 10x25 BCA were not waterproof, later models were twice the price and were waterproof, but in 30 years of good usage, and with reasonable care, it was never an issue. Some binoculars are waterproof down to 4m, but generally it’s a great idea not to go swimming with them or drop them into the water to test the warrantee/guarantee (see below).
Warrantee/guarantee; Here is an interesting topic, everybody tells me that Swarovski are guaranteed/warranteed for life and that you only have to pay for them to get back to Swarovski in Austria, or maybe Whylo Distributors in Durban (the import agents) and the binoculars will be repaired free of charge, irrespective of the cause. It’s a major justification used to buy them.
Unfortunately, this was the case, but is no longer true; The warrantee is only for 10 years now, and only covers manufacturing and factory faults. While the agents say “Swarovski Optik are very lenient” I am not sure what “lenient” means and it does seem to exclude shipping and some other costs. One person I know was recently charged R3000 and it took a year to come back, others have been charged R1300 for shipping costs. It is not an unconditional, all inclusive warrantee or guarantee though and the website is not very clear on this -
https://www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en...anty#downloads
Interestingly, the only binocular that I have found that is unconditionally warranted/guaranteed is Vortex. They say; “We will repair or replace your Vortex® product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you……It doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was or where you purchased it. …….It does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.” https://vortexoptics.com/vip-warranty
The Swarovski and Vortex importers are Whylo Distributors… I like this company - when I was asking complicated questions that the shop sales people didn’t even understand, they engaged fully with the required answers. Lynx Optics import Kowa, Ranger and Lynx and they are most helpful too. They both know their products and they seem to responsibly represent their manufacturers. Whatever you want to buy though, it is useful to know the actual wording of any warrantee/guarantee before you buy – I still do not know what does “lenient” actually mean.
Look through them; Surely, this is the first and last word in all binocular choice, well, it’s not that easy. The problem is that a bird doesn’t sit in a sunny parking lot at midday, or a brightly lit shopping centre. They are sitting deep in a bush or at dusk in a drizzly cloudy sky. You may be far away or in a vehicle that’s vibrating. So, look at lots of pairs in many different shops and don’t be fooled by the helpful sales people who know nothing.
I wanted to replace a very impressive, but old pair of Bushnell Nature View 10x42 that had come to bits and could not be repaired locally by Bushnell (no lab anymore, but eventually fixed by Sunray). I went straight to a retailer that had the Legend 10x42 in stock. I picked them up and hated them. I did not like the them at all. I found them uncomfortable and the optics mediocre. They just couldn’t look through a bush like I was used to with the Nature View pair I had used for years. I looked at the Vortex Diamond Back and was very impressed; at R6500 they were a huge jump up in construction, quality, optics and a lifetime warrantee/guarantee. They were also 50% more expensive, but had a lifetime warrantee……… etc.
How do they feel in the hands; I have held a lot of binoculars, many new, many used. What I noticed was how different they feel. Optically the Leica Noctovid 10x42 and the Swarovski 10x42 NL Pure are both fantastic. The Leica’s are 35% cheaper than the Swarovski’s, but I did not like how they felt in the hands, the way you had to hold them because of the location of the strap loops and focus ring. How odd.
The Vortex Diamond Back are fantastic R6500 binoculars but quite small, so hold them - how do they feel? The Nikon Monach 5 are a bit bigger, the Leica Noctovid 10x42 next and to my hands, the Swarovski 10x42 EL are the biggest of the lot. As I said, I did not like the feel or the optics of the Bushnell Legend at all. Who would have known that without trying first? Hence my suggestion that you look through a lot of pairs of binoculars and do not use a mail order service (unless you know the models very well or have a real good reason or just done care too much).
Other Brands; We all know a few well known brands and these have built up a good reputation locally.
This is mostly an advertising element, not a suitability, quality or value factor. Don’t ignore the smaller brands that internationally get a good review. I am very doubtful about most reviews, so treat them with care, and even if you go to a big site beware of “bias based upon what stock is available” try Amazon.com and don’t worry about the few 1/5 ratings and the stupid 5/5 reviews that say “I have owned them for a week now….”. Look at Steiner, Kowa, Canon, Minolta, Olympus, Vortex, Vanguard and Celestron. I did buy a pair of Vortex Diamond back 10x42, and for the price, R6500, they are fantastic, even against binoculars twice their price. They are Chinese made, but with a fantastic warrantee/guarantee, better than Swarovski (but, I do wonder what the Vortex Viper 10x42 is like at R15000…..Ah Well). A friend has a pair of Steiner and loves them. I would not count any make out, but go through their cost, feature, warrantee and value aspects. What suits your eyes, your hands, your budget and your uses.
Any comments, suggestions?
Phil Ridgwell

[MonkeyPeeler]

Thank you Dr Phil for a excellent write up, overall pointers and sharing your experience through the years.

If I may add, the importance of eye relieve for spectacle wearers may another aspect to add as well.

[Coenoes]

Great writing Phil.
I have a pair of Steiners and happy with them. Had Bushnells but hated them. Want to buy now for the wife as we fight each other for the one pair. Will go shop today or tomorrow.

[dirtshark]

Great writing Phil.
I have a pair of Steiners and happy with them. Had Bushnells but hated them. Want to buy now for the wife as we fight each other for the one pair. Will go shop today or tomorrow.

I got my wife the Vortex Diamondbacks two years ago, going to get a pair for myself next year....great quality for the price!!

[12richardk]

Great write up , just to add they should be chosen for what you are going to use them for , Astronomy (get the best you can afford due to little light the bigger the better but make sure you can hold them without a mount or just use a mount like me as the objects dont move fast) hiking (get the lighter roof prism ones ) bird watching (depends if moving like in a car etc or stationary like in a hide for moving then as light as possible , for a hide I use a SCT or Mak small telescope) and finally for sport like watching rugby, Cricket live (I have never used them but probably small 10x25 any make )
I am no expert on binos but all the variable magnification ones I would not recommend
My most used Binos are 7x50 , I can hold them steady much more than 10x ones , I use them for Astronomy, and game viewing , they are old but I love them
For astronomy I have 15x70 and 25x100 ,I use a Mount with them
The expensive ones use better glass which is expensive , but honestly unless for astronomy dont see the point , the advantage one gets is small but they are obviously better made , focusing better material is better etc but worth R60k!
Lastly be careful of some cheap ones , I did purchase a set of 10x50 from a China store , the lenses are plastic but they cost R100 , one cant take them apart as they are sealed , all plastic , worked so so , very light like 10% of any other ones was ok for day time , perhaps with improvement that will open up a new way

[Mike Greeff]

That really is good input, thank you. Years ago I bought a pair of Nikon Monarch 10x42 and I’ve loved them from the word go. Recently we needed to get my wife a new pair and we settled on the Monarch 8x42s. She is smitten.

I wish I’d seen your report before buying but, all in all, I think we got it right.

I agree with your caution about some sales folk knowing less than the basics. I have however also dealt with some who really did know their subject and shared willingly.

This was very useful, thank you.

[PRA]

Great thread, thanks.
My wife and I enjoy birdwatching and have two Nikon Monarchs, a 8X42 and a 10X42.
We use both pairs of binoculars almost daily, and have done so for over 7 years.
Very happy with both.

Without wishing to hijack this thread, can anyone comment on or recommend good night vision monoculars?
We have all sorts of wildlife moving around us and can often hear rustling or see silhouettes and would like to be able to identify those.
Thanks.

[Skylark]

I'm not sure if it's mentioned in the op but one aspect of the very expensive binoculars is how they control chromatic aberration, the purple and even green fringing in high contrast areas.

Most manufacturers struggle with it, even the Leica and Zeiss pairs I had, the best in that regard I've had is an old pair of Minolta's that have almost zero aberration.

Until a few years ago Minolta used to make some really nice pairs, some of the best value for money, nitrogen purged optics with ED glass but since Ricoh bought them out they don't seem to make binoculars anymore.

[Gungets Tuft]

Purely anecdotal, I haven't gone all out evaluating the various binocs we've owned, but seem to have finally settled on some very fortunately obtained Swarovski 8.5 X 42 for my fanatic bird watching Swambo, and I use an older pair of Bushnell Trophy 10 X 42. We also have my wife's old Bushnell Legends, 8 X 42 which are just problematic, the focus mechanism is wonky, they don't feel nice in the hands, so they're the spares. I've got an old pair of Canon which I dropped and they were never the same, miniscule issue with line up which makes we feel squint.

The Swarovski are brilliant, clarity superb, good value for the price I paid. No issues with the Trophys, but I'm not sure I'd buy Bushnell again, should the need ever arise to replace what I've got. I'm not sold on their quality.

[Kwest]

Contrary to what the good Dr says about the Nat Geo brand they are made infact in Germany by Bresser, www.bresser.de , and not in China. Just saying.

[Reece]

Any thoughts on the new kid on the block , GPO ( German Precision Optics)? Apparently headed up by ex Zeiss CEO. Asian manufactured but each pair shipped to and QC’d in Germany. Prices look good too

https://www.sabirifles.co.za/index.php/products/gpo-sa

[12richardk]

Contrary to what the good Dr says about the Nat Geo brand they are made infact in Germany by Bresser, www.bresser.de , and not in China. Just saying.

Bresser was sold to the American company Meade in 1999, Meade is now owned by Jinghua optics in China , so unless one has a pre 1999 telescope ,binos they are made in China
But not all are maid in China , it depends on the market they are sold to , all Optics manufactures have factories , in Vietnam, Taiwan , China, etc
Most of the optics for Africa come from Taiwan , it may say made in China but actually dont come from China
Very few European, American manufactures make their own as the labour costs are crazy their and make their price mad

One that come to mind are Swarovski in Austria near Innsbruck as far as I know they manufacture their binos and spotting/ rifle scopes in house and the price sort off confirms it , others that people believe are only made in Germany is Carl Zeiss lots of their optics are made by Carl Zeiss IMT Shanghai

But its not necessary a bad thing as the main firm sets up the factory so the quality should be as good , if not better than if made by the original country

Obviously the top brands dont want people to know that its made in China at the moment , but honestly most things are made their

[Peter Betts]

If you want Hassle free viewing and good optics >> Zeiss, Swarowski and Leica and for the Budget concious the Steiner are awesome too

[Peter Betts]

Bresser was sold to the American company Meade in 1999, Meade is now owned by Jinghua optics in China , so unless one has a pre 1999 telescope ,binos they are made in China
But not all are maid in China , it depends on the market they are sold to , all Optics manufactures have factories , in Vietnam, Taiwan , China, etc
Most of the optics for Africa come from Taiwan , it may say made in China but actually dont come from China
Very few European, American manufactures make their own as the labour costs are crazy their and make their price mad

One that come to mind are Swarovski in Austria near Innsbruck as far as I know they manufacture their binos and spotting/ rifle scopes in house and the price sort off confirms it , others that people believe are only made in Germany is Carl Zeiss lots of their optics are made by Carl Zeiss IMT Shanghai

But its not necessary a bad thing as the main firm sets up the factory so the quality should be as good , if not better than if made by the original country

Obviously the top brands dont want people to know that its made in China at the moment , but honestly most things are made their

Leica also made in Germany as is Steiner by men in White Coats as well as the Zeiss top of the range Victory Binos

[Robbief]

Contrary to what the good Dr says about the Nat Geo brand they are made infact in Germany by Bresser, www.bresser.de , and not in China. Just saying.

Guangzhou Jinghua Optics & Electronics Co., Ltd. - supplierss ...

https://www.supplierss.com › guangzhou_jinghua_optic...










Company Name : Guangzhou Jinghua Optics & Electronics Co., Ltd. About Us : Why JOC? <br/>1. Parent firm of BRESSER Germany & Explore Scientific America.








makes me wonder a little.

[Kwest]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[Stan Weakley]

Well Phil, for what its worth I think this is a really excellent review of binoculars. Thank you.

Can the moderators not make this post a sticky please?

[philr]

"old Bushnell Legends, 8 X 42 which are just problematic, the focus mechanism is wonky, they don't feel nice in the hands, so they're the spares. I've got an old pair of Canon which I dropped and they were never the same, miniscule issue with line up which makes we feel squint"




For both your wonky binoculars take then to the old chinese fellow in Linden; SUNRAYPHOTO. he may be able to repair them for a few hundred a pair, up to R900. Bushnel have no repair facility and dont care anyway
SUNRAY
+27 11 782 3525 •

Shop 13, Linden Place, 59 4th Ave, Linden, Randburg, 2195, South Africa

sunrayphoto.co.za

[Wedwo]

"old Bushnell Legends, 8 X 42 which are just problematic, the focus mechanism is wonky, they don't feel nice in the hands, so they're the spares. I've got an old pair of Canon which I dropped and they were never the same, miniscule issue with line up which makes we feel squint"




For both your wonky binoculars take then to the old chinese fellow in Linden; SUNRAYPHOTO. he may be able to repair them for a few hundred a pair, up to R900. Bushnel have no repair facility and dont care anyway
SUNRAY
+27 11 782 3525 •

Shop 13, Linden Place, 59 4th Ave, Linden, Randburg, 2195, South Africa

sunrayphoto.co.za

[Wedwo]

"Bushnel have no repair facility and dont care anyway"

I have just had a Pair of Bushnell Binoculars repaired at Ultimo in Northlands Deco Park Kaya Sands. Repaired within a week for R500