Zoom Binocular
Binoculars zoom lenses?
Everybody is saying don’t get zoom binoculars, but what if you want to zoom your binocular in and out of an object that’s probably too close or far away? I’m planning to purchase the nikon traiblazer 10X50, but I’m afraid if there’s no zoom, it will serve no justice. This is my first time purchasing a binocular, and I’ve been doing alot of research but everything is sill a little unclear? I’m using it for star gazing, bird watching etc.. Is 10X50 good enough even-though there’s no zoom? Also, it has a 292 ft wide FOV.. Is this good enough? I read that the wider the view, the more distortion it will probably have.
A 10×50 is as good as you can get for normal binoculars.
You can get astro binoculars much bigger but they are no good without a proper mount and they are uncomfortable to use on normal tripods because they are much shorter than telescopes and the tripod head just gets in the way at high elevations, so you get a binocular mount which is expensive to buy, or you make one.
Here are some typical parallelogram ones for astronomy.
Sitting down time. Don’t faint.
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/pmounts.htm . . . .
10x50s are much more practical and will give you great views of the sky and they are excellent for birdwatching. They do quite well when it’s dusk, when a lot of birders are looking out for birds flying home or getting settled for the night.
Here’s the stuff about image brightness by day or night, magnification,etc. see the list of myths on the right. Coatings are very good these days so the argument against them in the link really is out of date, but all the other myths are explained very well.
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/myths2006-9.html . . . . .
This is a very good site for explaining everything in a simple but accurate manner…everything you need to know
http://www.aoe.com.au/binocular_guide.html . . . . .
Finally, before spending loads on those Nikons, have a look at some Helios 10×50 for half the price and see if you can find any difference in the quality of the images.
We all see with our own eyes.
However good the sound from a loudspeaker is if you’re hearing is bad the speakers just won’t sound their best to you. Obvious.
It’s the same with binoculars. Leitz and Swarovski may give brilliant sharpness but can you see it?
At 10x you’ll have a job seeing anything like as good as the image is in the finest binoculars because the level of sharpness is greater than the eye can see.
The lenses are that good.
One benefit you get with nearly all the top ones is a flatter field right out to the edge, but we don’t see the whole field at once anyway. We can’t see 50-60 degrees wide as most binocular fields are and see it all sharp at the same time whether we’re looking straight out of our eyes or through a telescope or binoculars. The eye wanders round the field to see all there is, with or without using binoculars.
Try it.
Look at the wallpaper or the view from the window and actually notice how much of it is sharp when you stare straight in front of you. We see it all sharp when we’re not conscious of our eyes’ workings because our eyes are wandering all over the place.. When we see something interesting towards the side of our vision we turn to look at it better, to get a sharp view.
It’s the same when you look through an eyepiece. Your eye wanders over the field, not seeing it all sharp at the same time though we get a general impression of sharpness or curvature in the whole field.
Tiny changes of focus are all you need to compensate for a curved field in most cases and it becomes automatic with one finger on the focusing wheel anyway, so save the money.
Mostly we just move the binos a bit to centalise the bit of something interesting we noticed towards the edge of the field, just as we turn our heads to see things more sharply in day to day looking at things.
You pay a lot of money for that extra sharpness and flat field……
Many cheaper binoculars are not far behind in practice, and some of them are just as good for practical use as the top drawer stuff costing hundreds of dollars or pounds, that you’ll leave behind more often than not for fear of spoiling them.
I have Helios 7×50 and 10×50, a Meade 15×70, a 20×80,and several other Binos.
Helios 10×50 are the ones I take out with me most times.
Helios binoculars also regularly get “Best Buy” in binocular reviews for astronomy and birdwatching.
Scroll down for some decent 10x50s at a good price.
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/products.php?cat=104 . . . . .
Zoom binoculars are just no good for decent viewing.
The image you get won’t be anywhere near as good as in those Nikon binos or the Helios or even much cheaper ones.
Basically, zoom binoculars are crap, unless you want a show-off ornament to boast about.
Better to buy some proper binos and you’ll get much more use out of them.
You’ll soon get fed up with the zoom efforts and get sick of the field narrowing as you zoom in and images that let you actually see more at lower powers because the images at the high end of the zoom are so poor..
10x50s reign supreme for practical binoculars that cover a lot of uses, and good ones needn’t cost a fortune.
Have fun looking.
Military Zoom Binoculars
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OpSwiss® 15-45×80 Zoom High Resolution Binoculars $319.95 Feature tripod attachment, neck strap, lens cloth, and carrying case with strap. Limited 2 year warranty. Brown box…. |
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Maxell Pro Camera Screen Cleaning Kit Exclusive Ultrafine Microfiber Cloth Fluid Case New $53.24 Includes 3-in-1 cleaning pen, ultrafine microfiber cloth, triangular cleaning tips, and lens cleaning fluid and storage/carry case…. |
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Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter $62.65 Celestron and ;s SkyMaster Series of large aperture binoculars are a phenomenal value for high performance binoculars ideal for astronomical viewing or for terrestrial (land) use – especially over long distances. Each SkyMaster model features high quality BAK-4 prisms and multi-coated optics for enhanced contrast. Celestron has designed and engineered the larger SkyMaster models to meet the specia… |
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Carson MM-200 Carson Micromax LED 60X-100X LED Lighted Pocket Microscope $12.99 Carson MicroMax LED 60x – 100x LED LIGHTED Pocket Microscope (Batteries Included) MM-200… |
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Bushnell Falcon 10×50 Wide Angle Binoculars (Black) $31.54 Handy fold-down eyecups prevent prescription glasses and sunglasses from scratching. Bushnell is the leading brand in high-performance binoculars, and the Falcon series offers powerful magnification at an economical price. Versatile, and ideal for stadium sports, bird-watching, hunting, and many other outdoor applications, the 10×50 model boasts a durable design and rubberized, abrasion-resis… |
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Spy Net Night Vision Recording Goggles $32.47 The Spy Net Night Vision Infrared Stealth Binoculars are the ultimate in spy tools. Children can record reconnaissance missions and covert operations with these fantastic binoculars that have real night vision technology.Spy Net Night Vision Infrared Stealth Binoculars * Real night vision technology * See up to 50 in complete darkness * Dual eye display * Handheld design * Requires 5 AA batteries … |
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Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector Telescope $99.99 Orion’s surprising little Spaceprobe 3 has been picked by independent reviewers as one of the best telescopes in its price class. Unlike similar telescopes seen in discount stores, Orion has refined the Spaceprobe 3 by paying attention to the little details, and that make this telescope a great value. The Spaceprobe 3 comes with an unusually complete set of accessories. The package includes two … |
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Orbiter Electronic Listening Device $49.95 Capture the Sights and Sounds from 300 Feet Away! — Extraordinarily powerful, the Orbiter Electronic Listening Device brings sounds and images ordinarily impossible for human ears and eyes to perceive well within your reach. — You’ll find thousands of uses for this extraordinary device. Listen to a conversation happening a football field distance away, hear a concert from the back row as if you… |
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Wingscapes WSCA04 Timelapse Outdoor PlantCam $79.95 Watch your plants grow in fast-forward with the new Timelapse PlantCam. The PlantCam is rugged and weatherproof, and automatically takes photos and videos at set time intervals. It then stitches the photos together to create a video showing in minutes or seconds what usually can’t be seen with the naked eye. The result is a seamless movie of your plants growing! Fast-forward your plants with thi… |
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Barska 140 Lumen 3W LED Zoom Flashlight $46.55 Keep your target in sight with the Barska 140 Lumen 3 Watt LED FLX High-Intensity Flashlight w/ Zoom. This flashlight is small and easy to carry, yet powerful and precise. With useful features such as a bright white LED light with Zoom function, two levels of brightness, strobe effect, tactical accents, pressure sensitive push on off button, and beveled edge for added protection, the FLX illuminat… |
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10-30×50 Gladiator Zoom Binoculars $44.99 This Gladiator zoom binoculars are ideal for astronomy or long distance land viewing. The braced-in tripod mounting post for consistnet stable viewing. |
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10x30x50 Ruby Lense Zoom Binoculars $38.49 Never miss a thing with these zoom binoculars. These quality optics feature 10x30x50 magnification with zoom and ruby lenses for clearer vision in low light conditions. |
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Rokinon 8-20 x 25 Compact Zoom Binoculars $31.99 Rokinon 8-20 x 25 Porro prism zoom binoculars offer versatility and convenienceOptics device has durable titanium-anodized housingBinoculars feature INFRA-VUE ruby-coated lenses to reduce glare and damaging UV and infra-red light |
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10-30×60 Zoom Binoculars $44.99 These binoculars are great for astronomy and general observation with a zoom mechanism that is smooth and easy to operate. A center focus wheel, coated optics and a 60mm objective lens are other features. |
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8-24X50 Gladiator Zoom Binoculars $44.99 Among many other features, these binoculars feature a ruby lens to minimize UV glare, tripod-adaptable fittings and a wide variable magnification range. This binocular set is ideal for all outdoor activities and sporting events. |
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7-21×40 Gladiator Zoom Binoculars $41.49 Among many other features, these binoculars feature a ruby lens to minimize UV glare, tripod-adaptable fittings and a wide variable magnification range. This binocular set is ideal for all outdoor activities and sporting events. |
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Rokinon 852Z-2 8-52×60 Zoom Binoculars $156.04 Binoculars allow you to approach the power of a telescope with handheld comfortBinocular features a large 60mm light gathering lens8-52 x 60 binocular offers optimum sharpness and brightness under low light conditions |
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8-24X50 Reverse Porro Zoom Binoculars $37.49 These versatile binoculars are perfect for views of spectator sports, races, concerts, or theater shows. With a rubber armor covering, waterproof protection and high quality optics these binoculars are rugged and reliable. |
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Coleman Signature 10-21X23 Compact Zoom Binocular $50.29 These compact 10-21×23 binoculars from Coleman offer a powerful and adjustable zoom, in a compact and lightweight body. Porro prisms and multi-coated objective lenses allows for high quality resolution through increased light transmission. |
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Rokinon SP 12-60×70 Center-focus Zoom Binoculars $168.99 Rokinon Special Performance binoculars capture innovation, technology and precise performanceNew optics technology creates superior products with unparalleled comfort and qualityOutdoor gear rubber armored for optimal protection |