Andrews WA 10x50 binocs actually Saxon? And more

[syousef]

I had this as part of the last post but decided to split it out as it warrants it's own.

Here's one thing I'm confused about - angle of view/field of view. Both the Dick Smith and Andrews binocs are 10x50 and claim 122m@1000m, but the field of view is noticably smaller in the Dick Smith Pair. That's not subjective. I couldn't fit the southern cross in the field on the Dick Smiths. I could with a tiny bit of room to spare on the Andrews. Even stranger the field on the 20x50 Bushnell Powerview also fits the Southern Cross in, but they claim to give a field of 57m@1000m. Can anyone explain that to me?

I think the Bushnells are mismarked. No wonder I can hand hold them. Mismarked factory seconds? If it's a copy/fake it's a darn good one down to the poor neck strap and good optics.

[MrB (Simon)]

Originally Posted by syousef

I had this as part of the last post but decided to split it out as it warrants it's own.

Here's one thing I'm confused about - angle of view/field of view. Both the Dick Smith and Andrews binocs are 10x50 and claim 122m@1000m, but the field of view is noticably smaller in the Dick Smith Pair. That's not subjective. I couldn't fit the southern cross in the field on the Dick Smiths. I could with a tiny bit of room to spare on the Andrews. Even stranger the field on the 20x50 Bushnell Powerview also fits the Southern Cross in, but they claim to give a field of 57m@1000m. Can anyone explain that to me?

I think the Bushnells are mismarked. No wonder I can hand hold them. Mismarked factory seconds? If it's a copy/fake it's a darn good one down to the poor neck strap and good optics.

Just to confuse the matter, my old pair of 7x50's (that I sadly don't have anymore) used to state a 7deg field of view, which works out to ~122m over 1000m

[syousef]

Well I collimated my oldest (circa 2000) 7x50s tonight, and that broken pair of Dick Smiths I've done a very shoddy repair job on. Basically the left front tube is held on with one screw and contact adhesive. Whether or not they collimate will depend on how that contact adhesive sets.

I also did some more testing. The "20x50" Bushnell Powerview definitely magnify less than either of my 10x50s. Which is fine by me. I just aquired new Tasco Essential 10x50s on Ebay for $44. But I think I can stop buying 10x50s now ;-) ....unless I decide to replace the Dick Smith ones. My wife reckons I can just stop buying binocs period ;-)

[chris lewis]

I have collected and repaired binos and other optics for decades. I currently have about 30x in my collection. None of them are below about $A300 dollars when they were new. I have brought and sold many cheap ones but never held on to them - why? because they are rubbish – plain and simple. They may be the odd exception but primarily this is a true statement.
Most are miscollimated, have poor build and optics qualities with multiples aberrations and distortions. Don’t but Dick Smith binos, most of the Saxon stuff is rubbish, don’t but a zoom or one with ruby coatings, don’t buy any 'entry level' Chinese binocular. If it means saving longer then do so.
If I knew this many years ago I would have saved thousands of dollars and much heart break. Look, it is not hard, pay for quality the first time. They will last a lifetime and they will give you the views the Universe deserves.

Chris.

[syousef]

I'm sorry Chris, but I'll have to strongly disagree with you.

I do agree about zoom binocs. I don't love ruby coatings either and see what they do (both good and bad) to an image.

I don't have your credentials. I collimated my first pair of binocs yesterday very roughly, and have no experience with optics, but I'm sorry if I've learnt anything in the last few days it is thatwhat you pay is not indicative of the quality in Ausralia.

I'm amazed at the clarity I see from some of the binoculars you dismiss as rubbish. I have also seen binoculars that truly are rubbish. I'm not new to optics. I have a masters in Astronomy, am an avid amateur photographer who's had some decent results. I have less experience with good binocs but I've looked through some high end telescopes.

Nikon Action are AUD189 here or USD70 in the US
Orion Scenix are AUD229 here or USD90 in the US
Tasco Essentials are AUD110 here or USD37 in the US.

US pricing on Amazon vs best pricing I could find via several resources here. If I've learnt anything it's that you can hand just about any sum of money to an Australian retailer and have them give you a $20 pair of binocs.

Also, do you realise there are people who simply will never enter the hobby if you price them out of it? You can get 80% of the way there with these "rubbish" binoculars. There is rubbish and then there is rubbish. The variation is huge.

Also consider those that have children. Would you put any of your binoculars in the hands of my 2 year old? I'll happily pull mine apart to show my older child. You have the skills to safely pull your more expensive ones apart, but most wouldn't consider doing that to $300 binocs to show a child.

Don't get me wrong. I think repairing and collecting old expensive binoculars is a valid hobby in itself, and I don't doubt you'll get better views. But the last thing we need in the hobby is elitism or forcing manufacturers to push prices up for cheap junk just to lure new purchasers who've been told not to buy cheap.

I wonder what your thoughts are on the Galileoscope project...

[syousef]

One other thing. All porro prisms should have those collimation screws user accessible. I've been collimating dobs for over a decade, but was put off collimating binoculars early on by those telling me it can't be done. It's not hard to align the images. I know that's not "proper" collimation but it's a lot better than double vision.

Actually in some ways that Dick Smith Digitor pair breaking was a boon because I actually got to play with aligning the tubes as well as the prisms.

[chris lewis]

Hence the saying 'never look through a binocular you can't afford'.

Chris

[syousef]

Meh, never wanted a car that cost over $10k either, even though I've driven them.
As I said Galileo would have done just about anything for some of the bargain optics we're quibbling about. I don't begrudge anyone who can afford or justify better, but these are good enough for me.

[syousef]

Well I think I've found my next pair of binocs! ;-)

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080216.html

Do you think they'd ship to Australia? I bet Australian retailers would charge double.

Hey Chris, you were right. Never look through binocs you can't afford ;-)

(What's life if you can't make a bit of fun of yourself).

[Steffen]

I think it is around $49, but the shipping cost kills it…

[Irish stargazer (John)]

The 10x50 bino's that I use the most came from Lidl and I paid 20 euro for them. Can't fault them, as good as a pair five times the price. Even bought a few pair as gifts for relatives with no issues. Aldi may do specials at certain times of the year. Worth keeping an eye out.

[syousef]

I think part of the reason some people say you have to pay a fortune to get good binoculars is that there are a lot of really horrible pairs for low prices and the good ones are relatively rare. If I take that pair branded Fernglas that I talk about above as an example, it's barely worth calling them binoculars - they are that bad.

That said I have never looked through a $1000 pair of binocs in the daytime, and never a pair over about $400 at night. I would love to compare them to the cheapies to see just how much better they are, and if I ever get a chance to I will.

[Irish stargazer (John)]

Originally Posted by syousef

I think part of the reason some people say you have to pay a fortune to get good binoculars is that there are a lot of really horrible pairs for low prices and the good ones are relatively rare. If I take that pair branded Fernglas that I talk about above as an example, it's barely worth calling them binoculars - they are that bad.

That said I have never looked through a $1000 pair of binocs in the daytime, and never a pair over about $400 at night. I would love to compare them to the cheapies to see just how much better they are, and if I ever get a chance to I will.

The ones I use are the Meade or Bresser brand and I picked them up for less than 20 Euro at Lidl. Most of the amateurs astronomers on the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS) boards have a pair and all the reviews are good. Aldi does something similar.