testing bins

[ali travers]

Hi all
Soon I will be replacing my bins as my trinovids were stolen along with my land rover
So i am looking to spend between £500 -£1000 ish and I would like some advice on testing bins in the shop and what to look for. And any recommendations of models to look at.

[John Cantelo]

1) If possible get to a 'field day' so you won't be in that darn shop! If you have to go to a shop, don't buy if they won't let you step outside to check image quality
2) Try to pick a day when it's dull & the light is poor - this will make quality more obvious
3) pick something like distant notice/billboard to check sharpness - always easier to do so when looking at text
4) Look at a vertical object like a post to check curvature of lens
5) Look at edge sharpness as well as that in the centre
6) Check field of view (e.g count fenceposts) & compare instruments
7) Always look through the instrument you actually buy not just the one they show you
8) Test as many as you can - even ones you don't think you can afford!,
John

[ronh]

Ali,
The things some people will do for a Trinovid! You already know what a good binocular is. You may well find newer models that are lighter in weight and a bit brighter than your old one, but hardly better in any other way. A few Trinovid BN's are still available at good prices mail order.

If you are an analyzer type, to John's list I'd add checking color fringing at high-contrast edges (have to go outside for this), closest focus, eyeglass friendliness (everybody needs sunglasses sometimes), and ease/reliability of diopter setting. It all gets to be a bit much, doesn't it? I don't actually think anybody can look at all these things in several binoculars, and keep them straight.

Furthermore, this kind of critical testing, not "normal use" of the binocular by any means, is very hard and tiring on the eyes. Even the best binocular takes some getting used to. Don't trust comparisons made in a fatigued state.

Give your initial gut reaction a lot of weight. Reason will not undo happiness or unhappiness experienced in that first look.
Ron

[ali travers]

Thanks for the advice and I will put it to good use
This weekend as I am going on holiday near clay for a weeks birding
So some major testing will be in order