MacGee
Sunday 8th October 2006, 22:51
I've been looking for a first decent pair of binoculars and since I have a narrow IPD (about 60mm) I was looking at low IPD binocs (50-54mm), but not finding them comfortable and thinking I would have to stick with compacts. Alexis Powell pointed out to me the error of my ways.
Michael,
Because of my interest in the problems faced by those on the short end of the IPD spectrum, I've followed your posts with some interest, though I cannot remember all the details...What I don't understand is why you need binos with a minimum IPD under 56 mm if your IPD is 60 mm. I know several people with IPDs in the 56-58 mm range and they use full-sized (large exit pupil) bins for birding w/o difficulties. Although it is helpful to be able to adjust the IPD down in close-focusing situations, most binos don't focus closely enough for this to much of an issue, and most that do cannot maintain a perfectly overlapping binocular view anyway (but they're still quite functional). Even when I am buttterfly watching, I rarely if ever adjust the IPD on my binos more than 2-3 mm below the setting that I use at infinity (62 mm).
Maybe you should start a new thread giving all your spec requirements and explaining what sort of binos you are looking for. The two categories of binos that I know of that meet your criteria of small IPD and small diameter eyecups are 1) pocket roofs, and 2) some older porros (before the advent of sliding eyecups). In the latter category, the Celestron Ultima line was very good to excellent optically and included a wide range of sizes and magnifications. Very similar were the previous incarnation of the Swift Ultralight porros. They had 8x32, 8x42, and 10x42 models, all with 51 mm minimum IPD and oculars ~35 mm in diameter. I doubt anything else in the full and mid-sizes will better those specs.
--APHenry Link also had a recommendation.
The full sized binoculars with the lowest IPD I've seen are the Swarovski Habicht Porros which close to about 47mm, even though I beleive their official IPD spec is 56mm. The eyecups on the unarmoured versions are also quite small at about 32mm (too small for me). Of course the field overlap at close focus is no better than any other traditional porro with widely spaced objectives.In fact, Alexis was absolutely right; I'd been too demanding. And when I bought my wife a new pair of Olympus 7x21 PCIII Classics with a minimum IPD of 60mm, I found I could use them quite happily. The difference with the modern binocs I'd been trying was that the diameter of the eyecups on the Olympus are much smaller, at 30mm. I've also been bought a pair of Pentax Papilio, eyecup diameter 34mm, which are also okay.
So it seems that, though I can relax my IPD requirements, I need binocs that don't have the big eyecups of most (all?) new binoculars. I'm on the lookout for the models that Alexis and Henry suggested, but does anyone have any other recommendations - or observations? I prefer to use binocs without my glasses on and the PCIII's 11mm eye-relief seems perfectly fine for me. I'm looking at 8x30ish and 7x35, not too heavy, not too bulky, widish FOV and with a wow! performance. Or the nearest approximation.
Michael
Michael,
Because of my interest in the problems faced by those on the short end of the IPD spectrum, I've followed your posts with some interest, though I cannot remember all the details...What I don't understand is why you need binos with a minimum IPD under 56 mm if your IPD is 60 mm. I know several people with IPDs in the 56-58 mm range and they use full-sized (large exit pupil) bins for birding w/o difficulties. Although it is helpful to be able to adjust the IPD down in close-focusing situations, most binos don't focus closely enough for this to much of an issue, and most that do cannot maintain a perfectly overlapping binocular view anyway (but they're still quite functional). Even when I am buttterfly watching, I rarely if ever adjust the IPD on my binos more than 2-3 mm below the setting that I use at infinity (62 mm).
Maybe you should start a new thread giving all your spec requirements and explaining what sort of binos you are looking for. The two categories of binos that I know of that meet your criteria of small IPD and small diameter eyecups are 1) pocket roofs, and 2) some older porros (before the advent of sliding eyecups). In the latter category, the Celestron Ultima line was very good to excellent optically and included a wide range of sizes and magnifications. Very similar were the previous incarnation of the Swift Ultralight porros. They had 8x32, 8x42, and 10x42 models, all with 51 mm minimum IPD and oculars ~35 mm in diameter. I doubt anything else in the full and mid-sizes will better those specs.
--APHenry Link also had a recommendation.
The full sized binoculars with the lowest IPD I've seen are the Swarovski Habicht Porros which close to about 47mm, even though I beleive their official IPD spec is 56mm. The eyecups on the unarmoured versions are also quite small at about 32mm (too small for me). Of course the field overlap at close focus is no better than any other traditional porro with widely spaced objectives.In fact, Alexis was absolutely right; I'd been too demanding. And when I bought my wife a new pair of Olympus 7x21 PCIII Classics with a minimum IPD of 60mm, I found I could use them quite happily. The difference with the modern binocs I'd been trying was that the diameter of the eyecups on the Olympus are much smaller, at 30mm. I've also been bought a pair of Pentax Papilio, eyecup diameter 34mm, which are also okay.
So it seems that, though I can relax my IPD requirements, I need binocs that don't have the big eyecups of most (all?) new binoculars. I'm on the lookout for the models that Alexis and Henry suggested, but does anyone have any other recommendations - or observations? I prefer to use binocs without my glasses on and the PCIII's 11mm eye-relief seems perfectly fine for me. I'm looking at 8x30ish and 7x35, not too heavy, not too bulky, widish FOV and with a wow! performance. Or the nearest approximation.
Michael