Close focus and eye strain

[Macaoidh]

Alright, another newbie question. When binoculars list a close focus of say, 15, 10, or even 3 feet, does it mean that you should be able to look through a set at that distance and have a nice relaxed focus (low eye strain)?

Why I ask: I was looking for my first set of nice binoculars and was evaluating the EO 8x42s and 8x32s. They have a close focus of an amazing 3 feet. Indeed, they do focus at 3 feet, but my eyes were under a lot of accommodation strain to do it. It feels like I would be when I focus on an object about 3 inches in front of my nose - possible yes, but comfortable, no. Not to mention the area of overlap between the lenses is very small. Doesn't seem to practical to me, but more of an advertising item

Is this the reason the Papilios are considered so neat? The focus occurs without accommodation eye strain? I know the objectives converge to deal with the overlap issue.


Best,
Christopher

[Robert / Seattle]

You may have to adjust the interpupilary distance between the occulars when viewing very near objects. This is because your pupils actually converge for close focus in real life.

[Robert / Seattle]

P.S. How did the 8x32 Katmais fare in your quest to date?

[Macaoidh]

P.S. How did the 8x32 Katmais fare in your quest to date?


Robert,

The Katmais are nice. They're the smallest of the 32/36s I've looked at so far, and the most "bricklike" in feel. Hard to describe, they are the same weight as the monarch 8x42s, but feel heavier, or at least more solid. For a small mid-size they still felt very nice in the hand. Regarding the view, it was very nice compared to the monarchs I saw. I think the focus was a bit more forgiving, and may have been easier for me to get a consistant and easily sharp focus out of (compared to the 8x36s). Now that I've seen many different binoculars and as my eyes continue to get more "educated", I can pick out smaller differences between optics. They were one of the first 32s I looked at, and I really need to look at them again!

Best,
Christopher

[Macaoidh]

You may have to adjust the interpupilary distance between the occulars when viewing very near objects. This is because your pupils actually converge for close focus in real life.


Oh, I did adjust the IPD, but still felt like my eyes were under a lot of strain. I don't necessarily remember that same feeling when I looked at the Katmais or monarchs, but I wasn't trying to push the near focus limit for more than a few seconds.

Best,
Christopher

[ceasar]

I have EO 6 x 32 and when I focus on anything less than 6' or so away I have to look at it with one eye. I can't get the 2 views to converge.
Bob