Binoculars as microscope - Minox BF 10x42 vs Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 (1 Viewer)

It is my pleasure to join this great forum here. I am trying to buying another binocular as microscope and need your kind help.

I currently have the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 and like it as a microscope looking at insects. I want more magnifications (~10x) and brighter/bigger objectives, without interrupting natural behavior of insects (I have many good real microscopes for unnatural “manipulation”, if I want to do that).

Will Minox BF 10x42 provide more magnification, in theory (I am guessing not, if my calculation is correct)? I understand that Penta Papilio 6.5x21 has near focus of 0.5 meters, while Minox BF 10x42 has near focus of 1.2 meters.

I know Pentax Papilio has a 8x21 version and in macro mode its magnification is around 10x, but I want brighter/bigger objectives and 10x. I do not mind using binoculars on mini tripods.

Occasionally I use the Pentax for faraway objects too and it works fine for me, though that is not the main reason I bought it for (my main use for Pentax is close observation of insects and museum displays). I have an old Russian Red Star 10x42 for faraway objects, but its close focus is not usable as microscope.

Please kindly comment. You do not have to have hands-on experience with either binoculars – I think all you need is some decent understanding of optical theories and math. Thank you very much.

Interesting.... I am also interested if such an optical achievement is possible.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=307351

The above thread has more comments. Basically Pentax Papilio 6.5x or 8.5x will work. But for higher magnification, you may have to use a monocular. The ones I am going to try are Orion 10-25x 42 and Orion 10x42. Minox does not provide much more magnification and its close focus is still a bit far (for a micro/macroscope) at 1.2m.

I'm having fun with the objective tube from a 7x50
held over (it levels prefectly) one side of 8x30 binoculars.

You focus by moving distance, like a microscope does.
Any instrument that close his little depth of field.

So....it looks from about 7 inches away and I would estimate the view is about 15x.
You can also tape a +3D camera closeup lens over.

Thank you Optic_Nut,

I did try use +2 diopter camera lens in front of my old Russian 10x42 binoculars. They work ok but focus wheel does not work (I have to move the binoculars to focus).

I bought an Orion 10-25x42 monocular as macroscope too. It works fine at 18x for my $66 paid and focuses at about 0.6 m away.

I wrote down more details in my other thread mentioned above.

zz,

If, at some point in the future, you still get a craving for something else of this nature then I would suggest the Opticron Galleryscope.....

http://www.opticronusa.com/Pages/gallery_scope.html

I think it was designed with your intended purpose in mind.

Thank you Frank.

The Opticron has been mentioned at my other thread. I ruled it out as its objective is too small and its focuses too close such that insects would be scared.

I should have changed the title to " ...macroscope....." Instead of "..... microscope....". My apologies.