Winged eyecups for 8x32 SE? (1 Viewer)

In spite of trying to find something to replace these with for a price I can afford, the only thing close I've seen to the SE image runs in the $2k range.

Like many bins, these are a bit finicky re: eye placement to not get blackouts. One thing that might be a help to me would be winged eyecups and I wonder if someone makes a pair that would fit the SE's?

CSG said:

In spite of trying to find something to replace these with for a price I can afford, the only thing close I've seen to the SE image runs in the $2k range.

Like many bins, these are a bit finicky re: eye placement to not get blackouts. One thing that might be a help to me would be winged eyecups and I wonder if someone makes a pair that would fit the SE's?

Click to expand...

CSG

Winged eyecups are usually made for roofs with internal focusers, so if you put them on an SE, you will have to set the diopter once and fagetaboutit, otherwise, if you adjust the diopter again, the "wing" on the right eyecup will be out of position.

Are your SE eyecups ripped or are they merely flared out from being rolled down or from pushing against them? The latter was the case with mine, and since I have deep-set eyes like Odo, the original diameter of the SE eyecups just barely fits in my eye orbits, but when flared, they dig into my proboscis elephantus and cause a painful condition known as binoculitis (noun) : a condition developed from holding binoculars to one's face for too long or digging the eyecups too hard into your eye orbits; symptoms include red rings around eyes, acute cases involve tan lines.

I turned the eyecups upside down and Voilà! the eyecups fit comfortably. If the eyecups are merely worn or flared and not torn, try turning them upside down.

RBP

No, they're in good shape, neither ripped or flared but it seems like finding an eventual replacement could be nearly impossible from what I've read here.

I didn't think of the diopter issue with these. Just a thought after looking at an old pair of Minolta 6x20 porros I've had for about 30 years. They came with winged eyecups and they really help with glare and stray light.

The winged eyecups that do fit the SE, are the standard size ones from:
Field Optics Research. If you do a search here, they have been mentioned
in fitting many different binoculars.

They will sure help with side lighting, and on my SE, once I've set the diopter,
I never have to move it, so that may not be an issue for you.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry. Saw them advertised on Amazon and considered ordering a pair.

Jerry that is the same with my SE, I set the diopter once and never have to move it unless I would happen to use glasses.

CSG said:

No, they're in good shape, neither ripped or flared but it seems like finding an eventual replacement could be nearly impossible from what I've read here.

I didn't think of the diopter issue with these. Just a thought after looking at an old pair of Minolta 6x20 porros I've had for about 30 years. They came with winged eyecups and they really help with glare and stray light.

Click to expand...

That's HORSE of a different color. I thought you needed a new pair. Someone recently posted they needed a new pair but couldn't get one from Nikon because they no longer carry them in the U.S.

As Jerry said, the Field Optics winged eyecups will help keep out stray light, but again, if you need to adjust the diopter for near and far as I do (poor accommodation), then you will have to readjust the position of the right winged eyecup, too. That's why I only use mine now on my astro bins, which I can "set and forget."

The other issue is that because the SE eyecups are long, you can't wrap the winged eyecup around the eyepiece housing like you can on the EII, otherwise it will be too short and not block out stray light. You have to wrap it around the rubber SE eyecups, which is not easy to do, and it reduces the nose room. Definitely not recommended for the well endowed. But if you have a thin nose bridge, you should be fine.

Brock

I picked up a couple pairs of the FO winged eyeshields at Sportsman's Warehouse today after trying them on the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 bins that had been giving me blackout issues with what may have been too much eye relief and they worked like a charm, repositioning them on my face to give me a nearly perfect experience with them.

On a lark, I decided to try them on my SE's which were in my vehicle. I mounted them below the flexible eyecups and it was an AMAZING transformation with the SE's. Re: the diopter setting, I found that I could adjust the winged shields by simply gripping the knurled part of the diopter ring. These things not only help with removing all the stray light but, like the Conquests, help to reposition the SE's on my face. It's a 100% improvement to the SE's, truly amazing. I disagree with Brock's comment on them with the SE's.

I can't recommend them enough to anyone with a pair of SE bins. If you don't like them, easy return.

CSG .... I found two sizes for the Field Optics Research EYESHIELD, Standard and Compact. Did you get one of these two?

http://www.fieldopticsresearch.com/shop/EyeShields-Birders/p/EYESHIELD-Standard-Size-sku-B005.htm

http://www.fieldopticsresearch.com/shop/EyeShields-Birders/p/EYESHIELDS-Compact-Size-sku-B006.htm

If possible, it would be great if you could post a photo of the EYESHIELD installed on the SE eyepiece with the diopter setting.

Bruce, I bought the standard size two pack:

http://www.fieldopticsresearch.com/...YESHIELD-Standard-Size-Twin-Pack-sku-B008.htm

I will try to take a photo and upload it today.

Keep in mind, on the SE's with their eyecup design, these won't be useful to people who wear glasses while using their bins. But if the bins have rotating eyecups the eyeshields easily fold down and out of the way. I installed the second pair on my 6.5x32 Furys.

Here are two images of the FO winged eyeshades on the 8x32 SE.

CSG .... Thanks for the additional information and for posting the photos.

The eye cup of my Nikon SE is somewhat shorter in relation to the eye relief distance as compared to my Nikon EDG-II. The means I have to place the SE just a little bit higher toward the eyebrows for best placement. It is not uncommon for me to forget that and then have to reposition the SE after the initial placement in order to avoid backouts. After that, it is still a little bit more sensitive to blackouts than the EDG, but quite acceptable.

It is interesting that the EYESHIELD reduces blackouts on the SE considering it does not lengthen the eye cup. My guess is the shields touching the side of the face serve as a memory aide that makes it easier to consistently place the SE in the proper place. Do you think that is the case?

Bruce, yes, that's exactly it. Think of them as a guide to placement. Like you, I also have to hold them the same. The eyeshields not only help with placement but they get rid of almost all the sidelight that can enter due to having to hold them out and up a little.

I'd try them and buy from a place you can return them if they aren't for you.

Chris

CSG said:

Here are two images of the FO winged eyeshades on the 8x32 SE.

Click to expand...

CSG,

I'll post some pix of my FOs on the SEs when I have the time, but from your photos it appears that you must have at least part of the FO eye shields on the fold down rubber eyecups to get the tips to extend that far up. When I put the FOs on the metal housing below the eyecups, only the tips stick out above the eyecups. I still get a little light leak. But that could be because I can't sink my eyes deep into the cups because of having deep-set eyes. Also, the eyecups are flared at the ends, which makes "digging in" even harder (and more painful).

I turned the eyecups upside down to get the diameter down a bit, and they fit better since I can get my eyes closer to the lenses. I just put the FOs on the eyepiece housing to see how this works out, but we're having thunderstorms right now, which is great because it's knocking some of the humidity out of the air - yesterday was 90* but it felt hotter due to the high humidity..I'll have to wait for the sun to return to see if they block the stray light better with the cups inverted.

Mooreorless (Steve) told me he couldn't use the FOs on his SE for the same reason (not enough wing tip clearance above the eyecups). He doesn't have deep set eyes, so he could position the winged cups partly on the SE's eyecups like you did to get them higher since they won't bend the eyecups in it if you don't go too far up. Me, I've got to have the FOs on the metal housing, otherwise they reduce the nose room too much.

A tip: When you store your SEs, don't put the rain guard on, because you will have to fold down the FOs. I found from keeping the FOs folded down for long periods, they eventually lose their stiffness and flare outward rather than lay straight against the eyecups. This causes stray light to enter.

Brock

FO will replace their eyeshields if they do that, Brock. My goal was to set them right where they are, off the flexible rubber part of the cup. Seems to me they are completely or mostly on the metal ring. Regardless, they have remarkably improved the SE's for me.

I'll check shortly to see what portion, if any, of the eyeshields are resting on the fold down part of the cups.

OK, so I checked where the eyeshields were positioned and, at most, they might be 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch into the fold over part of the eyecup. Certainly not enough to distort either the shields or the cups.