Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Ah, now I get it. But aren't you still basically using them like dual hinge compacts anyway? You still open both sides, just to varying degrees. So why not just take them out, open them however they will, and use them that way?...
Unfolding dual-hinge pocket bins with positive stops asymmetrically has three advantages:
1. Speed/simplicity in unfolding (no need to check for symmetry, can be done by feel).
2. Results in a consistent unfolded shape, so it always fits the hand the same way, which facilitates automating hold them to the eyes in a consistent way, which facilitates seeing through tiny bins with tiny exit pupils.
3. Allows positioning the focus knob under the pad of the focusing finger rather than the finger tip, making focus operation faster and easier (since the reach is more similar to a full-sized bin). The asymmetrical single-hinged Zeiss Victory accomplishes the same, but it is only a match to those who focus with the fingers of the right hand. Dual hinge designs like the Leica Ultravid allow the bins to be unfolded asymmetrically for either right or left hand focusing.
--AP