Carless
Well-known member
While out today, I stumbled across some binoculars in a charity shop. After taking them outside in the sun and giving them a trial I bought them. Trouble is, I don't know much about binoculars and didn't recognise the brand.
I'd recently bought my first binoculars, some 6.5x21 Pentax "Papilio" binoculars as recommended by many on this site. I was thinking that while the Pentax binos are very good at the close focus thing, that I'd probably want something with higher power. I'd noted that people said that Bressler 10x50 binos are sometimes sold for £10 by Aldi or Lidl, and was waiting for them to turn up in the "specials". But then today I walked into an Oxfam and ...
Anyhow, the binoculars are "Made in USSR" Tento 20x60 binos. I paid £20 for them. I took them out and tried focussing with them. I was surprised how I couldn't focus on anything close up. OK, I knew they wouldn't focus as close as the Papilios, but these won't focus closer than about 25m. But when I looked at straight edges, or focussed a long way away, the image seemed good to me. Despite the high magnification, and the natural tendency of my hands to shake, the weight seemed to help me hold them still, while not being enough to make the binos seem "heavy".
After buying the binos, we continued with our plans for the day, which as luck would have it included going up to the summit of Beacon Hill, the second highest point in Leicestershire (though that's not saying very much). In a car park, I directly compared the Papilios and the Tentos on a distant pine tree. The Tento gave a much better result for that subject at that distance, showing the pine needles clearly, while the Papilios' magnification wasn't enough to make out the detail.
On the summit the Tentos amazed us. From there "Old John", a Leicestershire landmark was sort of visible by the naked eye. With the Tentos, I could see people walking around it, including being able to make out their arms and legs. We were 3 1/2 miles from Loughborough, but could still make out people in the town. But the biggest surprise we got was when we found we could see over the top of Loughborough and see Green's (wind-) Mill in Nottingham, 16 1/2 miles away. To the naked eye it was just a featureless white dot. But with the Tentos, I could clearly see the shape of the windmill and clearly make out the blades.
From the same viewpoint, a Kestrel was spotted. To the naked eye there was a dark bird-shaped object some distance away. Through the Tentos, after I found it, I seemed to have a good view and was able to follow it.
I bought them intending them to make a good combination with the Papilios. Certainly each does things the other doesn't. The Tentos were better for seeing small things further away. But when trying to observe a yellowhammer in a tree with the Tentos, I had to back so far away from it to get it in focus, that the higher magnification was wasted. The Papilios would have done much better in that situation, I believe.
When weather permits, my partner will see if they are useful for astronomical purposes.
Looking around on the web, it seems like Tentos are a "cheap" brand of binoculars. But the reviews I've seen say that the optics aren't bad. But I don't know how much they cost. Like, at £20 for a seemingly fully working second hand pair, is that cheap or expensive.
At least if I paid over the odds, the money went to charity. And I definitely find them useful.
Also, while I'm impressed with what I can see with the binos, does that say something about the binos themselves, or does it say more about my knowledge of binos and what I should be able to see through them.
Edit: I found a sale on US ebay. US$49.99 + $12 p&p. If that's a good indication of the price, then the £20 I paid was about right.
I'd recently bought my first binoculars, some 6.5x21 Pentax "Papilio" binoculars as recommended by many on this site. I was thinking that while the Pentax binos are very good at the close focus thing, that I'd probably want something with higher power. I'd noted that people said that Bressler 10x50 binos are sometimes sold for £10 by Aldi or Lidl, and was waiting for them to turn up in the "specials". But then today I walked into an Oxfam and ...
Anyhow, the binoculars are "Made in USSR" Tento 20x60 binos. I paid £20 for them. I took them out and tried focussing with them. I was surprised how I couldn't focus on anything close up. OK, I knew they wouldn't focus as close as the Papilios, but these won't focus closer than about 25m. But when I looked at straight edges, or focussed a long way away, the image seemed good to me. Despite the high magnification, and the natural tendency of my hands to shake, the weight seemed to help me hold them still, while not being enough to make the binos seem "heavy".
After buying the binos, we continued with our plans for the day, which as luck would have it included going up to the summit of Beacon Hill, the second highest point in Leicestershire (though that's not saying very much). In a car park, I directly compared the Papilios and the Tentos on a distant pine tree. The Tento gave a much better result for that subject at that distance, showing the pine needles clearly, while the Papilios' magnification wasn't enough to make out the detail.
On the summit the Tentos amazed us. From there "Old John", a Leicestershire landmark was sort of visible by the naked eye. With the Tentos, I could see people walking around it, including being able to make out their arms and legs. We were 3 1/2 miles from Loughborough, but could still make out people in the town. But the biggest surprise we got was when we found we could see over the top of Loughborough and see Green's (wind-) Mill in Nottingham, 16 1/2 miles away. To the naked eye it was just a featureless white dot. But with the Tentos, I could clearly see the shape of the windmill and clearly make out the blades.
From the same viewpoint, a Kestrel was spotted. To the naked eye there was a dark bird-shaped object some distance away. Through the Tentos, after I found it, I seemed to have a good view and was able to follow it.
I bought them intending them to make a good combination with the Papilios. Certainly each does things the other doesn't. The Tentos were better for seeing small things further away. But when trying to observe a yellowhammer in a tree with the Tentos, I had to back so far away from it to get it in focus, that the higher magnification was wasted. The Papilios would have done much better in that situation, I believe.
When weather permits, my partner will see if they are useful for astronomical purposes.
Looking around on the web, it seems like Tentos are a "cheap" brand of binoculars. But the reviews I've seen say that the optics aren't bad. But I don't know how much they cost. Like, at £20 for a seemingly fully working second hand pair, is that cheap or expensive.
At least if I paid over the odds, the money went to charity. And I definitely find them useful.
Also, while I'm impressed with what I can see with the binos, does that say something about the binos themselves, or does it say more about my knowledge of binos and what I should be able to see through them.
Edit: I found a sale on US ebay. US$49.99 + $12 p&p. If that's a good indication of the price, then the £20 I paid was about right.
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