? Secret to focusing porros??? (1 Viewer)

lulubelle · Feb 21, 2009

Just got the Cascades and I will readily admit that I have not really ever used porros - my Yosemites have sat around the house for a couple of years now. I am having trouble - I hate to admit this - focusing the doggone Cascades!! Is there a secret to them?!! I am an intelligent, degreed person and I can't focus my new bins.......:eek!:

FrankD · Feb 21, 2009

I am guessing you are questioning the setting of the diopter?

If that is the case then here is a big bit of advice. The Cascades diopter adjusts the left eyepiece and not the right. You could turn that diopter forever and you would never see the right eyepiece change focus.

...just a guess as to what you were asking though.

Beyond that the only other thing I can think of is that you might be trying to focus on a fairly close object. With the fairly narrow field of view on the Cascade porros I would suggest focusing on an object at least 20 yards away to initially set the diopter. The overlap of images between both barrels is better the farther away you go.

lulubelle · Feb 21, 2009

Thank you!!! I was looking for the diopter on the right eye and somewhere I had vague memories of a post regarding this issue, but I couldn't find it. Yes, I was focusing inside the house and tried some outside in the dark and the right eye was the issue.

Have them in my hands and am looking... for a focus wheel AND a diopter....not seeing both. Wait - is the tiny wheel tagged 8x42 the diopter? Sad that I had to have help in finding it!!

JohnJos · Feb 21, 2009

Here's the instruction manual which agrees with Frank's knowledge of the Cascades porro. See the bottom of page 2 and the top of page 3. The central focus wheel also functions as the diopter adjustment dial. Apparently you need to pull out on the focus wheel to adjust the diopter setting on the left eyepiece. Then push the focus wheel back to lock the diopter setting so that you can use the focus wheel normally when viewing. See pages 2 & 3 for the complete procedure. Best of luck with the Cascades. They look to be nice glasses.

http://www2.leupold.com/resources/downloads/Green_Ring_Binoc_Inst_Manual_4-4-07.pdf

JohnJos · Feb 21, 2009

Oh, by the way, this procedure is not limited to porros. Since the Cascades have an internal focusing mechanism similar to most roofs, the procedure is nearly the same as for a lot of roofs. My Zeiss FLs and my wife's Vortex Razors work the same way except the diopter adjusts the right eyepiece (which seems to be a more standard configuration). However my other bins, both porros (Nikon SE & EII) and roofs (Brownings & Bushnell Legends) have a diopter adjustment ring on the right eyepiece.

FrankD · Feb 21, 2009

John is spot on. I forgot about mentioning that the diopter is located inside/under the focusing wheel. You have to pull the end of the focusing knob out to access the diopter adjustment. After you adjust it correctly...via the commonly accepted method in the manual...then pop the diopter back into the focuing knob to lock.

Jeff3374 · Feb 21, 2009

Lulubelle,
I saw in my other post that you also have the Zen Rays. Can you compare them to the Cascades because I have narrowed down my selection between those two and I'm curious to hear what you think.:t:

Thanks,
Jeff

Kevin Purcell · Feb 21, 2009

BTW, this set up confused me when I first came across it too. I didn't have the manual and had to ask FrankD. I had found the center focus diopter adjustment but didn't think to check to see if it changed the left eye's focus.

Of course once you know it works well. I wouldn't have though I'd be defeated by a bins "user interface".

Steve C · Feb 21, 2009

lulubelle said:
Have them in my hands and am looking... for a focus wheel AND a diopter....not seeing both. Wait - is the tiny wheel tagged 8x42 the diopter? Sad that I had to have help in finding it!!

Laura,

I thought it was guys who paid no attention to instructions! |:d|

But you have an understanding audience here. We all know the rush of getting a NEW BINIOCULAR! It's here, it's new and I want, nay I need, to look through the thing!

I had the same experience when I first looked through the porro cascade at a local dealer. Fortunately they had somebody behind the counter who had bought one for himself and was able to put me on to the backwards diopter arrangement.

Frank,
Are the Minox Porros the same way?

Tero · Feb 21, 2009

Kevin Purcell said:
BTW, this set up confused me when I first came across it too. I didn't have the manual and had to ask FrankD. I had found the center focus diopter adjustment but didn't think to check to see if it changed the left eye's focus.

Of course once you know it works well. I wouldn't have though I'd be defeated by a bins "user interface".

We have the advantage of no electronics. Mechanical things can be be figured out. Now watches have become useless. I do not need 10 alarms. One is enought to figure out.

Cameras are already hopeless, in the electronics. I can do Nikon pockets.

lulubelle · Feb 21, 2009

You know, I usually read the instructions, but this time I just grabbed the bins out of the box and starting playing with them!!! I felt totally stupid when I couldn't figure it out and then when I went to look for the instructions, I couldn't find the booklet (slipped under the couch!)! Surely I am smarter than a pair of bins right?!! Not so much apparently!! Sad but true!

I would not have expected the diopter to adjust the left eye, as opposed to the right eye, like my roofs though!!

Thanks for your understanding and explanations!! I really felt dumb posting the question and just didn't even think to look up the instruction booklet online (Thanks for the link, John!).

Jeff,
Steve, Kevin and Frank are the ones you need to ask comparison questions of - they all have much more experience and knowledge of bins than I do by far. I will post my comparisons, though. I am taking the Cascades out in a few minutes. I took the ZRs out this a.m. and found my self in an unexpected cold front blowing through (I recommend listening to weather reports before one drives 2 hrs to see a Brown-headed Nuthatch! I didn't watch the news nor did I get the Lifer nuthatch!). Lost one of the objective covers (not found again) and as several guys on the forum have stated - the focus wheel becomes much more difficult to turn. Cold fingers don't help either. The Repellamax coating on the Promasters is very nice in the weather I encountered this morning - would be nice of the ZRs had a similar coating.

Thanks so much again!!

lulubelle · Feb 21, 2009

Ok, I have to admit - I wouldn't have even thought of reading the instructions anyway because I assumed (we know what happens when we do that!) the porros adjusted the focus the same way that roofs do!!

Tero · Feb 22, 2009

We the unfortunate that ever tried zoom binoculars know of all weird diopter setups.

I had a reverse porro zoom for a short while. I gave it away. My next bright idea was a 16x50 porro from Wal Mart. I could almost identify a horned grebe with it if laying on the ground, elbows for support. I saw all that detail with 10x42 Monarchs. And maybe more color.

lulubelle · Feb 22, 2009

16x50 - was that a tank?!! I figured out how to focus the cascades, I am proud to say!! I looked at the Yosemites - they seem to focus normally!! Are there a large # of bins that have an interesting method of focusing? I guess it wouldn't be any fun if they were all the same!!

Tero · Feb 22, 2009

Well, yes, a bit heavy. It was supposed to be my "telescope". Now we have 50mm telescopes. A better idea.

FrankD · Feb 22, 2009

Actually Laura, the Cascades are the only bin I am aware of that focus the diopter in such a manner.

Speaking of which, Steve, I don't know exactly. The diopter is in the same position but I cannot remember if the diopter adjusts the left eyepiece or not. They are package up as I just sold them on Ebay this morning.

JohnJos · Feb 22, 2009

Is there an optical design reason that the Cascades, being internally focusing porros, would adjust the left eyepiece vs. the right eyepiece? Another similar question is why would some bins focus to infinity using a clockwise rotation of the focus wheel while others use a counter-clockwise rotation? Again, is there an internal design constraint that mandates this for certain configurations? My one issue with my Browning 8x32 roofs (CCW) is that they focus opposite of my Zeiss 8x42 FLs (CW).

Kevin Purcell · Feb 22, 2009

JohnJos said:
Is there an optical design reason that the Cascades, being internally focusing porros, would adjust the left eyepiece vs. the right eyepiece? Another similar question is why would some bins focus to infinity using a clockwise rotation of the focus wheel while others use a counter-clockwise rotation? Again, is there an internal design constraint that mandates this for certain configurations? My one issue with my Browning 8x32 roofs (CCW) is that they focus opposite of my Zeiss 8x42 FLs (CW).

A designer's choice. The optics don't care though the mechanics do.

Whoever designed the Cascades enclosure and focus mechanism decided to do it that way. Then perhaps a different designer did the optical design with that enclosure. I suspect this is often the case there is another OEM who designs and makes the cases (e.g. see the Chinese open-bridge case common to pretty much all the bin makers).

Perhaps he was right eye dominant? I happen to prefer the right eye diopter setting for the selfish reason I'm left eye dominant (so it's easier for ME!). But I dare say that 50% of the population would disagree.

I have bins that focus both ways and I find it's not an issue so long as I realize which way is which. I seem to be quite adaptable. It was a surprise first time I found one that focused "the wrong way" though ... I though the bin had really slow focus.

JohnJos · Feb 22, 2009

Thanks Kevin. So the focus & diopter configuration is entirely up to the designer. Interesting. I can see your point regarding a preference for which eye you set the diopter for with respect to your dominant eye. But I don't know why designers would vary the focus direction. I have a hard time adapting to a bin focusing backwards. Since I use my FLs so much it becomes second nature to rotate the focus knob in that manner. I make due when I need to use the Brownings. I keep them in my car and sometimes only have them available when I come across something interesting unexpectedly while driving. But I definitely struggle with them on those occasions. Not enough to consider replacing them though.

Kevin Purcell · Feb 22, 2009

JohnJos said:
Thanks Kevin. So the focus & diopter configuration is entirely up to the designer. Interesting. I can see your point regarding a preference for which eye you set the diopter for with respect to your dominant eye. But I don't know why designers would vary the focus direction. I have a hard time adapting to a bin focusing backwards. Since I use my FLs so much it becomes second nature to rotate the focus knob in that manner. I make due when I need to use the Brownings. I keep them in my car and sometimes only have them available when I come across something interesting unexpectedly while driving. But I definitely struggle with them on those occasions. Not enough to consider replacing them though.

It gets easier the more bins you have

The CW versus CCW choice I think just comes down to a design choice. I don't know if people are using a different thread (I can't see someonbe specifying a left handed thread but that could be part of it ... most likley it's in the design of the gearing) but I rather suspect they just work out a design that simplifies the mechanics of the focusing mechanism without much regard for the focus direction as I suspect it's rarely specified for OEMs though I suspect the Euro 3 (or perhaps the other major bin makers) have a preference for CW.

? Secret to focusing porros??? (1 Viewer)

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