Uscamel 10x50 Military Waterproof HD Binoculars (1 Viewer)

I am new to binoculars and purchased a pair of these used on ebay. I DO NOT know what I am doing but wanted a nice pair of binoculars for my backyard and while I am boating.

I am about to ask a question for which I expect some level ridicule. But these do not zoom at all, am I missing something or did I just get bamboozled?

they have a 10 power magnification ....with a 50mm objective lens...the big lens on the front of the barrels....hence 10x50....they do not ZOOOOM...and you should be dam glad they don't...they have never really made a set of zoom binoculars worth a dam at any price.....telescope, rifle scope ..yes but binoculars ...big NO...

OK I Looked them up on E-Bay.....did you get the ones with the individual focus or the center focus wheel????....poro prism or roof prism....waterproof gas purged or just water resistant...[will make a big difference for boating use].....since they are an almost non heard of brand first check that everything works properly....that they will focus properly....hopefully they will work for you...but next time do the research first....

Hi tenhunter,:hi:

Welcome to bird forum!

Nobody is going to ridicule you. You did the right thing by coming here and asking questions.

Gunny is right. Zoom binoculars are not recommended. Avoid them at all costs. They inevitably will break down.

If yours are not zoom binoculars you are ahead of the game already.

Individual focus means that each eye must be separately focused for sharpness. You do that with a focusing ring located on each eye piece. They are slow to focus but they are easier to make water proof. They are good for astronomy and boating and not much else.

Center focus means that there is a focus wheel in between the binocular tubes which you turn to focus both eyes at the same time. They are harder to make waterproof. If you want a binocular for multiple uses you will want one that focuses this way. It also focuses much faster than the other kind.

Now, if you can get back and describe your binocular to us: model number and such, it would be helpful.

Bob

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016OK3MK...hydfbook0e-20&ascsubtag=pfb-P01-V01-O5-BFYD2H

These are the same ones here.

Hi tenhunter.
Internal compass etc.
Individual focus.
Maybe needs a battery?
For boating.

There seem to be many brand names for similar binoculars.

Hopefully good as long as you hold the compass horizontal, as some jam when angled up or down.

Often 7x50 favoured for easier use, but 10x50 may be O.K.

With 7.5 degree field, if true, then eyepieces short eye relief and not whole field seen wearing glasses.
As I don't wear glasses with binoculars I might like the binocular.
It may be less than 10x and less than 7.5 degrees.

Reticle, hardly suitable for kingfishers.
Not sure what scale used, but unlikely to be accurate at top end.

It may work well, and enjoy using it.

Re. Post 5.
I see similar binoculars from £52 upwards, say $65.
Some are marked Zoom, even though they don't.

If the real field is 7.5 degrees and 10x then the edge performance will be poor. I assume that they have 3 element eyepieces, but the eyepieces may be more complex.
I wonder what colour the coatings are.
Do they float by themselves or with a strap?

At the lower price they should be O.K. but at say $250, I doubt it.

The adverts and language suggest style over substance.

But if they work and one needs a boating/yachting binocular they should be fine, as long as they are well aligned.

P.S.
These and other Chinese binoculars have any name one wants if one buys the necessary quantity, which is probably not that many. Also the specifications written on the binoculars vary, despite looking identical except for the name stamped.

tenhunter said:

I am new to binoculars and purchased a pair of these used on ebay. I DO NOT know what I am doing but wanted a nice pair of binoculars for my backyard and while I am boating.

I am about to ask a question for which I expect some level ridicule. But these do not zoom at all, am I missing something or did I just get bamboozled?

Click to expand...

The ZOOM Craze

Perhaps the most detrimental aspect associated with zoom binoculars relates not to the instrument’s poor performance but in how
some vendors promote their products.

I recently saw an ad for a XXXXXXX 20-180x100 binocular. The ad read in part:

“Never miss a thing with these binoculars from XXXXXXX. These quality optics feature an astounding 180-times zoom …”
As with so many other things related to optics importers know consumers love large numbers whether they represent anything of
value or not. And, too, we can see ad after ad for “Military ZOOM Binoculars,” because advertisers also know the more trusting
and vulnerable observers get excited at the suggestion they might have the opportunity to own a military instrument. Even so:

I DON’T KNOW OF ANY COUNTRY WITH A GNP OVER ABOUT $8.37 THAT WOULD PROVIDE THEIR MILITARY
WITH ZOOM BINOCULARS IN PLASTIC HOUSINGS AS STANDARD ISSUE.

Another ad for a “Military, One Touch, ZOOM binocular” promises: “See the color of an eagle’s eye ... from a mile away!”
Of course, with this cheap, NON-MILITARY, Chinese binocular, one would be hard-pressed to make out the whole eagle at that
distance ... on a wire ... with good seeing conditions ... on a bright day ... with a beautifully clear blue sky in the background.

Although my mother was illiterate, she was not stupid. As a child she taught me: “Figures don’t lie, but liars figure.”

Also, using the formulas touched on earlier, we see the exit pupil for this instrument would be slightly over ½ millimeter with eye
relief being virtually non-existent. Also, the advertised price was a little less than one might pay for a single, unmounted 100mm
objective lens from a reputable importer. :cat:

Apparently none of us has used this binocular. But I am encouraged. $250 should buy a decent if not real whizbang Chinese IF, in this modern age in which we live.

As an IF fan, who has actually birdwatched with both 8x30 and 7x50 Fujinon FMT-SX, I applaud a novel (to me) feature of the binocular shown in the link. It appears that the left objective has some kind of twist adjustment, which must move the lens along the optical axis in either direction, affording a left-right "diopter" adjustment. With this set correctly, focusing the IF eyepieces for different distances would be simplified, in the common case of a user whose eyes have different refractive errors. I have gone to some lengths to jury rig my IFs so that the two eyepieces, in some modified sense, indicate the same setting for any distance, even though my left and right eyes are nearly 1 diopter different. It is hard for me in a pinch to set the left eye one less than the right, although I admit that I can't immediately think of anything that seems like an easier arithmetic problem.

I hope you enjoy your new binocular. If if gives you headaches, as a poorly adjusted instrument sometimes will, send it back.

Naturally I'm a major zoom hater, excepting Leica's interesting (and high zoot) take on the problem.

RonH

Hi Ron.
It may be that the two marked rings on the objective are a kind of calculator rather than movement device.

I have used similar but not identical binoculars, so I am not sure.

It would not surprise me if this binocular magnified less than ten times.

There were some fascinating early Sigma lenses XQ?, maybe the 200mm is one, which not only had a normal focus, but had the front component that moved to give very close macro, with slight movement. I suppose the performance may have suffered, but early Sigmas were innovative. The scales looked like that on this binocular, but did provide movement.

They also had their own adapters for different fittings. YS mount?

P.S.
The Glanz 7x40, 9.5 degree marked, monocular has front objective focus and has close focus.
Quite a nice instrument.

Binastro,
Thanks for the interesting comment.

tenhunter,
Does the left objective actually adjust?

Ron

Chinese 10x50

There are basically three types of glass used to make prisms. The best is BaK4 Barium Crown then BAK4 Phosphate Crown then Bk7 Borosilicate Crown. Some Chinese binoculars have BAK6 which is better than BAK4 but not as good as BaK4.
A 10x50 will have an exit pupil of 5mm or 0.5 cm.
Your bino will need a battery/batteries to light up the compass at night.
The rings round the left OG do not adjust the lenses, they allow you to calculate the distance off an object with a known height. See
http://www.actionoptics.co.uk/how-to-use-a-ranging-reticle.
10x is usually too powerful to use on a boat unless you have a really big boat or unless the binocular has image stabilising built in which yours does not.
A true military binocular will be shock proof and that would be useful on a boat as many bins get harsh treatment at sea.

Richard,

Thanks for the info about the markings on the barrel, as well as on the glass types. I was not aware of the two "case sensistive spellings" and types.

You have an interesting web site. It's good to learn of another (there are few enough!) optics repair service/dealer.

Ron

Richard Wrote: "A true military binocular will be shock proof and that would be useful on a boat as many bins get harsh treatment at sea."

The last part of that statement is certainly true. But, I must add that I put three kids through school repairing "shockproof" binoculars that ... weren't. :cat:

WJC said:

I must add that I put three kids through school repairing "shockproof" binoculars that ... weren't. :cat:

Click to expand...

I hesitate to ask ... but what could so shock a military binocular that it needs therapy? Seems like someone would have to be looking at very shocking activity :eek!::eek!::eek!

...Mike

mfunnell said:

I hesitate to ask ... but what could so shock a military binocular that it needs therapy? Seems like someone would have to be looking at very shocking activity :eek!::eek!::eek!

...Mike

Click to expand...

No need to hesitate.

9 “I Want an Armored Binocular So I Don’t Have to Worry About It Being Knocked Around.”

Wrong! You can rubber coat an egg, but it’s still an egg. And rubber coated or not, a binocular is still a relatively fragile instrument. Armoring offers a degree of shock resistance, makes it easier to grip, and retards sliding on a wheelhouse cabinet or the hood of a vehicle. Nevertheless, if you drop your expensive armored binocular onto something harder than a lush lawn the chances are good you’ll be in for a costly surprise...

... Moreover, with a navy binocular more apt to being dropped 5 feet onto a steel deck than 6 feet into a box of sand, this Opticalman found the “official” drop test sadly lacking. :cat:

Testing I think the Canon 10x30 II IS, I left it on the kitchen table and was amazed to find it had slid onto the chair top just avoiding an expensive drop.
The slope was a few degrees only, and the binocular is rubber coated and has dimples maybe to prevent sliding.