Clearest Binos pls (1 Viewer)

Who makes the clearest Binos? I have bulging corneas from lasik gone bad & any advantage helps.

Tks

Hi Chris,
What exactly do you mean by clearest?
Perhaps try different binoculars in a store to see which is best for you.

The best thing may be to get the best glasses from a good optician, and then look for binoculars to match.

Beechers Mirage binoculars may be useful. Or a Canon IS binocular with 3mm exit pupils.
Or a good standard binocular.
It all depends on the actual imperfections of the eye.
There are so many possibilities.
Maybe an opthalmologist can advise.

P.S.
Moorfields, London has some interesting discussion of bulging cornea.
It depends on age and the actual case.
It would seem that professional advice is needed here.

It may also be that one should avoid bright sunshine or have specialist sunglasses.

Vixen 7x50 Foresta.
Canon 10x42L IS
Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 or 10x42
6.5x21 Papillio II
Canon 8x25 IS
Canon 10x30 II IS
Leica Trinovid

Possibilities to try amongst others in a good store.

Many Tks. Just trying to improve my visibility thru binoculars. I can only wear hybrid contact lenses. My vision is the best it can get at this point. Wanting the best/clearest Binos I can buy.

Chrismartin said:

Wanting the best/clearest Binos I can buy.

Click to expand...

Then you want a Swarovski EL SV, or a Leica Ultravid HD+, or a Zeiss FL/HT/SF, or a Nikon EDG.

Of course the particular model that is best for you depends on your particular needs of weight, magnification, objective size, etc......

I found this concise summary of the consequence of corneal bulging (keratoconus)

"As the cornea becomes more irregular in shape, it causes progressive nearsightedness and irregular astigmatism to develop, creating additional problems with distorted and blurred vision. Glare and light sensitivity also may occur."

That sounds pretty awful, but I would hope the hybrid contact lenses do a reasonable job on correcting the aberrations, so I would suppose glare and reduced contrast might be the first concers here.

Glare is caused the stray scattering of light within the eye but it's manifestations might be quite variable on where the cause is located. I guess due to the lasik reference it might be corneal scaring, (but I have heard of other complications.) Cutting out light from the side may help. Some binocular eyecups sit well in the eye socket doing a good job but if might help to use horned/winged eyecups for some models. Some makes supply such accessories but Field Research, amongst others supply generic versions.

In normal viewing light will impinge on the whole of the conea and potentially contribute to glare. The exit pupil and apparent field of view will potentially reduce the area of the cornea involved. Using something like a 10x32 with a 3.2mm exit pupil might improve things a bit too, though small exit pupils do reduce low light capability.

Generally in optics, the blue end of the light spectrum is most easily scattered. It can improve contrast to filter out shorter wavelengths. I wouldn't know if it would help with this condition. Do amber or yellow tinted sunglasses improve contrast? If so, then it might help to choose a binocular with reduced blue transmission. High blue transmission cost money for the more complex lens and prism coatings, so this might lead you to try relatively cheap models, including some with silver coated prisms instead of dielectric.

Of course this is all guess work, but putting these things together, it might be something like the Sightron BSII 10x32, fitted with after market winged eyecups might just be a reasonable place to start. The good news is if you find the right deal it might cost you less than $200. I'm sure there are many alternatives that might meet your specific needs, but I would hesitate in recommending the most expensive models on the rack as the first step.

David

would not the top of the line alphas be clearest?
-zeiss
-leica
-SW
-nikon

edj

They might actually be too bright in these circumstances.
I think it is important to try them out.

edwincjones said:

would not the top of the line alphas be clearest?
-zeiss
-leica
-SW
-nikon

edj

Click to expand...

Ed,

A couple of times a year I get to compare the top models and a whole host of others and which gives the clearest, perceptually sharpest view will vary. Mostly it's down to the light conditions at the time, but also what you use as a target. Only once in the last five years did we have light conditions that might compare to Texas. Incredibly bright (for the UK) with plenty of glare, heat shimmer and pollution haze. From that list I found the Swaros the worst performers and the Nikon HGL, with it's silver coated prisms, best for cleaning up the glare. The Sightron clone, the Olympus AD 9x32 was't far behind. You could argue which is most important, colour neutrality or contrast, but the fact was I could see detail more clearly, particularly at distance, with the warmer biased designs in those conditions. That does it for me on the day.

A number of opthalmic conditions result in reduced contrast sensitivity and for some, yellow or amber tinted glasses can improve contrast. Why pay for a high blue transmission when the optical need is to reduce it? Obviously I don't know anything about Chris' particular case but I think the question is worth asking.

Perhaps a more interesting question is whether the Nikon HGL is worth the premium over the Sightron? I don't supose many could tell the difference from the view alone, even without additional opthalmic complications, but I have little doubt the Nikon's superior engineering would be quite obvious. How much would you pay for a smoother focus?

Of couse this is just speculation, Chris is the one to judge.

David

Here is the clearest binocular I know of. It was made by Swarovski.

http://www.amazon.com/Swarovski-Crystal-Memories-Binoculars/dp/B00BGUGX54

--AP

Hi,

if we assume that clearest bins mean the pair with the highest transmission, that would be a pair of Swarovski Habichts.

But don't take this as advice to buy a pair please, they aren't bad but have their weaknesses too - instead go to a store with a good choice and try a number of their and our recommendations and see for yourself what works best.

Joachim

Many Tks for replies/research. Cabela's is 15 miles away, I'll go try referenced brands & models. Having cornea issues is tough, especially in low light conditions.

My grandmother is semi blind and obviously has a number of serious eye ailments. She has tried many of my binoculars and she declared that the Fujinon FMTRSX 7x50 were easily the best for her. Her pupils don't dialate much, so perhaps a slight surprise in liking the 7mm exit pupil.
I agree with others who suggest trying as many as you can...you may have a surprising or unexpected compatibility with a certain configuration or pair.

Trial the canon 10x42 IS if you can. Good luck.

Rathaus