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best 7x35 porros? (1 Viewer)

A jewel for users and collectors: Hartmann 7x35 Compact, immediately decide to buy it if you find one and that is probably not easy, but every BF-er likes a challenge, I am sure......
Gijs van Ginkel.
 
Wow, talk about life after death! ;). The Bushnell Rangemaster has been mentioned, I add my support to the listing. Anyone wanting a surprise needs to put a Baush & Lomb Zephyr 8x30 side by side with a Nikon SE. The Nikon is better, but my B&L is 60 years old! My 1968 vintage Swift Audubon 8.5x44 will still hold its own as well, along with a Bushnell Custom 7x35.
 
Another 7x35 roof prism binocular, well made and not easy to find perhaps is the Hans Hensoldt, Wetzlar 7x35, One can uncouple the objectives and replace them for 12x60 objectives, a modular design, quit as well as the British Ensign, all useful instruments but not up to modern standards of course.
The Russian Foton 7x35 roof prism binocular is a sort of copy of the Leitz Trinovids and if we also look a little bit smaller: Angenieux 7x30 roof or the Swarovski 7x30 roof and if I am not mistaken Bushnell also made a 7x32 extra wide, so hunting on the used items market could deliver something.
Gjs van Ginkel
 
Agree to 100%. A very nice old binocular

I would love to have a look through one. What do you mainly use yours for?

BTW... also, my goodness, what happened to your Rangemaster??? Did you or the previous owner remove the leatherette finish - or is the red stuff some kind of Swedish anti-freeze grip for use in extreme cold?
 
I would love to have a look through one. What do you mainly use yours for?

BTW... also, my goodness, what happened to your Rangemaster??? Did you or the previous owner remove the leatherette finish - or is the red stuff some kind of Swedish anti-freeze grip for use in extreme cold?

Unfortunately the leather was gone when i bought it. Painted om some nail polish to make it look nice.

Mainly use it as my tractor binocular out in the field. The huge field of view with very good sweetspot sharpness makes it just a joy to use. Surprised every time i use it, this old bino can be this good.
 
Hello, I am relatively new to birdwatching, and very new to the forum (I have only just joined this evening).
Does anybody have an opinion on the Opticron Adventurer TWP porro prism binoculars please? My old binoculars are not very good (Lieitz 7x35) and I am after a small inexpensive pair to replace them. I don't want to spend more than £100 and need them to be lightweight and good for spectacle users. I mostly watch birds on the feeders at home, and I walk my dog around my local patch (lake and woodland) to see what is around.
Thank you, Peter Bowley.
 
Hello, I am relatively new to birdwatching, and very new to the forum (I have only just joined this evening).
Does anybody have an opinion on the Opticron Adventurer TWP porro prism binoculars please? My old binoculars are not very good (Lieitz 7x35) and I am after a small inexpensive pair to replace them. I don't want to spend more than £100 and need them to be lightweight and good for spectacle users. I mostly watch birds on the feeders at home, and I walk my dog around my local patch (lake and woodland) to see what is around.
Thank you, Peter Bowley.

If a Leitz (now Leica) is "not very good," my first thought is that you have an issue with collimation. A Leica 7x35 should be a lifetime binocular.

Bill
 
If a Leitz (now Leica) is "not very good," my first thought is that you have an issue with collimation. A Leica 7x35 should be a lifetime binocular.

Bill

Or it could mean that the eye relief does not accommodate the viewer, relative to a more contemporary offering, or that they need cleaning, or both!

Bill
 
Or it could mean that the eye relief does not accommodate the viewer, relative to a more contemporary offering, or that they need cleaning, or both!

Bill

Bingo. Those new to observing often don't know the terminologies. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said their binocular wouldn't "FOCUS" when their bino would focus just fine and it was just out of collimation. :cat:

Bill
 
@ WJC #34

"I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said their binocular wouldn't "FOCUS""

My 2nd set of hawke endurances wouldn't focus. I had to have a diopter setting for infinity viewing and reset it for close birding ranges to focus equally. If you where to rock the focus back and forth at infinity, one side would always focus before the other. Same at close range.

Do you know what the problem was there? I'm now on my 3rd set and all seems ok with this one.
 
@ WJC #34

"I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said their binocular wouldn't "FOCUS""

My 2nd set of hawke endurances wouldn't focus. I had to have a diopter setting for infinity viewing and reset it for close birding ranges to focus equally. If you where to rock the focus back and forth at infinity, one side would always focus before the other. Same at close range.

Do you know what the problem was there? I'm now on my 3rd set and all seems ok with this one.

Possibly so. Please read about INADEQUATE FOCUS TRAVEL, vignette # 10 in BINOCULARS: Fallacy & Fact, although the whole vignette may apply to your situation.

Bill
 

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Hi Peter - there is a specific Opticron forum here that is likely the best place to direct enquiries towards the specific model you are after. I tried a couple of Opticron porro binoculars at the Birdfair held at Rutland Water in September, but not the T WP.

The Leitz 7x35 you already own is still very well regarded in terms of mechanics/build quality and usability ("ergonomics"). Advancements in coatings mean that modern optics will likely offer a brighter view, with more contrast, but it would not be a bad idea, especially if they have never been serviced, to send it to a good repair shop for a full service. You might be surprised at the results. I think you might struggle to find a binocular as handy to use, with that old school German feel of quality, at any price.
 
Hi Bill,

Possibly so. Please read about INADEQUATE FOCUS TRAVEL, vignette # 10 in BINOCULARS: Fallacy & Fact, although the whole vignette may apply to your situation.

Thanks for sharing this fascinating excerpt from your book!

To understand it better, is the focusing sequence issue caused by not adjusting the diopter properly, and to adjust the diopter, you have to start with the left side because that's where the diopter eyepiece conventionally is?

Regards,

Henning
 
Hi Bill,



Thanks for sharing this fascinating excerpt from your book!

To understand it better, is the focusing sequence issue caused by not adjusting the diopter properly, and to adjust the diopter, you have to start with the left side because that's where the diopter eyepiece conventionally is?

Regards,

Henning

Sometimes the focus CAN'T move far enough to do its job. It can be caused by slippage of the focus mechanism or a design flaw that does not take into account the “throw” needed to address all observers. And then, sometimes it is a simple as the example in the vignette—the person focuses the WRONG side first.

And ... you're welcome. :cat:

Bill
 
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Hi Bill,

Sometimes the focus CAN'T move far enough to do its job. It can be caused by slippage of the focus mechanism or a design flaw that does not take into account the “throw” needed to address all observers. And then, sometimes it is a simple as the example in the vignette—the person focuses the WRONG side first.

Thanks for the confirmation over the limited travel issue ... I experienced this once with a Leica pair, but never read about this anywhere else. Leica actually confirmed that their "over-travel" was limited to a certain value by design, which was just short of what I needed to use the pair without my glasses.

With regard to focusing sequence, if the diopter was set correctly and not touched for focusing, would the sequence still matter? I tend to set the diopter once and then just focus binocularly, only re-checking the diopter if I feel it might have been inadvertently moved.

Regards,

Henning
 
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