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B&L Bushnell 8X36 Custom models? (1 Viewer)

Canuck Bob

Well-known member
I am researching the 8X36 Customs for a potential purchase. There seems to be two distinct models.

First is the grey body solid framed bino. Folks like the build and view on forums but note problems with the plastic eyecups. Folks also mention the upside down prism construction, round on bottom. I could find nothing on these much except Fan Toa's archived site.

Second there is a Custom 8X36 Audubon with an open frame porro construction. They are black bodied and seem to have rubber eyecups. They also have the upside down prisms.

I found some archived dealer sites and they indicate BaK4 prisms and FMC.

Anyone able to clarify coatings, mechanical quality, which is last type produced, etc..

http://www.opticsplanet.com/bl8xcusrubar.html

Closed frame style.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=309751

The auction site only shows the open hinge model currently.
 
My experience is only with the open framed Audubon B&L with pebble leather finish of the early 1990s. I found them optically excellent (like Nikon 8x30 E) but the FOV was too narrow for my tastes, especially for their price at the time (price not competitive with the Swift 8x42 Ultralite, which like the B&L 8x36 Custom, had good eye relief but a narrow FOV).

--AP
 
The closed frame ones are pretty old. They almost certainly are not FMC. The open frame had two generations. The older generation had a National Audubon Society logo on the prism cover next to the right eyepiece. I'm pretty sure the older generation isn't FMC either. The newer generation has a logo on the prism near the right objective. On mine the logo says "Bausch & Lomb Birding Series". The newer generation is FMC.

If your goal is to actually use them, I would go for the newer generation open frame ones. The optics and ergonomics are excellent.
 
Bob, I have both of these binoculars, and broadly echo Alexis and Binoboy, the open frame Audubon model is a very nice binocular, it is light and comfortable to use, easy to carry, the drawback, as Alexis say's is the narrow FOV. The older closed body 8x36, I would personally say is marginally optically better, it is bright and sharp, and has a good FOV, and is also easy viewing, but it is pretty heavy to lug around, and likely to need a clean and service to get the best from it. I keep mine as it is good and collectable, but I dont think I would be getting one for regular use theses days. The twist out hard plastic cups are ok, but if you drop the binocular, they are brittle and can break. I did this, broke one, but I managed to find a guy in the UK who was able to make reproductions from the good one in black plastic and they work fine. It pretty much depends on if you want them as collectables, or for regular use, for regular use I would say the open frame model out of the two, but really, neither, something made a bit later. Links below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/95019762@N07/15825851066/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/95019762@N07/18590793324/in/dateposted-public/
 
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The first link in post #4 shows the binocular that Jim Garner uses in the scene shown at the beginning of many of "The Rockford Files " shows. :king:

Bob
 
The first link in post #4 shows the binocular that Jim Garner uses in the scene shown at the beginning of many of "The Rockford Files " shows. :king:

Bob

Used to love the Rockford files, and most things with James Garner, his role as Woodrow Call in the streets of Laredo is a favourite.
 
I have the Bausch & Lomb 8x36 Custom National Audubon Society binocular with the Crane picture on it...

I know that "crane" is used in some parts of the country to refer to any long-legged long-necked wading bird (including herons and egrets - Ardeidae, not just cranes - Gruidae), but since this is Birdforum, I have to note that the "crane" of the NAS logo is a Great Egret.

--AP
 
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