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The WOW factor (a philosophical musing) (1 Viewer)

B

black crow

Well-known member
I've become very curious of my newfound love of optics. It borders on addiction actually and that got me to thinking about what it is that makes me want to own the next pair of bins when I already own "too many" wonderful pair that would fill almost any niche and use I might have. It seemed illogical until the answer dawned on me while hiking today.

I remember the first time I saw a bird close up with some really good binoculars. It was like seeing a new creature on a planet I had just discovered. I could see detail and color that was truly amazing to me. I remember distinctly saying WOW! When I showed a friend my new binoculars he aptly described the experience as being instantly stoned. He had experienced WOW!

After having my bins for a while that WOW experience became Wow and lost a little of it's edge. I contend that the search for the perfect optics then is the search to recapture that initial WOW that seems to open up a new world to senses and transform a mundane, "used to it" reality into an brand new somewhat magical world. Which this world actually is when we can see it with a child's eyes as if for the first time.

By the way this is the same search the junkie goes on looking for that next fix that never comes.

Anyone agree with this?
 
Who said you were boring? :)

The "WOW FACTOR". Now there's a reality TV show for you!

Here's the rub. Generally speaking, and reserving this caveat for roofs, the more WOW! you want to get high on, the more money you need to spend.

There are always exceptions to every rule, so if you don't want your newly found "drug" habit to lead you to financial ruin and steeling hubcaps off cars, keep watching what Frank D. is up to since he has the uncanny knack for finding "best buys," that is, binoculars that deliver more than you would expect at their price point.

Also consider premium porros and classic roofs rather than the "latest and greatest" WHY2K? alpha.

More "AH FACTOR" than "WOW! FACTOR" in those categories, but if you have a limited budget, two or three big "Ahs" can equal one "WOW!" Cases in point: 8x30 EII, 10x35 EII and 10x42 SE. AHHHHHHHH!

I'm a bino junkie
And your my drug
I'm a bino junkie
Can't get enough
I'm a bino junkie
And your the one
Don't focus too close
or I might overdose!

Brock McLennon
 
Well being an addictive personality I've learned some tricks for not ending up in the gutter. And fortunately I have some disposable income to play with. But if I get one of the really alpha bins what will my next fix come from? Will I have to fly to Borneo to view the almost extinct goo goo finch? I need that reason to continue to continue? I need that carrot. (for anyone really interested in how this ultimately works in human psychology read the works of Ernest Becker but be ready to have all illusions shattered)

Anyway I feel the need for the next fix coming on and I'll see what I can do with some of your suggestions. Thanks buddy. :t:
Ricky's been kicking the gong
Lickety split didn't take too long
A junkie's sick
A monkey's strong
That's what's wrong

Well, I guess he's been messing around downtown
So sad to see the man losing ground
Winding down behind closed doors
On all fours

Mama, don't you call him my name
He can't hear you anymore
And even if he seems the same to you
That's a stranger to your door
Ask him what's he come here for

[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-junkies-lament-lyrics-james-taylor.html ]
Oh my god, a monkey can move a man
Send him to hell
And home again
With an empty hand in the afternoon
Shooting for the moon

It's halfway sick
And it's halfway stoned
He'd sure like to kick
But it's too far gone
They wind him down with the methadone
He's all on his own

But baby, don't you throw your love away
I hate to seem unkind
It's only that I understand the man
That the monkey can leave behind
I used to think he was a friend of mine


Read more: JAMES TAYLOR - A JUNKIE'S LAMENT LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-junkies-lament-lyrics-james-taylor.html#ixzz1kKFVnCEp
Copied from MetroLyrics.com
 
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brocknroller said:
... keep watching what Frank D. is up to since he has the uncanny knack for finding "best buys," that is, binoculars that deliver more than you would expect at their price point. ...
Click to expand...



I hitched my wagon to this cat a while ago, and have thus far been very pleased with the results!
 
A new trend in some of my binocular acquisitions lately has been from my recent curiosity into 7x35 binoculars. I like 7x a lot. I was looking for something a little more compact than the ZEN ED 2 7x36 or the ED 3 7x43 and I liked a little wider than the Swift Eaglet 7x36. SO I got to looking around some and with the classic porro thread I started doing some buying. Nothing very expensive either. About the most per binocular cost was $20.00.

Some of those have been arriving over the last few days. If anybody wants a WOW factor you need to have a look at what you can steal as far as optical quality in the vintage 7x35 and 8x30 class vintage porros. Dirt cheap. I'm even talking Tasco stuff here in some of these...yeah...Tasco. Had to remind myself that at one time they were an Optical Company with real standards, not the bubble wrap crap we associated with their later years in the time before their demise.

I'm going to be doing some posting separately about some of the stuff I got on threads yet to be started.

Suffice it to say if you want a WOW you get it for sure with some of those old porros that clock in with AFOV values in excess of 80*, coupled with images they can produce. I am frankly sort of shocked at how good the vintage porros got before they got "roofed". I suppose another side of the WOW coin is ...WOW...would you look at the marketing job we got from the roof manufacturing crowd since they figured out phase coating.
 
Lots to comment on with what has been posted so far.

For starters...I think you mistyped Brock. It should be "classic porros and premium roofs"....

;)

Finding the "diamond in the rough" is my fix. ;)

BC,

To answer your question about where to get your fix once you buy a premium roof....why, with another premium roof of course. ;) But of a different configuration....and possibly a different manufacturer. Then you can argue the fine points of the light transmission curves with the best of the All binos fans. ;-p

Steve and I have been having fun with these classic extra wide angle porros. I received another one today. Just when I was about to think that I had seen all there was from the different classic EWA designs I get another that shocks me a bit. The Swift Holiday Mark II came today. Very, very impressive. You name the optical category and this bin performs. Now I just have to disassemble and clean it....and I may have found a new go to bin. Not bad for $35 plus shipping. ;)

If you want some idea as to where to start in your search then check out my flickr link below or Simon S's. Lots of great info out there if you do a little diggin'.

...oh, and did I mention that I have a ton of bins and a Nikon ED 50 up on ebay at the moment? ;)
 
I just leave a few by each window and on the decks and the front door. The fun part for me is going out with a different pair each day. I now think it will really take weeks or months to know which are really my favorites. That will keep me out of trouble.

I just ordered that 10x25 Minox that I started all the posting here about. I decided the only way to really know if a 10x compact is a really bad idea is to use one. The Minox was 1/3 off so I took the bait.

I also ordered that Apex 8x25 wide field reverse porro compact so I'll let you know about that one too.
 
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black crow said:
I just ordered that 10x25 Minox that I started all the posting here about. I decided the only way to really know if a 10x compact is a really bad idea is to use one. The Minox was 1/3 off so I took the bait.

I also ordered that Apex 8x25 wide field reverse porro compact so I'll let you know about that one too.
Click to expand...

OH, you're soooo hooked!

;-)
 
black crow said:
No I'm not. I can quit anytime I want.|=@|
Click to expand...

Ha, you are hooked like the rest of the people that read this forum on a daily basis!!! I live vicariously through the optical experiences of others on this forum and every time I read a post by Frank, I want to get a "new" pair of whatever Frank has discovered!!! I have discovered the fine art of bin "window shopping"!
 
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I only have 9 and I absolutely do need them. That's my story and I'll fight any woman who sez otherwise.

Actually I've deliberately remained single so I could indulge myself without any whining.
 
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