Polycarbonate or Magnesium? (3 Viewers)

[cycleguy]

I live in a moderate environment and have found that any will work well. Redlands is even more moderate than my home.

I would think the polycorbonates/composites could hold up better in extreme corrosive and wet environments. And, the materials with the least coefficient of thermal expansion might work better for units going between extreme hot and extreme cold like Sahara to Antarctica (if there is enough length of material to amount to much expansion and contraction to interfere with tolerances, most binoculars will list operating temperatures).

None of this is me... so I haven't drawn a preference one way or the other.

The guiding rule should be "Form follows Function".

CG

 

[cycleguy]

Binocular construction can be in many ways. And one kind is not better than the other.

It does come down to a mfrs. decision, and there are many things that may determine that.

The list of chassis component types, include: Aluminum, fiberglass reinforced polycarbonate,
carbon fiber, and magnesium. Some older types may include some other metals.

The carbon fiber models are not very common, but Nikon offers models, in all 4 types mentioned
above, and Ferrari, a car company that uses carbon fiber, in their F1 race cars, and also
in their production cars.

Here is one carbon fiber binocular model that I own, the Nikon Travellite 5 8x25, and a Ferrari model
I would like to own some day. The binocular may be just as allusive as
my getting the car.

Jerry

Dang it Jerry!! There you go setting off a new trend. Now I'll have to sell off my collection of perfectly acceptable binoculars to get the latest and greatest carbon fiber with flashy red accent models....

CG

 

[Chosun Juan]

Listening to the flat earthers in this thread, one would think that there is nothing to be gained by progressing from one material (Magnesium alloys) to the various flavas of CFRP. Those with a modicum of Mechanical Engineering under their belts and who know their Youngs Modulus from their Hoop Stress, might side with Boeing, Honda, Ferrari, and a growing number of mainstream automotive manufacturers, who having transformed engine downsizing, turbocharging, direct fuel injection, electronic control, and now improving aerodynamics and plug-in hybridization with Lithium Ion battery technology, are left with the only elephant left standing in the room in order to meet increasingly stringent emissions legislation - dramatic weight reduction. The Carbon Fibre revolution is coming! :cat:

Here is some salient analysis of the inevitable Carbon Fibre automotive future. GM Corvettes have long been known as 'Plastic Fantastics'. The BMW article contains an eye opening YouTube link embedded, exploding the new 7 series Carbon Fibre incorporating design - well worth a look :t:
http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/automotive-cfrp-the-shape-of-things-to-come
http://jalopnik.com/bmw-just-kicked-everybodys-ass-with-its-carbon-fiber-7-1698960901

As Ed mentioned previously, perhaps cost is the final frontier for Carbon materials to broach (the superior materials properties and engineering design possibilities horse has long since bolted) .......

However with this massive mainstream scale ramp up taking place, AND the absolutely minute amount of actual Carbon material that would be used in binoculars, the chorus from those arguments is becoming fainter and fainter ....... (o)<

The benefits of lighter, but just as economical and as strong or stronger, binocular bodys should be patently obvious .....

The question is ---- which binocular manufacturer will be strategically astute enough to lead the way???

After all it's only relatively bog stock CFRP --- it's not like we're demanding Pagini like Carbotanium https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbotanium , let alone 3-D printed Unobtanium Nanotubes!! :eek!:


Chosun :gh: