Waterproofness and your use of binoculars (4 Viewers)

[takitam]

This might be a strange question to some, but it just dawned on me that basically every thread that mentions binoculars which are not fully waterproof has a lot of comments from people stating that these bins are unusable to them.

Now, I never put much thought into this until now, so I have to ask. But first - how I see it: I don't enjoy being out in the rain. When you have to, because you are backpacking or hiking, you have to. But in every other situation, I avoid the rain. Using binoculars during the rain seems absurd to me. Not only it is unpleasant to be outside during the rain for extended periods of time, but you also can barely see anything through binoculars when objectives are wet. Caring for your bins during the rain is quite simple, you put them in the case and into your backpack. One can take even more precautions with some forethought.

Of course, there is a matter of fogging and fungus if you live in the tropics and the like. This I can understand.

In every other case - Do you actually use your binoculars when it is raining and you and the bins are all wet? Why? How do you make it work for you?

 

[Ted Y.]

Do you actually use your binoculars when it is raining and you and the bins are all wet? Why? How do you make it work for you?

Nope. Birds do not fly in these conditions, do not hunt and are less mobile and less visible.

 

[dalat]

Sounds like you indeed do not need waterproof bins.

But many birders do keep birding when it rains.

While I also prefer birding when it is dry, it does not always stay dry and I get my bins wet regularly. I am very glad that I do not have to worry and pack them away every time drops start falling. I saw quite a few birds through completely wet binoculars.

 

[dries1]

This might be a strange question to some, but it just dawned on me that basically every thread that mentions binoculars which are not fully waterproof has a lot of comments from people stating that these bins are unusable to them.

Now, I never put much thought into this until now, so I have to ask. But first - how I see it: I don't enjoy being out in the rain. When you have to, because you are backpacking or hiking, you have to. But in every other situation, I avoid the rain. Using binoculars during the rain seems absurd to me. Not only it is unpleasant to be outside during the rain for extended periods of time, but you also can barely see anything through binoculars when objectives are wet. Caring for your bins during the rain is quite simple, you put them in the case and into your backpack. One can take even more precautions with some forethought.

Of course, there is a matter of fogging and fungus if you live in the tropics and the like. This I can understand.

In every other case - Do you actually use your binoculars when it is raining and you and the bins are all wet? Why? How do you make it work for you?

Thanks for this post, common sense for the masses.

 

[Ratal]

"I"

how I see it: I don't enjoy being out in the rain.

"I"

What works for you is fine - but don't use that broad brush to make it that you are the fountain of logic when it comes to binocular use, because you aren't.

"I".

Your opinion.

It is just that. And who cares what you think? Not me - But I care how you deem to portray people who use their binoculars in bad weather and need robust sealed instruments- So a little less of that if you wouldn't mind.

 

[Ratal]

Using binoculars during the rain seems absurd to me. Not only it is unpleasant to be outside during the rain for extended periods of time, but you also can barely see anything through binoculars when objectives are wet.

Buy better binoculars with repellant objectives, put some rain shields on them too. Unpleasant to be in the rain? Buy a poncho. As for no birds? Sea birds, divers, ducks, Sand/House Martins, all active in the rain. The list is long. Bad weather brings in migrants... The reasons to be out in bad weather are varied and many.

 

[takitam]

Ratal - I was a bit surprised by your first post. I considered it would be useful to describe how I see it, so that others can better understand my approach and limitations. I do not feel there is any disdain for others in my post, that was not my intention. My original post is a question, with context.

I appreciate your second post. It does help me understand this better.

 

[Swedpat]

Ratal - I was a bit surprised by your first post. I considered it would be useful to describe how I see it, so that others can better understand my approach and limitations. I do not feel there is any disdain for others in my post, that was not my intention. My original post is a question, with context.

I appreciate your second post. It does help me understand this better.

I was surprised too. You received a rude response to your post. Not justified as I see it.

 

[james holdsworth]

Every experienced birder knows that rain produces migration fallouts, which produces the best birding you’ll ever experience. Same applies to lake or sea watching…best birding will be when the weather is at its worst. Waterproofing is absolutely essential if your intent is to witness the spectacle of visible migration….perhaps not if you just want to see your local regulars.

From experience, I suffered water penetration on my much loved Bausch and Lomb Elites when caught in a downpour. They were never the same again and I vowed to never spend such a sum on something without waterproofing.

How do you make them work in the rain? Use the rain guard until you have something to see…wipe lens with soft cloth occasionally in spray conditions.

 

[Maljunulo]

One of my memories is of watching a rather grumpy-looking Bald Eagle sitting on a dead tree near a pond, in a nasty drizzle, hoping that a fish would be dumb enough to get close enough to the surface to get caught.

I gave up before the eagle did, and I left.

Great Blue Herons do not seem to enjoy pouring rain.

They look rather sour-faced after they start to get sodden. They don’t seem to be very waterproof.

 

[dorubird]

When it rains, we can use the fact that the animals can no longer hear us so well due to the background sound of the rain. But we don't hear them anymore either
When it rains lightly, in autumn the colors take on a special beauty and it is worth going out into nature for observations and pictures


For me, all gear used in nature should resist to many different harsh conditions as possible:
-If I leave a pair of binoculars near me on the ground and ants already get into it
-If it's fogged up quickly
-If I enter in forest and wet branches in the morning completely wets the binoculars and water gets into it.
-If used intensively on hot days with strong sun, it starts to have mechanical problems (focus issues, sticky armor, oil migration etc).
-If the snow covers it a little and water gets into it.
Then those binoculars are not good for expeditions and I will use them like a fragile baby. I will use them only from the balcony or only for easy walks in a mild climate (for the "lungs of a small child" ) , regardless of how good they are optically!

Of course, I will not deliberately test any binoculars by immersing them in rivers water, or leaving them overnight in the snow or near tent overnight in mountains, or in a strong Sharian sunlight. But at least theoretically, I want to be sure that the binoculars will survive such harsh scenarios as best as possible.

 

[yarrellii]

I must be a bit weird, because I love the rain, and being out in the rain (with the right gear).
It turns out that where I live it rains very little, we have long periods without a single rainy day... that's why my most used binocular is not waterproof (a Canon IS). However, there is more than rain to sealed binoculars. I rarely buy brand new binoculars (I prefer to stick to 2nd hand), but in the last years I've made two execeptions, the Nikon EII 8x30 and the Canon IS III 12x36.
The Nikon has developed some sort of fungus, and I've had it fog several times: it rarely rains here, but the atmosphere is very humid, which is something to bear in mind. And after two years of use my Canon shows and endless array of dust specks of all sorts if you look inside the tubes, not nice to be honest. I would love that both binoculars (two of my favourites) were waterproof.

And when it comes to rainy days, as has already been mentioned, migration seasons (both spring and autumn) usually have unstable weather, and it's not unusual to have storms... and rain. Unfortunately I usually leave my Canon at home, except if I'm going to an observatory or I go to the coast and can choose a nice place to park my car and use it as a shelter.

If you think about it, there is an entire family of birds literally called "storm birds", the procellariidae. Over here we have shearwaters, even an endemic species, and (yes, you've guessed it), some of the best days to enjoy them close to the shore are stormy days, when you also get to see gannets during the Winter months (they've just arrived now). So it pays off to have both waterproof binoculars and scope. Here you can see a group of Scopoli's and Balearic shearwaters on a lovely rainy day, they were really close to the coast, you could enjoy them and tell them apart with your binoculars.

View attachment PardelaGIF.mp4

And then there are many birds that simply seem not to care a lot about rain... Here's a lonely kingfisher under the rain, it stood there for several minutes, then a ray of sun came through the rain and it suddenly left flying through the rain drops.

View attachment MartinGIF.mp4

Then there are many occasions where you just leave home to go birding for several hours, and you are not certain about the weather, or you simply are on a trek. It is very reassuring to have a dependable tool you can rely on. Las month of June I did a week walking on the GR11, the trek crossing the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, with long days of uncertain Spring weather going through mountains passes up nearly 3000 m high and through rainy valleys. One day I walked for 9 hours under non-stop rain... and I had my Opticron Traveller with me. I literally fell on them on mud and snow, crossed streams and endured all sorts of weather conditions... and they were just perfect, allowing indeleble views of lammergeiers, griffon vultures as well as no less than 4 life birds, some of them under the rain (note the bare feet crossing ice-cold water from the thawing snow... and the Opticron Traveller doing what they do best).



And then, if you think about it... people usually prefer to stay at home with a cuppa on those days, which means that nature reserves and parks are mostly empty, so you can enjoy them in peace, and even be rewarded by animals that are not being annoyed by groups of noisy visitors. So it turns out that rainy days can actually be great birding days! My advice would be to not only get waterproof binoculars, but also a good pair of waterproof boots that are comfy and warm as well as a raincoat that can keep you toasty while you enjoy the birds (bonus points go to a flask with your hot beverage of choice). Seriously, consider it.

 

[Rg548]

I think this is an interesting post.

There are a few folk who will go out in all weathers to pursue their passion.
I'm not one of them. I am a nature watcher, not a birder, but I prefer pleasant dry days, or if it's raining inside a hide.
I've spent a lifetime being exposed... at times... to awful weather, and I'm done with that, unless it can be helped.
However, I do feel the need to have a waterproof bino, as a comfort blanket..... just incase.

I would also suggest, that judging by the sparse numbers at my local wildlife centre in bad weather, and the tidal wave of people in good weather, that I am not alone here.
When it rains, I tend to go home, put the kettle on and wait another day generally, or find a hide, but my Leica bins will be inside my jacket, all tucked up nice and safe..... even though they LOVE the rain

 

[PatR]

I must admit that I love being out in the rain which is handy as I live in Wales where the one sunny day in-between showers heralds the start, and end, of Summer.

My previous profession took little notice of the weather and though ill-equiped, I somehow survived to spend all of my childrens inheritence on fripperies such as bino's, camera's, watches.......and decent waterproof kit.

Our Rottie and my wife and I enjoy our daily walks and gaze in wonder at the changes in the weather cycle from leaving our front door to the river, or about 5 minutes.

But it was fantastic and this morning we saw two Swans teaching their five Cygnets how to take-off and land, 8 Grey Herons watching us carefully from the river bank and wondering why, when we could be in front of a nice log fire, we were out in the rain, and a gorgeous Little Egret dodging some rather nasty Crows.

We, and Archie and the bino's, got soaked but we all dried off pretty quick and over a lovely cup of coffee and a bacon roll we both remarked how lucky are we?

 

[Tringa45]

Here's a little ditty I picked up in western Tasmania, where they get a lot of rain:

Dirty days hath September, April, June and November
February is quite allright, it only rains from morn till night
All the rest have thirty-one without a single day of sun
And if any one had thirty-two, they'd be bloody raining too!

John

 

[Binastro]

Sweden had a thirty two day month, and it occurs in astronomy also.

My own binoculars, telescopes and camera lenses are probably mostly not waterproof, but after decades are fine, because I look after them well.

However, buying secondhand I have seen literally hundreds of lenses, binoculars and scopes that have suffered from damp.
Either fungus or internal moisture coating, and with old Nikon lenses full of dust.

In some cases the damage is so bad the item goes in the rubbish bin.
Old binocular cases also often go straight in the rubbish bin.

There may be places, such as Arizona where damp isn't a problem, but in the U.K. it is.
Storing optics in an unheated garage is most unwise.
Optics from the seaside are suspect.

I bought a dozen rare Swift 24.5mm eyepieces. The price was £10 the lot, but I gave him £20, as I thought the price was far too low.
I was told they were all in good condition.
In fact all had fungus.
I dismantled and cleaned three, but gave up, as it was just fiddly, and I didn't really need them.
They clean up well.

As a rough guess 10% to 20% of old U.K. optics have some moisture problems from mild to dreadful.

Yet, I have 1850s British lenses that are completely clean inside.

In some cases I have bought batches of old British binoculars that were described as fairly good where all need dismantling and cleaning.
People have different ideas of what is acceptable.

My standards regarding moisture damage and alignment are very high.
This is for lenses and binoculars.

Old Soviet binoculars are usually very good because of the sealing compound.
It is not only nitrogen gas that works.

Regards,
B.

 

[Ted Y.]

My understanding is better now.
In some regions it rains rarely and it is no need to go birding in rain. Just wait till tomorrow.
In some regions it rains often (or almost unpredictable) and better do not avoid birding in rain.
Sure, people have their own preferences.

 

[Canip]

I frequently observe in bad weather, which does not mean my binoculars have to be fully waterproof, splashproof (such as the Nikon E II) is just fine with me (never so far had to deal with internal fogging):

https://www.birdforum.net/attachments/img_1896r-jpg.1487705/

 

[William Lewis]

I'm fortunate enough to have 4 sets of binoculars I use regularly.

2 are waterproof, a 7x42 and an 8x30 and 2 are not, another 8x30 and a vintage 10x50.

Shorter binoculars can be useful in the rain as you can shield the objectives with your hands, the same goes for binoculars with slightly smaller ocular lenses as they are less likely to catch the drips as the ones with huge lenses - you'll still see a drop of rain on them when viewing even if it looks like it's miles away from the exit pupil. An easy to use rain guard that fits to both straps and naturally falls to cover the objectives is also a great addition.

Will

 

[Trinovid]

I like knowing that my binoculars are, as much as possible, bulletproof and not likely to fail for any reason at all. I also wear seatbelts, and for me, having waterproofed binoculars can be much akin to seatbelt wearing. We hope not to ‘need’ the seatbelt, but feel a bit more secure were things to go wrong.
Then additionally, being filled with inert gases tends to accompany waterproofed binoculars, which makes them arguably less likely to fog when being used in colder temps. I’d like to be able to use my binoculars at -30/40 below and not see fog showing up inside later on.

In short, it’s more to do with being able to use them, whenever and wherever without even having to think about whether they’ll end up being the limitation that prevents one from using them, free of the concerns that they might not be able to use them tomorrow as well.