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Opticron Imagic porro (1 Viewer)

pete seaman

Well-known member
Due to pretty drastic problems with my eyes earlier this this year I felt it was necessary to have a rethink on my optics. I was very happy with my little 8x32 Countryman roof bins but really needed something to let more light in and maybe up the magnification. I spent hours looking at test results on the web and received a lot of advice from a couple of regulars on this forum I ended up at my local Opticron dealer. After trying a big number of models and still being a porro fan at heart I opted for a pair of Imagic porro 10x50 despite them looking a bit dated in these days of roof prisms.These have served me well through the spring summer birding including a great few days watching Golden Eagles and Harriers on the Isle of Arran. On our last couple of outings in freezing conditions they have become very hard to focus. I presume this is probably due to lubrication getting very dense due to low temperatures but has any other user come across this problem ? I would not have thought the machining tolerances were so close that near zero temperatures affected the movement and to keep them tucked inside my jacket would not really work any advice welcome.
 
.... any advice welcome.

Since any advice is welcome....8-P

I fixed the porro of a friend by spaying sollicone spray into the focus adjustment mechanism of her porro. It was teriibly stiff in the cold (and also quite stiff when warm) and worked nice and smooth afterwards. Generally it is not a good idea though, to mix lubricants....
 
Since any advice is welcome....8-P

I fixed the porro of a friend by spaying sollicone spray into the focus adjustment mechanism of her porro. It was teriibly stiff in the cold (and also quite stiff when warm) and worked nice and smooth afterwards. Generally it is not a good idea though, to mix lubricants....
Thanks Synaps I did that with an old pair of Swift Ultralite but not until the wife had claimed them. It did work but not going to try it on bins still under warranty.
 
The clue is in the WP in the binos' designation. To be WaterProof they need tight tolerances and in very cold temperatures these tolerances get even tighter. This has been reported about porros on Bird Forum many times. Spraying with penetrating oils is not recommended. If the oil creeps inside and the temperature warms up, an inappropriate oil can spread in both liquid and gaseous forms onto the optics and the repair cost can spiral alarmingly.

I would contact Opticron and ask their advice. You might also take a look at Opticron's HR porro that cunningly features internal focusing like a roof prism bino and so avoids this issue.

Lee
 
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I know what you mean, Troubadour, but if you do want to try something, silicone oil is probably your best bet. Especially water based silicones. They are fairly harmless, unless you want to smear paint over it, then silicone is a bear...
 
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