• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Used military binoculars with reticle? (1 Viewer)

B

blackarrow

New member
Hello

I would like to ask for you opinion on optics. I am looking for used military binoculars with reticle. The idea is to have something compact to use for orientating in nature.
Since I am in Germany, so far I found used Fero D16 binoculars from Bundeswehr - Army of West Germany (Hensoldt Wetzlar and Zeiss). The model that came after it (Fero D12) was from Steiner and according to my research has inferior quality.
Since it is not easy to find good used bins of Wetzlar and Zeiss I am looking for alternatives (something 8x30 as well). Again, the binoculars should have reticle for estimating distance and fairly clear sight. The military binoculars from WW2 I ruled out, since they are almost never coated and are more suitable for collectors than for people who will actually use them. What should I look for when searching for these kind of binoculars and which binoculars could be alternatives to the first ones I mentioned above?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
If you are after some binoculars to use for nature observation then restricting yourself to ex-military binoculars with reticles is removing 99% of your options! Is there any particular reason?
 
blackarrow said:
The idea is to have something compact to use for orientating in nature.[/QUOTE

If it's not for nature observation, then why not a simple compact golf range finder, under 200€. Unless you need wide view and magnification? What range are you anticipating in terms of distances? There are binoculars with reticules / rangefinder on some hunting websites that may be what the type of instrument you're after eg Steiner 10 x 50.....with compass and reticule.

Here is an example of a 8 x 28

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAEegQIARAC&usg=AOvVaw3t6hjdctXdsulWnVnfnQk6

Birdwatchers here on BF tend not to use these types of instruments.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Estimating range with a reticule is hard, plus it relies on having a known size target. In military use it is usually a human, in nautical use charts will have the actual height of landmarks.

In military and hunting use reticules for ranging have largely been replaced by lasers, much more accurate and less brain work involved. For nature observation, range isn't really important.

If you must have some reticule binoculars then the Steiner 8x30 is well regarded and used by many militaries and British issue ones turn on eBay quite often.
 
blackarrow said:
Hello

I would like to ask for you opinion on optics. I am looking for used military binoculars with reticle. The idea is to have something compact to use for orientating in nature.
Since I am in Germany, so far I found used Fero D16 binoculars from Bundeswehr - Army of West Germany (Hensoldt Wetzlar and Zeiss). The model that came after it (Fero D12) was from Steiner and according to my research has inferior quality.
Since it is not easy to find good used bins of Wetzlar and Zeiss I am looking for alternatives (something 8x30 as well). Again, the binoculars should have reticle for estimating distance and fairly clear sight. The military binoculars from WW2 I ruled out, since they are almost never coated and are more suitable for collectors than for people who will actually use them. What should I look for when searching for these kind of binoculars and which binoculars could be alternatives to the first ones I mentioned above?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Your best bet imho would be to look for a CZJ 7x40 DF, the old Checkpoint Charlie NVA glass. It is optically superb and the reticle is relatively easy to use. While the light transmission %tage is unimpressive, about 65%, the glass has so much light that this hardly matters.
Do note the follow on EDF is much more expensive and the reticle is a considerably more sophisticated design, so the learning curve is steeper.
Alternatively, the Bund Fero 16 by Zeiss Hensoldt should serve your turn, but those too are getting hard to come by.
If money is no object, there was a superb Kern 8x30 military glass used by the Swiss Army.
Good luck and please keep us posted as to what you finally decided on.
 
Blackarrow (post #1),

As mentioned by etudiant in post #6, the Kern 8x30 (which in its latest version was labelled Leica 8x30) would be a good alternative (see https://binocular.ch/kern-8x30-army-single-hinge/). The reticle works fine, and with a bit of practice, estimating distances is not too difficult.

BUT: try to find a model without laser filter; those with the filter have a strong blueish or greenish hue. From the 1980s, the Kern came almost universally with the filter.

The previous model (https://binocular.ch/kern-8x30-army-double-hinge/) didn’t have the filter, and since the 1970s, this was a good binocular with decent coatings (edge sharpness is not great, but central sharpness is, and the wide field of view is an asset).

Both versions are still easy to find on second-hand markets.

I assume you are aware that these are all individual focus binoculars, so no central focus knob.

Canip
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

D
Sky Rover Banner Cloud 8x42 APO Review
2
Replies
29
Views
4K
dries1
dries1
yarrellii
Vixen @Six 6x18: quirky and surprising pocket binocular
2
Replies
25
Views
3K
has530
has530
Wasabrot
Determining the date of manufacture of the Hartmann Wetzlar binoculars
2 3
Replies
40
Views
5K
jan van daalen
J
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars. Part 2 first anniversary
Replies
2
Views
643
Scott98
S
C
Steiner Navigator 7x30 - with "Auto Focus"
Replies
13
Views
3K
Canip
C

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top