Do low magnification, high FOV binoculars exist? (1 Viewer)

typo said:

http://www.bushnell.com/wildlife/binoculars/spectator/4x-30mm
Never seen one in the flesh. Not sure I want to.

David

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I came across those weird looking things when I was on the fov quest a couple of years back. There was something that didn't work for me about them if I remember but that HUGE 900 ft. FOV was calling to me for sure.

A low power ultra wide FoV glass would be a useful addition for scanning the environment. Something in the 3x-4x range, with 15* or better FoV.
It would have to be super comfortable to look through, so that it becomes the surveillance tool, with the regular glass only put up to confirm IDs.
The nearest I've seen to such a product have been binocular loupes, never long distance glasses. Perhaps there is some inherent optical limitation that prohibits such a design, but more likely it is just comatose market research. Binocular makers are very conservative, perhaps it reflects their customers. o

The OP appears to be enquiring about low powered Binoculars which also possess a very large ‘Apparent FOV’. This is often not the case with low powered bins.

These would fit the bill. These are the old Leitz trinovids.


The amplivids have the same specs, but as Binastro says, they are slightly dimmer but certainly no less enjoyable to my eyes. In some ways I prefer the view through the Amplivid...it is slightly easier on the eye. Could well be eye relief. Very sharp little bins.

I think Binastro is also referring to The Russian 6x24 Komz, which will also fit the bill in a porro design. Another porro, albeit at perhaps thrice the weight of the above mentioned bins is the FPO Tamron 7x35 with 11deg fov. I would also rank the Tamron as the most structurally overengineered binocular I’ve ever used.

Rathaus

The problem with the 4x21 or 4x30 Bushnell is the fixed focus and curved field.
Children seem to love them.
As with many Bushnell Xtrawides the magnification is less than stated. This is a bit naughty as it outside normal tolerances. Usually 12% less than stated. This is done to claim the wide fields without having really wide field eyepieces.
Some have changed the separation of the fixed focus optics to suit their own eyes prescription.

The Dowling and Rowe 4x22 is very comfortable to use and has a 16.3 to 16.5 degree field depending on eye placement and IPD arrangement. It is genuinely 4x. The coatings are not the best but quite adequate.
The independent eyepiece focus is fine with such a low power.
There is a fixed focus variant, but I went with the variable focus version.

I was wondering how well the old Japanese extra wides might fit the original poster's requirements. Birdforum member elkcub has an 8x40 with a stonking field of view, but most seem to be 7x35. 7x seems more useful to me than say 4 or 5x as soaring raptors will often rise to heights of a few thousand feet. If your targets are over a half mile away and that distance up in the sky, they may be very difficult to see or identify with a 4 or 5x.

These wide field devices were produced by a fair number of JB companies and sold under quite a few different brand names, but my experience of this type of binocular is limited to the Swift 7x35 Holiday mark II (field of view given as 578 ft - a later version of this binocular extended the field of view to, I believe, 600 feet). The daddy of this class of binoculars, by most accounts, appears to be the Bushnell 7x35 Rangemaster which at least one person who has commented in this thread owns. I didn't attempt to verify the stated field of view of the Swift I tried, but when I compared it against land marks alongside the Minolta 7x35 MK Standard I owned at the time I found it had a wider field. This particular example just needed to focus a trifle further beyond infinity for observing really distant targets without glasses (my prescription is around 4.5/5). I think most were only single-coated, but light transmission percentages won't be as critical under midday soaring conditions. Eye relief will be too short for glasses/spectacles to be used, but when scanning the sky for distant targets you'll probably be looking through your binoculars almost all the time. If the original poster doesn't need glasses, of course, he's in luck!

I have seen some recommendations for the 7x42 Dialyt for hawk watching with its field of view (150m at 1000m) cited as a key reason, and these wide field 7x35s exceed that by quite a bit. Because my own observation involves trying to follow the birds I am after once they are found, and since they may range so far away, I now prefer 10x or higher magnification for observing over long distances. But the wide field and steadiness of the 7x magnification make those 7x35 extra wides and indeed the 7x42 a real pleasure to use. My main use for this type of binocular now is observing flocks under attack, where the wider field of view allows more of the action to be seen (in theory anyway).

Patudo said:

I was wondering how well the old Japanese extra wides might fit the original poster's requirements. Birdforum member elkcub has an 8x40 with a stonking field of view, but most seem to be 7x35. 7x seems more useful to me than say 4 or 5x as soaring raptors will often rise to heights of a few thousand feet. If your targets are over a half mile away and that distance up in the sky, they may be very difficult to see or identify with a 4 or 5x.

.

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The hawk watchers are a special case imho, they can use more power.
That said, I'm often astounded by the ID abilities of some of them, able to spot and reliably ID birds that are barely a dot for me even at 12x.
My wish however was for an ultra wide field glass to monitor a wide area, possibly a field or a row of hedges, to spot motion. Power could be quite low, 2x-4x, what matters are a wide field and a very comfortable view.

I use the above mentioned Vixen 2.1x42 Constellation Binocular to

(a) Scan the daytime sky to count high-flying raptors
(b) Hunt for the "perfect" cloud
(c) Sweep the constellations at night

The 2.1x42 increases my eyesight by 1x magnification. Doesn't sound like much--but a 1x power increase does wonders for my aging eyes.

Field tests of the Vixen's FOV show 28° (22° with eyeglasses), but only 12-14° have the highest quality.

Focusing the Vixen can be a challenge for some. But at 2x, you really do not need to focus much, unless you are observing nature objects at close focus.

I find I use my Vixen 2.1x42 more during daytime than nighttime. I love the apparent three dimensional view. They also deliver very good contrast--which may account for why I like to use mine during the day.

Crusty

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the VisionKings with yesterday's eBay coupon. I may just be another dead end idea, but the ability to scan large portions of sky seems interesting at least. Thanks everyone for their replies. I learned a lot.

Hi Josh,

Josh Exmoor said:

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the VisionKings with yesterday's eBay coupon. I may just be another dead end idea, but the ability to scan large portions of sky seems interesting at least. Thanks everyone for their replies. I learned a lot.

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I'm looking forward to hear about your experience! I have half of a mind to try low factor, wide field binoculars myself too, so I'm keenly interested how they work in practice!

Regards,

Henning

Josh,

Let us know how your sample works out, I have been itching for one for use at night. If I may ask, what vendor did you use?

Andy W.

Josh...

Look forward to hearing about the VisionKings.

Crusty

Josh,

I am interested as well.

I looked at those Visionkings a few years ago when I was going through my "Ultra-wide field of view" phase but never pulled the trigger. If it alleviates your concerns at all I have ordered from Visionking before. I say that you have a 50/50 chance of finding a good one. The good news though is that they are willing to send out a replacement set if you are not satisfied with the originals. It only takes another month of waiting for the slow boat from China.
'

dries1 said:

Josh,

Let us know how your sample works out, I have been itching for one for use at night. If I may ask, what vendor did you use?

Andy W.

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I ordered from VisionKing directly at their eBay store. I used a one-day 15% off coupon so I got them for $46 shipped.

Thanks Josh for the Vendor info.

Andy W.

Josh Exmoor said:

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the VisionKings with yesterday's eBay coupon. I may just be another dead end idea, but the ability to scan large portions of sky seems interesting at least. Thanks everyone for their replies. I learned a lot.

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I received the VK 5x25's today, only 13 days after I ordered. Interesting binocular. Works as advertised. Build quality feels great for $50. Very wide FOV and AFOV. Relatively sharp in the center, not too bad around the outer 25% or so. My only complaint is that I wear glasses and I wish the eye relief was just a millimeter or two longer. I think I can get the whole FOV in with my glasses, but there's a bit of weirdness around the edges (partial blackouts, etc.) and it's not a very comfortable view. Without glasses I can use them without even bringing the eye cups out and I was unable to induce blackouts. Sharpness is good, not great. Swapping back and forth with the Legend M 8x42's I keep in my house I feel like I'm never focused with the VK's, but for my purposes they'll work.

I'll have to give them some further workouts when I have more time, but for the moment I feel like my money was not wasted.