Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Where's Brock when you need him to chime in?
Come to think of it - Where is Brock ????? :h?:
Chosun :gh:
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Do You Like the "Open Bridge" Binos? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MUHerd
- Start date
Where's Brock when you need him to chime in?
Come to think of it - Where is Brock ????? :h?:
Chosun :gh:
A2GG
Beth
The old Cat bridge design was the best ... until Zeiss decided it wasn't practical ... :cat:
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SimonLS
Well-known member
I beg to differ - that's a special edition Swarovski BTX being used the wrong way around!
Now THAT'S pretty funny right there! LOL!!
No GiGi this is actually a very early prototype catadioptric scope Zeiss called 'Catalyt', with the two cat's eyes giving a mild 3D effect or 'plasticity' as the Germans called it, although the English called this 'baloney'. Notice the tail which one used to help aim the scope by centering it between the cat's ears. Unfortunately the cats could not be trained to stop flicking the tail from side to side so this feature was abandoned on later versions. This engaging and imaginative instrument also featured a rudimentary mechanical image stabilisation mechanism. The cats were bred to ensure that as their body jigged about due to fatigue in the arms of the user, their head would bob slowly in a compensatory motion as the cat centered its eyes on the target and kept it there. At the time Zeiss claimed this compensated for up to more than 95% of unwanted movement. Very few images of the Catalyt exist so well done for finding this one.
Actually I am pretty sure Binastro has one in his collection......
Lee
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
LOL ! :cat: I bet the night vision is amazing !! :-O:-O
Though I believe the 'armour' (especially at the 'eyecup' end!
has a distinctly unpleasant smell !! :cat:Chosun :gh:
P.S. I used to have a polished aluminium "Pickelhaube" replete with gold anodized spike and Prussian Eagle on the front, for riding my Ducati - very flash ! :king:
I dislike the open-bridge design, which is why I avoided Swarovski for a very long time (I ended up getting an EL SV 8.4x42 eventually, so it's not an absolute deal-breaker) and prefer the traditional design as with the Leica Ultravid or Zeiss Victory HT. Unfortunately the best binoculars available IMO (Swarovski EL SV 8.5x42 and Zeiss Victory SF 8x42) are both open-bridge designs.
justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
I forgot how much I liked the way my old Leupold Mojave (open bridge) binoculars handled until I picked up a pair of my buddy's newer Mojave's the other day. I was like "oh yea, those were nice to handle!"
Open bridge designs are great in the hand until they aren't. There is a fine line between being very easy handling, and just too darn big. Not sure where it is, but I've had some of each.
If I had to put my finger on it, so to speak, it would be right about where the Leupold Mojave's are. My Sightrons are smaller, and work great. But my wife's Bushnell Legend M's and a pair of Nikon EDG's I recently sold, are just too darn big.
Open bridge designs are great in the hand until they aren't. There is a fine line between being very easy handling, and just too darn big. Not sure where it is, but I've had some of each.
If I had to put my finger on it, so to speak, it would be right about where the Leupold Mojave's are. My Sightrons are smaller, and work great. But my wife's Bushnell Legend M's and a pair of Nikon EDG's I recently sold, are just too darn big.
tenex
reality-based
Postscript... maybe it really depends on details: where the hinges of an open-bridge design are, or their size? I just tried out an SF for the first time today, not nearly long enough, but in retrospect holding it seemed perfectly natural, no awkwardness with thumb position or finger grasp as I remember from ELs years ago. I'll have to go back and figure out why the SF worked for me. An instantly likeable binocular.