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The Future SV (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter SuperDuty
- Start date
Agh! Wash your mouth out with soap! Binoculars that need batteries??
Beg to differ! Batteries are a potential source of acid leaking into your binoculars; batteries are attached to electronics and moving parts that add significant bulk and weight, and which frequently fail; batteries go flat; batteries will probably shorten the life of your binoculars, and reduce their resale or inheritance value.
I love my consumer electronics, and have image-stabilised photographic lenses, but the thing that blows me away about really good binoculars is that they can provide a WOW without batteries at all. If I look after them well, they'll continue to do that for the rest of my life, without ever needing batteries...
Inquisitor
Well-known member
My hobbies center around things that are well made and "do" stuff without batteries, screens, electronics, buttons, and alarms.
I like stuff like handmade furniture, quality slipjoint pocket knives, mechanical watches, handmade recurve and longbows, and most any electronic free instrument.
I would rather just use the zoom on a decent camera before putting batteries in my binoculars.
I wish SV and everyone else had ever larger apparent fields of view. Behind pure resolution a big window feeling is my favorite feature. It almost doesn't matter what I am actually looking at so long as it doesn't feel strawish.
I like stuff like handmade furniture, quality slipjoint pocket knives, mechanical watches, handmade recurve and longbows, and most any electronic free instrument.
I would rather just use the zoom on a decent camera before putting batteries in my binoculars.
I wish SV and everyone else had ever larger apparent fields of view. Behind pure resolution a big window feeling is my favorite feature. It almost doesn't matter what I am actually looking at so long as it doesn't feel strawish.
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
I'd like to see them use variable ratio focus. Wouldn't mind pincushion to counter rolling ball as well.
--AP
--AP
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
I bird everyday, in different scenarios all the time but very rarely do I pine for image stabilization. Most of the time, we make the ID and move on and any added detail with IS might be great for reading bands or counting scutes, but not really helpful in normal birding. The added negatives of the IS will often outweigh the benefits, IMO.
If and when I do feel IS could help, it would be shorebirds, raptors or lakewatches and then I would want something with more punch, like a 18 or 20x. I see no need for a 8 or 10 x stabilized binocular for 90% of my birding and it would seem most agree as IS bins are virtually ignored.
I agree on variable focus. On both the FL and HT, although the focus is really nice, to get down to the actual CF requires labourious cranking that takes time and gets tiresome after a while. The HD focus speed is perfect but the optics still lag a bit.
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NDhunter
Experienced observer
I think a redesign should include a smoother focuser, and a bit larger FOV.
I like the open frame design, but try to improve on the ergos, like Zeiss
has done with the SF.
I read a post on another forum, and it said Zeiss cloned the open
frame of the SV, but Swaro. should clone the focuser of the new SF.
Jerry
^^^ this.
... which Zeiss 'copied' from Weaver, lol!! It certainly is a very comfortable hold and easy focus.
Best wishes,
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JabaliHunter
Well-known member
7x35 and 8x50
No rolling ball
A focusser update (smoother and with a stronger catch for the diopter adjustment release, maybe repositioned like the HT)
And a 8x50/56 rangefinder (even an SLC)...
No rolling ball
A focusser update (smoother and with a stronger catch for the diopter adjustment release, maybe repositioned like the HT)
And a 8x50/56 rangefinder (even an SLC)...
dalat
...
I think most have never tried IS bins and have simply no clue about how much better it is. That includes me. But i will try them soon. One of Kimmos tests quantified the benefits of stabilisation. 40% more details recognised, if i remember well. Every other improvement proposed here pales compared to that.
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
the future of the SV is bright...but it could be brighter, with HT-glass
kkokkolis
Περίεργο&#
Speaking of IS, I wonder why Zeiss restricted her IS technology to a very big and expensive 20x60, which is mainly an astronomy binocular and impractical for birding, tourism etc. Canon has even a 8x25, Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica could make 10x32 or 14x42 with their glass and their (Zeiss) or licenced IS technology, as did Nikon from Fujinon (preferably from Canon since this is the most successful in the market). Field flattener, IS, widefield and low dispersion glass, it's already here in Canon 18x50. Swarovski could make it too and Zeiss could make a Victory IS in birding sizes.
elkcub
Silicon Valley, California
Right on. :t: My preferred instrument is the SLC-HD (original), not the SV. However, leaving my personal grail aside, the reasoning goes as follows:
I've added some notations in red to Fig. 1 from Daniel Vukobratovich's classic paper, Binocular performance and design, published by the SPIE in 1989. As can be seen, theoretical (or ideal) efficiency increases 1:1 with magnification. However, all real binoculars are compromised by various factors, a very important one being hand tremble.
Without being supported, the asymptotic efficiency level of handheld binoculars is approx. 7.0. In other words, no matter how large the magnification the efficiency never exceeds about 7.0 — unless the binocular is supported, i.e., by a tripod. Otherwise stated, handheld binoculars don't perform better than ideal x7 binoculars.
With maximum support, which eliminates tremble, efficiency is still not theoretically perfect, but a significant improvement is realized. For example, a 10x binocular improves from about 5.5 to 8.8, an increase of (8.8-5.5)/5.5= .6 or 60%. My guess is that the support provided by an IS mechanism, like the Canon's, might not be quite as effective, perhaps only improving the binocular by 40-50%, let's say for an efficiency of 7.5.
It should be evident from the graph, therefore, that a 15x or 20x handheld binocular may be expected to perform arguably worse than a stabilized 10x, and in that respect it replaces them with one instrument.
Kimmo seems to be on to something important! :smoke:
Ed
Attachments
SuperDuty
Well-known member
The 10X50SV image with IS would be wonderful, it's pretty darned wonderful even with my shaky hands. I use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries in my flashlights, they would be great in an IS binocular, maybe even a built in high capacity lithium ion with the ability to just plug the binocular in. My 20volt max Dewalt tools have a three bar pushbutton (fuel gauge) on them, that would be nice also. If they could make the electronics modular for upgrades and repair, and offer a lifetime warranty on the whole thing, I would have to have them. How much would the digitisation hurt the purity of the image ? Maybe even be able to tune the image like your TV, camera, monitor etc. I'm getting carried away here. :-O
Theo98
Eurasian Goldfinch
Can't imagine hand held photography without IS, or as Nikon says, VR! But then again, cameras already have batteries!
Overall binocular ergonomics, weight, cost and durability become even more pronounced issues to overcome. Maybe the great success of compact all-in-one point and shoots could influence efficient IS\VR designs in bino development while maintaining current form and function of alpha glass optics. As Robert said, "would have to have them"!
Ted
1) I'll go along with this.
2) A silent and smooth focuser that remains silent and smooth.
3) IS should be it's own model, but my preference woul be 1).
CG
