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Best mechanically built binoculars today ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 42za
- Start date
Probably none.
E.g., the requirement for the CZJ 7x40 EDF was to keep collimation intact when dropped onto a hard surface, sideways with one tube down and one up, from a height of 0.75m (Holger Merlitz quotes the entire requirement list and testing procedures in his book).
I bet not many binoculars would survive even such a shorter fall unharmed (my Steiner Commander didn‘t).
Any hunters here who could join in? I think dropping a bino from the „Hochsitz“ ( raised deer stand) must be quite a common accident, although the ground below is probably rarely a truly „hard surface“.
Canip
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B
Did you try it yourself, head first, before you tried it with the binos? Heat stress is a terrible thing
Lee
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Ha! You've certainly gone beyond the call of duty in performing those drop tests, and I stand corrected. But for the record, my mistake was in thinking that the bin was not useful for birdwatching from the beginning. You have found that some of these $10 pocket 10x25 actually work. That wasn't my experience in the past, but I haven't looked through one in many years now.
--AP
The Fujinon importer describes a large Fujinon Porro dropping 9ft onto a concrete floor.
It survived completely unscathed except for a scuff mark.
I slipped on ice on granite. The Ross 10x70 monocular probably hit hard after over a metre. One third of the view was ruined as the prism was partly damaged, but I still used it.
My Minolta SRT 101 fell 16ft onto concrete when I was photographing a comet.
The Whole prism and top housing were smashed.
It took a year for repair.
I bought another one just after the accident.
I fell on my head in the playground playing football.
I was sick in the headmasters study and was sent home. Clearly I had concussion, but times were different.
A Metropolitan line train opened its doors.
I got out and the two doors slammed shut on my head.
A nice woman asked if I was O.K.
I said yes and carried on.
Luckily I never had to take part in boxing matches.
I chose wrestling, which was more acceptable to me.
But I suppose those two incidents affected my reasoning enough to cause me to deliberately do this binocular drop test.
B.
It survived completely unscathed except for a scuff mark.
I slipped on ice on granite. The Ross 10x70 monocular probably hit hard after over a metre. One third of the view was ruined as the prism was partly damaged, but I still used it.
My Minolta SRT 101 fell 16ft onto concrete when I was photographing a comet.
The Whole prism and top housing were smashed.
It took a year for repair.
I bought another one just after the accident.
I fell on my head in the playground playing football.
I was sick in the headmasters study and was sent home. Clearly I had concussion, but times were different.
A Metropolitan line train opened its doors.
I got out and the two doors slammed shut on my head.
A nice woman asked if I was O.K.
I said yes and carried on.
Luckily I never had to take part in boxing matches.
I chose wrestling, which was more acceptable to me.
But I suppose those two incidents affected my reasoning enough to cause me to deliberately do this binocular drop test.
B.
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
Binastro, post 31,
When I visited Zeiss in Wetzlar some years ago during a meeting of the Binocular History Society, the head of quality control of Zeiss showed us the rubber armed 8x30 Hensoldt military binoculars and when he was explaining some of its characteristics he "accidently"dropped it from about 1,5 m height on the concrete floor. As spectators we were kind of shocked, expecting it to be the end of this binocular, but with a broad smile he picked it up and it functioned perfectly well, no dents, no broken lenses or prisms.
Gijs van Ginkel
When I visited Zeiss in Wetzlar some years ago during a meeting of the Binocular History Society, the head of quality control of Zeiss showed us the rubber armed 8x30 Hensoldt military binoculars and when he was explaining some of its characteristics he "accidently"dropped it from about 1,5 m height on the concrete floor. As spectators we were kind of shocked, expecting it to be the end of this binocular, but with a broad smile he picked it up and it functioned perfectly well, no dents, no broken lenses or prisms.
Gijs van Ginkel
I'd be cautious about drop tests.
IIrc, Bill Cook mentioned some examples from his Navy career, one of a glass falling down from some higher level, bouncing off the steel deck but unscathed, while a similar glass was damaged falling over on the mess table.
Imho, the real enemies of binocular durability are water and dust incursions, as these rot the inside of the glass. I do not know whether overpressuring the glass would help, but that is not common practice in any case.
IIrc, Bill Cook mentioned some examples from his Navy career, one of a glass falling down from some higher level, bouncing off the steel deck but unscathed, while a similar glass was damaged falling over on the mess table.
Imho, the real enemies of binocular durability are water and dust incursions, as these rot the inside of the glass. I do not know whether overpressuring the glass would help, but that is not common practice in any case.
JoeJ
Well-known member
Binastro, post 45. I’m still smiling after reading that post. If you didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any luck at all.
I’ve actually fell from a 6 foot hide while hunting, but as any good sportsmen will tell you - you protect your firearm and optics at all costs - meaning your body takes the beating and your equipment usually comes out fine.
I have also bumped my Opticron MM3 spotter off the shooting bench (only once) and after falling 4 feet onto the concrete floor - it survived nicely. I have witnessed inexpensive binoculars fly from a fast moving ATV onto the ground and bounce a couple times causing no apparent damage. I guess it all depends on ole man Murphy - he either finds you or he doesn’t.
I’ve actually fell from a 6 foot hide while hunting, but as any good sportsmen will tell you - you protect your firearm and optics at all costs - meaning your body takes the beating and your equipment usually comes out fine.
I have also bumped my Opticron MM3 spotter off the shooting bench (only once) and after falling 4 feet onto the concrete floor - it survived nicely. I have witnessed inexpensive binoculars fly from a fast moving ATV onto the ground and bounce a couple times causing no apparent damage. I guess it all depends on ole man Murphy - he either finds you or he doesn’t.
In 2010 when Nikon was having a fire sale on their discontinued double hinged EDG I binoculars (which were sold only in North America) I purchased a 10x32 EDG I from them for $1000.00. (They also threw in a basic 35mm SLR with a 35-105 lens, but that is neither here nor there.)
I had the binocular a week when it fell off my kitchen table landing on the corner of the thick rubber enforced rim of one of the objective tubes on the parquet wooden kitchen floor. (I noted that there was a skid mark on the rubber rim!) After my pulse returned to normal I checked it out thoroughly. There were no problems with it at all. Collimation was perfect!
As if this wasn't enough, it happened to the binocular one more time about 3 months later and again it suffered no damage!
That double hinged construction was ugly but it also was tough!:t:
About 4 years later I had to send it back to Nikon because its covering was bubbling and coming loose and the corrugated rubber covering surrounding the focus wheel had stretched and was interfering with the focusing. Nikon replaced the binocular for me with a brand new 10x32 single hinged EDG which I still use often!:t:
Bob
I had the binocular a week when it fell off my kitchen table landing on the corner of the thick rubber enforced rim of one of the objective tubes on the parquet wooden kitchen floor. (I noted that there was a skid mark on the rubber rim!) After my pulse returned to normal I checked it out thoroughly. There were no problems with it at all. Collimation was perfect!
As if this wasn't enough, it happened to the binocular one more time about 3 months later and again it suffered no damage!
That double hinged construction was ugly but it also was tough!:t:
About 4 years later I had to send it back to Nikon because its covering was bubbling and coming loose and the corrugated rubber covering surrounding the focus wheel had stretched and was interfering with the focusing. Nikon replaced the binocular for me with a brand new 10x32 single hinged EDG which I still use often!:t:
Bob
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Regarding the Meopta MeoStars, there was a cutaway unit on the Meopta stand at Bird Fair so you could see inside the optical tube. It was beautifully made and I was struck by the absence of obviously excessive thickness of metal to explain their sturdy weight but then I noticed the prism-cage. This looked super-robust and although I am not going to do a Binastro and start doing drop-tests, the cage looked really tough and don't think those prisms are going to start wandering even if subject to a hard knock. Very impressive internals.
Lee
Breaking binocs is childs' play for the Deutsche Bundespost.
I had a Nobilem Super serviced by Harald Ros, of CZJ fame. It arrived in such disarray that I had to send it back, repackaged, to Harald.
His report to me was that the prism mountings had been knocked out in transit, even though the glass had been well packed. Amazingly, he was able to repair the glass. He did note that it took the last of his prism pairs, so he would not be able to handle more such business, but sent me the one prism left over. I shipped it on to Cory Suddarth, hoping he would have use for it.
It's anecdotes like this that give me nightmares. I have the 12x50B of that series and if that happened to mine I'd go berserk! Mine probably do need a look over (it's over 30 years old and suspect there might be just a touch of haze) but I might have to deliver them by hand!
Yesterday I saw the Amazon delivery bloke flinging parcels onto the ground obviously as a matter of routine.
I got an optically poor Celestron 25x70 Skymaster? sent from Manchester.
Despite my careful instructions there was no packing at all. The binocular happily flying around inside the large cardboard box. These are some of the least robust binoculars. Yet it arrived in good alignment with no damage.
A very tough Russian 15x50 arrived with a dented cardboard box.
One front tube was completely bent over inwards almost touching the other barrel. In a Porro this looks terminally sick.
I got a car oil filter strap and managed to somehow unscrew the damaged barrel using a lot of force.
The threads were damaged but I very carefully managed with the remaining thread to screw it back in.
In excellent alignment and high quality optics.
I think that the drop test 8x21 binocular hit the hard floor at 14mph doing the calculation in my head.
s=16t squared.
t=0.66 seconds.
I haven't checked it.
There is no cosmetic sign of damage on the tough plastic body.
But it may have stopped with a body deflection of maybe 0.2mm, but this is a complete guess.
I am not sure of the g forces involved.
The lenses seem intact. Just a completely free roaming, maybe complete, prism in the left barrel.
I suppose this was glued in place.
The left hinge may be damaged as it just flops about.
This binocular did no harm to me. It didn't deserve to die.
Regards,
B.
I got an optically poor Celestron 25x70 Skymaster? sent from Manchester.
Despite my careful instructions there was no packing at all. The binocular happily flying around inside the large cardboard box. These are some of the least robust binoculars. Yet it arrived in good alignment with no damage.
A very tough Russian 15x50 arrived with a dented cardboard box.
One front tube was completely bent over inwards almost touching the other barrel. In a Porro this looks terminally sick.
I got a car oil filter strap and managed to somehow unscrew the damaged barrel using a lot of force.
The threads were damaged but I very carefully managed with the remaining thread to screw it back in.
In excellent alignment and high quality optics.
I think that the drop test 8x21 binocular hit the hard floor at 14mph doing the calculation in my head.
s=16t squared.
t=0.66 seconds.
I haven't checked it.
There is no cosmetic sign of damage on the tough plastic body.
But it may have stopped with a body deflection of maybe 0.2mm, but this is a complete guess.
I am not sure of the g forces involved.
The lenses seem intact. Just a completely free roaming, maybe complete, prism in the left barrel.
I suppose this was glued in place.
The left hinge may be damaged as it just flops about.
This binocular did no harm to me. It didn't deserve to die.
Regards,
B.
justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
Pretty close to my list as well. If the Conquests had metal eyecups, they would top that list.