Tele-adapter on binos? (1 Viewer)

Anyone tried using one of the tele-adapters ,such as the "Opticron Universal Tele-Adapter UTA - 40490 " ?

It claims to magnify (one half of ) binoculars by an extra 2.5 times. In particular I was wondering how quickly and easily it is attached and unattached?

If it does go on and off easily, I thought it might be an alternative to carrying my quite heavy scope and tripod on a long birding walk... scan with 8 X binos, but temporarily attach adapter to give 20 X if can't quite make out something distant.

Seems too good to be true though. Do they work?

K.

Having tried and failed to hold a pair of 15x bins steady, I would have thought that using a 2.5x tele adapter would mean that your bins needed to be tripod mounted to be usable. Most binoculars are balanced to sit comfortably in the hands, with a tele adapter on one side I would imagine the balance would be all to cock as well

Keith Dickinson said:

Having tried and failed to hold a pair of 15x bins steady, I would have thought that using a 2.5x tele adapter would mean that your bins needed to be tripod mounted to be usable. Most binoculars are balanced to sit comfortably in the hands, with a tele adapter on one side I would imagine the balance would be all to cock as well

Click to expand...

I agree Keith, it would be to much magnification to hold, and it would get very frustrating.

IMO I think Ken (Wellsman) would be better off trying out some of the Travel Scopes on the market and maybe think of using a monopod with them.

When I go birding I can fit my travel scope and monopod in my camera bag and have my hands free for my bino's, and if I need some more magnification I get it out. Plus a small travel scope will give you a much better optical performance than the UTA 2.5x adaptor.

Best wishes,

Rob

I just bought a Zeiss Tripler which is 3x roof-prism monocular with an adapter that allows it to easily press fit into the Zeiss FL binocular eyecups and triples the magnification. I've have been playing around with it on various binoculars today. It's certainly no replacement for a decent scope. Not because there is anything wrong with its optics which are quite good, but because binoculars themselves don't have good enough optics to stand much of a boost in magnification. Still, with good quality binoculars I can see using it in a pinch for a distant ID. I don't think a proper tripod or monopod is really essential for that kind of use, just look around for something to prop the binoculars on.

henry link said:

I just bought a Zeiss Tripler which is 3x roof-prism monocular with an adapter that allows it to easily press fit into the Zeiss FL binocular eyecups and triples the magnification. I've have been playing around with it on various binoculars today. It's certainly no replacement for a decent scope. Not because there is anything wrong with its optics which are quite good, but because binoculars themselves don't have good enough optics to stand much of a boost in magnification. Still, with good quality binoculars I can see using it in a pinch for a distant ID. I don't think a proper tripod or monopod is really essential for that kind of use, just look around for something to prop the binoculars on.

Click to expand...

Yes that's more the sort of use I had in mind. Not a replacement for a scope as such, just a pocket-sized temporary adjunct to the bins when I'm too lazy to carry the scope and can't quite make out that distant bird. But this only makes sense if the adapter attaches and unattaches in seconds. Sounds as if your Zeiss one does?

Anyone tried the Opticron? Might it fit my wife's Swarowski bins as well as my Opticrons? And, mostly just for curiosity, can one use the adapter as a low-powered stand-alone monocular when not attached?

Ken

Wells-man said:

Yes that's more the sort of use I had in mind. Not a replacement for a scope as such, just a pocket-sized temporary adjunct to the bins when I'm too lazy to carry the scope and can't quite make out that distant bird. But this only makes sense if the adapter attaches and unattaches in seconds. Sounds as if your Zeiss one does?

Anyone tried the Opticron? Might it fit my wife's Swarowski bins as well as my Opticrons? And, mostly just for curiosity, can one use the adapter as a low-powered stand-alone monocular when not attached?

Ken

Click to expand...

Ken,

The Opticron UTA is a push-fit adapter and does indeed fit in seconds. The UTA comes in two pieces, the optic which magnifies by 2.5x and the binocular specific adapter ring which pushes over the eyepiece of your binos. The UTA is not designed to replace using a scope but has been designed to give you extra magnification options should you decide not to carry your scope. It is a very convenient piece of kit because it it of a push-fit design., unlike the Swarovski Booster which you have to unscrew one of the eyepieces then screw in the booster. Whilst the optics in the Swarovski Booster are undoubtedly better it is not as easy to deploy.

As all Opticron accesories are designed to fit Opticron products it is unlikely that an Opticron UTA will fit a Swarovski binocular

Please bear in my mind if ordering a UTA that Opticron have a considerable range of binoculars and so have many different adapters for the UTA. Always quote what model and magnification your binoculars to ensure that the correct UTA is ordered.

Click here for more information on the Opticron UTA

Chris Galvin

Chris Galvin said:

Ken,

The Opticron UTA is a push-fit adapter and does indeed fit in seconds. The UTA comes in two pieces, the optic which magnifies by 2.5x and the binocular specific adapter ring which pushes over the eyepiece of your binos. The UTA is not designed to replace using a scope but has been designed to give you extra magnification options should you decide not to carry your scope. It is a very convenient piece of kit because it it of a push-fit design., unlike the Swarovski Booster which you have to unscrew one of the eyepieces then screw in the booster. Whilst the optics in the Swarovski Booster are undoubtedly better it is not as easy to deploy.

As all Opticron accesories are designed to fit Opticron products it is unlikely that an Opticron UTA will fit a Swarovski binocular

Please bear in my mind if ordering a UTA that Opticron have a considerable range of binoculars and so have many different adapters for the UTA. Always quote what model and magnification your binoculars to ensure that the correct UTA is ordered.

Click here for more information on the Opticron UTA

Chris Galvin

Click to expand...

Thanks

K.

Ken,

Like Henry I also have the Zeiss monocular and it works just as you describe: multiplies the binocular power, acts alone as a small emergency 3x "telescope"... PLUS it can be used as a low power magnifier/microscope at short distances (focuses down to 20cm, and the magnification increases -> 8x??). My sample has two simple push-on adapters, which can be inserted into the eyecups of practically any binoculars (I have fine-adjusted the adapter diameter for the Nikon SE by wrapping some masking tape around the other end). I don't know about the Opticron, but I assume there is optically nothing that prevents them from being used the same way. The Opticron adapters are probably designed to mount over the eyecup, which is why there are so many of them.

I like the versatility of the Zeiss tripler a lot, but there are some downsides that may be annoying for some purposes & some users:
- additional 3x power makes the image look very dark and soft. 2x or 2.5x may look more comfortable
- the Zeiss 3x12B likely has shorter ER than the Opticron 2.5x
- the fold-down eyecup of the Zeiss is very short & hard rubber while the Opticron has a twist-in/up design

Best regards,

Ilkka :t: