John A Roberts
Well-known member
The Problem
When I took a renewed interest in binoculars some years ago, one of the first that I bought was an EII 8x30. However from the start the eyecups were a problem
The eyecups are thin walled cylinders 42 mm in diameter. And while the maximum diameter of the eyecups on some roof prism binos may be larger, the ends are invariably both narrower and much more rounded
The EII eyecup diameter, in conjunction with the eye relief from the extended eyecups - when combined with the shape of my face - was at the very limit of usability
I had to consciously press, rather then lightly rest the eyecups against my face to achieve correct eye relief
Consequently this was above my tolerable long term level of discomfort - the thin edge of the eyecups dug into the side of my nose, which made short term use distracting and long term use painful
Some workarounds
I ended up trying a number of fixes but all had limitations:
1) Turning the eyecups around, so that the even thinner walled front end that attaches to the eyepiece was now in contact with my face
This made a slight difference as the thinner wall was somewhat more flexible, but it was still not Goldilocks
2) Folding the eyecups down and using the hand hold that I’ve previously described for the too small eyecups of the Swarovski Porros
This hold also allows for subconscious adjustment for correct eye relief - the index fingers flex slightly forward or backward for correct eye relief
While this worked, simple rubber eyecups don’t take well to being folded. They end up stretching and creasing, discolouring (whitening at the stress line) and sometimes tearing apart
As I couldn't obtain a pair of replacement eyecups for use if I later sold the EII, I tried something else
3) Removing the eyecups and using the above technique
This worked and obviously avoided the issue of eyecup damage. But without the eyecups there was no physical protection for the eye lenses from smudging or potential impact or abrasion
In the end I persisted with this option and resigned myself to additional lens cleaning and being extra cautious
continued . . .
When I took a renewed interest in binoculars some years ago, one of the first that I bought was an EII 8x30. However from the start the eyecups were a problem
The eyecups are thin walled cylinders 42 mm in diameter. And while the maximum diameter of the eyecups on some roof prism binos may be larger, the ends are invariably both narrower and much more rounded
The EII eyecup diameter, in conjunction with the eye relief from the extended eyecups - when combined with the shape of my face - was at the very limit of usability
I had to consciously press, rather then lightly rest the eyecups against my face to achieve correct eye relief
Consequently this was above my tolerable long term level of discomfort - the thin edge of the eyecups dug into the side of my nose, which made short term use distracting and long term use painful
Some workarounds
I ended up trying a number of fixes but all had limitations:
1) Turning the eyecups around, so that the even thinner walled front end that attaches to the eyepiece was now in contact with my face
This made a slight difference as the thinner wall was somewhat more flexible, but it was still not Goldilocks
2) Folding the eyecups down and using the hand hold that I’ve previously described for the too small eyecups of the Swarovski Porros
. . . Over time, my preferred option has become to ignore the particular eyecup and use finger placement to address the problem!
The placement is as follows:
- Index fingers rest on top of the eyecups
- Middle finger tips rest on the focuser
- Ring and little fingers are wrapped around the binocular body, and
- Thumbs are folded around the underside of the eyepieces, with the left thumb rearmost
The middle fingers act as my ‘anchor’ points for the remainder of the finger and hand positioning
(the index fingers move slightly closer to and away from the middle fingers as the eyepieces move in and out with focusing)
In effect, the index fingers act as larger diameter eyecups - they provide contact with the brow to correctly position the binoculars
They are also much more comfortable than any of the eyecup options as they provide a much broader contact area
The nail of my left thumb rests against the bridge of my nose - and in conjunction with the index fingers acts as a third point of contact . . .
This hold also allows for subconscious adjustment for correct eye relief - the index fingers flex slightly forward or backward for correct eye relief
While this worked, simple rubber eyecups don’t take well to being folded. They end up stretching and creasing, discolouring (whitening at the stress line) and sometimes tearing apart
As I couldn't obtain a pair of replacement eyecups for use if I later sold the EII, I tried something else
3) Removing the eyecups and using the above technique
This worked and obviously avoided the issue of eyecup damage. But without the eyecups there was no physical protection for the eye lenses from smudging or potential impact or abrasion
In the end I persisted with this option and resigned myself to additional lens cleaning and being extra cautious
continued . . .
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