Howard220
Well-known member
When we last left our hero, he sent his 1986 (purchased new, way back then) Swift Audubon 804R Mark II's to Nicolas Crista for evaluation and repair. The improvement is more than subtle: these are now amazingly sharp, the useable field (sweet spot) is larger, stars come to focus much better, and contrast seems like it may have improved, too. Nicolas said these 804R's looked as if they were "put together in a hurry." He disassembled them completely and adjusted everything including, he said, the spacing between objective lenses, as the particular series mine are in had a problem with unequal spacing between the left and the right.
Part of the adjustment was related to close-focusing. He brought them several feet closer, which, he added, optimizes the overall sharpness. Unfortunately, adjusting them to focus closer is at the expense of adequately overshooting for infinity focus, which could be a problem for a myoptic observing without contacts or eyeglasses. That is, I being nearsighted (-1.50 required), can barely bring the left eye to focus at infinity when I'm not wearing contacts or eyeglasses. I therefore may return them to be readjusted.
As a side note, there is no sense viewing close with wide-spaced porros unless your eyes really need the exercise pulling them together and you enjoy a full complement of eyestrain. So although these can now get down to around 10 feet, it's painful to view something that close!
It's amazing I "suffered" with these for so long, and even once considered selling them. They weren't bad, but they surely weren't as good as they are now. Thanks go to elkcub (and a few others here) for not only pointing me to Nicolas, but for letting me know what I really have. They'll be in my will, not in the For Sale ads.
Howard
Part of the adjustment was related to close-focusing. He brought them several feet closer, which, he added, optimizes the overall sharpness. Unfortunately, adjusting them to focus closer is at the expense of adequately overshooting for infinity focus, which could be a problem for a myoptic observing without contacts or eyeglasses. That is, I being nearsighted (-1.50 required), can barely bring the left eye to focus at infinity when I'm not wearing contacts or eyeglasses. I therefore may return them to be readjusted.
As a side note, there is no sense viewing close with wide-spaced porros unless your eyes really need the exercise pulling them together and you enjoy a full complement of eyestrain. So although these can now get down to around 10 feet, it's painful to view something that close!
It's amazing I "suffered" with these for so long, and even once considered selling them. They weren't bad, but they surely weren't as good as they are now. Thanks go to elkcub (and a few others here) for not only pointing me to Nicolas, but for letting me know what I really have. They'll be in my will, not in the For Sale ads.
Howard