Better fitting rainguard for Habicht (4 Viewers)

[ReinierB]

Hi folks,

I have a question for other Habicht users. I recently acquired the Habicht 10x40 GA and the Habicht 8x30 leatherette. I love them both, especially the GA version of the 10x40! The 8x30 is the eye catcher, the 10x40 GA is the performer.
The focusers are pretty stiff. On the 10x40 GA it is a bit better. If the focuser of the 8x30 wouldn't loosen up, I might let Swarovski fix it.

I don't like the provided rainguards because they need a fixed IPD setting. I always have to reset the IPD setting if I want to put the rainguard on it.
Do you use other more flexibel rainguards? Any tip is welcome. I might ty the opticron rainguards, but I only found shops in the UK so far.
It would be nice if the rainguard of the 10x40 GA is green as well, but that is probably a bit too much asked.

 

[Ignatius]

Can't help with the rainguard. The one on my 10x40 GA is green and fits perfectly, so I do not understand your issues with yours.

As far as the focusser goes: there is a very good reason it is stiff. Porros have an external focus, ie. the eyepiece assembly slides up and down on the ocular tubes when focussing. In order to get that system to be waterproof to 400 mb and fill the body with N, very tight o-rings are used to seal the ocular tubes against the ocular assembly. Tolerances must be minute to non-existent for this to work, otherwise Swarovski could not guarantee the Habichts' waterproofness. Make your choice.

 

[pm42]

but I only found shops in the UK so far.

I ordered from opticron.co.uk and got it delivered in France so I guess it would be the same in Netherlands.

 

[recon493]

Im sorry about your understandable plight with the green rain guard. That is but one knock on the Habicht accessory design. Being that it is green, there is just not a good option for more individually set covers. I am lucky in that my IPD is narrow enough that the rain guard can still fit over the eyepieces without having to widen the bridge. It stays on but not real tightly.

Opticron will have something that fits but it just wont match.

The focuser of the former 10x40 GA pair I had was nearly perfect. It was a 2017 year model and probably was broken in with use. My new 7x42 Habicht from 2022 production year is much tighter. Luckily, it doesnt require much focus movement.

 

[Hermann]

The old Zeiss rubber rainguard for the Dialyt models works perfectly.

Hermann

 

[Viraj]

It is so good to hear about your new additions.

I think you have very wide-set eyes. May IPD is too narrow and there is plenty of space to put rain guards on. However, they are too loose because of that.

The focuser will loosen up with time. However, I can't understand why some units come with extremely tight focuser while others with very smooth focusers. When I bought my 7x42, I ordered a 10x40 as well. Both are in leatherette and made in 2022. The focuser in 10x40 was extremely tight while 7x42 had a very smooth one. So I kept 7x42 and sent back 10x40. Then I bought back my previously sold 10x40 GA from the buyer as she wanted to sell it. After a year with her, the focuser on 10x40 GA became very smooth. So it was a good thing that I bought back the same unit I sold 😁

 

[mwhogue]

The old Zeiss rubber rainguard for the Dialyt models works perfectly.

Hermann

And Opticron sells a near identical version of the old style Zeiss Porro rainguard. Both are large and so will "fit" a wider range of IPD settings. The Opticron universal style rainguard would also work. Maybe even a safer bet in terms of a better fit.

Mike

 

[ReinierB]

I think you have very wide-set eyes

Lots of brians between the eyes. That must be the reason . Kidding.
When I lend out my binoculars (to my wife for instance) I always have to reset the IPD to almost the widest position.
The rainguard is not the best designed, that's for sure.

I have been watching televion with the Habicht on my lap, re-adjusting the focuser all time. Maybe it will loosen up after a couple of monthes doing this .

It is so good to hear about your new additions.

I returned my NL 10x52 and got three pairs of new binoculars in return (two Habichts and a CL 10x25.) Although I really like the NL 10x52 I couldn't justify the amount I paid for it and since I wanted a CL 25 and regretted selling the Habicht 8x30 I shortly had, I swapped the NL 10x52 and added one Habicht as a Bonus: the 10x40 GA.

 

[ReinierB]

Can't help with the rainguard. The one on my 10x40 GA is green and fits perfectly, so I do not understand your issues with yours.

I have to re-set the IPD of my Habicht eveytime I want to put the rainguard on it, because of my pretty wide set eyes.

 

[ReinierB]

I'll have a look on www.opticron.co.uk. If somebody knows which size will fit, any tip is welcome.

 

[Montereyman]

I use hats with 4" brims and ponchos with hoods to block the rain from both binoculars and cameras. The long poncho I bought 50 years ago from a military surplus store works the best as it was designed to fit over a backpack and so I can have a tripod and camera underneath the long poncho and use it as a portable blind. The poncho allows sufficient ventilation that I do not get wet from my perspiration.

 

[John inglis]

Been eyeing this one, Fernglasschutz Universal passend für die meisten Ferngläser

Comes in different sizes. The Universal is for the Habicht

 

[recon493]

Been eyeing this one, Fernglasschutz Universal passend für die meisten Ferngläser

Comes in different sizes. The Universal is for the Habicht

That is a very cool design. I would be interested if they shipped to the US. edit: they do...shipping is more than the product unfortunately.

 

[John inglis]

That is a very cool design. I would be interested if they shipped to the US. edit: they do...shipping is more than the product unfortunately.

They list the United States among the countries to choose for shipping. And they even have pop up to pick the state.

 

[ReinierB]

Before I will buy a better fitting rainguard, I would like to try (winged) eyecups to make the original eyecups a bit longer/wider and more comfortable. I read many good things about this on this forum, but I haven't managed to find anything fitting on the internet. Can somebody give me a hint where I can find those fitting eyecups?

 

[Nye52]

Here you go, I got these off of Amazon but they are the same as described in the link. Put them on a 10X40 Habicht and they work great.

Mini write up: Microscope eyecups for leatherette Habicht models.

Hello all, I own a pair of leatherette Habichts and like every other leatherette Habicht owner knows, the stock eyecups are terrible. They are not big enough and the binoculars become floaters, which wrecks the experience. Many retrofit GA eyecups, but I do not like the aesthetic, so I wanted a...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Viraj]

Before I will buy a better fitting rainguard, I would like to try (winged) eyecups to make the original eyecups a bit longer/wider and more comfortable. I read many good things about this on this forum, but I haven't managed to find anything fitting on the internet. Can somebody give me a hint where I can find those fitting eyecups?

Unfortunately winged eyecups didn’t work for me with Habicht 10x40. They made eyepieces fog every time I tried. However, now it is your time to try and learn 😊 I wish you good luck 🍀 Hope they will work for you. Please let us know as well.

 

[ReinierB]

Here you go, I got these off of Amazon but they are the same as described in the link. Put them on a 10X40 Habicht and they work great.

Mini write up: Microscope eyecups for leatherette Habicht models.

Hello all, I own a pair of leatherette Habichts and like every other leatherette Habicht owner knows, the stock eyecups are terrible. They are not big enough and the binoculars become floaters, which wrecks the experience. Many retrofit GA eyecups, but I do not like the aesthetic, so I wanted a...

www.birdforum.net

Thanks, I will give them a try!

 

[aninjamonkey]

Thanks, I will give them a try!

If that doesn’t work for you (winged eyecups, in the traditional sense, didn’t work for me because with porro prisms it greatly helps the view to adjust the interpupillary distance depending on the distance of the subject you’re focusing on. So because of this, the pointed part of the wing frequently is not in the ideal position, meaning it no longer contours with my face. And if I were to compensate by constantly adjusting the position of the wing tips, which wouldn’t be practical because of the tight grip of the eyecups on the binos, then the diopter would inadvertently be moving.), a different method with similar eye cups worked for me:

I ordered aftermarket eyecups (see attached for dimensions), sliced the angled part off, unscrewed the original Swarovski eyecups, slipped the aftermarket eyecups on backwards, and screwed back on the original eyecups to keep everything in place. Kind of a hack job but if you cut them nicer than I did, I imagine the final product can look clean. Most importantly, the comfort is greatly improved. Best of luck!

 

[recon493]

No doubt, the Habicht view is worth this level of attention to detail to get the eye cups right for each viewer. Though I get along extremely well with my 7x GA version, I now would loved to have tried the more traditional and beautiful black version - with these add ons. I was going back and forth, knowing I would need to make purchases like this for the black model; but, wasn't confident in what item would work. This would have helped me greatly.

The rain guard is still problematic for the green model since you cant find flexible eyepiece covers in green. The black version can use opticron aftermarket pieces. An added benefit, along with it's slightly lighter weight and the cool patina it will probably form over the years.

The simple, easy view of the Habicht cannot be overstated.