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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

CL Curio 7x21: protection for apparent metal (2 Viewers)

The name Thotmosis is of an Egyptian farao, i inherited a small statue of him and though it's a nice name for birdforum :unsure:
After reading the reply from tenex it makes sense, and I could have taken a hint from your spelling of pharaoh, which I immediately recognized even though I'd never seen it spelled like that before. Either way, I like it.
Yes, we say Thutmose in English (or something like that, people are employed to keep changing such spellings). After Thoth the god of wisdom, among other things. The Bronze Age was fascinating, and we may be returning to something like it. (I recommend the book 1177 BC.)
 
At some point, I made a comparison of different bags. I was looking for something significantly smaller than the Swarovski bag with a belt loop. I got a few from Amazon to try.

From left to right:
  • original Swarovski bag
  • MegaGear Leather Camera Case (in two different configurations)
  • Cullmann Berlin RS Compact 350
  • Crumpler Triple A Camera Pouch 100
  • Lowepro Dashpoint 10
  • Curio 7x21

All of these bags are much smaller and tighter than the Swarovski. Some were a bit too tight. I ended up keeping:
  • Crumbler and Lowepro for outdoor use. They offer good protection from the elements. The Lowepro has the additional advantage of having two velcro loops on the back, one for a belt and one for a backpack strap. It stays permanently attached to my backpack's waist belt.
  • MegaGear (with the opening on the top) just because it is the smallest, looks stylish, and has a magnetic flap. But it is very tight to the point that it is a bit fiddly to get the bino out and it is not waterproof in any way. More for the opera ;-)

I wish some of these bags had a few millimeters of extra space, so it is easier to get the bino in and out. It would also be nice to have a bag where you do not have to fold the bino and adjust it every time you get it out.

Happy to give more details/photos if anyone is interested.

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Been looking for a case to keep on my fanny pack waist belt, for the Victory Pocket 8x25. Any opinions whether the Lowepro might fit?
 
Been looking for a case to keep on my fanny pack waist belt, for the Victory Pocket 8x25. Any opinions whether the Lowepro might fit?
Lowepro has an extremely wide range of camera pouches and though it might not fit in the same one mentioned here in the thread, they definitely make one that will. Your best bet would be to go check out their lineup at a camera store or anywhere else they might have a decent range of camera accessories and see which one you like best. Some people will prefer a more minimalist fit, going for the smallest one that will work, and others will go for a size or two larger depending on how they want to balance the ease of retrieval against the overall size of the package.
One thing that helps to zero in on their sizing is the numeric suffix attached to their product name, as in xxxx10, xxxx20 and so on. If you find the perfect one for you, I'm sure others will be interested in seeing what you came up with.
 
Along the same lines as the original post, the little habicht badge fell (flew?) off during a trip, luckily it was in the backpack and was quickly put somewhere safe.

Just had some time to reattach it: surface prep, acetone cleaning, ultraclear araldite epoxy, care and patience.

Thought about sending back to swaro for warranty but I had all the stuff needed to fix it myself. Used some extra glue compared to factory, hopefully will hold better. If anyone had the same issue and had it fixed by factory, it would be interesting to hear how the repair looked.

IMG_7525.jpgIMG_7524.jpg
 
Been looking for a case to keep on my fanny pack waist belt, for the Victory Pocket 8x25. Any opinions whether the Lowepro might fit?
Past threads have suggested Dashpoint 20. I don't think the 10 is made anymore and it seems a bit small.
 
Hello Dr. Gijs van Ginkel,
thank you very much for the really varied report. One comparative binoculars is missing: the Nikon HG-L 8x20 or 10x25, which is now inexpensive and probably somewhat forgotten - but very good.
Of course, the Nikon has "only" silver-mirrored prisms, the measured transmission will not be outstanding. One could judge contrast / "sharpness" in practical observation situations. ;-)
Best regards
Jessie
The Nikon 8x20 HG L is an fantastic binoculars, and nowadays fairly cheap !
 
I see I have posted in this thread earlier and I actually have a Curio 7x21 for testing a few days.
I find it excellent in all other parts except from the metal(I thought it was plastic) part. Not only because it might be uncomfortable to hold when it's cold, but because it's actually slippery.
There is a risk to drop it if you are not very careful. I have self adhesive grip tape which can solve the problem, but it will change the look a bit. Apart from that the version I have is the orange option. It looks good but feels a bit unusual for a binocular. And the look will change much more by attaching black tape on it than to do it on the black version.
But this very sample is in every part perfect in the function with no play in the focuser, which too often is the case with this kind of binocular.
So I have a perfect working sample. Will I be used to the orange/silver design and think it's ok with black tape attached on it? 🤔
 
I have used Paint to see how a modification with grip tape would look like. What do you think about this? Would you rather choose the black version or does this look ok?

Screenshot_20230921_185035_Gallery.jpg

Screenshot_20230921_185237_Gallery.jpg
 
What do you think about this? Would you rather choose the black version or does this look ok?
With concern to the looks of it, I like Curio in either color configuration, but think that the black one would look better with the grip tape addition. I know you've got the orange, but it probably wouldn't be that hard to find another member with a black one willing to do an exchange with you. Putting the tape onto a black background would mostly make it invisible and your pattern looks really effective for giving plenty of grip. That said, maybe just putting one piece on the center section initially to see if you could get away with just that much, in which case it might also look better if you stay with the orange pair.
 
Do you just prefer the 7x21 format optically? Or is the new 7x21 optically better than the UV or old Swaro BN regardless of format? How much CA is there compared to those two?
I’m a huge Leica fan, but in my humble opinion, the Curios are far superior to the Trinovid or Ultravid pocket binoculars. They are small enough to fit in my shirt pocket, yet work more like a mid size. All that said, so far the bare metal hasn’t bothered me.
 
Ich hätte gerne eine kleinere Tasche für den Curio. Hat jemand eine gute Option gefunden?

Hello,
a little late, but I can give you a recommendation. For me, all bags have the disadvantage that I have to fold the glass and readjust it when I want to use it again. That's not so good. So it's best to sew it yourself.

Beutel Curio.jpg


Pouch Curio 2.jpg

Many protective bags can be sewn from Sofshell fabric. It is very stable and also water-repellent. Can be easily processed with sewing machines for home use.

Sorry for my English, I never paid attention in school :) :)

Best regards Dominique
 
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