Does the Head Rest help on the NL 8x42? (5 Viewers)

[proudpapa56]

Don't know if this has already been mentioned but I find myself unconsciously cramming my binoculars into my glasses. While it might not help me keep them any steadier (although it certainly wouldn't hurt) it sets a distance that won't let me leave imprints on my nose from pushing against my glasses so hard.

 

[Swedpat]

Here I wonder what does it mean with "needed". The question is whether the headrest helps to keep the image still so it's worth it. Is it half way to stabilisation or using at a monopod/tripod? According to personal experience I know that some support is advantageous even at 5x compared to free hand use. And at 8x it truly is.

 

[[email protected]]

I am still experimenting with the head rest on my NL 8x42. I am beginning to change my mind. It does reduce a lot of smaller vibrations and some larger shakes and it does help keep the binoculars in a good position over your eyes. I can see how the head rest would really be beneficial for eye glass wearers.

 

[bockos]

I am still experimenting with the head rest on my NL 8x42. I am beginning to change my mind. It does reduce a lot of smaller vibrations and some larger shakes and it does help keep the binoculars in a good position over your eyes. I can see how the head rest would really be beneficial for eye glass wearers.

When it comes to binoculars held by hand .. for a long time .. then any help is useful. so FP is a useful thing for me ..

 

[[email protected]]

I tried the head rest on my Swarovski NL 8x42 and I decided for me it doesn't make enough difference in stability to use it at. If you shake more or have the 10x or 12x NL you may find it helpful.

 

[Hauksen]

Hi,

I tried the head rest on my Swarovski NL 8x42 and I decided for me it doesn't make enough difference in stability to use it at. If you shake more or have the 10x or 12x NL you may find it helpful.

I took my 3D printed version for my Nikon 8x42 for a walk yesterday, and I have to admit that I really like it. It's definitely more stable than unaided hand-holding, though I'm hesitant to quantify that. I use glasses with my binoculars, and with the head rest, it's easier to get positive contact with the eyecups without pushing on my glasses.

I didn't print the planned head rest pad yet, but wearing a thin woolen cap, its absence wasn't really noticable.

I'm a bit surprised since I went into this thinking the had rest was yet another useless gadget. Of couse, mine cost me a tiny fraction of the EUR 130 Svarowski ask for theirs, so maybe I'm more inclined to be happy with tiny benefits ... ;-)

Regards,

Henning

 

[kabsetz]

Henning,

What you say mirrors what I found when trying the head rest with the NL Pure. It made very little difference when viewing without glasses, but was a significant improvement with glasses on. This is especially so since I have progressives (Zeiss Individual 2) which do not take kindly any movement away from the design placement and distance from my eye.

With the head rest, it was really much easier to get the binoculars aligned with my face and eyes without pressing my glasses away from their optimum position, and leaning the bins against my forehead also gave more stability than leaning them against glasses, while also being more comfortable.

Kimmo

 

[NZbinodude]

I don't wear glasses, but I also find that the headrest helps with positioning the binoculars correctly.

I can now lower the eye-cups all the way down (in order to gain some extra FOV), and instead of having to float the binoculars in front of my face, I can rest the top edges of the eye cups against my face, with the headrest acting as a repeatable and secure anchor point.

Not sure if any of that makes sense.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi,



I took my 3D printed version for my Nikon 8x42 for a walk yesterday, and I have to admit that I really like it. It's definitely more stable than unaided hand-holding, though I'm hesitant to quantify that. I use glasses with my binoculars, and with the head rest, it's easier to get positive contact with the eyecups without pushing on my glasses.

I didn't print the planned head rest pad yet, but wearing a thin woolen cap, its absence wasn't really noticable.

I'm a bit surprised since I went into this thinking the had rest was yet another useless gadget. Of couse, mine cost me a tiny fraction of the EUR 130 Svarowski ask for theirs, so maybe I'm more inclined to be happy with tiny benefits ... ;-)

Regards,

Henning

I think the head rest would have more benefits if you wear glasses versus without. Your right when you pay $150.00 for the head rest your expectations are higher. I will give Swarovski some credit in that the head rest is well engineered and made well. It fits perfectly on the binoculars and matches the binocular perfectly. When it is installed you can not tell it is an add-on accessory. It looks like part of the binocular.

 

[[email protected]]

I don't wear glasses, but I also find that the headrest helps with positioning the binoculars correctly.

I can now lower the eye-cups all the way down (in order to gain some extra FOV), and instead of having to float the binoculars in front of my face, I can rest the top edges of the eye cups against my face, with the headrest acting as a repeatable and secure anchor point.

Not sure if any of that makes sense.

I understand what you are saying and that is an interesting idea. I know if you put the eye cups all the way down and just float the binocular in front of your eyes the FOV is huge because you bypass the field stop. But don't you get a lot of light and glare in through the sides of the eyepiece. A lot of people use winged eye cups and such to avoid the glare and light from the sides.

 

[[email protected]]

Henning,

What you say mirrors what I found when trying the head rest with the NL Pure. It made very little difference when viewing without glasses, but was a significant improvement with glasses on. This is especially so since I have progressives (Zeiss Individual 2) which do not take kindly any movement away from the design placement and distance from my eye.

With the head rest, it was really much easier to get the binoculars aligned with my face and eyes without pressing my glasses away from their optimum position, and leaning the bins against my forehead also gave more stability than leaning them against glasses, while also being more comfortable.

Kimmo

I think for eyeglass wearers the head rest would an excellent idea just for the spacing as you say. Not wearing eyeglasses I didn't find the additional stabilization point of the head rest to stabilize the binocular any better than the two eye cups. I was still shaking as much. It was nowhere near as steady as an IS binocular and I have two IS binoculars. The Canon 12x36 IS III and the Nikon 10x25 IS.

 

[Hermann]

I think for eyeglass wearers the head rest would an excellent idea just for the spacing as you say. Not wearing eyeglasses I didn't find the additional stabilization point of the head rest to stabilize the binocular any better than the two eye cups.

Without glasses the MOLCET technique works for me just about as well as the headrest.

Hermann

 

[Hauksen]

Hi,

I think for eyeglass wearers the head rest would an excellent idea just for the spacing as you say. Not wearing eyeglasses I didn't find the additional stabilization point of the head rest to stabilize the binocular any better than the two eye cups.

Good point - "eyeglasses or not" might explain our different experiences!

I believe Kimmo is right that the headrest helps even more with progressives than with standard glasses, and I neglected to mention that I was testing my 3D-printed headrest with progressives as well.

Now if Hermann could fill us in on the MOLCET technique ... I googled, but I guess I didn't find the right stuff because I can't imagine Hermann doing drugs for a steadier view! ;-)

Regards,

Henning

 

[PeterPS]

MOLCET=MOreorLess&CEasar Technique, a term coined by Brock (I believe) to describe moving the binos up just under your eyebrows.

 

[[email protected]]

Without glasses the MOLCET technique works for me just about as well as the headrest.

Hermann

You're correct. I don't see why it wouldn't.

 

[John Cantelo]

I'm a long time 8x user as I preferred the wider FoV and lower levels of 'hand shake' that such a configuration offers. However, various issues persuaded me to move back to 10x. I had intended to get a second tier Leica/Zeiss/Swarovski but getting the 10x42 NLs meant I lost little in terms of FoV and the wonderfully 'grippy' shape reduced 'jitters'. The head rest wasn't available when I got them but today I tested one at my dealers. I was pleasantly surprised how just effective it was in reducing 'shake' - certainly comperable with (or less than) the levels I was used to with 8x. What stopped me buying it was that even the dealer couldn't get the device to properly 'click' into place. At such an elevated price point I admit that I'm disappointed that the gizmo didn't come with the binoculars and the additional cost, as with all Sarovski accessories, seems rather steep.

 

[PeterPS]

John,
It does not click, there is a separate thread about that!
Peter

 

[[email protected]]

I'm a long time 8x user as I preferred the wider FoV and lower levels of 'hand shake' that such a configuration offers. However, various issues persuaded me to move back to 10x. I had intended to get a second tier Leica/Zeiss/Swarovski but getting the 10x42 NLs meant I lost little in terms of FoV and the wonderfully 'grippy' shape reduced 'jitters'. The head rest wasn't available when I got them but today I tested one at my dealers. I was pleasantly surprised how just effective it was in reducing 'shake' - certainly comperable with (or less than) the levels I was used to with 8x. What stopped me buying it was that even the dealer couldn't get the device to properly 'click' into place. At such an elevated price point I admit that I'm disappointed that the gizmo didn't come with the binoculars and the additional cost, as with all Sarovski accessories, seems rather steep.

Here is the "Clickbait" thread! (Long Story)

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=395455

 

[NZbinodude]

After ongoing testing of the head-rest v.s using the binoculars without it installed (I've got a 10x42 NL), I don't think it helps all that much with image shake. I can barely see any improvement. I imagine this would be even more so with the 8x42 model. Perhaps it'll be more useful with the 12x?

I think it was a case of placebo effect. After spending the $$ on one, you'll desperately want it to work, and your mind will do everything to convince you of that fact.

What it does do well, however (and I think this is what it was mostly designed for) is provide extra comfort during prolonged viewing sessions. It may not be a big factor if you're into viewing fleeting birds, but if you're into more static stuff (larger wildlife, or astronomical subjects) where you may be staring at a spot for hours on end, the head rest allows you to spread the pressure of the binoculars onto your forehead, so that your eye sockets aren't taking the brunt of it. The headrest does this very well, and it's well worth the $$ in that sense.

Sure, you can definitely live without it, but every time I've taken the headrest off, it feels kinda weird and I've found myself putting it back on again.

In summary - it's best suited to people who will have the binos glued to their eyes for prolonged periods. In that regard, it makes a noticeable difference in comfort .

 

[nzwild]

After ongoing testing of the head-rest v.s using the binoculars without it installed (I've got a 10x42 NL), I don't think it helps all that much with image shake. I can barely see any improvement. I imagine this would be even more so with the 8x42 model. Perhaps it'll be more useful with the 12x?

I think it was a case of placebo effect. After spending the $$ on one, you'll desperately want it to work, and your mind will do everything to convince you of that fact.

What it does do well, however (and I think this is what it was mostly designed for) is provide extra comfort during prolonged viewing sessions. It may not be a big factor if you're into viewing fleeting birds, but if you're into more static stuff (larger wildlife, or astronomical subjects) where you may be staring at a spot for hours on end, the head rest allows you to spread the pressure of the binoculars onto your forehead, so that your eye sockets aren't taking the brunt of it. The headrest does this very well, and it's well worth the $$ in that sense.

Sure, you can definitely live without it, but every time I've taken the headrest off, it feels kinda weird and I've found myself putting it back on again.

In summary - it's best suited to people who will have the binos glued to their eyes for prolonged periods. In that regard, it makes a noticeable difference in comfort .

Whats the verdict with headrest AND tripod?