Oh, ok! You don't see any glare or flares with the M7 8x30 when looking towards a setting sun?
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Glare Monsters! (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dennis Mau
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William Lewis
Wishing birdwatching paid the bills.
Winged eye cups will solve the problem when light is hitting the eye piece.
So far I only tried with a higher sun, or artificial lights at night... It was one of the first thing I did to test them on my first day out, and I couldn't see anything abnormal.
I bought them very recently, maybe they corrected the problem? or I just haven't experimented enough...
But how often is glare caused from light hitting the eyepiece? It seems like it mostly comes from the objective end at certain angles.
Alas, I always extend the eye pieces to the max... I suppose if I really stick the eyecups deep into my eye-sockets, it should help... but this reflection of the light coming from behind me (slightly at an angle of course!) is something I can't remember with any other binoculars, includng the Monarch 8 x 36...
The good part is that the glare was outside the exit pupil, it was more annoying than disturbing the "image".
Or maybe you are speaking about separated "winged eye cups" that I should add to the bins'? Sounds like an overkill for such a small issue.
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henry link
Well-known member
Sure you have, Dennis. Just read the first two paragraphs of my response to you and look at the pictures.
Why are those dang Habicht's so BRIGHT!
My one and only binocular at the moment is a pair of Swarovski 10x40 W GA Habicht. Impressive view with perfect colour cast ie no colour cast and no CA either that I have detected. The handling is just so nice and the focuser I haven't found problematic though I focus with my thumbs from...
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Binocollector
Well-known member
A bino bandit will also work and is much more comfy than winged eyecups.
William Lewis
Wishing birdwatching paid the bills.
Never had a problem with the winged eye cups from field optics - they work a treat, comfy as well and they make most optics better when the lights coming from over your shoulder.
Binocollector
Well-known member
That's what I just recommended 4 posts above.
William Lewis
Wishing birdwatching paid the bills.
I've not been tempted to, bit too mask of Zorro for me and winged eye cups work plenty well enough in daylight.Have you ever tried a Bino Bandit for glare?
Bino Bandit Glare Blocker | Alpine Bino Bandit Accessories
The Bino Bandit Glare Blocker enhances your viewing experience by reducing glare. The Alpine Bino Bandit ensures clear visuals for outdoor adventures.alpineproducts.com
I did have need for a one tube version of one the other night though. I was looking at Uranus through my dobsonian, it's very conveniently placed between Jupiter and the pleiades at the moment so the usual lengthy star hopping search is not required, there's definitely some magic looking at the smaller more distant planets - then the neighbours security lights came on right over my shoulder and I wanted all the shielding I could get!
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stevenberk
Active member
I rolled down my Steiner winged eyecups. Just not comfortable. By the way, may I add that I enjoy reading contributions from maligned DENCO, as well as the spirited exchanges.
Steve, what are your two binoculars with the least glare and your two with the most glare?
dorubird
The unskilled mechanic blames his tools!
Making an exact hierarchy in terms of glare is difficult for the following reason. A fully immune binocular in a certain light context may have a bit of glare in another context. For example, I stress the binoculars in at least three difficult lighting situations:
1. The full moon (or a desk lamp pointed at the binoculars). I move the moon in all directions in the frame and take it out of the FOV, and notice if there are glare or ghost images
2. During the day, with the Sun strong above, I point my binoculars towards the edge of a dense and dark forest. I can also simulate it at home if I look during the day, with strong sun, under the window at a dark object that occupies my entire FOV. Thus, I try to make the pupil of my eyes dilate a little more than that of the binoculars exit pupil. If the binoculars have disturbing reflections in the immediate vicinity of the exit pupil, this test shows me easy.
3. A test of general situations. Terrestrial panning with binoculars with the Sun in the sky. I move the binoculars so that I have several different angles to the sun. I pay particular attention to the edges of the FOV. I noticed that some binoculars require a much more accurate positioning in the optical axis for this test.
Binoculars that show me strong glare in at least one of these situations I consider without glare resistance. As well as the ones that show me glare very discreetly repetitively in all these tests. The ones that do not show me glare at all, or maybe show me a very discreet glare in at least one of the tests, I consider them resistant to glare...
So one of the most prone to glare binoculars I tested is the small Olympus 8x21 RC II WP. A glare little monster!
And there are many good resistant to glare. I can put here the ones I have now:
Zeiss SF 10x42. Very easy to look at, without being glare pretentious with positioning in the optical axis.
Swarovski Habicht 7x42 is also immune to glare. But I noticed that it is a bit more demanding with the positioning in the optical axis than the Zeiss SF. A small movement can generate a discreet glare in one of this tests!
1. The full moon (or a desk lamp pointed at the binoculars). I move the moon in all directions in the frame and take it out of the FOV, and notice if there are glare or ghost images
2. During the day, with the Sun strong above, I point my binoculars towards the edge of a dense and dark forest. I can also simulate it at home if I look during the day, with strong sun, under the window at a dark object that occupies my entire FOV. Thus, I try to make the pupil of my eyes dilate a little more than that of the binoculars exit pupil. If the binoculars have disturbing reflections in the immediate vicinity of the exit pupil, this test shows me easy.
3. A test of general situations. Terrestrial panning with binoculars with the Sun in the sky. I move the binoculars so that I have several different angles to the sun. I pay particular attention to the edges of the FOV. I noticed that some binoculars require a much more accurate positioning in the optical axis for this test.
Binoculars that show me strong glare in at least one of these situations I consider without glare resistance. As well as the ones that show me glare very discreetly repetitively in all these tests. The ones that do not show me glare at all, or maybe show me a very discreet glare in at least one of the tests, I consider them resistant to glare...
So one of the most prone to glare binoculars I tested is the small Olympus 8x21 RC II WP. A glare little monster!
And there are many good resistant to glare. I can put here the ones I have now:
Zeiss SF 10x42. Very easy to look at, without being glare pretentious with positioning in the optical axis.
Swarovski Habicht 7x42 is also immune to glare. But I noticed that it is a bit more demanding with the positioning in the optical axis than the Zeiss SF. A small movement can generate a discreet glare in one of this tests!
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stevenberk
Active member
I usually get rid of binoculars if the glare annoys me. I have forgotten how many. I most often use Kowa 8x33 and 10x33 because the eyecups fit me. The 8x42 HX Steiner, now with rolled-down winged eyecups, is heavy and sits on a desk near a window. But I am also content using 10x42 Conquest (with extended eyecups from Zeiss) and, less so, 8x42 GPO HD, except that the minimum IPD of the GPO is not quite narrow enough. I had to find and adapt aftermarket rubber eyecups for an original Canon IS 10x30. The idiosyncratic shape of eye cups matters to me. In a canoe I will risk an 8x32 Vortex DB, which has some glare.
Many people overlook how important eye cups that fit your face are. Many eye cups on binoculars are too big or are uncomfortable. The eye cup length matching the ER of the binoculars and the depth of your eye sockets is so important in avoiding blackouts yet so many binoculars fail when it comes to eye cups sizing.
Binocollector
Well-known member
Never managed to see any glare so far in my Fuji HC 8x42. Might be the rather unimpressive FoV (Pinac measured 7.7°) that helps with that. But I'd rather have a little less FoV than glare.
HaHa! I agree on the NL 8x42 and NL 8x32, and your correct the glare was random. It wasn't necessarily induced by looking into the sun, either. A lot of times I would see glare even on a cloudy day in the lower part of the FOV. It drove me nuts. They are super sensitive to your eye cup length setting. I think in general WA binoculars have more glare and the SWA ones are even worse. I have never tried an Aurora 8x42, but I will have to because I have heard many positive comments about them. Here is a review on them by Neil English and Troubador.
"Taking the instrument out on a dull, overcast day stubbornly refused to show up any glare. Usually, looking at the ridge of a hill against a bright, cloudy sky will, more often than not, produce some veiling glare, but this top-tier instrument from Opticron refused to show anything of significance."
Review of Opticron Aurora BGA VHD 8x42
Back in early April I introduced Opticron’s Aurora 8x42 with a short ‘unboxing’ article which can be found here: Unboxing Opticron’s New Flagship Binoculars: Aurora BGA VHD 8x42 . To avoid repetition I will refrain from describing the external appearance of Aurora and its accessories and move...
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