crinklystarfish
Well-known member
I've been using an NL 12x42 on an almost-daily basis for about two-and-a-half years now. It's my main optic and it sees use in all habitats. For context, I'm very much of the view that when birding a bin should be quick and easy to deploy and then equally quick and easy to return to a state of 'protected readiness'.
For what it's worth, through a process of experimentation, experience and gradual evolution I've probably arrived at the point where - for my use anyway - my 12x42 is now as workmanlike as it's ever going to be.
Naturally and understandably my 'solutions' - detailed below - will not work for everyone. Indeed they might only work for me. Nonetheless, I'm happy to share in the hope that someone, somewhere might benefit.
Issues
I found the main drawbacks of the NL12x42 initially were the awkward-to-use accessories and rather too much veiling glare. Of course, 12x magnification is also generally more difficult to steadily hand hold than your average 7x…
Regarding 'improvements' to the supplied strap, case and eyepiece guards in particular, I described some thoughts on this previous thread.
In that post I also touched on steadiness of image and mitigating veiling glare. It's with regard to these aspects that I now offer the following.
Steadiness of Image
I've found the steadiest grip essentially involves holding the bin towards the eyepiece end with the web of both thumbs / fore-fingers nestled against the strap lugs: perhaps a little unconventional, but hey-ho. My preference for any bin is to grip / bring it to my eyes with my left hand and then use my right to augment grip and operate the focus wheel. I always use my right forefinger to focus.
The image shows my optimised NL left-hand grip. It might look awkward; but it's now completely natural, comfortable and instinctive. When viewing, my elbows are just a little wider than shoulder width. I've tried every-which-way to hold the NL 42 and - for me anyway - this is consistently the steadiest. It also allows for excellent bin control, resulting in very rapid and accurate tracking.
As something of a bonus, if wearing gloves or a woolly hat (I often do), then the left index finger (behind the bridge) can be used to create a physical connection with the forehead, which serves to steady the image further still. For what it's worth I tried one of the (very expensive) proprietary forehead rests but found it mainly just added hideous clutter whilst very effectively preventing the wearing of hats.
Veiling Glare
I think it's now pretty much accepted that the NL line is pretty poor in this regard. As per the link to the thread above (and as is now fairly widely done), I've personally optimised the glare / beaning knife edge at 2.5 stops out using 'O' rings. As is referenced by many-a-poster, IPD and ER really are that critical with the NL. For many users, being 1mm out can result in an incredibly frustrating lightshow.
So critical is the setting, that any attempt to pan and / or roll eyeballs around the image can readily conjure the spectre. When panning, I've found adopting a lead-with-the-bin technique can help. Let me explain.
In simple terms, if I want to pan left I'll keep the bin perpendicular to my eyes but rather than turn my head and bin as one, I instead apply the tiniest bit of pressure to the right hand side of the bridge of my nose with the inside edge of the right eyepiece. To help with visualisation of the technique, it can be thought of as gently pushing the head in the panning direction, using the eyepiece to do so. Seemingly, the effect of this is to slightly move the exit pupil a miniscule amount in a way that - for me, anyway - means the inevitable slight rolling of the eye that panning tends to induce doesn't quite so readily trigger the troublesome crescents of unwanted light, which instead largely stay where they belong: behind the field stops. I see no reason why glasses-wearers shouldn't benefit similarly if they can replicate the general technique. Of course, panning right, or in any other direction, just means the logical adaptation to the point of pressure that instigates the panning movement.
I fully accept that different physical attributes may have a significant effect on the efficacy of this technique.
A WOW! moment
It's hardly a revelation to point out that, if held very still, a binocular of any magnification suddenly reveals detail previously unseen. With the NL 12x in particular, I almost accidentally found that the results can be very rewarding indeed. My brother is a professional photographer and whilst waiting for him in some wetland recently I plonked my 12x on one of his monopods. There was no head on the pod, just a fairly standard plasticky pad of about 60mm in diameter with the exposed attachment screw sitting unused in the centre. I simply rested the body of the bin on the pad and applied a little downward pressure through the bin to steady the whole thing. Well, just wow!
I hate the clutter of pods and rests etc and use a CTC 30x75 drawtube scope precisely so I don't have to cart cumbersome paraphernalia around, but wow. I might just be persuaded that a simple naked walking-stick / monopod might just be worth the faff when in open country with the NL 12x.
In conclusion
This stuff may or may not be useful: just putting it out there.
As an aside, I'm mindful I'm posting on a forum for people who are by and large in comfortable life-positions and who have the privilege of using (sometimes numerous very high quality) binoculars for leisure. I'm not enjoying seeing the lack of tolerance and basic decency ever-more frequently demonstrated by some users bring the whole thing tiresomely down. Some would do well to take a breath and count their blessings: it's just a forum about binoculars. Be nice, be happy!
For what it's worth, through a process of experimentation, experience and gradual evolution I've probably arrived at the point where - for my use anyway - my 12x42 is now as workmanlike as it's ever going to be.
Naturally and understandably my 'solutions' - detailed below - will not work for everyone. Indeed they might only work for me. Nonetheless, I'm happy to share in the hope that someone, somewhere might benefit.
Issues
I found the main drawbacks of the NL12x42 initially were the awkward-to-use accessories and rather too much veiling glare. Of course, 12x magnification is also generally more difficult to steadily hand hold than your average 7x…
Regarding 'improvements' to the supplied strap, case and eyepiece guards in particular, I described some thoughts on this previous thread.
In that post I also touched on steadiness of image and mitigating veiling glare. It's with regard to these aspects that I now offer the following.
Steadiness of Image
I've found the steadiest grip essentially involves holding the bin towards the eyepiece end with the web of both thumbs / fore-fingers nestled against the strap lugs: perhaps a little unconventional, but hey-ho. My preference for any bin is to grip / bring it to my eyes with my left hand and then use my right to augment grip and operate the focus wheel. I always use my right forefinger to focus.
The image shows my optimised NL left-hand grip. It might look awkward; but it's now completely natural, comfortable and instinctive. When viewing, my elbows are just a little wider than shoulder width. I've tried every-which-way to hold the NL 42 and - for me anyway - this is consistently the steadiest. It also allows for excellent bin control, resulting in very rapid and accurate tracking.
As something of a bonus, if wearing gloves or a woolly hat (I often do), then the left index finger (behind the bridge) can be used to create a physical connection with the forehead, which serves to steady the image further still. For what it's worth I tried one of the (very expensive) proprietary forehead rests but found it mainly just added hideous clutter whilst very effectively preventing the wearing of hats.
Veiling Glare
I think it's now pretty much accepted that the NL line is pretty poor in this regard. As per the link to the thread above (and as is now fairly widely done), I've personally optimised the glare / beaning knife edge at 2.5 stops out using 'O' rings. As is referenced by many-a-poster, IPD and ER really are that critical with the NL. For many users, being 1mm out can result in an incredibly frustrating lightshow.
So critical is the setting, that any attempt to pan and / or roll eyeballs around the image can readily conjure the spectre. When panning, I've found adopting a lead-with-the-bin technique can help. Let me explain.
In simple terms, if I want to pan left I'll keep the bin perpendicular to my eyes but rather than turn my head and bin as one, I instead apply the tiniest bit of pressure to the right hand side of the bridge of my nose with the inside edge of the right eyepiece. To help with visualisation of the technique, it can be thought of as gently pushing the head in the panning direction, using the eyepiece to do so. Seemingly, the effect of this is to slightly move the exit pupil a miniscule amount in a way that - for me, anyway - means the inevitable slight rolling of the eye that panning tends to induce doesn't quite so readily trigger the troublesome crescents of unwanted light, which instead largely stay where they belong: behind the field stops. I see no reason why glasses-wearers shouldn't benefit similarly if they can replicate the general technique. Of course, panning right, or in any other direction, just means the logical adaptation to the point of pressure that instigates the panning movement.
I fully accept that different physical attributes may have a significant effect on the efficacy of this technique.
A WOW! moment
It's hardly a revelation to point out that, if held very still, a binocular of any magnification suddenly reveals detail previously unseen. With the NL 12x in particular, I almost accidentally found that the results can be very rewarding indeed. My brother is a professional photographer and whilst waiting for him in some wetland recently I plonked my 12x on one of his monopods. There was no head on the pod, just a fairly standard plasticky pad of about 60mm in diameter with the exposed attachment screw sitting unused in the centre. I simply rested the body of the bin on the pad and applied a little downward pressure through the bin to steady the whole thing. Well, just wow!
I hate the clutter of pods and rests etc and use a CTC 30x75 drawtube scope precisely so I don't have to cart cumbersome paraphernalia around, but wow. I might just be persuaded that a simple naked walking-stick / monopod might just be worth the faff when in open country with the NL 12x.
In conclusion
This stuff may or may not be useful: just putting it out there.
As an aside, I'm mindful I'm posting on a forum for people who are by and large in comfortable life-positions and who have the privilege of using (sometimes numerous very high quality) binoculars for leisure. I'm not enjoying seeing the lack of tolerance and basic decency ever-more frequently demonstrated by some users bring the whole thing tiresomely down. Some would do well to take a breath and count their blessings: it's just a forum about binoculars. Be nice, be happy!
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. The strap of the NL's is a bit too long for my linking though. Always having two loose bits dangling on the strap. That's why I prefer the EL strap.
