Sears 6287A 7x35 Super Wide Angle 12.5deg advice needed. (1 Viewer)

[rdnzl]

Would I be overpaying if I found a Sears 6287A 7x35 Super Wide Angle 12.5deg in pretty good shape, for $200?



I think it's the same as the Cardinal. Nice looking, and hard to come by. I seemed to remember people saying the wide views were pretty good.



Any minuses you can think of with them, and as I said above, would $200 be too much?



I'm looking from the standpoint of collecting, but mostly of view quality.

 

[has530]

That would be around market value for a near mint specimen with original case and the likes. The drawback as with all super wide binos from that Era is eye relief is very tight. Unusable (well you can use them but you won't be getting your super wide view) with glasses and even challenging without them.

 

[rdnzl]

With some of the vintage superwides, as a non eyeglass wearer, I find that I can mash my eye sockets onto the eyepiece, and it contributes to the "spacewalk" view, as I call it when pointed skyward after dark.

 

[WJC]

Would I be overpaying if I found a Sears 6287A 7x35 Super Wide Angle 12.5deg in pretty good shape, for $200?

I think it's the same as the Cardinal. Nice looking, and hard to come by. I seemed to remember people saying the wide views were pretty good.

Any minuses you can think of with them, and as I said above, would $200 be too much?

I'm looking from the standpoint of collecting, but mostly of view quality.

I agree with has530, with some exceptions. If it is the zoom version, stay away from it as you should all zoom binos.

The only real drawback I see is that SOME of this model have “lost motion” in the focus mechanism. This can be a real headache for bird watchers. Also, because of the short eye relief, already mentioned, you might not get to enjoy the WIDE eye relief ... with OR without glasses.

Finally, keep in mind that super wide fields usually come with a softness of focus in the outer field. Some people don’t find that a problem—they like the bragging rights; I do. I think a good 7-degree field is superior to a not-so-good 10.5-degree field. But that is just me.

 

[rdnzl]

I have found that on superwides, the softness in the outer field you mention, is so far out from the center of view that I don't really mind it at all. The sweet spots are pretty huge.

 

[rdnzl]

Now in my possesion. Great optics. Super clean inside. Leather is perfect. Views are WIDE and really nice. J-B56, made in Japan.

 

[Charlie Yardbird]

Would I be overpaying if I found a Sears 6287A 7x35 Super Wide Angle 12.5deg in pretty good shape, for $200?

Can you measure the actual minimum IPD on that for me? My eyes are 53mm.

 

[rdnzl]

It appears to be 55 mm.

 

[pat mitchel]

Just checked mine 56mm- and it really doesn't matter if you could go tighter in that with the EP's being 44 mm dia there's less than 9mm between them when fully closed- that would be pretty much the definition of "needle nosed" Pat

 

[Charlie Yardbird]

Just checked mine 56mm- and it really doesn't matter if you could go tighter in that with the EP's being 44 mm dia there's less than 9mm between them when fully closed- that would be pretty much the definition of "needle nosed" Pat

Yea, I'd lose FOV because I'm further from the lens, but that's why I'm looking into the super wide angle choices. Maybe I can end up with a "normal" FOV without eyestrain. And I learned my eyes are 52mm apart, not 53mm.

 

[lilcrazy2]

Just checked mine 56mm- and it really doesn't matter if you could go tighter in that with the EP's being 44 mm dia there's less than 9mm between them when fully closed- that would be pretty much the definition of "needle nosed" Pat

That has been my experience with older binos with this type of eyepiece. I have a Sears Discoverer 7x50 10* #6267, and with my ipd of 56, I have to JAM them hard into my eye sockets to see the full FOV, but then it scrapes and hurts my nose to get that close - and I don't wear glasses. Not a pleasant experience viewing thru them for me. Same with some other WA brands with similar eyepiece construction/diameter I have.

 

[Charlie Yardbird]

The only real drawback I see is that SOME of this model have “lost motion” in the focus mechanism. This can be a real headache for bird watchers. Also, because of the short eye relief, already mentioned, you might not get to enjoy the WIDE eye relief ... with OR without glasses.

Well, I bought a pair with a chipped prism, so cheaper. When it arrived, THREE chips and way out of collimation. Damage claim to USPS in progress. Do you still tinker with stuff like this? By lost motion in the focus, do you mean you turn the wheel a bit before anything happens to the focus, maybe only in some positions? What's the cure - repack the grease?

For practice I disassembled all of the CF focus parts on a cheap bin, cleaned & lubed with optical grease, and now I can't get it back together right; the wheel unscrews itself when it reaches the end of the "piston's" motion. I thought the screw on the other end prevented that ? What's the correct order of re-assembly?

The min. IPD on this measures 54mm so workable for my eyes. Probably losing some of the view, but that's the reason to buy the widest field I can find.