I am new to binoculars and purchased a pair of these used on ebay. I DO NOT know what I am doing but wanted a nice pair of binoculars for my backyard and while I am boating.
I am about to ask a question for which I expect some level ridicule. But these do not zoom at all, am I missing something or did I just get bamboozled?
The ZOOM Craze
Perhaps the most detrimental aspect associated with zoom binoculars relates not to the instrument’s poor performance but in how
some vendors promote their products.
I recently saw an ad for a XXXXXXX 20-180x100 binocular. The ad read in part:
“Never miss a thing with these binoculars from XXXXXXX. These quality optics feature an astounding 180-times zoom …”
As with so many other things related to optics importers know consumers love large numbers whether they represent anything of
value or not. And, too, we can see ad after ad for “Military ZOOM Binoculars,” because advertisers also know the more trusting
and vulnerable observers get excited at the suggestion they might have the opportunity to own a military instrument. Even so:
I DON’T KNOW OF ANY COUNTRY WITH A GNP OVER ABOUT $8.37 THAT WOULD PROVIDE THEIR MILITARY
WITH ZOOM BINOCULARS IN PLASTIC HOUSINGS AS STANDARD ISSUE.
Another ad for a “Military, One Touch, ZOOM binocular” promises: “See the color of an eagle’s eye ... from a mile away!”
Of course, with this cheap, NON-MILITARY, Chinese binocular, one would be hard-pressed to make out the whole eagle at that
distance ... on a wire ... with good seeing conditions ... on a bright day ... with a beautifully clear blue sky in the background.
Although my mother was illiterate, she was not stupid. As a child she taught me: “Figures don’t lie, but liars figure.”
Also, using the formulas touched on earlier, we see the exit pupil for this instrument would be slightly over ½ millimeter with eye
relief being virtually non-existent. Also, the advertised price was a little less than one might pay for a single, unmounted 100mm
objective lens from a reputable importer. :cat: