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Binoculars & Spotting Scopes
Binoculars
Vintage binoculars, what is good?
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<blockquote data-quote="orbitaljump" data-source="post: 1465355" data-attributes="member: 34145"><p>The Nippon Kogakus are good. 8x30, 7x35, 9x35</p><p></p><p>Swift also has a lot of good glass from yesteryear. </p><p></p><p>Bushnell Rangemasters, Customs and Featherlights (Banners arent uniformly great, but I do have a liking for the wide angle 7x35 Banners)</p><p></p><p>B&L Zephyrs and Discoverers (Zephyrs are better) Im partial to the US made Zephyrs, but the Japanese made ones are good as well.</p><p></p><p>Celestron Nova series</p><p></p><p>Kowa classic vintage porros</p><p></p><p>Fuji Meibo</p><p></p><p>Pentax Marine</p><p></p><p>Yashica</p><p></p><p>Tasco 1** and 4** series </p><p></p><p>Carl Schulz</p><p></p><p>Taylor Mark 2</p><p></p><p>Mayflower</p><p></p><p>Sans & Steriffe (9** series especially)</p><p></p><p>Sears Discoverer Wide Angles are better than most Sears and used a different manufacturer Hyoshi. These are similar to the Chinon wide angles that have the odd shaped bodies.....very large prism housings and prisms.</p><p></p><p>Jason Statesman series and Venture 4000 and MagnaVu</p><p></p><p>Some Atco....some Atcos use Swifts prime manufacturer Hyoshi</p><p></p><p>Some older Bell & Howells</p><p></p><p>Some Selsi and Empire</p><p></p><p>A lot of stuff is hit and miss. Totally off brand no name stuff can be pretty impressive....however digging around the bin, can be rewarding. Just be ready for some disappointments. Ask lots of questions about the condition of the binoculars, interior scuzz, collimation, being most important.</p><p></p><p>Generally speaking, often the older stuff is better, into the 70s they started cheapening production down, which can be seen in bodies with the introduction of plastics and construction shortcuts. Selsi and Empire are prime examples of this. And that is why they disappeared. Others went with lower and upper quality lines. Bushnell is an example of this.</p><p></p><p>I had a Kalimar 7x50, (that I gave away), it had a standard 7.1 degree FOV and Bk7 prisms, however it was very sharp and well built. Zeiss body style. Ive been tempted to try a 7x35 by the them. However they also have plasticky junk. Look for the classic porro body with good materials...often you can tell by the pics.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orbitaljump, post: 1465355, member: 34145"] The Nippon Kogakus are good. 8x30, 7x35, 9x35 Swift also has a lot of good glass from yesteryear. Bushnell Rangemasters, Customs and Featherlights (Banners arent uniformly great, but I do have a liking for the wide angle 7x35 Banners) B&L Zephyrs and Discoverers (Zephyrs are better) Im partial to the US made Zephyrs, but the Japanese made ones are good as well. Celestron Nova series Kowa classic vintage porros Fuji Meibo Pentax Marine Yashica Tasco 1** and 4** series Carl Schulz Taylor Mark 2 Mayflower Sans & Steriffe (9** series especially) Sears Discoverer Wide Angles are better than most Sears and used a different manufacturer Hyoshi. These are similar to the Chinon wide angles that have the odd shaped bodies.....very large prism housings and prisms. Jason Statesman series and Venture 4000 and MagnaVu Some Atco....some Atcos use Swifts prime manufacturer Hyoshi Some older Bell & Howells Some Selsi and Empire A lot of stuff is hit and miss. Totally off brand no name stuff can be pretty impressive....however digging around the bin, can be rewarding. Just be ready for some disappointments. Ask lots of questions about the condition of the binoculars, interior scuzz, collimation, being most important. Generally speaking, often the older stuff is better, into the 70s they started cheapening production down, which can be seen in bodies with the introduction of plastics and construction shortcuts. Selsi and Empire are prime examples of this. And that is why they disappeared. Others went with lower and upper quality lines. Bushnell is an example of this. I had a Kalimar 7x50, (that I gave away), it had a standard 7.1 degree FOV and Bk7 prisms, however it was very sharp and well built. Zeiss body style. Ive been tempted to try a 7x35 by the them. However they also have plasticky junk. Look for the classic porro body with good materials...often you can tell by the pics. [/QUOTE]
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