What to do…water in Porros? (1 Viewer)

[Quak]

Hey Everyone,

Recently picked up a couple pairs of Porros after falling in love with them. I tried a habicht…up until then I’d only used roof prism types. Well…I’m hooked and have sold off the roofs.

I’ve got a habicht and an e ii Nikon and couldn’t be happier. Of the two the Nikon is my personal fav by a small margin but I’m concerned about it’s lack of water and dust resistance.

I will using these in cold weather and damp conditions both birding and hiking and am concerned about not only water but condensation. What is the proper fix should they get moisture inside? If just left to dry will it leave residue? Also, what’s the best way to avoid mold issues?

These will never be subjected to a downpour but would be used in wet conditions tucked under my jacket etc. fwiw

 

[WJC]

Hey Everyone,

Recently picked up a couple pairs of poros after falling in love with them. I tried a habicht…up until then I’d only used roof prism types. Well…I’m hooked and have sold off the roofs.

I’ve got a habicht and an e ii Nikon and couldn’t be happier. Of the two the Nikon is my personal fav by a small margin but I’m concerned about it’s lack of water and dust resistance.

I will using these in cold weather and damp conditions both birding and hiking and am concerned about not only water but condensation. What is the proper fix should they get moisture inside? If just left to dry will it leave residue? Also, what’s the best way to avoid mold issues?

These will never be subjected to a downpour but would be used in wet conditions tucked under my jacket etc. fwiw

Porros. Ignazio Porro, 1801-1875.

 

[Quak]

Massive help…thank you

 

[WJC]

Massive help…thank you

More than you think.

 

[PYRTLE]

Practically, all you can do is to prevent prolonged use in damp and humid conditions but I guess that defeats the intended purpose. Storing them after use in rain - outside of the case somewhere well ventillated and ambient for a couple of days, then back in the case with a satchet of silica.
Good luck

 

[WJC]

Hey Everyone,

Recently picked up a couple pairs of poros after falling in love with them. I tried a habicht…up until then I’d only used roof prism types. Well…I’m hooked and have sold off the roofs.

I’ve got a habicht and an e ii Nikon and couldn’t be happier. Of the two the Nikon is my personal fav by a small margin but I’m concerned about it’s lack of water and dust resistance.

I will using these in cold weather and damp conditions both birding and hiking and am concerned about not only water but condensation. What is the proper fix should they get moisture inside? If just left to dry will it leave residue? Also, what’s the best way to avoid mold issues?

These will never be subjected to a downpour but would be used in wet conditions tucked under my jacket etc. fwiw

Dear Frozen One,

I really don’t think your “MI” was short for Miami; I have lived at Benton Harbor, Coloma, and Watervliet.

At the time I commented, I was working on two other posts for Birdforum—generating graphics for one—and working on a book. Even so, I’ll bet you wouldn’t want to have YOUR name misspelled or the first letter not capitalized ... right?

Pyrtle gave you good advice. I have no need to worry about moisture. But, I would do the same; zip-lock bag and a silica pouch. You can probably get a silica pouch from your local camera store. It is quite rainy in the Seattle area, but I never had a problem with an eII, and although I sold many Habichts, I don’t recall any coming back for moisture problems.

One thing that makes the rounds on binocular forums is that if you get moisture inside you should position the instrument facing the sun. This has limited value and can be damaging. It can cause the canada balsam (not Canadian balsam) in the objective (As often as not, today’s binos use thermosetting plastic in the objective) to start breaking down. And the field stop is very vulnerable to warping and melting if plastic or getting hot and melting other parts if metal.

 

[Quak]

Dear Frozen One,

I really don’t think your “MI” was short for Miami; I have lived at Benton Harbor, Coloma, and Watervliet.

At the time I commented, I was working on two other posts for Birdforum—generating graphics for one—and working on a book. Even so, I’ll bet you wouldn’t want to have YOUR name misspelled or the first letter not capitalized ... right?

Pyrtle gave you good advice. I have no need to worry about moisture. But, I would do the same; zip-lock bag and a silica pouch. You can probably get a silica pouch from your local camera store. It is quite rainy in the Seattle area, but I never had a problem with an eII, and although I sold many Habichts, I don’t recall any coming back for moisture problems.

One thing that makes the rounds on binocular forums is that if you get moisture inside you should position the instrument facing the sun. This has limited value and can be damaging. It can cause the canada balsam (not Canadian balsam) in the objective (As often as not, today’s binos use thermosetting plastic in the objective) to start breaking down. And the field stop is very vulnerable to warping and melting if plastic or getting hot and melting other parts if metal.

150 years after my death...i doubt id care HAHAHA. That said I do appreciate your response and yes my error was pretty funny. My initial post was posted from my phone...part of the charm of the modern world i suppose. I could give you better examples of my grammatical errors but I'm sure they will expose themselves lol.

In your opinion do you think I will have fogging issues in the extreme cold? Im pretty far north of the 45th parallel and see temps every year around the -20 to -30f mark. With my roof prism bins I've not had problems with internal fogging or with moisture etc but this is a new arena for me.

Im honestly more concerned with water and water spots inside the bins and dust. These will be my primary glasses. I don't plan open exposure to water but at the same time i dont want to baby these.

 

[BKoh]

I’ve got a habicht and an e ii Nikon and couldn’t be happier. Of the two the Nikon is my personal fav by a small margin but I’m concerned about it’s lack of water and dust resistance.

I will using these in cold weather and damp conditions both birding and hiking and am concerned about not only water but condensation. What is the proper fix should they get moisture inside? If just left to dry will it leave residue? Also, what’s the best way to avoid mold issues?

These will never be subjected to a downpour but would be used in wet conditions tucked under my jacket etc. fwiw

In your place, I would simply stick to the Habicht and avoid using the EII in wet conditions. Otherwise, if you are prepared for eventual replacement of the EII, use it as you describe and budget accordingly. You might still get lucky and never need to replace it.

 

[14Goudvink]

I wouldn't worry too much. I've been using the E2s as my primary bins for years and have had zero dust or moisture inside and the Netherlands can get pretty humid at times. They are well sealed and have withstood short periods of light rain without any issues. Coming in from the damp and cold I let them acclimatise in an unheated room for a few hours, just to be sure.

In the unfortunate case that they develop any issues these uncomplicated porro designs are easy to clean or repair by a skilled technician.

In my experience you don't need to baby these bins, just take sensible precautions in heavy rain or very dusty conditions.


George

 

[Patudo]

I suppose that is the price of love. But if you've got a more modern Habicht (waterproof) you should be able to use it like any modern roof. Swarovski did a good job bringing it into the modern era. Use the EII on nice days. They probably don't need to be stored in a dry box unless humidity in your area is exceptionally high - somewhere dry at room temperature ought to be OK. Maybe after a decade or so they may need an internal clean, but worry about that when/if it happens.

Enjoy your pooorrrrrros!

 

[WJC]

150 years after my death...i doubt id care HAHAHA. That said I do appreciate your response and yes my error was pretty funny. My initial post was posted from my phone...part of the charm of the modern world i suppose. I could give you better examples of my grammatical errors but I'm sure they will expose themselves lol.

In your opinion do you think I will have fogging issues in the extreme cold? Im pretty far north of the 45th parallel and see temps every year around the -20 to -30f mark. With my roof prism bins I've not had problems with internal fogging or with moisture etc but this is a new arena for me.

Im honestly more concerned with water and water spots inside the bins and dust. These will be my primary glasses. I don't plan open exposure to water but at the same time i dont want to baby these.

For 35 years, I lived a few hundred miles NORTH of you, in the Seattle area. But because of the location of the Jet Stream, we NEVER got that cold.

I can say, in the fall, I have seen night after night of heavy fog hugging the ground in southern Michigan. But, having said that, I can also say that I don’t go bird watching at night or in those conditions, external fogging wouldn’t allow it. So, I will just defer to what’s already been said. You have two good Porros. When not being used, keep them in zip-lock bags with pouches of silica gel and go birding when you are APT to actually see a bird or two.