binoculars

Clay Taylor CTaylor at swarovskioptik.com
Sun Jul 1 09:32:01 EDT 2001


    It's not the power that's important, it's the close-focus ability AND
the quality of the image.  A four-foot close-focus is worthless if the image
is terrible (poor sharpness, inaccurate colors, etc.), and optical standouts
that only let you get 15 feet from the butterfly are not much better.

    Mechanically, it is much easier (and cheaper) to design close-focus
capability into a compact binocular (a 20 to 32mm front objective size) than
a 42mm binocular.   That's why there are so few 8x42s and 10x42s on the
market that focus closer than 10 feet, and there are NO x50s or x56s.   The
ones that do are pretty expensive - Swarovski ELs (~$1400), B&L Elites
(~$800), Kahles (~$650), the newer Leicas (~$1100), Pentax WPs (~$550), etc.
The only logical reason to buy a compact is because of its small size and
weight - a full-size of the same price will give far better performance.

    Since we are generally doing our butterflying during sunny days, the
binocular's exit pupil size is not a big factor, since our eye pupil
contracts in the brightness.  However, the bigger objective lens size means
that the image has better resolution (it's linear - a 40mm binocular will
have DOUBLE the sharpness of a 20mm).  That means you will see finer details
on a butterfly / dragonfly with a 42mm vs. a 32mm from the same distance.
That advantage carries over into the birding world, where the bigger exit
pupil gives a brighter image in poor lighting conditions (the norm in
birding).

    OK, so choice #1 is price, and choice #2 is size.  NOW you can worry
about power.  Logically, you would opt for a high-power, close-focusing
unit.  However, the SMALLER the binocular is, the HARDER it is to hold
steady.  Also, if you wear eyeglasses, a low-power model should have a
longer eye-relief and a wider field of view - it does you no good if you
can't locate what you want to look at.

    Having sold binoculars at retail for many years, I have seen too many
people fall into the "Tim Taylor Syndrome (More Power!...huh, huh, huh...)"
(he's no relation of mine, that's for sure), and never get a good look at
what they want to see.  Also, some people can hold a binocular with less
shake, so a 10x gives better results, while others benefit greatly from
stepping down to an 8x or 7x model.

    In other words, listen carefully to the recommendations of others, and
then TRY THE BINOCULAR OUT FOR YOURSELF!  What works for them may not work
for you.

    My own choice?  E-mail me offline, 'cause I have an unfair advantage on
the subject.

Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor at worldnet.att.net

----- Original Message -----
From: <sebrez at webtv.net>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 7:35 AM
Subject: binoculars


> What would be an ideal power binocular, if any, to observe butterflies?
>
>
>
> mail to: sebrez at webtv.net
>
>
>
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