Binoculars

[FirstFreedom]

Bravo

Excellent review, loaded with good information, and of course I'm most pleased that you are happy with my recommendation - I think we may be creating a bit of a buzz on the Yosemite - I've already got two in-laws who have bought one after looking through them, on my recommendation.

 

[black bear 84]

First Freedom,
Thank you, I am very impress with the quality of Leupold glasses, and even more with the low price of the Yosemite.

Here is my latest purchase.


LEUPOLD KATMAI 6X32
BINOCULARS

I must be off my rocker. I have binoculars coming out of my ears and I just went out and ordered another.

This time the culprit that captured my heart is the Leupold Wind River Katmai binoculars, a roof prism model that is quite compact and light but offers superior viewing compared to full sized premium binoculars.

I had seen them before in catalogues such as Cabela’s and Red Head, but I never got interested because I thought they were only available in 8x32.
Having recently bought the Leupold Yosemite 6x30 binoculars, I became interested in seeing what others models they offered and discovered that the Katmai were also available in 6x32.

The reason that I am particular about the six power binoculars is that they offer a perfect magnification for the kind of close woods hunting I do.
When available in the 32 mm sized objectives, I am getting a 5.33 mm of exit pupil, giving good quality optics; the right pupil opening for the low light condition that I often glass under. I never saw any reason to own them in 8x32, as I will be getting only a 4 mm of eye pupil: no doubt good for daylight, but no good for the use I put binoculars through.
If I am going to use an eight power, then it will have to have 42 mm objectives to give me 5.25 mm of eye pupil. I already have two great pairs of glasses in that size (the Pentax and the Nikon) and I use them often, but the new Leupold Katmai is going to fulfill the same task, using less bulk and weight, which is important for me in certain instances.

Here is a picture of them together so you can appreciate the size difference. From left to right: the Leupold Yosemite 6x30 Porro prisms, the Leuopold Katmai 6x32, the Nikon Monarch 8x42, and the Pentax DCF 8x42.

I am fifty miles from New York City, so it is not possible for me to go to check binoculars every time I have a whim for them (and it happens often), so I ordered the Katmai over the mail knowing that you will not always get something over the mail that will fulfill your expectations. No such problem occurred with the Katmai binoculars, though: they are great and exactly what I expected them to be for a glass of this price and more.

I performed the usual checks and was amply satisfied with the optical quality and mechanical precision of the glasses. The ergonomics are also great for a glass of this size, and I was well pleased with my purchase.
One aspect of this purchase is worth mentioning: when looking at the Katmai 8x32 that Cabela's and Red Head have in their catalogues, the price for them was hovering around $400 to $420. I bought the Katmai 6x32 over the web for $289 shipped.
Now the question is how they compare optically with the lower priced ($98) Porro prism Leupold Yosemite binoculars, and if the $200 difference is noticeable in the optical quality.
If that difference is there, I can’t notice it! Both glasses performed well in my low light test and both are sharp and with enough resolution to satisfy the most rabid birdie.
We all know that roof prisms are more expensive and difficult to make well, so part of the money goes toward that end, perhaps of influence in the price is the fact that the Katmai are made in Japan and the Yosemite in China; we know that our money buys more Yuan than Yen.

So what is going to happen to the Yosemite 6x32 now that my new love is the Katmai? No problem on that end, since my son already declared ownership of the Yosemite, as he recently took them on a trip to Florida’s Everglades, using them in the Aninha trail and in the Flamingo point.
He came back saying, “Dad, you will never these back; they are great glasses!” Now if I can just hide the Katmai from him until he goes to college in September, I will be fine.

For those that don’t understand the obsession that possesses me, I am here to tell you that there is nothing better than to look through quality glasses. I am just in a rush to finish typing this to go and sit in my patio and look for the red-tailed hawk that has been visiting us here lately.

Cheers,
Black Bear

 

[FirstFreedom]

Black Bear, those Loopy Katmais look aweseome - I also didn't know they came in a 6x, which I would be interested in - definitely very light & small - sounds like you got a good deal too. I doubt I'd pay full retail price for those, but at that reduced price they'd be tempting. Thanks again for the great review. Now get back on your rocker and stop shopping!

 

[black bear 84]

FirstFreedom,
Thank you buddy, yes I am very happy with them, at 19 oz they are a joy to hang from my neck the whole day long, an improvement from my Pentax 8x 40mm @ 28 oz.

THE BUSHNELL CUSTOM COMPACT 6X BY 25 MM BINOCULAR​

Hi guys,
This is for all the old timers that bought small binoculars in the 70’s.

This was the most popular and highly regarded binoculars in the decade of the seventies and beyond, five guys in my hunting club had them, I bought one in the middle seventies and another for my wife a couple of years later.

Mine had the center screw hinge attachment for the strap and my wife’s was a little more modern with the strap attachments on the side of the body.

In the pictures you can see my wife’s binocular with the optional rubber covering that was sold by Bushnell, it makes the binocular appear a little bigger, but it was a great noise reducer and helped with grasping the small binocular.
It will be a surprise to many to learn that the Custom Compact is still made today by Bushnell, in a slightly changed outside appearance, with a street price of about $220USD.
However they sell the 7x26, instead of the six powers. I consider the six power a better magnification for small binoculars as the exit pupil is 4.16 mm, a much better aperture for looking under low light conditions.


http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-7x26mm-custom-compact-binoculars-120726.html


Hope you guys have enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
All the best


Black Bear

 

[black bear 84]

COMPACT BINOCULARS

​

Hi guys,
Many people will think that because I am advocating full-sized binoculars most of the time, I don’t have any use for the small, light, and compact binoculars that are so popular in the market.

This is not the case at all! I use them and enjoy the lightness and small size when the occasion is favorable.
Actually, if you are not into serious birding or need a full-sized binocular to evaluate elk antlers at last light, the small compact binoculars make a lot of sense.

Take, for example, initiating my European vacation starting at London about ten years ago. I decided that I needed a small binocular that would fit into my already nearly full camera bag.
I found my price in Portobello Road, a small reverse Porro prisms 8x by 24 mm Pentax binocular. Perhaps you are not familiar with what a reverse Porro prisms is; in this class of binoculars (to make it compact), the designers invert the relation of the barrels and oculars. The objectives are actually very close together, and the big separation is in the ocular lenses.

The Pentax has the diopter adjustment in the right barrel, like other modern binoculars, this particular model comes very well coated with magnesium fluoride for good light transmission and the focusing of the binoculars is all done internally, unlike other Porro prisms, which means that there aren't moving parts that can bring dirt or moisture inside.
The unit is rubber coated and weighs 10 oz. My steel tape says that it is 3 ¾" long by 3 ½" wide. A well constructed and solid unit, as you can see in the pictures.

I haven’t seen this particular model in the Pentax line lately, but I don’t doubt that what they are putting out to replace it is as good as the model I have, which has been tested in many hikes and been under rain when accidentally left for two days hanging from a branch at the top of a ridge.

Best regards,

Black Bear

 

[FirstFreedom]

Thanks for the update. I will say that the more time I spend in the woods, the more I appreciate the greater depth of field of the porro prisms - the less focusing I have to do, the better, so spot game and such. I see little to no reason to get a roofie, and every reason to get a porro.

BTW, www.opticsplanet.com is "having a sale" right now...click around on "clearance" or "sale" links and there's some decent deals, even on stuff like Trijicon ACOG and Loop Mark 4 scopes.

 

[black bear 84]

NIGHT OWL 4X NIGHT VISION
COMPACT BINOCULARS

I have owned this night vision binoculars for about seven years. They are made in Russia and feature the first generation of Russian intensifiers tubes that are so popular lately.

It is my understanding that the Russian tubes were not of new manufacturing, but surplus tubes were released into the market. My first unit of these binoculars had a tube that was much dimmer than the other; however the Night Owl Company quickly exchanged them at my request.

As you probably you already know, unlike the older infrared night vision technology, the intensifier tubes do just that: intensify the light that is available (up to 30,000 times according to the instructions) and if ambient light is present, it doesn’t depend on the attached infrared emitter that is placed on top of the binoculars as an extension of the center pivot.

The binoculars enlarge the image transmitted to the oculars by 4 times. Not exactly a long-range pair of binoculars, but really very useful at short distances.

The Infrared emitter has a separate button for its operation. It is not really full infrared (infrared light is invisible) but a good amount of red shows out of the lens of the tube, making the fact that you are watching with them noticeable to humans. For game it really doesn’t matter, as most animals are blind to the red spectrum of light.

When used with a truly blind infrared powerful source (I just rigged a BOREALIS 1050 lumens flashlight ~2 million candlepower~ with a surplus Israeli jeep infrared filter) the binocular can easily “see” 300 yards away in total darkness.

The glasses weigh 31 oz., which isn't bad for a binocular that is 6 ¼ long by 6 ½ wide and 1 ¾ thick. The barrels of the objective adjust for focus individually. The adjustment is very smooth and easy to move; likewise, the ocular also has an adjustment that is individual to each eye, and it is not a center focus adjustment wheel, like in regular binoculars.

The metal screw in caps covering the objectives have a little pin hole to limit the amount of light that will enter if the binoculars are used during the day, which is mostly done to make adjustments for distance and focus previous to the projected night use. Those metal caps are noisy to unscrew or screw them, so if you're using them when game is near, I recommend replacing them with Buttler Creek or similar spring loaded binocular caps.


The power is supplied by a Lithium 123 3 volts battery that is loaded from the rear where the hinge is in the binoculars. These batteries are more popular than ever, thanks to the amount of tactical flashlights that make use of them.
This is better than the present problem I have of trying to find a number 1 battery for my Israeli surplus infrared night vision goggle (and by the way, if one of you readers know a source for such battery, please let me know).

For a first generation unit, the Night Owl 4x Compact is a very good binocular, well thought-out in its design and construction, with rubber covering to make gripping easier and to deaden game spooking noises. When I first bought them my son was 10 years old and interested in watching game, so we spent a few enjoyable nights watching deer eating apples at the tree and watching over a bear bait in upper Maine, just to see what was showing up. To all you fathers out there, those kinds of memories can last a lifetime and tend to be the greatest ones, especially when that same son is now a college student and interested in watching other types of game. So cherish them well.
Best regards,

Black Bear

 

[FirstFreedom]

BB, thanks once again for that excellent review on the Night Owls.

Your prior reviews on compacts got me a little stirred up, and so in the last 2 hours I have bought and brought home a pair of Steiner "Safari" 8x30s - very similar to the Military & Marine 8x30s. These were on sale at Bass Pro for $149 plus tax. They are $189.99 at OpticsPlanet. What intrigued me the most was the "auto-focus" (so-called) feature. I tested them out in the store while ago before buying. Seems to work well. You adjust BOTH eyepiece to be clear at 50 yards, and they voila, they are in focus at 20 yards to infinity. They are NOT in focus at short distances, but you CAN focus them down to 5 yards or so with the eyepiece adjustments, albeit with messing with both rather than a single adjustment knob.

Now, I have 2 compacts - the Leupold Yosemite 6x30 is good for woods hunting, and these Steiner 8x30s, being a little more powerful, will be better for a lightweight porro for more open country hunting, and/or in the snow or really bright days where glare is a problem, since these Safaris have a special coating with UV-blocking properties - Here's the description of the Steiners:

Equip yourself for outdoor adventure with the glare and UV blocking optics of the Steiner Safari series binoculars.
You've just reached the timberline and as you stop for a short break, you see something move above the glacial snow in the distance. The sun is high and thereflection is intense, but as you raise the new Steiner 8 x 30 mm Safari Binoculars to your eyes, you get a cool, comfortable look at a Golden Eagle cruising above theglacier looking for his lunch. Steiner's redesigned Safari Binoculars series blocks UV light and cuts glare like the best sunglasses to give you a cool, comfortable image on snow, sand or sea.
All Steiner Safari models include Steiner BAK-4 optics and improved color fidelity, let you choose binoculars to fit your needs exactly, from seaside to the mountaintops at a surprisingly affordable price. All Steiner Safari models are built to last through decades of rugged use, and are resistant to rain and resistant to shock.

The Steiner 8 x 30 Binocular is the perfect all purpose outdoor companion, small and light enough to travel easily, yet powerful enough to put you in the middle of the action. The 8 x 30 Safari Binocular is designed like our versatile Military/Marine binoculars, but with greater glare- and UV- blockingability, and new profiled "wrap-around" eyecups to block distractingside light. They feature Steiner's convenient Sports Auto-Focus that, once set for your eyes, gives you a sharp, clear view of everything from 20 yards to infinity without further adjustment.


Specifications for Steiner Safari 8x30 Binocular 442:

Item no.: 442
Field of View: 360 ft. at 1,000 yds.
Eye Relief: 20 mm
Weight: 18 oz
Warranty: 10-year limited


Features of Steiner Safari 8x30 Binocular 442:

blocks UV light (nearly 100% UV-A and UV-B)
cuts glare
unique lens coating
10-year limited warranty

http://www.opticsplanet.net/steiner-8x30-safari.html

I will post pics and a review on these after I compare them to the Yosemites; stay tuned...

 

[SIGSHR]

I have found these messages very interesting. I have a nice collection of
binoculars (18 pairs). Most of which I have bought at local thrift shops for
$20 apiece. I keep saying I will get a pair of Svarovski "some day" (their Habicht model-I like the traditional styling.). I often think that for field or
knock about use the inexpensive item is better-doesn't hurt as much when
you get it dirty or get knocks and scratches, and definitetly doesn't hurt as much if-gasp!-you lose it. Most of my pairs are 1960-70s Japanese quality,
mechanically sound and solid and the optical quality seems fine to my probably unsophisticated eyes. One of my favorites are my 1979 K-Mart "Siam Cat" 7x50s with green rubber coating. And I wonder how much of
modern coatings, etc., really make a difference? Some of my best bird, plane
watching and moon gazing have been through my 2 pairs of ex-USN WWII
vintage 7x50s. (U.S. made binculars-what an idea?!) The optical quality seems fine to me, and it's like hunting with a milsurp-you have history in
your hands. I do have 2 pairs of the Russian made "Soviet Army" style
rubber armored binoculars (bought mail order from LAN Optics)-optical quality
excellent, they have individual focusing eye pieces (I wear glasses-nearsighted).