binoculars necessary?

[qiangf2]

This may be a dumb question, but how are you able to do that with the binocs and camera? :confused:

 

Just put the camera lens against the binocular eyepiece. You need to play with the zoom and focus a little bit. The binocular simply added as an external zoom that gives you extra 10x mag power. So if you have 3x zoom camera, in theory, you may achieve 30x optical zoom with this setup. Please see pictures in reply #37 and 46 in this thread on a semi- serious setup. You don't necessarily need those adapters as I have tried handholding them without any issue.

 

BTW, I only used small point-and-shooter camera on this setup. Haven't tried my dSLR yet. But I doubt it will ever work since the lens diameter of dSLR is much bigger than the eyepiece of binocular. But I could be wrong.

 

Hope this helps

[93ser]

I'm trying to setup my aiptek go-hd camcorder to record high def video through the zenray summit. I bought a camera adapter by celestron but only has a max height adjustment around 2.5", I need almost 4". I was wondering what the max height the adapter you have, from where the camera mounts and to the center of the binocular eyepiece. Thanks again for the info and your pics look great.

 

try this one at Bhphoto http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/403807-USA/Radian_DCARD2845_Small_Digiscoping_Adapter_f_.html

 

BTW, are you looking for tripod mount or camera mount? Here is one for tripod mount

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/339218-REG/Bushnell_161001CM_Binocular_Tripod_Adapter.html

 

There are other brands as well, but they all based on the same design. Mine is made by Zhumell. Depending on how big your binocular's eye piece is, you need to find the right size. I got 28-45mm version that fits perfectly for my Zen-Ray and Nikon binoculars. Hope this helps.

[qiangf2]

I'm trying to setup my aiptek go-hd camcorder to record high def video through the zenray summit. I bought a camera adapter by celestron but only has a max height adjustment around 2.5", I need almost 4". I was wondering what the max height the adapter you have, from where the camera mounts and to the center of the binocular eyepiece. Thanks again for the info and your pics look great.

 

I just did a quick measurement, the max height of mine is about 4.5"

 

But I am not sure whether the horizontal clearance is enough for your camcorder. My camcorder is too long to attach on the thread. The horizontal travel distance is about 2 1/4"

 

That would be really cool if you can get the camcorder and binocular work together. I cannot wait to see your results. BTW, I coined a name for this- BAD Photography for Binocular Assisted Digital Photography, instead of calling it digiscoping. Have fun! :)

[93ser]

Wow, thanks qiangf2 for taking the time to measure the adapter. It looks like it will work perfectly. I'll post some video when completed. Also I notice no vignette effect when fully zoomed, which is due to the small cmos lens.

 

I don't want to make any assumptions but could you verify that your using the Radian adapter you posted form B&H.

 

One more question, which tripod are you using. Is it compact and does wind effect the stability? I tried using an aluminum simi-compact tripod and the slightest amount of wind created instability.

 

Thanks again.

[qiangf2]

Wow, thanks qiangf2 for taking the time to measure the adapter. It looks like it will work perfectly. I'll post some video when completed. Also I notice no vignette effect when fully zoomed, which is due to the small cmos lens.

 

I don't want to make any assumptions but could you verify that your using the Radian adapter you posted form B&H.

 

One more question, which tripod are you using. Is it compact and does wind effect the stability? I tried using an aluminum simi-compact tripod and the slightest amount of wind created instability.

 

Thanks again.

 

Mine is zhumell. As long as you purchase 28-45mm version, it will do fine. The tripod I used is a heavy duty sunpak 7500. It might be a overkill. But I do appreciate the added stability. Did you find a tripod mount to link up to the binocular?

[qiangf2]

It looks like it will work perfectly. I'll post some video when completed.

 

93ser, I am curious to see your work on digiscoping with camcorder. I went birding last weekend and met someone who was doing exactly what you were trying to do. He even used a digital video output from his camcorder to feed live signal to a 7inch LCD DVD player so all of us bystanders can have a good view. :) that's quite an eye opening experience.

[cajun-crazy]

Dave - since you brought this thread back up, I have a quick question for you.

 

I have trouble seeing in low light conditions. Actually, I should say I see much better in higher light conditions. Anyway, what feature is it I need to look for in binoculars that might help that?

 

Thanks

[qiangf2]

Dave - since you brought this thread back up, I have a quick question for you.

 

I have trouble seeing in low light conditions. Actually, I should say I see much better in higher light conditions. Anyway, what feature is it I need to look for in binoculars that might help that?

 

Thanks

 

Cajun-crazy, there are basically two things that will determine the brightness of your viewing field:

 

1. The exit pupil: the ratio of objective lens diameter divided by magnification power. A 4mm is minimal I will go. A 10x42 has a exit pupil of 4.2mm.

 

2. The optical coating. You should consider Fully Multi-coated (FMC)optics. In terms of coating quality, Green coating is best (someone mentioned earlier that slight hue of blue or purple makes it even better). Only FMC has anti-reflection coating on every glass/air interface. When everything else is same, the quality of coating will make a huge difference.

 

Under bright condition, your binocular brightness is not the limiter because human eye pupils will shrink to reduce the light into the eyes. But once in a poorly lit condition, our pupils will be wide open. The quality of optics will make the difference. Hopefully, this helps.

[TomAndJane]

I hate to sound stupid but here goes the stupid question:

 

I have a old pair that is 7 X 35 with a viewing range of 393 ft at 1000 yards. What would be the difference if I had a new pair that is 10 X 50 with a viewing range of 300 ft at 1000 yards assuming that the lenses are fully coated? I am not an expert on this topic and I know that the first number means that you are X times closer to the object but isn't a larger viewing field what you need in Alaska????

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[qiangf2]

I hate to sound stupid but here goes the stupid question:

 

I have a old pair that is 7 X 35 with a viewing range of 393 ft at 1000 yards. What would be the difference if I had a new pair that is 10 X 50 with a viewing range of 300 ft at 1000 yards assuming that the lenses are fully coated? I am not an expert on this topic and I know that the first number means that you are X times closer to the object but isn't a larger viewing field what you need in Alaska????

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

Tom, it is all about finding a good compromise. Yes, 7x has larger field of view than 10x since it has less zoom. The size of objective lens has less to do with field of view than with the brightness. Often time, you will find a 10x28 binoculars has silimar field of view as 10x42 in a same product model, but significantly dimmer than the latter. Having a large field of view is important, but it is also equally important to have a decent magnification simply because of the vastness of Alaska (a lot of wildlife is pretty far). That's why many people here recommend at least 8x for power, although I personally prefer 10x.

[LynneL]

Now that I'm reading everyone saying you must bring binoculars, I'd love to get a pair but will prob. only be using them for this one week cruise Alaska cruise & don't really want to spend a lot. (had a pair of them in my house for years & sold them at a garage sale because we never once used them).

 

So - is there any recommendation for a pair that would be about $80 that would be adequate enough?

[dhmom99]

I am a novice user and just bought a pair of 10x42 Zen-Ray Vista for my DH for this upcoming cruise after reading some reviews. It is much better than the one my DH had for many years. He absolutely loves it. It costs about $89. It also comes with a free lens cleaning pen, which I still need to figure out how to use it.:o

here is the link

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=207

 

Also, my SIL says she uses a pair of Leupold 6x30 and likes it. She bought it for about $100.

[LynneL]

I am a novice user and just bought a pair of 10x42 Zen-Ray Vista for my DH for this upcoming cruise after reading some reviews. It is much better than the one my DH had for many years. He absolutely loves it. It costs about $89. It also comes with a free lens cleaning pen, which I still need to figure out how to use it.:o

here is the link

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=207

 

Also, my SIL says she uses a pair of Leupold 6x30 and likes it. She bought it for about $100.

 

Thank you for that link. I'm making my Christmas Wish List right now & leaving it on the desk - lol.

[bmcc]

It might be a dumb question. My father has a pocket 12x25 binoculars. Will it be good for watching wild animals in Alaska?

[Lookingforfacts]

It looks like waterproof binnoculars, 7-10X42 are what I should be looking for.

 

Overstock has some binnoculars by Rikinon. Adoroma and BandH have a variety of models by Bushnell, Simmons, Tasco, Meade.

 

The Zen-Ray binnoculars suggested by some are about twice the going price for similar models by Bushnell. The Zen-Ray models aren't reviewed in many places. I'm trying to figure out if I'm paying double the price for Z-R for Bushnell quality or paying half the price of Nikon for similar quality.

[plenox]

My brother just got a pair of 8x42 zen-ray VISTA. He also had a pair of Bushnell Legend (10x42). We were looking at them side by side last night and couldn't see much difference optically. They are both bright and crisp clear. The only visible difference is that Bushnell can lock the diopter ring, which I think is a great feature. The Vista is about $100 and he paid about $300 for the bushnell. I think it is a really good deal.

[knittingGal]

We were glad we took our 8x42 zen-ray with us. They are good glasses. Many wildlife are too far away to see with our naked eyes. While doing some portion of inside passage cruise, we scanned the water and actually found many sea birds flying near the water surface. They don't appear to us until we picked up our binoculars.

[Excited to go crusing]

Ok I'm the oddball here. We bought binoculars just for our cruise to Alaska, but I hardly used them, I have vision problems & found it hard to keep them up, even though they wee lightweight ones. SO I didn't really use them, DH did,, & saw some whales in the distance with them, Overall, it wasn't worth the money for how much we used them, we did keep them on the window sill so we could grab them any time.

[Putterdude]

Ok I'm the oddball here. We bought binoculars just for our cruise to Alaska, but I hardly used them, I have vision problems & found it hard to keep them up, even though they wee lightweight ones. SO I didn't really use them, DH did,, & saw some whales in the distance with them, Overall, it wasn't worth the money for how much we used them, we did keep them on the window sill so we could grab them any time.

 

No you are not the oddball at all, some people have real difficulty with binoculars, I happened to be married to one. But for most, you will see a lot more, particularly in Alaska, with binoculars then with without.

[vbmom87]

It might be a dumb question. My father has a pocket 12x25 binoculars. Will it be good for watching wild animals in Alaska?

 

Those won't be good enough. Most of the wildlife you see will be at a distance. You are going to need something more powerful to get a closer look at the animals.

 

My DH and I did enjoy having the binoculars with us. However, my sister found them a bother. She really wasn't that interested in seeing things up close. So, it really depends on you and what your priorities are.

[knorrisb07]

Those won't be good enough. Most of the wildlife you see will be at a distance. You are going to need something more powerful to get a closer look at the animals.

 

My DH and I did enjoy having the binoculars with us. However, my sister found them a bother. She really wasn't that interested in seeing things up close. So, it really depends on you and what your priorities are.

 

Like vbmom87, I think your binoculars will be too small, not bright enough for wildlife viewing. We took our bushnell elite2 and zen-ray summit. They are both fullsize ones. Many people on our cruise do not care much about scenery or wildlife. They spent more time in the casino or shopping seminar than anything else. It is really a personal priority issue. If you enjoy seeing wildlife and want to see more, make sure bring one.

[bmcc]

Those won't be good enough. Most of the wildlife you see will be at a distance. You are going to need something more powerful to get a closer look at the animals.

 

My DH and I did enjoy having the binoculars with us. However, my sister found them a bother. She really wasn't that interested in seeing things up close. So, it really depends on you and what your priorities are.

 

Thanks. I think we will have to get some new pairs since it is really hard for us to use any way. We are going to get a pair of VISTA. It seems everyone likes it.

[dhmom99]

Thanks. I think we will have to get some new pairs since it is really hard for us to use any way. We are going to get a pair of VISTA. It seems everyone likes it.

 

Yes, we have one of them for over a year and really like it. It is a great buy. There is a coupon code on their website to save $10 for new customers.

[plenox]

Yes, we have one of them for over a year and really like it. It is a great buy. There is a coupon code on their website to save $10 for new customers.

 

Yes, that's the one my brother got for their trip.

[bmcc]

Got a pair of 8x42 VISTA for DH as Christmas gift and he was so happy with it. Now, he wants to get me a pair of 10x binoculars so both of us will have our own during our July cruise next year. However, I am still concerned about too much hand shake from high power binoculars. Is a tripod adapter like this going to solve my problem?

 

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=236

 

 

http://www.opticsplanet.net/alpen-binocular-tripod-adapter-153.html

 

Thanks a lot for your help.