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#142579 - 08/02/08 01:57 AM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: falcon5000]
firefly99 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/28/06
Posts: 58
Originally Posted By: falcon5000
I wonder if these are any good?

http://countycomm.com/optics.htm



This monocular is a copy of a famous German one that you have probably seen in some of the fine optical houses, but who can afford over a hundred dollars for peeking with just one eye. These copies are so good that you will buy several and give them as gifts. What a hero you will be. You can afford to own several and leave them where you will use them instead of locking them up in your safe afraid they may get lost or damaged. These are good quality at a great price. These rate a 10 in coolness factor. Overall quality is a 9+ due to its Japanese glass optics, aluminum body and rubber-focusing ring.
$9.75

I bought the original monocular many years ago. Most of the time it sit in a camera case.
Last year I bought two pieces of the countycomm monocular and they are very similar to the original except the optics is Japanese.
It is very easy to hold & use. I do not have any problems using for long period.

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#142587 - 08/02/08 02:55 AM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
I have some pretty high dollar binoculars, and several pair of el cheapos (stashed everywhere), mainly 'cuz they are there when I need a look at something, and the good ones might not be. Cheapies, while usually not all that sharp a view, are better than nothing. But most will give you a headache if you look thru then for too long a time...
_________________________
OBG

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#142595 - 08/02/08 09:14 AM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: OldBaldGuy]
morto Offline
Newbie

Registered: 06/29/08
Posts: 26
Loc: Melton, Victoria, Australia
The best cheap bins I have come across are a pair of Olympus 7x21 PC 111 Classic compacts I bought new for $60 Aust. I know its more expensive than the bins being discussed here but they are light, compact, and have reasonable optics for the money.

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#142596 - 08/02/08 09:18 AM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: morto]
morto Offline
Newbie

Registered: 06/29/08
Posts: 26
Loc: Melton, Victoria, Australia
Amazon have the bins mentioned above for $21.70 US.

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#142598 - 08/02/08 12:07 PM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
Brangdon Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/04
Posts: 1204
Loc: Nottingham, UK
10x50 is an interesting size. The "x50" means they will be pretty big and heavy. I have some 7x50 which in practice are too much to carry around unless I know I am going to need them. (Lovely to use, though.)

The "10x" is the magnification. 10 is pretty high. High magnification has two drawbacks. The first is that it exaggerates wobble. 10 is about the highest that's really usable without a tripod or other stabilisation.

The second drawback is that for a given aperture, higher magnification means a dimmer image. However, in this case the aperture is 50mm so even with the high magnification it should be bright enough. (The core statistic is the "exit pupil", which is the ratio of the two numbers and also the width of the pencil of light which leaves the binoculars and enters your eye. Less than 2mm is generally too dim. 10x50 yields an exit pupil of 5mm, which should be OK.)

I would be concerned about the quality. In optics, quality is expensive and £12 is cheap. However, if you've looked through them and they seem OK, and you can afford to lose the money if they don't work out, and you also have the storage space to keep them when they are not being used (as opposed to a house full of clutter and a wife who is no longer sympathetic about gadgets), then by all means go for it.

Have you thought about what role they would have for you?
_________________________
Quality is addictive.

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#142804 - 08/04/08 06:43 PM Re: Cheap Binoculars [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
I have a pair of cheap Meade folding roof prism 8x22 binoculars. I picked them on an a whim when I was wandering around in a Big 5 Sporting Good store (certainly not known for handling top line merchandise!) They were on clearance for $6.99 (or was if $7.99?) Anyway, ridiculously cheap. They are much better than I was expecting, not up to the nice-ish pair of 10x50 Minolta's I have, but very good for price I paid. I take these cheapies when I go hiking, and they serve that short-time-use purpose beautifully. Actually, I find myself impressed with these cheapies, not making excuses for them. That's awesome.

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