binocular choosing - Star Hunter - astronomer RUSLAN ILNITSKY

Fujinon KF 8x32W binoculars review

2019-11-21 / binoculars, binocular choosing, reviews, equipment

The Fujinon KF 8x32W binoculars came to my test. 8×32 format binoculars are considered the most versatile in combination of magnification / dimensions / weight parameters, suitable for daytime and astronomical observations. For ground objects at dusk, 8×32, of course, will be noticeably dimmer than 8×42 or 8×56, however, for long-term wear on the neck 8×32 will be more convenient. This is especially true for hunters, animal watchers and tourists.

I was very surprised that the Fujinon KF 8x32W has very few reviews. As it turned out, there are models that are very similar in characteristics and appearance to it – Sightron “Blue Sky” II 8×32, Kenko Ultra View EX OP 8×32 DH II, Vixen New Foresta HR 8×32 WP. Their case looks a little different, and also, most likely, a different coating, but there is a very high probability that optically they MAY BE similar to Fujinon KF 8x32W, and he himself is the “reincarnation” of the above binoculars.

Declared specifications from the manufacturer’s website:

Magnification	8x
Eye relief in mm	14.5
Field of view	7.5°
Field of view at 1,000m in m	131.1
Exit pupil in mm	4.0
Twilight factor	16
Interpupillary distance range (mm)	58-72 (measured 54-74)
Weigth (kg)	0.47
Neck strap	Supplied
Carrying case	Supplied
Dimensions (Length × Width)	131 x 139 x 53

Also declared full multilayer coating (FMC), phase and silver coating of prisms. …

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Review of Veber Prima (Larrex) 5×20 binoculars

2019-08-18 / binoculars, binocular choosing, reviews

Prism binoculars with a magnification of up to 7x represent a separate class of devices. These are compact binoculars with a large field of view and a limited use. Of the fairly well-known models, I can recall offhand soviet БПЦШ 6×30, Bushnell 4×30 Xtra-wide, VisionKing 5×25, Kowa 6×30, Pentax Papilio 6.5×21. How can such “kids” be useful for astronomy lovers? Firstly, the study of constellations. With low-magnification binoculars, one can easily identify faint stars in the constellation, pave the “star track” to search for a nebula or galaxy, and due to the small magnification, shaking hands is almost imperceptible, which greatly increases the convenience of observation and the limited visible magnitude of the binoculars. Well, of course, the observation of wide star fields and the brightest areas of the Milky Way personally gives me great aesthetic pleasure.

Recently on sale I noticed an interesting model – Veber Prima 5×20. It interested me in a small magnification, a sufficiently large exit pupil (4 mm), long eye relief 16.2 mm, and also the declared coating of all optical surfaces. This is a small prism binoculars reverse Porro system. Unlike the roof- and classic Porro binoculars, the reversing binoculars have less distance between the lenses than the interpupillary distance of the eyes. This leads to reduced stereoplasticity (volume) of the image. In some cases, this can even be useful – for example, in a theater, or when observing nearby objects (<1 m). In addition, binoculars with a reduced stereo base are very compact.

Declared and measured characteristics:
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DDoptics Nachtfalke Ergo 8×56 gen II binoculars review

2019-06-24 / binoculars, binocular choosing, reviews, equipment

Binoculars DDoptics Nachtfalke 8x56 Gen 2.1 — Binoculars DDoptics Nachtfalke 8×56 Gen 2.1

A small introduction. The exit pupil of an optical device is a small circle at the exit from the eyepiece in which all the light collected by the lens is concentrated. To calculate the size of the exit pupil, it is enough to divide the diameter of the binocular lens by increasing. For example, with 8×56 binoculars it is 7 mm, and with 10×25 binoculars – 2.5 mm. The larger the exit pupil, the brighter the image at dusk and at night. As a rule, for daytime observations, a pupil of about 3 mm is sufficient, and for astronomical observations, preferably from 4 mm and more. At night, the human pupil expands to 6-8 mm, so in binoculars usually the value of the exit pupil does not exceed 7 mm, otherwise the light at the exit of the eyepiece will go past the pupil. Binoculars, in which the exit pupil is 6-7 mm, are called PUPIL EQUAL. When this is achieved the maximum brightness of the image. If you compare 8×56 and 8×30 binoculars in the night sky, then the image brightness in binoculars 8×30 will be 3.5 times less, since with the same magnification the lens of 8×30 binoculars is 3.5 times smaller in area, and, accordingly, less light falls into the observer’s pupil.

For a long time I looked at the pupil equal binoculars. I was not impressed with the low-end models (Nikon Aculon 7×50, ZOMZ 7×50, Yukon Point 8×56), so for the time being I was using Nikon Sporter EX 8×42 binoculars. However, it was possible at a reasonable price to get used binoculars with DDoptics Nachtfalke Ergo 8×56 gen II roof glasses (hereinafter DDoptics 8×56). Initially, there was little information on this binocular, but after the purchase I found quite a few reviews of this binocular, produced under other brands. Apparently, the binoculars turned out successful, since it began to be sold immediately in various reincarnations. In general, I will not pull, proceed to the review.

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Impressions of the Pentax SP 10×50 WP binoculars

2019-06-18 / binoculars, binocular choosing, reviews, equipment

Binoculars with a formula of 10×50 are among the most popular. Such binoculars are suitable for both terrestrial and astronomical observations. In my opinion, 10x is the limit for comfortable observation without using a tripod. “The Pentax Russia” company kindly provided me with an interesting Pentax SP 10×50 WP binoculars for testing. The binoculars are quite new, the announcement took place in January 2015.

Specifications are stated:

Type	Binoculars with central focusing and “porro” prisms
Lens	2 elements in 1 group
Eyepiece	3 elements in 2 groups (aspherical element declared)
Magnification	10x
Real front lens diameter	50 mm
Field of view from 1000 m	87 m
Exit pupil diameter	5 mm
Eye relief	20 mm
Field of view	5 degrees
Diopter adjustment range	+/- 2 D
Focus range	From 5.5 m to infinity
Eyecups	Retractable with fixation
Height	79 mm
Width	183 mm
Depth	178 mm
Weight	1 kg
Wateroproof	Waterproof when immersed to a depth of 1 m (JIS protection class 6, is not suitable for use under water), nitrogen content of the housing.
Accessories	“Tripod adapter N” (69553)
Prism material	BaK4
Coating	Fully multicoating of all optical elements. Hydrophobic lens coating.
Closest focusing distance	5.5 m
Twilight factor	22.4
Interpupilary distance	57 – 72 mm

Looks tempting, right? Well, let’s get down to testing.
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Обзор и впечатления от бинокля Pentax Papilio 8.5×21

2017-01-14 / binoculars, binocular choosing, reviews, equipment

Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 — Pentax Papilio 8.5×21

Давно хотел небольшой легкий бинокль для дневных наблюдений, который не будет тянуть рюкзак, как Nikon Sporter EX 8×42. Посматривал и на китайские 5х25 широкоугольные бинокли, и на различные компактные бинокли типа Nikon Aculon T01 8×21. Хотелось и небольшой вес, и малые габариты, и достаточно большой вынос зрачка. К кратности особых требований не было, однако слишком маленькая кратность не интересовала. Фактически нужен был легкий дневной дублёр основного 8х бинокля. Тут я обратил внимание на Пентаксы, а именно на модель Pentax Papilio 8.5×21. Из особенностей – минимальная дистанция фокусировки составляет лишь полметра! То есть можно рассматривать всяких жучков, паучков, всякую мелочевку в музеях за стеклом и т.д. Заманчиво!
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