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jhayes6405 View Drop Down
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Joined: June/05/2016
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jhayes6405 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: newbie help
    Posted: June/16/2016 at 14:28
Hello all, I'm a long time reader/researcher, first time poster.

First I would like to say this site has become a treasure trove of information as I have become obsessed with optics lately.  

I live in northeast OR and have picked up bow hunting in the last couple years.  Lately I have decided to get more into glassing and spot and stalk hunting rather than bumping around in the woods watching white butts run away.

So last year I had a pair of Vortex diamondback in 10x42, and while they were the nicest glass I had ever owned to that point they left a lot to be desired.  So this off season I decided to try and find better options.

My first foray was to try the vortex razor mini spotter in 50mm objective in the hopes that once I spotted something with the 10's, to get a better look with the spotter.  The whole one eye thing was just not for me and it felt like the razor didn't really give me much more definitive confirmation of whether that log was a bedded mule deer or not.

I did a bunch of research (here) after getting rid of the spotter and decided to get the Zen Ray ED3 in 8x43 for my general glassing needs, with plans to get into something higher power to supplement at a later date.  So when the ZR shipment showed up they had send the HD Prime in 8x42 instead.  I was happy for the free upgrade initially, but when I took them out to get a feel for them, unless I stay as still as a statue, or if I try and look around the field of view without moving the glasses, I get flashes of black not unlike being too close or too far away from a rifle scope.  I'm new to optics in general so I know there are terms for this but I don't know them.  The Prime has a listed eye relief of 20mm.  The vortex were less than that but I could still get those black flashes if I moved.  

The vortex scope I mentioned earlier I wound up trading for a pair of swaro mkII habicht that are from maybe 1993.  I have mailed them to swaro to be serviced but when I used them, I had no eye relief issues at all.

So I guess my question is, as a non eye glass wearer, how do I figure out what my ideal eye relief is?  
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BeltFed View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/16/2016 at 14:48
Welcome to Optics Talk jhayes6405Howdy

As for a real answer to your question about correct eye relief; that's above my pay grade. I will suggest that you play with how wide the ocular lenses are when you look through the binoculars.
I had an old pair of Tasco 7x50 that I really liked. When I used them I had to set them pretty wide to get a proper image (I got a big noggin). Other than being big and heavy life was good until they went TU. I replaced them with a pair of Sightron 8x42 SIII. I was having the same issue as you I think, until I moved the oculars closer together. This took care of the problem.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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jhayes6405 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jhayes6405 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/16/2016 at 14:59
Beltfed,
Thanks for the response.  I've actually got a big head as well but narrow or at least my IPD is close as most any bino I use is almost all the way collapsed.  I tried playing with that very thing with the ZR Prime to no avail. 
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supertool73 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/16/2016 at 15:27
I have 3 Meopta Meostars I use quite a bit, a 12x50, 10x42 and a HD 8x32 and I also have a pair of Zeiss Victory RF binos, and a pair of Sightron S2 blue sky 8x32.  I get those slight flashes of black on all of those binos.  Maybe I am messed up, but I have come to think that is somewhat normal.  What I think in happening is your eye is moving slightly out of the band or light coming through the binos.  That is called the exit pupil. But maybe I am wrong also.   

My dad sees the same things in all of them. 
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jhayes6405 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jhayes6405 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/16/2016 at 15:45
Supertool,
Thanks.  Yeah I know you could get it with anything you use.  I've looked through the cabelas meostar and had zero issue.  The ZR was almost so bad I couldn't pay attention to glassing anything.
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johnandersonm777 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnandersonm777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2016 at 00:24
First of all, Thanks to Optics Talk for giving me a chance to learn something new here. As a newbie,  I hope this site would be helpful for me. Thanks. 
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WJC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WJC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2016 at 00:46
Hi John:

I hope this helps:

A virtual image is formed in space a certain distance behind the rear eyelens. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the design of the instrument. Acceptable eye relief usually falls between 18 and 23 millimeters. ‘Too far back and your view is vignetted by the rear eyelens cell; too close, and you will get occasional blackouts. That’s just the nature of optics. Thus, your eye needs to be at that specific distance in order to be taking advantage of what the bino has to offer. Also, magnification is often more of a hindrance that a cure-all.

 

Although magnification is one of the least important features in most optical instruments, it’s the talking point the average consumer understands most. Even so, one should never use more power than necessary to do the job for which the binocular was selected, as an increase in magnification leads to:

 

* A decrease in image brightness because the available light is spread over a greater area,

* A decrease in the field of view, making objects harder to find and keep centered,        

* The accentuation of vibrations and tremors, and

* The accentuation of atmospheric disturbances.

 


“Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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DCAMM94 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DCAMM94 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2016 at 07:52
John,

I have the 7x36 ED2s for bowhunting (awesome bino for that, BTW), and I have had zero issues with eye relief, so I'm surprised at what you're describing.  One thing I did notice on the ED2s - make sure the eyecups are all the way out if you aren't using glasses with them.  When I first got mine, I had some blackening episodes until I realized the eyecups were sort of stiff to get all the way out.  Once I did - no issues.  Hope this helps.

Deck
Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement. -Winston Churchill
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johnandersonm777 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnandersonm777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/25/2016 at 01:23
Hi, a lot of thanks to DCAMM94 and WJC for suggesting me. I must check them out. :)



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Thehunterman View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thehunterman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 15:05
Hi, I'm also new, but read a lot! 

Maybe someone can reccomend any movies? 
I'd like to learn from videos..
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DCAMM94 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DCAMM94 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 15:47
Hunterman, I'm not sure of any videos that would be helpful, but you can learn an awful lot on here and on Koshkin's (member here) blog, "Opticsthoughts.com".  He's forgotten more about optics than most will ever know.  He might have some links there that could help as well.
Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement. -Winston Churchill
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