Binoculars?

We were just talking about this the other day, what with the
increasing use of lasers in the field. A friend of mine who
tries to keep up with weapons development and research was
telling me that there had been an idea of using lasers to detect
optics (from the reflection, I guess) and once detected of
specifically targeting the optic with a high intensity burst to
destroy its usefulness. Obviously, since a good bit of the optics
in use will have an eyeball peering through it, this could be
very detrimental to your continued use of vision. It seems to me
that if this was intentionally used as a weapon it would
contravene the Hague convention. Not that it would stop it from
being used, of course. That filter that you speak of above leads
me to believe that it's a thought that's occurred to others as
well.

If anyone out there has any info about such a filter, where
they can be procured from or how to manufacture one I'm sure
there's quite a few here who'd like to know. Thanks.

Oh yes, some form of magnifying optics is *very* useful.
Even a cheap pair of Tasco's beats the mk1 eyeball for those far
off things needing looked at. If you can afford the German
optics they're very good, but a pair of Tasco or Bushnell binocs
will cause much less anxiety as they knock around in the glove
box.

Alan.

.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Fron the House at Cat's Green. Alan T. Hagan

Semper peratus

The Universe is utterly indifferent to the fact that you
do not realize the consequences of your actions, you will
have to deal with them all the same.

E-mail c/o

(Mike S. Medintz) wrote:

I have a pair of the very compact Simmons 8 x 21 binoculars in my bag.
I thought about this when I first put my kit together and still keep
them there. The larger bino's are just too heavy and clumsy to use.

Remember, my kits are all based upon the presumption that I will have
to walk out of any situation. In my two Broncos, I do have a pair of
Zeiss bino's (older ones, work great) and in my own I have a pair of
the Steiner's. But I wouldn't want to add the weight to my back for
either of these.

Geoffrey L. Hardin
"You got more money than sense!" - Mrs. Hardin

Richard A. De Castro < : (Mike S. Medintz) writes:

: : :
: I carry a set. I have the Steiner's, the same ones as the US Army has.
: Very durable, incredibly expensive, not too heavy.

I concur on the Steiner 7x50mms: great glasses. Unfortunately the Army's
decided to drop them (cost I believe) and has adopted the Fujinon 7x50mm
binos. _Also_ as the M22, so trying to keep the two variants straight
when ordering repair parts and such has become real fun.

The Fujinon (US-made by the way) M22s aren't nearly as good as the
Steiner M22s in my experience.

GI binos have a filter fitted over the objective lenses to protect the
user against eye injuries from lasers (range finders and such). I had
the chance to ask a rep from the manufacturer of the filters about a
civilian source for these a few years back, and he claimed they were
classified and military-only. Maybe, I dunno... Anyone have any better
info than that? (The filter looks to be an integral part of the Fujinon
M22, but it's a slip-on unit, with a dab of glue to keep it in place, on
the Steiners.)

: In general, powers over 7 or 8 are too hard to hold steady, leading to
: rapid eye fatigue. For daylight use, an objective diameter of about 35mm
: is fine (hence the designation 7x35), for night use the objective diameter
: should be closer to 50 mm (leading to a ratio of between 1:5 and 1:8).

: The larger the objective diameter, the greater the light gathering ability.
: It's really noticable at twilight, as it makes it easy to see things that
: would be shadows otherwise. The down side of very large objectives is that
: they let too much light in during the day, causing eye strain.

: In general, the quality of a pair of binoculars is something you don't
: realize, until you've used a very fine pair. You might think your
: tasco's or bushnells are fine, and they're certainly inexpensive. But, you
: will notice the difference the first time you use a good pair.

: Other fine brand names are Swarovski, Nikon and to a lesser extent, pentax.

: Problems with the cheaper brands are loss of colimation (the two barrels
: are not optically parallel to each other), fogging, and flare from poor
: coatings on the glass surfaces. While the military uses 7x50's, Steiner
: also makes them in 7x35, with the rubber armor (good for a little protection,
: and easy to hold), and larger 8x and 10x versions, with and without
: compasses, optical rangefinders, etc. Even Steiners cheap models (the
: Pilot line) is good - better than the bushnells at about the same price).

The Steiners _used_ to be affordable a few years back; I think I paid
$220 for mine in '88 or '89, and a friend picked up a pair while in Saudi
Arabia for $180 or so during the war (_legitimately_ picked 'em up even).

Currently the 7x50mm GI-pattern ("Military & Marine") Steiners are running
about $490 or worse, but there's a place advertising "Factory
Refurbished" with "5 Year warranty" Steiners for $300 (SWFA, Inc,
214-223-0500). The Fujinon Polaris 7x50mm binos are $590 from the same
place.

Do you _need_ binoculars? Well, people are visually oriented animals: we
do a lot better when we can see what we're dealing with. It's hard to
imagine any situation where you wouldn't be better off/safer taking a
good long look _before_ you take any action. I carry mine at all times;
when I respond to a situation it's a great comfort to be able to see if
there's a HazMat placard on the truck, or if someone's obviously armed,
or if the smoke I think I'm seeing is just dust or haze...

--
Arne Gustav Carlsten
Flagstaff, Arizona

Chomh da/na le muc...

(Mike S. Medintz) wrote:

Mike I have a pair of the small Nikon binoculars which I keep on hand.
They come in several powers and provide excellent clarity. Mine came
in a small padded case for protection. I have even stopped taking my
larger and more powerful binoculars hunting in favor of these.
Compact, lightweight, and a definite plus for your bag.

Frugal

(Mike S. Medintz) wrote:

I guess I've never thought about it, good topic. I have at least a four
power scope on nearly every rifle I own, so I do have some form of
bringing in distant objects, but that wouldn't exactly be a good idea if
I was trying to keep an eye on a family member from a distance. My
favorite item is a compact 30 power spotting scope that I've mounted a
small photography tripod on. I've found the "rubber armored" binoculars
and spotting scopes tend to take quite a bit of abuse, so that's what I
own.

While I probably won't add them to my 72 hour kit (which is mostly for
natural disaster evacuation), I may just toss the pair of super cheap 7
power compact binocs I've got into the glovebox of my Blazer.

Good idea Mike.

Thanks,

Mark
-
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately... HDT

(Mike S. Medintz) writes:

I carry a set. I have the Steiner's, the same ones as the US Army has.
Very durable, incredibly expensive, not too heavy.

In general, powers over 7 or 8 are too hard to hold steady, leading to
rapid eye fatigue. For daylight use, an objective diameter of about 35mm
is fine (hence the designation 7x35), for night use the objective diameter
should be closer to 50 mm (leading to a ratio of between 1:5 and 1:8).

The larger the objective diameter, the greater the light gathering ability.
It's really noticable at twilight, as it makes it easy to see things that
would be shadows otherwise. The down side of very large objectives is that
they let too much light in during the day, causing eye strain.

In general, the quality of a pair of binoculars is something you don't
realize, until you've used a very fine pair. You might think your
tasco's or bushnells are fine, and they're certainly inexpensive. But, you
will notice the difference the first time you use a good pair.

Other fine brand names are Swarovski, Nikon and to a lesser extent, pentax.

Problems with the cheaper brands are loss of colimation (the two barrels
are not optically parallel to each other), fogging, and flare from poor
coatings on the glass surfaces. While the military uses 7x50's, Steiner
also makes them in 7x35, with the rubber armor (good for a little protection,
and easy to hold), and larger 8x and 10x versions, with and without
compasses, optical rangefinders, etc. Even Steiners cheap models (the
Pilot line) is good - better than the bushnells at about the same price).

--
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Warning: I am a trained professional. No, Really!
Rick N6RCX NREMT ATP MA Do Not try this yourself - it could get ugly
Richard A. De Castro - To those who have defended it, Freedom has a flavor
the Protected will never enjoy.
-Don't Tread On Me!- =Don't Forget to Vote!=
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