Railfan Technology > Binoculars..

Hello,

I was looking to get pair of Binoculars, for train watching etc, just not sure of the Optics (magnification)or power to get. Any suggestions?

Mike Keithly
Kimball, NE

I have always used ten power with 50MM lens, 10X50. Best for all around.
Good light gathering and powerful enough for distant objects...
.......................Swede.....................Albany,OR......................

I use decent quality (but not expensive) Nikon 10 x 25s, plenty of magnification, compact and light for when I'm moving around/hiking to places.

I prefer 7 x 50. They're much easier to hold.

John.

I have used optics for 60 years. First as a teenage bird-watcher and then as a professional biologist with an area of expertise as an ornithologist. Here are a few things I have learned.
1. As with cameras, you get what you pay for. Cheap equipment will break and not provide for good viewing. That being said, a decent, reliable, pair of binoculars with a good image for general use can be had for $200 - $250.
2. Ten power binoculars are usually heavy, bulky, and more expensive. They are harder to hold steady than a lower power glass.
3. A good quality 7 power by 35 mm objective lens (7x35) is the standard for general use.
4. Roof prism bins are more compact but more expensive than porro prism types. Both types produce good results if they are a good brand.
5. The major photo sales shops like Band H or Adorama usually have the best prices, good service, and warranties.
6. For railfan use, I would recommend the Vortex and Nikon brands.
7. I personally use Vortex 8x40 roof prism bins.
8. Divide the diameter of the light gathering objective by the power of magnification. example: 7x35 binoculars: divide 35 by 7 = 5. the higher the resulting number, the more light the glass gathers and the brighter the image. A low number is not desirable.
Feel free to send me a private message if you have questions or need more information.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/18 06:25 by birdman.

Recently picked up a pair of Fujinon 12 x 32 stabilized binoculars.
Good for birding, not so great for railfan use due mostly to size
and weight.

I've had a pair of Nikon 7x20 compact binoculars for many years.

The light gathering ability is fine as I do not do low light rail
photography. They are relatively small and lightweight.

I'd stick with name brands such as Nikon, Fujinon, Canon and Pentax.

If your ship has come in, Zeiss is nice.

Honest merchants: B&H Photo or Astronomics (mostly an astronomy store
but they have some binoculars.

You may also consider a "spotting scope" mounted on a tripod to check
to see if something is coming from across the valley.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

I own an old pair of Swift Ultralights 8x40, which I use for birding. I also have a pair of Vortex 7x35 that I keep in the car, as well as a Vortex scope. All are good optics.

Vortex has a lifetime warranty, which I had to use about a year ago. The eyepiece on the binoculars somehow became detached, and Vortex actually sent me a new pair. They really do stand by their product.

Some things to keep in mind other than the power of the binoculars are eye relief if you wear glasses, field of view, color correction, brightness, and close focus distance. By color correction (maybe not the best phrase) I mean do all the colors focus at the same plane? Otherwise, you will have less than satisfactory images.

If you can afford them, get the Canon IS 10X30 Image Stabilization binoculars($450).
If your old and shake a little bit like I do you'll appreciate them.
I have had mine almost 20 years now and love em, when you press that
IS button it makes what your looking at just about freeze. Especially good
for bird watching. Only drawback is they can't be used with glasses.

Do you wear glasses?

If you want to look thru binoculars
while wearing glasses, lots of
otherwise acceptable binoculars
are no good to you. I recommend
the 8x42 or 10x50 Ultraview
from Orion.