Lorgnette Opera Glasses

These theatre binoculars are actually know as Lorgnette Opera Glasses and are a progression of Lorgnette spectacles invented by an English optician called George Adams that also have a handle used to hold them in place and were popular in the 19th century.

Most specialist Lorgnette Glasses for the Opera or Theatre have a magnification of around 3x. This is because it is easier to achieve a large or wide field of view ensuring that you can view all the performance without having to move the optics around and at this level of magnification image-shake is kept to a minimum which makes watching the performance as comfortable and as easy as possible.

What is interesting is that even though they were invented by an Englishman, today they are much easier to find in the US than in the UK.

Popular brands who make Lorgnette’s include LaScala Optics and Zhumell who produce some great looking versions, known as Zhumell Mezzo Opera Glasses, they come in a ruby as well as silver colour and are worth looking out for.

Where to buy

Lorgnette Glasses on Amazon.com

Opera Glasses on Amazon.co.uk

More Information

• Guide to Opera Binoculars & Theatre Glasses
• Zhumell Binoculars

The last time the Perseid meteor shower occurred during a run of clear moonless nights was back in 2007. This is because only once every three years does the same phase of the Moon return to roughly the same date each month (2.2 days earlier, on average). So in 2010 we’re on for moonless perseid showers and with clear skies, the shower could produce a display of up to 80 meteors per hour according to Nasa.

Perseid Meteor Shower?

The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. This huge comet hurtles through the inner part of our Solar System once every 133 years and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel.

When Earth passes through the debris, specks hit our atmosphere at 140,000mph and disintegrate in flashes of light and that is the Meteor Shower that you see in the sky.

Where & how to watch the Perseid showers 2010:

The meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to fly out of the constellation Perseus, so that is where you need to be looking into the sky.

The shower lasts for many days, but this year’s peak should occur during a half-day-long window centered on 1:00 Universal Time on August 13th, which is ideal timing for skywatchers in Eurasia. For North Americans, the best viewing will probably be late Thursday night and early Friday morning, August 12-13, or possibly the night before. In the UK, the Perseid Shower display will start as soon as it gets dark at around 10pm, peaking between midnight and 1am (local time).

To make sure that you get the best view, you need to go somewhere where there is as little light pollution as possible even if you can’t you should still be able to see about 10 shooting stars an hour at the peak. Out in the countryside where the skies are darker will be much better, where between 60 to 100 an hour should be seen.

The great thing about a meteor shower like Perseids is that you don’t need a telescope to get a great view, in fact they are best seen with the naked eye. Although whilst you are outside watching the skies, I highly encourage you to take out your pair of binoculars, you will be amazed at just how much brighter and how many more stars you can view through them. For more, take a look at my guide to the best binoculars for Astronomy.

Below are a few books available in both the UK and the USA that you may fine useful for stargazing with your binoculars:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

8×30 SLC Swarovski Binoculars Sale

The good news is that you can now get the mid-sized Swarovski SLC 8×30 Binoculars at even a better price than normal as they are available at a hugely discounted price, both in the UK and in the US:

In the USA
The 8×30 SLC has a list price of $1,276.67, but they are available from Eagle Optics for only $899.99, that is a massive saving of $376.68 (29%)
Click here for more information & to buy on Eagle Optics

In the UK
The Swarovski 8×30 SLC is now available for £749 at Warehouse Express, another massive saving when you consider they have a list price of over £1000
Click here for more information & to buy on Warehouseexpress

Swarovski 8×30 SLC WB Binoculars

The 8×30 SLC is ideal for anyone looking for a more compact binocular, perfect for birding and general use. As the name suggests, they are Slim, Light an Compact and the 8x magnification is strong enough to get you close into the action, but still with plenty of field of view.

Features include:A patented focusing wheel for rapid adjustments, Phase corrected Bak-4 Prisms, Swaroviski’s Swarobright coating for maximum color fidelity across the whole light spectrum and their Swaroclean coating on the outer surface of the lens that makes cleaning objective and eyepiece lenses considerably easier, which may not sound like much, but lenses that require less intensive cleaning significantly increases the longevity of any optical device.

Snap Shot Adapter

These Swarovski SLC 8×30 WB Binoculars also come with Swarovski’s Snap Shot Adapter that enables you to connect your digital camera to the binoculars and take surprisingly good quality photos even at long distances, this is called Digibinning.

Also Included:

• Rainguard
• Tethered objective lens covers
• Neck strap
• Case
• Swarovski limited lifetime warranty

Having recently written a review on the Eschenbach 8×25 Club W Binoculars, designed especially for women, I thought it may be an idea to put a page together of a few of the best women’s binoculars to make finding them easier for you.

Binoculars for Women?

If you were hoping to find that a binocular designed for women would have some sort of special eyepiece, or some magical lenses that only work for women, I am sorry to disappoint you. Technically there is no difference between “normal” binoculars and womens binoculars. The difference is in the styling, because most binoculars have a strong masculine look to them, a few manufacturers have decided to design some of the binoculars with more of a feminine touch.

Nikon SHE Safari Monarch 10×36 Binoculars

This is not only one of my favourite looking women’s binoculars, but under the styling is a pair of the excellent Nikon Monarch 10×36 DCF binoculars.

Nikon Sport Optics and SHE Outdoor Apparel have come together and designed binoculars specially for a woman. The mid-sized 10×36 Safari binoculars offer women the best of both worlds – trademark Nikon optical performance and attractive SHE styling.

This mid-size binocular makes an ideal travelling companion: It is lightweight, waterproof, fogproof and comes with a protective rubber-armored coating. This with the powerful 10x magnification means I would highly recommend it as an ideal safari binocular.

Features
Make no mistake, these are high quality binoculars and the main features include

• Fully Multi-coated Lenses
  Increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces.
• Phase Correction Coated Prisms
  Enhances resolution and contrast through roof prisms.
• Waterproof
  The Optics are sealed with O-rings to prevent moisture, dust, and debris from getting inside the binocular.
• Fogproof
  Barrels are filled with nitrogen gas to prevent internal fogging.

Accessories
The binocular comes with a great looking and excellent quality embossed leather binocular strap in a chocolate brown colour as well as a leather and canvas shoulder bag in khaki with chocolate brown trim, that has multifunctional pockets and a built-in optics case with plenty of room to store your binoculars as well as a few other goodies making it perfect for travel or day trips. As a point of interest, when sold separately the bag retails for around $80

Full Review
Read my full review of the Nikon 10×36 SHE Safari Monarch ATB Binoculars

Cost & Where to Buy
Unfortunately I have not been able to locate this particular pair of Nikon Monarch binoculars in the UK, but the “normal” Nikon 10×36 Monarch’s are available. In the US, they have a List Price of $480.95, but they are available at a few places including Eagle Optics, Binoculars.com and Amazon where they cost just over $300. This price is pretty good considering the standard Nikon 10×36 Monarch ATB Binoculars also cost a similar amount.

• Buy & Compare Prices for the Nikon SHE Safari

Nikon SHE Adventure Monarch 8×36 ATB Binoculars

Like the Safari version above, these Nikon SHE Adventure binoculars are designed around the very popular Monarch ATB binoculars. The Adventure binoculars come in a “Kiwi and Plum” theme and the binocular has an 8×36 configuration, giving you a wider field of view, making these binoculars more suitable as birdwatching binoculars.

The mid-sized plum 8×36 Adventure binoculars offer women the best of both worlds – trademark Nikon optical performance and attractive SHE styling.

Main Features

• Fully Multi-coated Lenses
  Increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces.
• Phase Correction Coated Prisms
  Enhances resolution and contrast through roof prisms.
• Waterproof
  The Optics are sealed with O-rings to prevent moisture, dust, and debris from getting inside the binocular.
• Fogproof
  Barrels are filled with nitrogen gas to prevent internal fogging.

Accessories
The 8×36 Adventure binocular comes with an excellent quality embossed black leather binocular strap as well as a plum and kiwi canvas shoulder bag, that has multifunctional pockets and a built-in optics case with plenty of room to store your binoculars as well as a few other goodies making it perfect for travel or day trips. As a point of interest, when sold separately the bag retails for around $50

Cost & Where to Buy
To my knowledge these women’s Nikon Monarch ATB binoculars are not available in the UK, but in the US, they have a List Price of $440.95, but are available for sale at a Eagle Optics, Binoculars.com and Amazon where they cost under $300. This price is pretty good considering the standard Nikon 8×36 Monarch ATB Binoculars also cost a similar amount.

• Check Price on Binoculars.com
• Check Price on Eagle Optics
• Check Price on Amazon.com

Eschenbach 8×25 Club W Binoculars

Eschenbach have spent a lot of time on the styling, but it does not stop there as within the impressive mother-of-pearl effect body are state of the art optics that will please even the most discerning user.

These 8×25 binoculars come with quality BaK-4 prisms and the lenses are fully multi-coated. The Club W binoculars is also 100% waterproof and has been nitrogen purged, making them fogproof as well.

The more compact 8×25 configuration make these binoculars ideal sports binoculars and I could see them being used to take to a day at the horse races, Wimbledon or other stroll in the countryside.

Accessories
They are supplied with a stylish white soft leather carry case, padded strap and draw string pouch for protection when carried in a hand bag.

Read my full Review of the Eschenbach 8×25 Club W Binoculars

Cost & Where to Buy
Available in both the UK and USA on Amazon:

• Check Prices

If you live in the US, there has never been a better time to buy a Nikon 8×32 EDG binocular, one of the finest pair of binoculars available and and ideal safari binocular. Let me explain:

The Nikon EDG 8×32 Binocular has a list price of $2,700.95, but you can now buy it for just $999.00, that’s a massive saving of $1,701.95 (63%). As a point of reference, I have just checked and the same binoculars are being sold on Amazon for $1,294.95.

But there is more….

Nikon are currently running a promotion known as Take it to the EDG, where they will send you a free D3000 camera kit with 18-55VR Nikkor lens worth $549.95 when you buy a Nikon EDG binocular or spotting scope.

So not only can you get fantastic binocular at a great price, but you get a camera totally free! This deal is great for everyone, but is absolutely ideal for anyone going on safari as these are the two essential pieces of kit that you need.

Where to get this Deal

You can get the Camera kit so long as you buy the binoculars from any authorised dealer in the US, but to get the great price, you need to buy it from Eagle Optics, who are approved Nikon dealers.

Nikon 8×32 EDG Binoculars on Eagle Optics

Question

I have recently relocated to a coastal resort where the scenery is constantly changing and we are lucky enough to have local marine life like our resident seal. I would love to purchase a pair of binoculars so that I may enjoy it more. I only have a small budget and have seen a pair of Nikon Action VII 10×40 Binoculars, that seem ideal for a novice like myself. Would you recommend these for a first time buyer who has absolutely no idea what features to look for?

Answer

I have just had a look at their stats and these are a few of the things I have noticed:

Things I like about the Nikon Action VII 10×40 Binoculars

• I like the fact that thy have aspherical eyepiece lenses that decrease distortion when compared to normal eyepieces.
• I like your choice of a powerful 10x magnification for wide open areas like places with coastal views.
• The price is pretty good

What I don’t like about the Nikon 10×40 Action VII Binoculars
I am a little concerned about how well they will perform in poor light conditions as they have slightly smaller than usual objective lens diameters – The Nikon Action VII 10×40 has 40mm’s whilst most full size binoculars usually have 42mm ones. What this means is that a 10×40 binocular has an Exit Pupil of 4.0 and a Twilight Factor of 20, for comparison a more standard 10×42 binocular is 4.2 and 20.5, which is only slightly different, but would mean that a 10×42 should perform slightly better in low light conditions. This is not an issue if you don’t really plan on using them when the light is very bad and it does have the advantage of making the binocular slightly smaller and lighter.

If you are worried, maybe consider the Nikon Action 10×50 Binoculars, which have a similar price tag, larger 50mm objective lenses, exit pupil of 5.0 and a twilight factor of 22.4 – making them pretty good in low light conditions. They also have a wider field of view and more eye relief – which is only really important if you wear glasses. On the down side, the 10×50’s will be bigger and heavier than to 10×40’s.

They have Multilayer-coated lenses, which is not bad, but could be better – I would have liked to seen them being fully multi-coated, rather than just multi coated which implies that most, but not all air to glass surfaces have been coated.

Conclusion
I would say that your choice of a porro prism binocular rather than a roof prism one at this price point is a good one – generally cheap porro prism binoculars are a little better as they are technically easier for the manufacturer to get right.

Overall, I would say that for their money about £76.69 (on amazon.co.uk) / $63.39 (on amazon.com) they are a pretty sold binocular and should work well enough for you.

Possible Alternatives
I am not sure where you live, but if it is in the UK, you may wish to consider the Barr & Stroud 10×42 Sierra (not yet available in the US) that I recently tested, the cost a little more about £91 (on amazon.co.uk) but I think for the amount make really good value.

I also already mentioned the Nikon Action 10×50 (view on amazon.co.uk / view on amazon.com), which is a good idea if you want better performance in poorer light conditions, but are not too worried about size.

Many people new to astronomy and indeed to the world of optics are surprised to know that you don’t have to use a telescope to view distant objects in the night sky and often a pair of binoculars are not only suitable, but in some cases preferable. Binoculars should not just be considered as equipment for beginners in astronomy or for people on their way to their first “real” telescopes; “they are valuable observational tools in their own right.” according to the author.

Touring the Universe Through Binoculars proves just this by discussing the entire binocular universe and lists more than 1,100 sky objects from celestial pole to celestial pole. It takes you on a tour of the universe using nothing more than a pair of binoculars.

Even though it is over a decade old now, it is still one of, if not the most comprehensive book currently available on astronomy binoculars. The book starts with Earth’s nearest neighbor, the moon, and then goes on to explore each planet in the solar system, asteroids, meteors, comets and the sun. Following this you are taken away into deep space to explore celestial bodies including stars that are known and many sights less familiar. The final chapter includes a detailed atlas of deep-sky objects visible through binoculars. The appendices include guidance on how to buy, care for and maintain astronomical binoculars, tips and hints on using them, and detailed information on several home-made binocular mounts.

I would say though that if you are new to astronomy, you may find some of the discussion a little “heavy”, at least in the beginning. But if you keep at the hobby, you will certainly grow into the book and because of the flowing words from the author, that’s an enjoyable task.

Although there are more than 1000 objects that you can see with binoculars in the night sky listed in the book, maps are not included and so you will need an atlas as well. However, this book is still very useful with its tabulated data and constellation-based organisation. I have yet to find any other complete and well prepared list and data of objects visible with only binoculars.

Where to buy the book:

Touring the Universe through Binoculars on Amazon.com

Touring the Universe through Binoculars on Amazon.co.uk

Astronomy Binoculars
For more information take a look at my section on Choosing Binoculars for Astronomy

About the Author
Phil Harrington first became interested in astronomy when he was assigned to watch the total lunar eclipse in April 1968 as part of a school homework assignment.

Since then he has spent countless hours touring the universe through not only telescopes but binoculars as well. Phil is an adjunct professor at both Dowling College, Oakdale, NY, and Suffolk County Community College, Selden, New York, where he teaches courses in stellar and planetary astronomy. He is a founding member of the Westport (CT) Astronomical Society and is also one of the coordinators of the annual Astronomer’s Conjunction, held ever summer in Northfield, MA.

As well as Touring the Universe through Binoculars, Phil Harrington has written many other books including Astronomy for All Ages, Discovering the Universe through Activities for Children and Adults, Star Watch, The Amateur Astronomer’s Guide to Finding, Observing, and Learning about Over 125 Celestial Objects and many others.

He is a former staff member of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium and instructor at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport, New York and is also a contributing editor for Astronomy magazine, where he frequently reviews telescopes, binoculars, and other astronomical equipment.

When I am walking in the bush, I always like to have a pair of binoculars with me, but I also sometimes want to have my camera with me as well. Obviously on these walks a compact binocular makes sense, but there is more to it than just a small binocular as being able to pop the binocular into my shirt or jacket pocket, rather than have it dangling round my neck where it can get in the way when I am trying to photograph something is important.

So if like me you want a small compact binocular that easily fits into your pocket, you could just go for the binocular with the smallest advertised dimensions. This would make sense, but when it comes to size, not all compact binoculars are created equal:

Porro vs Roof Prism Compact Binoculars

Many compact binoculars, especially the cheaper ones are built using porro prisms,
where the objective lenses and the eyepieces are not in line with each other. At the cheaper end of the market, porro prisms tend to be optically superior to the roof prism design as they are easier and therefore cheaper to make and get right.

The main problem with compact porro prism binoculars regarding their size is, especially if like me, you want to keep them in your pocket rather than have your binoculars hanging from your neck is that even though their width and length dimensions may be smaller than a roof prism compact, they often have a very rounded shape that can make them awkward to fit into your pocket. Obviously this depends on your pocket and if you have a large jacket this will be no problem.

The advantage of the porro over the roof design is that they are cheaper and easier to manufacture and so if you are looking to buy a cheap pair of compacts, I would probably opt for the porro design.

Ok, so for small binoculars that are easy to fit into your pocket, you go for a roof prism, easy! Hold your horses.. not all compact roof prism binoculars are created equal either!

Single vs Double/Duel Hinge Compact Binoculars

If you take a look at the main picture of this article right at the top, on the left is duel hinge Compact, the Steiner Wildlife 10×26 and on the right is the single hinge Barr & Stroud 10×25 Sahara, both are great little compacts, both have roof prisms and a 10x magnification and even though the Steiner has slightly larger objective lenses, you can see that once they are folded to their smallest possible size, the Steiner is much more compact.

So for the Best Compact Pocket Binoculars, choose a double hinge roof prism design and below are a few that I highly recommend:

Eschenbach 10×28 Farlux B Silver Binoculars
High quality compact binoculars from Eschenbach that feature phase coated Bak-4 prisms, fully multi-coated lenses and a tough waterproof exterior.

Leica 10×25 Trinovid Binoculars
Leica compact binoculars with a powerful magnification and optical performance make the 10×25 Trinovid binoculars perfect for carrying anywhere.

Steiner 10.5×28 Wildlife Pro Binoculars
Steiner Wildlife 10.5 x 28 Binoculars are the powerful outdoor all-rounders.

This weeks question comes from a South African, who often visits game reserves in South Africa and in particular the Kruger National Park:

Question

I live in South Africa and regularly go to game reserves and, in particular, Kruger National Park. I am looking to buy a decent pair of binoculars in the next few weeks as I am going to Kruger at the end of the month.

I have done some research and have basically narrowed it down to 2 options:
1) Bushnell Natureview
2) Nikon Monarch ATB

I see from your reviews that you like both of them but would like to enquire if you would have any reason to prefer the one over the other?

Also I have heard that 8x is better than 10x for game viewing use, would you agree with this?

Answer

First off let me just say that I really envy you, I have been to the Kruger a few times, it is a wonderful game reserve with an astounding amount and variety of game and birdlife. Also because it is so vast, there are plenty of places to get away from the crowds, where it gets truly wild.

Basically what you are after is a good wildlife observation binocular and If I had to choose between the Bushnell Natureview and Nikon Monarch ATB, I would probably go for the Nikon. They have a closer minimum focusing distance, longer eye relief and weighs less. In my opinion, they also have a nicer overall feel to them and just that little better build quality.

You may also wish to take a look at the Barr & Stroud 8×42 Savannah Binoculars that I have just reviewed, an excellent binocular at a similar price (actually cheaper). They also do a 10x version, but I am not sure if they will be available in SA?
Also worth looking at is the Minox 10×42 BV Binoculars, there is also an 8x version: Both are really good binos again in the similar price range to the Nikon Monarch ATB.

8x or 10x for Wildlife Observation?
I personally prefer a 10x magnification when I am in the bush.

Compared to 10x, you get slightly less “image shake” with an 8x binocular, although unless you have really shaky hands, this should not really be a factor.

8x binoculars also generally have a wider field of view compared to 10x ones. This can be useful for spotting and keeping in view fast moving objects, like birds for example, but for larger game, I just like the slightly bigger magnification that gets me as close to the animal as possible. This is just a personal preference and I am sure you will be fine no matter which you choose.

Full Size Binoculars
The fact that you are choosing binoculars with a 42mm objective lens, rather than a more compact size is good as they generally giver you a slightly brighter and often sharper image.

For safari binoculars, I usually recommend that most people should go for a more compact binocular. But then most people are travelling from overseas and carrying a larger binocular with all your luggage can be a little more difficult. Although if you plan on doing any walking safaris, and you also carry a camera with you, you may still consider a smaller binocular.

Photo Credit: Arno & Louise

For those of you who don’t know, Barr & Stroud started making optics for the Royal Navy over 100 years ago and since then they have played a leading role in the development of modern optics. The Sprite is based on the popular Bresser monocular of the same name. The 10×50 Barr & Stroud Sprite Monocular is basically a binocular cut in half and is therefore ideal for those people who still want the performance of a larger objective lens binocular, but where space is at a premium.

It has been designed to be used single handed, which works really well or with a tripod using the standard tripod thread, meaning that it will work with most tripods. The Sprite does come with a small table-top tripod that works really well, so well in fact that during my review I had mine set up on the windowsill in my office, perfect for taking a quick glance at that Great spotted woodpecker feeding on some peanuts that I left out in the bird-feeder!

The Sprite monocular is ideal for anyone looking for a powerful and bright optic, where space is at a premium. I can see it being used by anyone going travelling, but especially those going camping, backpacking or cycle touring. It would also make a great optic to take to most sporting events or for anyone wanting to view birds or nature, where you either have to carry other equipment, like a camera or just want to keep at least one hand free. I also feel that combined with the table top tripod, it is perfect for leaving on pretty much any windowsill that has a view.

Full Review

Waterproof, fog-proof, a tough exterior and with good quality optics, this compact piece of kit, that weighs only 420g and is available for around £50. You can read my full review of the Barr & Stroud 10×50 Sprite Monoculars here.