Lower Mid-Range Bins without "Rolling Ball Effect" (1 Viewer)

[davidanohn]

Hi,
New member and new birder here! I started birding last year here in Brooklyn with a pair of Celestron Nature DX 8x42 that work well. I decided to hand them off to my wife who also got into birding and upgraded to the Vortex Viper HD 8x42. Recently I went out with them to Jamaica Bay and got dizzy very quickly from the rolling ball effect when panning the horizon. Upon doing a little research it seems that the wide fov can contribute to this so i was looking at the Zeiss Terra ED with a 375fov vs the 420 of the Vortex.

I'm looking in the $300-600 range. Any advice, suggestions, and recommendations on other bins would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

 

[eitanaltman]

Typically "rolling ball" is more about distortion correction than how wide the field of view is. I wouldn't intentionally limit yourself on FOV for this reason alone.

Also, "rolling ball" usually refers to overly straightened lines (like the "Swarovision" models) usually associated with a "flat field" view. I think what you are actually seeing is excessive pincushion, which is really the opposite effect (often called "rolling bowl").

Excessive pincushion distortion is typical with inexpensive, wide field binoculars, which is probably why you hear this distortion associated with wide fields of view. But it's not inherent to the wide field, as the Swarovision models have a very wide FOV but almost no pincushion (so again, an opposite effect with perceived barrel distortion instead of pincushion).

Look through the binoculars at something vertical and straight like a telephone pole, and pan a bit to the left or right. If you see the line bow outward as it moves off axis, that's pincushion distortion. As you can see in the image below, the pincushion (left) looks like the center is farther away than the edges, vs. the "rolling ball" which is perceived as space pushing towards you in the center.



If you can get to the top end of your budget, there are some interesting options as the mid-level glass starts having superior distortion correction. There will still be some pincushion usually, but it will be reduced so panning is more natural. But if you're open to getting a $800-900 binocular used for $600ish, I think you'll be happier long term, it will feel like more of an upgrade than stepping back slightly to the Terra, and the extra money will be worth it for a higher quality product that lasts longer.

A few options to look at:

• Tract Toric UHD (closer to $700 new, but they often have sales or you could try to find one used)
• Zeiss Conquest HD or Vortex Razor HD (both used may be at the top of your budget, also made by Kamakura like the Tract with similar specs)

Among less expensive binoculars, I'm betting the Vanguard Endeavor ED has limited pincushion, since they have chosen the path of a somewhat narrower FOV but what's there is well corrected.

Personally I'm not super impressed with the Terra ED, it's perfectly fine but IMO it's overpriced and you can get equal or better binoculars for $100-150 less without the blue Zeiss logo.

 

[davidanohn]

Eitan, much appreciated for all the advice. "Rolling bowl" then - whatever it was i did not feel well that day. I was actually just looking for used Conquests but no luck as of yet.

 

[Nethero]

Eitan, much appreciated for all the advice. "Rolling bowl" then - whatever it was i did not feel well that day. I was actually just looking for used Conquests but no luck as of yet.

David,

Eitan hit the nail on the head, but whatever distortion you are viewing, I feel your pain. I distinctly remember a Christmas Bird Count four years ago in which I was doing quite a bit of panning looking at passerine flocks. They were moving quickly and so was I. After about five minutes I noticed I felt incredibly nauseous, as if I had ridden on one of those twirly rides at an amusement park.

After that I made the conscious effort to save up for and try higher end binoculars. Whether the distortions in the more expensive binos are corrected better, or my panning behaviors have changed, I’m not sure and it might be a bit of both, but I no longer get *as sick feeling.

The Conquest HD’s are great, I have a set of their 8x32’s and find I don’t get the seasick feeling from them.

 

[Quak]

If you want to stay in that budget I’d grab a monarch 5 and not look back. FOV is listed at a meager 330 ft but it’s a sharp image edge to edge. What good is a wide field of view when you have distortion on the outer 30% like so many mid priced binos do? Also having manually measuring the FOV the monarch 5 is slightly under rated. I measure closer to 360 fwiw.

The advice above on the tract is spot on if you can swing it. It’s a step above the conquest or the razor hd imho. You have to add a 1 in front of the price to get anything better and even then it would be academic imho

I have both binos and love them both fwiw

 

[davidanohn]

Thanks for the replies Nethero and Quak! Very helpful

 

[giosblue]

Maybe you're more prone to motion sickness. If you are then the bins might not be the only cause.