How close do you hold your eyes to the eyecups? (1 Viewer)

[ChurnOwl]

Hi,

new to the site and a relative birding beginner, so please excuse the probably naive question. I recently got myself some nice bins with twist up eyecups. I have them twisted out because I don't wear glasses. I find that I want to really push my eyes against the cups to get a good look but the eyecups are a very hard rubber and after a very short amount of time it starts to hurt mainly the very bottom of my forehead and my eye sockets. I can't imagine I'm the only one who would have this issue so I guess one is not supposed to hold push the eye against them so much? What kind of distance from eye to eyecup is advised or the best way? Or is it just personal preference?

 

[ceasar]

:hi:Hi Churn Owl!

Welcome to Bird forum!

Everybody seems to be different and they will use slightly different techniques to get the right distance and best view. Try experimenting a little.

When I use my binoculars I find it best to brace them slightly under my eyebrows and against my brow ridge. If I push them back around my eye sockets I get blackouts in the view.

Some rubber eye cups are more comfortable than others. I prefer large ones that are slightly rounded off.

Bob

 

[typo]

Welcome to the forum,

I think only one binocular out of the ten I currently have work for me with eyecups full extended and the rims right in the eye socket. All the others need some sort of adjustment in the amount of eyecup extension and the positioning under or over the brow for comfortable use. Sometimes you are lucky and the correct distance falls on one of the set positions but a number of mine have assorted O-rings, hoops of wire or elastic bands setting intermediate positions. Everyone's face is different and no doubt some are more fortunate with their features than I am ( ) but I'd suggest fine tuning the positioning is usual.

David

 

[Stephen Prower]

Churn Owl

If you can use eyecups with a couple of millimetres
extra extension, bicycle inner tube may help.

The rubber that is used for bicycle inner tubes is
likely to be softer, and when you fold the rubber back
on itself, radius of the edge will be greater, and so
less likely to dig uncomfortably into the skin.

I posted a photo of the fix on 9 November on Cluster's
recent thread: 'Eyecup packing':

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=292914

There's usually a catch!

My binoculars have a loose fitting rainguard, so the
extra width of the eyecups does not bother me. Your
binoculars may though have the more usual close-fitting
guard.


Stephen



Warning: You may have to blag a couple of pieces of cut
inner tube of different sizes from a bike shop in order
to bring home one of the right size to fit easily over the
eyecups. If you use too much force when you stretch the
inner tube in order to sleeve it over the eyecup, you
may damage the eyecup

 

[ChurnOwl]

Thanks everyone for advice. Does anyone know good, below £100 8x32 bins with soft/comfortable eyecups?

 

[Maljunulo]

I stick them as far into the socket as I can, for maximum FOV and support.

 

[WJC]

Hi,

new to the site and a relative birding beginner, so please excuse the probably naive question. I recently got myself some nice bins with twist up eyecups. I have them twisted out because I don't wear glasses. I find that I want to really push my eyes against the cups to get a good look but the eyecups are a very hard rubber and after a very short amount of time it starts to hurt mainly the very bottom of my forehead and my eye sockets. I can't imagine I'm the only one who would have this issue so I guess one is not supposed to hold push the eye against them so much? What kind of distance from eye to eyecup is advised or the best way? Or is it just personal preference?

Hi and welcome:

Nope, it is not personal preference--at least if you want the best view.

Your eye will need to be positioned at the location where the virtual image is formed behind the eyepiece. Eye relief may be cited on the box or in the instruction manual. That is for technical accuracy, and is not open to interpretation. For the practical answer, play around until you find the compromise that works best for you. :t:

Cheers,

Bill

 

[ronh]

Mr. Owl,

I like to adjust the eyecup height so I can hold the binocular firmly, but not uncomfortably so, against my eye sockets. That way, that they help center my eyes on the optics, and provide some shielding from light off to the side. It is a little bit tricky to get them to where you can see the entire field of view, but without getting so close that image blackouts are experienced when you look a little bit off axis.

But what you like is personal, and you can adjust them however you like. But it sounds like you'd be happier with them screwed in a tad.

Often, the ideal setting is between two steps where the eyecups are actually made to stay. Then, keeping them where you want them can be a problem. The best thing I have found to keep them in an in between location is good old dirt, which will accumulate in the screw adjust naturally enough with time and make it hard to move. Keep your lenses clean, but grit in the eyecup adjustment can be a good thing.

Ron

 

[Dennis Mau]

Hi,

new to the site and a relative birding beginner, so please excuse the probably naive question. I recently got myself some nice bins with twist up eyecups. I have them twisted out because I don't wear glasses. I find that I want to really push my eyes against the cups to get a good look but the eyecups are a very hard rubber and after a very short amount of time it starts to hurt mainly the very bottom of my forehead and my eye sockets. I can't imagine I'm the only one who would have this issue so I guess one is not supposed to hold push the eye against them so much? What kind of distance from eye to eyecup is advised or the best way? Or is it just personal preference?

However close I need to to avoid blackouts and see the full FOV. Most of the time you have to adjust the eyecups a little but some binoculars you have too MUCH ER and your eyes are behind the eyecups and that is when I return the binoculars because I can't stand that. My SV 8x32's are perfect with the eyecups fully extended. That is one reason among others that I like them.

 

[dandare]

No adjustment available with the soft rubber eyecups on my Opticron SRGA 8x32 porro. I hold them lightly against the top of my eye sockets. I see most if not all of FOV with no blackouts. I'm fortunate though as I have a perfectly shaped face..I'm bit of an adonis to be honest, or that's what most women keep telling me anyway!.. it all becomes a bit trying on times! ||

 

[Stephen Prower]

Eyecups: No adjustment available on Opticron SR.GA 8x32

Dandare

Here's how I have modded the eyecups of my Opticron SR.GA 8x32 to add a couple of millimetres of extra extension. The purpose of doing so was to stop my eyelashes from dirtying the glass of the oculars.

WJC's most useful information in regard to eye relief has prompted me to check whether I continue to see the full field of view. I do when I hold the binoculars in their natural position close to my eyes. I only start to lose the full field when I deliberately hold the binoculars away from the eyes.

Stephen

I believe one can, by contrast, reduce extension by folding back the eyecups in the usual way. I have not though had occasion to try out whether this is so

 

[ChurnOwl]

The eye relief on my binoculars is 15mm. So, what does this mean as regards how close I hold them to my eyes? Sorry if stupid question.

 

[Stephen Prower]

'Good old dirt'

RonH

'Good old dirt' or, if impatient, see photo ... !

In the photo the eyecups are held at maximum extension. But there does seem to be room to hitch up the rubber* locking the eyecup to the eye tube a couple of millimetres or so and still have it contract back to lock against the tube.


Stephen


*As cut from bicycle inner tube

 

[typo]

The eye relief on my binoculars is 15mm. So, what does this mean as regards how close I hold them to my eyes? Sorry if stupid question.

It means that the eye should be placed 15mm form the eye lens surface. Closer would lead to blackouts and further away reduction in the field of view. The same eye cup design will usually be used for both 8 and 10x models but they will normally differ in eye relief. Quite how far the eyecups will need to be extended to be both comfortable and provide the correct distance to the eye you will need to work out for your own features.

David

 

[dandare]

Dandare

Here's how I have modded the eyecups of my Opticron SR.GA 8x32 to add a couple of millimetres of extra extension. The purpose of doing so was to stop my eyelashes from dirtying the glass of the oculars.

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Don't have a problem as yet with my eyelashes contacting the lens, they are pretty close though. Maybe I could see a little more FOV if I held them closer to my eyes but I'm quite happy with things as they are. I've only owned the SRGA for a couple of months, they're an upgrade on my old porro which I've used for the last 30 years. The SRGA has less than a degree more FOV than my old bins, but I was surprised by how much wider the FOV appears through them.. maybe that's why I'm content with the views I'm getting. |=)|

 

[ChurnOwl]

Can anyone recommend good 8x32 bins with fold down eye cups under £100?

 

[WJC]

Can anyone recommend good 8x32 bins with fold down eye cups under £100?

Can you define "good"?

Bill

 

[ChurnOwl]

No

 

[crinklystarfish]

I had a bit of an epiphany when I started to use +1.00 spectacles for reading. I found that with nearly all my current binoculars, and others I've tried, that when using my readers (with binocular eye-cups fully screwed / pushed / folded in) the ease of binocular use - and indeed arguably the whole binocular experience - is enhanced.

I use 10x more often than not and find that any tendency for extra (over a lower magnification) 'shake' is easily compensated for by the extra stability won by holding eyecups firmly against spectacles.

Furthermore, eye relief is (with my face shape) far more easily compensated for by adding or releasing pressure on the binocular / spectacle contact point which is far more intuitive and comfortable than trying to position eyecups in the specific bone / flesh position required for best results. Another bonus is the consistency and speed that the binocular can be brought into use.

Anyone who hasn't tried this ought to give it a go. It may not be as theoretically as pure an experience as is possible but in real life situations, for my money, it really does increase the pleasure and effectiveness of viewing.

Reading glasses can be purchased very cheaply and a pair that fit close to the face to avoid any potential ER issues might just be transformational...

 

[ChurnOwl]

That's quite an idea crinklystarfish! Wearing glasses even if you don't need to. I can see the appeal because the main issue I have with my bins (and I can't see how it would different to many others) is the edge of the eye cup. Because the eyecups are made of rubber but a very hard type, and to view well I have to lodge the eyecups just beneath my brows and into the top of my nose, I find the edges dig in and cause discomfort, mostly where the forehead meets the brows meets the top of the nose. It actually can give me minor headaches. Does anyone else have this problem?