Narrow pupillary distance. Recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[notnormal]

Narrow interpupillary distance. Recommendations?

Hi everyone,
I've been shopping around for binoculars and can't find any useable pairs. The problem is that I have a narrow interpupillary distance, and cannot get the two circles to converge. There may be some overlapping but two circles are distinct.
I went to the eagleoptics.ca store in Canada and tried most of the 8x?? binoculars. These include the Audubon Equinox, Stokes Talon, and various compacts.
Any advice or recommendations? Should I switch to monoculars? Or should I just use binoculars with one eye? Cheers!

 

[notnormal]

Found this thread and this website.

Looks like I'm stuck with low quality roof prisms :eek!:.

 

[Pileatus]

Found this thread and this website.

Looks like I'm stuck with low quality roof prisms :eek!:.

What is your IPD?

 

[ceasar]

This would be a problem if you have a narrow, high bridged nose and are using binoculars with hard, sliding eyecups. Have you tried binoculars that have rubber eyecups and also have a short eye relief, like a Swift Audubon 8.5 x 44 Porro Prism? Or a Nikon 8 x 32 SE. Bushnell Custom Classic 7 x 26's get down to a 58mm IPD and many of the double hinged compact binoculars made by Leica and other top end manufacturer's have 8 x20's and 10 x 25's that will get under 50mm.

Bob

 

[mook]

Hi Notnormal,

I have had the same problem on occassion - I always have roof prism binoculars fully closed....suits me better. What I have found is that some binoculars with too generous eye relief (I don't wear glasses) and those that focus really close (2m or less) do seem less comfortable. Either I get eye-strain (maybe my eyes can't use the same diopter setting for very near/far viewing?) or I can't get a satisfactory 'whole' image....ie., what you are experiencing with the overlapping circles.

I think Ceasar has a good point about eye cups....I have found the older, pre pop-up eyecup binoculars rarely bother me....and porros (like Zeiss Jena 8x30) seem fine once adjusted.

As far as roofs go, I find 10x more comfortable & they usually focus no closer than 3 or 4m - which is fine for me.

All I can suggest is try as many pairs as possible & don't rule out older models - I'm sure you will find a pair that suits and if you do, buy 2 pairs!!

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mook.

 

[Alexis Powell]

Found this thread and this website.

Looks like I'm stuck with low quality roof prisms :eek!:.

Dear Notnormal,
Given that you found the above thread, I don't understand your comment about being stuck with low quality roof prisms (did you read my post in the thread?)--I'd say just the opposite. If your IPD is under 54 mm, as far as I know there is only one choice among full and 2/3 sized roofs, the Zeiss 8x32 (or 10x32) FL, which is (despite my gripes on other threads about the size of its sweet spot) an EXCELLENT bino, and the ONLY such roof that I know that has a 52 mm IPD. Because of its exit pupil size, it should work for you at most distances if your IPD is 50 mm or above. There are a number of high-quality porros with IPDs in the the same range, including the Nikon 8x32 SE.

If your IPD is under 50 mm, I'm not sure you're going to be able to find ANY full or 2/3 sized binos (roof or porro) at any price. If so, I'd recommend a really high quality pocket roof (these adjust down to ~35 mm!). Try the Leica 8x20 and 10x25 Ultravids. Normally I like 8x better, but if it is to be your only/primary bin you might prefer the 10x for its handling properties.
--AP

 

[notnormal]

I don't know my IPD but shall get it checked. However, I do know that it's under 55 mm, as the Audubon Equinox were borderline but still no good. It's IPD range is 55-75 mm.

I also tried many compact but they were also no good. My options to try are all the binoculars listed at the Canadian eagleoptics. Howver, the Leica Ultravid were out of my price range.

So far the Audubon Vector 8x25 was good (IPD 50-75), but I don't like the optics. Based on the input I'll try more of the 8x25 and 10x25.

Any other further suggestion would still be helpful.
Thanks everyone!

 

[notnormal]

Dear Notnormal,
Given that you found the above thread, I don't understand your comment about being stuck with low quality roof prisms (did you read my post in the thread?)--I'd say just the opposite. If your IPD is under 54 mm, as far as I know there is only one choice among full and 2/3 sized roofs, the Zeiss 8x32 (or 10x32) FL, which is (despite my gripes on other threads about the size of its sweet spot) an EXCELLENT bino, and the ONLY such roof that I know that has a 52 mm IPD. Because of its exit pupil size, it should work for you at most distances if your IPD is 50 mm or above. There are a number of high-quality porros with IPDs in the the same range, including the Nikon 8x32 SE.

If your IPD is under 50 mm, I'm not sure you're going to be able to find ANY full or 2/3 sized binos (roof or porro) at any price. If so, I'd recommend a really high quality pocket roof (these adjust down to ~35 mm!). Try the Leica 8x20 and 10x25 Ultravids. Normally I like 8x better, but if it is to be your only/primary bin you might prefer the 10x for its handling properties.
--AP

Hey Alexis,
The store did not have all those models to try in person, and frankly many of them are beyond my budget. Currently I'm just seeking a pair of binoculars to get started. If I become more serious, then the higher models would be a consideration. I did try the Zeiss ultravids though! Here's a link to the binoculars that the store has available to try in person. However, the list is not complete.

 

[notnormal]

As far as roofs go, I find 10x more comfortable & they usually focus no closer than 3 or 4m - which is fine for me.
Mook.

Strange. I prefer less zoom (8x), but did notice that 10x posses less of a problem! For example the Stokes Talon 8x42 was unuseable, but the 10x42 was better.

 

[Alexis Powell]

notnormal,
I guess I didn't understand the nature of your complaint. What is your budget? If you can't afford the Leica Ultravid 8x20, or any of the slightly cheaper top-end pocket roofs, then you can't afford nice roofs of any size, so I'd recommend you find a good 8x32 or 8x40 porro. Wonder if you could find a used Nikon 8x32 SE or 8x30 EII? I'm not as familiar with the minimum IPD of current less-expensive porros, but there have always been a few models that get down to ~50 mm. I'd think the folks at Eagle Optics could help you with this. Don't bother looking at reverse-porro compacts. These binos are smaller than full-sized, but unlike pocket-roofs, they don't allow for any closer IPD settings than do full-sized. In fact, to the contrary; smallest I've seen is 54 mm for the Nikon Sprint 7x21.

To measure your IPD, look though a 8x20 or 10x25 pocket roof bino, get the IPD adjusted to where it is comfortable, then use a ruler to measure the distance from the outside edge of one eyepiece lens to the inside edge of the other (this is easier to do but equivalent to measuring the distance between the centers of the eyepieces).
--AP

 

[notnormal]

Success!!

Hi everyone,
Just updating everyone of the situation. I went back to the Canadian EagleOptics store and luckily a more experience staff member (possibly the owner) was there to help. He was very courteous and aware of my budget situation. Again, we went through many binoculars from ~$100 to ~$2000 (just for fun), and tested them on resolution charts. In the end there was one that worked for me, produced great results, and was in my price range! The Nikon EII .

Thank you everyone for all your help!

 

[Alexis Powell]

Congratulations on the find, the Nikon EII models (8x30 or 10x35--you don't say which you got) have EXCELLENT optics! You couldn't have done better even if you had no issues with IPD!
--AP

 

[notnormal]

Congratulations on the find, the Nikon EII models (8x30 or 10x35--you don't say which you got) have EXCELLENT optics! You couldn't have done better even if you had no issues with IPD!
--AP

Thanks Alexis! I got the Nikon EII 8x30, which has a great field of view which helps me a lot.

 

[ceasar]

I have both of the EII's. They have, as Alexis says, superb optics and the FOV of the 8 x 30 is nothing less than panoramic! The IPD only shows 60mm to 70mm but they get down to about 54mm. I'm surprised that your dealer still had some in stock. Once they were discontinued the remaining stock went quickly. You are fortunate to own one. Dollar for dollar the 8 x 30 might have been the best binocular for all around daily use ever made!

By the way, you should be aware that the rubber covering on the binoculars has a penchant for slowly working loose. Not in all cases, but it has happened enough to be a subject of discussion on the Nikon Binocular forum. If it happens to you, my advice is not to rush to return them as replacement is not a likely option since they have been discontinued. The problem can be easily fixed, either by Nikon or yourself, if you feel up to it. Bring it up on the Nikon Forum for guidance. IMHO the binoculars are too good to get rid of. Likewise, if they should for some reason go out of collimation. With their eccentric rings located near the objective lenses a good binocular technician can fix that in short order, or Nikon can do it. They not only are user friendly, they are technician friendly!

Many happy birding hours,
Bob