Nikon Travelite II 7x20 (1 Viewer)

[Koensol]

Hello everyone,

As a new wildlife photographer/videographer I was looking for a set of binoculars to accompany me on my birding/wildlife trips, and my father opened a box of old ones he doesn't use anymore. One of them, the Nikon Travelite II, belonged to my aunt who unfortunately died 3 years ago. This is the one I liked the best by far out of the 3. It's extremely light (220 grams), has enough zoom for general bird/wildlife spotting and has a decent fov (7.1°) and the image quality seems decent as well for something that looks so ancient. I was actually surprised how pleasant they were to look through.

Now I can't find alot of info about them, but would like to get to know these binos a little better. Anyone here knows more about this particular model? Is it water/fog proof? How does the image quality compare to more modern binos in your opinion? Any input is welcome! Pics attached.

 

[Thotmosis]

Welcome to Birdforum Koensol, unfortunately I don’t know anything about this Nikon but it looks very cool and 7x is my favorite magnification .
Soon some of the many experts of BF will chime in and tell all about it i imagine

 

[Dennis Mau]

The Nikon Travelight II 7x20 most assuredly came between the original Nikon Venturer II 8x23 and the current Nikon Travelight 8x25. The original Nikon Venturer II 8x23 was a very good reverse porro binocular that was introduced in the 80s and actually beat out a Zeiss roof prism binocular for optical performance in a binocular test conducted by Consumer Reports. Nikon was going to quit making the Venturer, but there was such a demand for it after the Consumer Reports test they continued production until 1993, and then they replaced it with the Travelight series. The Travelight II 7x20 is an excellent little reverse porro and a very cool format being a 7x20 because it is almost the same format as the current Swarovski Curio 7x21. Even back then, Nikon knew what they were doing! You have a very nice, compact reverse porro binocular that will give even the current pocket binoculars a run for their money.

https://www.cloudynights.com/BVD/compact-binoculars-be.php

Nikon Travelite II 2 7x20 7.1 Compact Binoculars with Case | eBay

Great Condition, See pictures for condition detail and whats included.

www.ebay.com

Nikon Venturer II Binoculars with 8X23 6.3 Degree With Original Nikon Soft Case | eBay

Nikon Venturer II Binoculars are compact, brown binoculars with a maximum magnification of 8x23. Made in Japan, they are suitable for activities like hunting, birding, and general use. The binoculars come with the original Nikon soft case.

www.ebay.com

 

[Jinac]

I have the travelite III, view is really good, CA very low, sharp in the center, 25% peripheral less but doesn't bother me.
The only negative points are (for me) :

• the glare is very high, it's a bit better using my hand as a cap, but still important
• the hinge is too loose on mine, using with one hand it's very hard
• it's non WP

I love theses bino, specially for hiking, 200g, good view, bright, and, good height of eyepiece without glasses, no black hole for me!

 

[kabsetz]

Jinac,

I have a travelite III 7x, and used it quite a bit in the 1990s at a time I didn't have a good and compact full size bino. I solved (sort of) the loose hinge problem by gluing with super-glue a tiny bit of rubber on top between the hinges to act as a stopper for my correct interpupillary distance. That allowed my to quickly set the ipd even with one hand. Only problem was that it created a new maximum ipd at my setting, so I couldn't lend the binoculars to anyone with more ipd than me.

And yes, these are good binoculars

 

[Jinac]

Yes it was my idea, thanks for the confirmation 👍👍👍
My IPD is really really short so it's not a big deal, I hope that I'll be able to modify my way of holding after done that because for now, the tubes move aside while I'm watching because of the "vertical push" between my thumb and my fingers.

 

[Koensol]

The Nikon Travelight II 7x20 most assuredly came between the original Nikon Venturer II 8x23 and the current Nikon Travelight 8x25. The original Nikon Venturer II 8x23 was a very good reverse porro binocular that was introduced in the 80s and actually beat out a Zeiss roof prism binocular for optical performance in a binocular test conducted by Consumer Reports. Nikon was going to quit making the Venturer, but there was such a demand for it after the Consumer Reports test they continued production until 1993, and then they replaced it with the Travelight series. The Travelight II 7x20 is an excellent little reverse porro and a very cool format being a 7x20 because it is almost the same format as the current Swarovski Curio 7x21. Even back then, Nikon knew what they were doing! You have a very nice, compact reverse porro binocular that will give even the current pocket binoculars a run for their money.

https://www.cloudynights.com/BVD/compact-binoculars-be.php

Nikon Travelite II 2 7x20 7.1 Compact Binoculars with Case | eBay

Great Condition, See pictures for condition detail and whats included.

www.ebay.com

Nikon Venturer II Binoculars with 8X23 6.3 Degree With Original Nikon Soft Case | eBay

Nikon Venturer II Binoculars are compact, brown binoculars with a maximum magnification of 8x23. Made in Japan, they are suitable for activities like hunting, birding, and general use. The binoculars come with the original Nikon soft case.

www.ebay.com

I have the travelite III, view is really good, CA very low, sharp in the center, 25% peripheral less but doesn't bother me.
The only negative points are (for me) :

• the glare is very high, it's a bit better using my hand as a cap, but still important
• the hinge is too loose on mine, using with one hand it's very hard
• it's non WP

I love theses bino, specially for hiking, 200g, good view, bright, and, good height of eyepiece without glasses, no black hole for me!

Damn, looks like I got myself some proper vintage quality glass. Explains how my first impression was immediately positive. Thanks for all the information, I really appreciate it. Shame it's not waterproof though, but nonetheless I will be bringing this for sure on my future hikes with how pocketable it is!