Binoculars
There are two schools of binocular user.
There are those who treat them like a much loved pet, mollycoddling them. They stroke them with expensive lens cloths, keep them in their own special box to which they return them every night to bed down on their warranty card.
Then there are those that expect them to take everything life throws at them. They get chucked into the back of the car or dropped into a bag. They take pride in scraping the film of dirt and a small crop of potatoes out of the focus wheel every ten or fifteen years.
I'm afraid I am in the latter category.
Binoculars are, to me, almost an extension of my very being. They have to go with me and take whatever my life throws at them. I keep the lenses clean so I can see through them. If I fall over in the mud, and get the objectives all plugged up with soil, then it’s a quick rinse in the river or under the tap, a shake and a rub down and we’re ready to go again. That is about all the care my pair of Leica’s get and we seem to thrive; man and bins.
Look, I appreciate that they are expensive but when you use them every day like I do and have to travel the world over, you will appreciate the peace of mind that goes with not have to worry about them every time a dust storm blows up or the skies look heavy with rain.
My binoculars have been dropped in the sea (to a depth of about 9-10 metres), run over by a Rhino and a Jeep in the same week, subjected to Saharan dust storms, minus 27 degrees in the Arctic, submerged in the swamps of Venezuela while tackling an anaconda, and generally used and abused for the best part of 14 years.
We have survived together with the only smallest maintenance issues; an end cap dropped off, the logo wore out and, after a particularly nasty tumble off my mountain bike, one of the objective lenses took a small scratch (not that I really noticed).
My old standards that I still really love and use daily are my Trinovids. I have a lovely chunky pair of 8x42BA that I would like to nestle next to me in my coffin. Even though the newer models are a little brighter (and I mean the tiniest bit brighter) I still love these.
The binocular for you is the one that you like the best. Although these are a little heavier and bulkier than some of the more recent slim models, there is something about the chunky 'teardrop' cross-section of these that sits really nicely in the hand.
The wide field of view, and the large objective combine to make a very bright and relaxed viewing experience. When I need to have a pair fastened to my head for long periods of time, this optical comfort counts for a lot more than a bit of extra magnification that, say, a 10x42 would afford.
I guess the only down side to these is the eye cups. They move straight up and down on parallel channels and if you are changing from low to high setting (i.e. spectacle wearers and non-spectacle wearers) then this movement can get a little stiff. I found that a build up of dirt in the channels made this operation very difficult over time and then they would only go down with a sharp ‘whack’ with the palm of the hand, obviously putting the glass at risk of being scratched.
My German friends would probably, and rightfully, mention at this point that if I looked after my kit and cleaned them from time to time this would never happen!
My other favourite pair, and this really is a luxury, are also in the Trinovid range. The 10x32's have a much closer focusing range (about 2.8 metres) which makes them just about perfect for dragonfly and butterfly watching. They are lighter and more compact and so fit into smaller pockets and as a consequence they are great if I'm travelling light.
My new favourites are a pair of ULTRAVIDS 8X42. They are a good all round binocular. Like all the comparable binoculars in this range they are nitrogen filled, which to you and me means they are waterproof; although the company would only say to a depth of 5 metres, I have doubled that (by accident of course) and mine are still fine.
They have all the adjustments that one really requires from binoculars and they are beautifully simple. Being a glasses wearer too, I find the eye cups move up and down more easily (even when covered in crap!) They are on twisty bearing races, meaning they move up and down with a gentle twist. For us filthy beasts out there, they are removable and can be scrubbed clean under the tap with warm soapy water.
Note: I will at some point in the not too distant future write an article about how to choose the best binoculars for you, this will be an idiots guide giving a full break down on the jargon and a full explanation of the basic technicalities. This will be available in the FAQ section soon.