[MDOsprey] Assistance with new bins

Dave Mozurkewich (dm@fornax.usno.navy.mil)
Mon, 7 Jun 1999 21:40:03 -0400 (EDT) 

>  Andy Rabin wrote:
>
>    I know that the conventional wisdom is to get the best binoculars you 
> can afford and that my own hands and eyes will be the best judges.  With 
> that in mind, are the Audubons and/or Ultralites binoculars that I will 
> be satisfied with for a very long time, or would it be wiser to hold off 
> until I can get the really good ones?
> 
> Andy Rabin
> Gaithersburg, MD

Making a recommendation of what bins are "sufficient" is not easy.  I used
to be a strong advocate for buying the best bins you can afford.  I will
no longer do so even though I will not hesitate to buy them for myself.

This is because the physiology of the user is so important; an issue not
usually discussed.  Some people simply do not have good enough eyesight to
take advantage of the top end bins.  There can be a lot besides focus and
astigmatism wrong with the image formed by an eye and no one is making
eye wear that corrects for that.  (Although there are some interesting
experiments underway, I doubt we will see a practical or affordable unit
in the near future).

Then there is the interpretation of that image in your eye.  What you do
with that image changes with age as well as with training; the more
birding you do, the more practice you get pushing the limits of what you
can see and the better you become at it.

So neither I nor anyone else can tell you how much of an improvement you
will see using better bins.  Nor can we tell you for how long you will be
happy with anything less than the best.  Perhaps forever.  Perhaps not
even on the day you buy them.

So what should you do?

Look through all the models you might consider, including the ones you
cannot afford.  Then you can compare the cost and benefit of your options
and decide how much you have to pay to be happy and whether it is worth
the wait until you can afford more. 

But remember when comparing brightness and color, the best bins really
stand out in poor lighting and how much of an improvement you get is
STRONGLY dependent on how dirty the lenses are.

Having said that, I doubt it is worth waiting to be able to afford a still
better pair.  As long as what you buy is a big improvement over what you
have, buy them.  What you gain from using the new bins now will almost
certainly outweigh the additional improvement from a still-better pair
sometime in the distant future. 

And just like computers, the longer you wait, the more you get for the
buck.

Dave

David Mozurkewich
Seabrook, MD  USA
dm@fornax.usno.navy.mil