Binoculars plus eyeglasses.

N80 · Jan 2, 2018

After having perfect vision all my life I am now in progressive eyeglasses. They present a number of challenges but after trying all the other alternatives they are the best option for now.

I like to hunt. I like photography. I wear my glasses most of the time for these activities. I can use my rifle scopes and my camera (DSLR) with or without glasses but most of the time I use them with glasses. There are no issues with scopes but with the camera and glasses on I cannot see the entire viewfinder. I just deal with that.

My problem is with binoculars. I have an old pair of Bausch and Lomb custom compacts that were considered very good binocs 30 years ago (not Zeiss level but close). Anyway, they have seen better days and are not as good as many mid range binoculars made today. Plus, I cannot use them with glasses at all. I have to take them off. When hunting or bird watching, going from glasses to binoculars and back just isn't very practical or effective. So I stopped carrying them altogether and I miss having binoculars with me.

So, I'm starting to think about getting a new pair. Probably 10x40. They do not need to be small. I'm looking at the lower end Zeiss and similar binoculars. I will try out whatever I buy of course but would like to hear from others who deal with this and if they have found good high quality binoculars that they are able to use while wearing glasses.

Thanks for any advice or experience.

downsizingnow48 · Jan 2, 2018

Birdwatching.com has a discussion of the problem and recommended binoculars.

N80 · Jan 2, 2018

downsizingnow48 said:
Birdwatching.com has a discussion of the problem and recommended binoculars.

I will look that up. Thanks.

deserteagle71 · Jan 2, 2018

Best advice I can give is to go to a store that has a big selection of binoculars and try them out. I went through the same scenario as you and found that some makes/models would not allow me to see most of the field of vision, and did not have enough focus adjustment, to be useable with my glasses. After some searching I found a nice Pentax 12x50 set that works really well - a huge focal range. But that was ~20 years ago so I have no idea what's available today.

dmccarty · Jan 2, 2018

I have found 10 power binoculars to be very difficult to keep steady, even when using a vehicle to steady oneself. When my 10x50's got dropped unto concrete, and a repair only did so much, I bought a 7x50 set of Nikons. The 7 power binoculars are much easier to hand hold. After "seeing" how well VR camera lenses work, I would look at the stabilized binoculars in the 10x and above power range. For what I use the binoculars for, 7x works fine. With the a big objective lens, like a 50, you really get quite a bit of light, even at dusk/dawn and early evening.

I was shocked at how much light a 50 objective gathers in low/no light. The binoculars I bought have a built in compass which is helpful on land and really helpful when taking bearings on other vessels at sea. The 50 objective was most helpful in low light overcast due to a gale, fog and rain. A bit more power would have been nice a couple of times but the light gathering of my binoculars vs the binoculars of the boat owners was very obvious and far more useful. If I was boating more often, higher power stabilized binoculars would be useful if the price was right.

With eye glasses you need to look at the binoculars eye relief. How to Choose the Best Binoculars - REI Expert Advice 11 mm or more is recommended per the link.

Later,
Dan

tcreeley · Jan 2, 2018

The binoculars each have a focal distance that is the point where the image is sharp when held to the eye. Non eyeglass wearers can hold binocs closer to their eye. And the binocs are designed with that distance in mind. Eyeglass wearers have a greater distance between the binocs and their eyes. The set focal distance may not align with the eyeglass wearer's needs - so the eyeglasses are removed. (That is what I do since I started using glasses.)
Binocs that are set up for eyeglass wearers are designed with a larger eye relief number. Pick your binocs with that in mind. A zeiss may be no better than what you have if they are the wrong eye relief number.

Better explanation here!
Binoculars: Eye Relief

(Always like Bausch Lomb - I checked out their elite at a birding conference against Leitz and Zeiss - and except for the 7x35 Leica, the Elite were as good or better for clarity than the others.)