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Binoculars, Opera Glasses


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My beloved old opera glasses are broken.

 

I went into my local, rather good, camera and  binocular shop, and they had absolutely nothing.

 

Can anyone recommend a pair or where to go to try some- I understand some cost a fortune but I can't run to £700.

 

It seems some other forumers are in a similar plight so all ideas very warmly received.

Thanks.

 

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Have look on line.  I have a small pair of binoculars which I use for sightseeing, boating and theatre.  I don't know if the specifications would mean much to you (they wouldn't to me,) but they are Pentacon, CN10 x 26WP Field 6.5° 114m/1000m.  They were certainly well under £50 several years ago.  If you google "compact binoculars" you will find there is a large choice on the market.

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I use a pair I bought in the ROH shop about 10 years ago (only the third pair I have had over the years). They were about £40 and I find them perfectly adequate. (I do have to squint slightly for clear vision, which is rather tiring, but that was the case with the other pairs too, so it must be my eyes...).

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There’s a store within walking distance of the ROH where they would be able to advise you.

 

https://www.microglobe.co.uk/

 

 If viewing from the amphitheatre, you'd want as wide an angle of view as possible. I’ve just done a search on their website and have come up with this possibility which has an extremely wide angle of view (9.3°)

 

https://www.microglobe.co.uk/olympus-7x35-trooper-dps-i-wide-angle-porro-prism-binocular-p-2606.html?

 

Maybe you could go there and try them out?

 

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The ROH shop were selling opera glasses the other day - not sure if they are good value for money though. I think London Coliseum also sells some. 

 

I personally got mine on Etsy as they are vintage - they work quite well but admittedly they probably aren't up to the specs of modern ones, but I am happy with them for now. If you're after a cheap vintage pair Etsy/Ebay probably are worth a look, though obviously comes with some risk you wouldn't if you bought them new in a reputable shop. 

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I had a look at the opera glasses on the ROH website, and they have a full spec for the Leica ROH special edition ones (a mere snip at £750).  They also have some for £45 but no spec listed.  The £45 ones seem identical to the 'opera glasses' on the site Bluebird linked to, which are incidentally £22 there.  

 

 

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10 hours ago, Bluebird said:

There’s a store within walking distance of the ROH where they would be able to advise you.

 

https://www.microglobe.co.uk/

 

 If viewing from the amphitheatre, you'd want as wide an angle of view as possible. I’ve just done a search on their website and have come up with this possibility which has an extremely wide angle of view (9.3°)

 

https://www.microglobe.co.uk/olympus-7x35-trooper-dps-i-wide-angle-porro-prism-binocular-p-2606.html?

 

Maybe you could go there and try them out?

 

I had to replace my beloved wide vision binoculars this year when I left them by the ballerina statue, and micro globe came up trumps. I use Bushnell xtra wide vision 4x30, they are not produced anymore, but microglobe stocked up on them because the guy running it thought they are some of the best binoculars of that type. They were made for watching sporting events, which works marvellously well for ballet. I use them mainly from stalls circle or the back of stalls at Sadler's, excellent view of tiny expressions as well as larger groups of dancers. From the amphi they take in the entire stage, but you might lose the finer details you'd get with more powerful narrow binoculars. They work well for glass wearers as well. They are light enough, but won't fit into a tiny handbag. I love them so much, I bought 2 pairs this time in case I loose a pair again.

 

currently £64 at micro globe, they were originally around £100

https://www.microglobe.co.uk/bushnell-4x30-xtra-wide-binocular-p-5937.html?

Edited by Coated
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These stories of lost opera glasses are making me sad! This morning, on a flight between London and Toulouse following yesterday's performance at the ROH, I suddenly became convinced I'd lost mine in transit (thankfully I hadn't). They were given to me in my early teens by my mum and late father, a gift from Prague, bright scarlet, from the days Prague was not a tourist destination and things like opera glasses were still cheap for western tourists to buy. Twenty years later, they've been with me at so many performances and have great sentimental value. I was very upset when I thought I'd lost them. 

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  • 3 years later...

As my eyesight changes, I am finding the need for binoculars or opera glasses to properly see faces and facial expressions.  Buying online there is no opportunity to try them out. 

 

May I ask what other people find useful, prefer?  Any suggestions for shops to visit?  Advice or recommendations?  Especially brands & models. 

 

So far, I've been checking Amazon, Ebay and a few online Charity shops.  Thanks

Edited by Henry
correction
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I have found these 'opera glasses for the poor' as I call them - in my dotage - work well for me, and are wonderfully vivid and long-wearing (while not overly expensive - having bought several pairs on E-bay.  I always keep one spare - just in case - and ... erm ... wouldn't leave home without them .... [well, at least to the ROH].  

 

The Olivon 7×30 WP is designed to give a very light weight binocular coupled with exceptional clarity and brightness. The 7x magnification is the classic bird watching binocular but is also well suited for nature viewing or as a general purpose model.  With high clarity, wide field of view and a natural well balanced image (true to life colour due to multi coated lenses). This model also features a close focus of approx. 2m making ideal for garden based bird watching. Fully Waterproof and Nitrogen filled.  High Resolution BAK4 prisms ensure a brighter image throughout the range of magnifications by maximising light transmission. Efficient use of the light gathered is particularly important at high magnifications where images appear darker or for applications were colour identification is essential. The traditional porro prism designed gives higher quality images when compared to roof prism or compact (reverse) porro prism designs in the same price range.

Long eye relief makes these binoculars ideal for spectacle wearers. It enables users wearing glasses to view the entire field of view as the binocular image is projected further out of the exit pupil.

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I have several pair and I have found most of them on ebay. I have listed them in the order of how I rate them :

I also have a really compact French pair which fold into a package about 8cm x 8cm x 1cm. These are my favourites. How about this (probably) stolen pair ? This Carl Zeiss pair look very nice, and probably are brill, but they are pricey.

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I manage well with my inexpensive ( about £50) Aculon TO2s, bought from a little shop in that yard opp. the British Museum- where the LRB bookshop is: they had a good range of reasonably priced bins, and it was on the way to ROH one day. but might have gone...

(There is also a very expensive optics shop there that I tried first but it was starting at £500...)

 

I find these light, comfortable and do the job and it isn't the end of the world if I lose them out and about.

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15 hours ago, Henry said:

As my eyesight changes, I am finding the need for binoculars or opera glasses to properly see faces and facial expressions.  Buying online there is no opportunity to try them out. 

 

May I ask what other people find useful, prefer?  Any suggestions for shops to visit?  Advice or recommendations?  Especially brands & models. 

 

So far, I've been checking Amazon, Ebay and a few online Charity shops.  Thanks

Mine are from Argos! They have a great range of small binoculars to choose from. Unfortunately I can’t remember what the brand or model number is, but they are small (fit in your palm), black, come in their own case, and were in the lower end of the price range, either cheapest or second cheapest.  They’re about 5 years old now and still going strong. At our local Argos, you can either reserve or buy online and pick up in person (they do deliveries too but it was more convenient for me to pick up) or buy it in the shop. They cost me less than £20.  

 

You can try them out in the shop and if they don’t suit you, you can return them immediately and ask for a refund and pick another. I don’t think you need fancy ones with Zeiss lenses or whatever. But I would buy small binoculars rather than opera glasses, which I have had before and didn’t focus as well and didn’t last as long. (My previous pair of small binoculars were a gift and lasted well over a decade!) I wouldn’t use eBay or secondhand, in case they were dropped and a lens might have become dislodged. 

Edited by Emeralds
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6 hours ago, trog said:

I have several pair and I have found most of them on ebay. I have listed them in the order of how I rate them :

I also have a really compact French pair which fold into a package about 8cm x 8cm x 1cm. These are my favourites. How about this (probably) stolen pair ? This Carl Zeiss pair look very nice, and probably are brill, but they are pricey.

I can give an opinion about the “stolen pair” model....lol. I bought mine in a theatre shop so not stolen - can’t remember if it was ROH, South Bank Centre or a West End theatre but it was one of those. They were my first ever pair of opera glasses/binoculars for the theatre. Just alright. Not the best. You have to squint while using them. Better than nothing. They didn’t last very long either- only a couple of years (for a regular attendee), then they started to fall apart.  When I switched to real binoculars that I was given, it was like getting Superman vision - the difference was incredible.

 

I’ve also tried the red ROH ones that used to be available at seats for rental- actually slightly better than that pair of opera glasses in that link (for someone who doesn’t need spectacles). I haven’t tried any of the other four that Trog rated.

 

But for the best vision - and ones that are kindest to your eyes long term -go for a pair of small proper binoculars, like the ones used for birdwatching. because you can adjust the width, the fit, as well as the acuity.

Edited by Emeralds
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Intrigued by the amounts members say they’ve spent (£50 and more!) I had a look on the Argos website to see if my small pocket binoculars were still in stock and unfortunately they no longer are. 

 

However, I just remembered another similar brilliant pair I had (before I gave them to a relative for their own theatre trips) which were from the National Trust shop (you can buy them online too, if you don’t happen to be going to an NT venue) which look almost identical - maybe it’s the same manufacturer? - and are currently still in stock at £18 (delivery costs £4.95, free delivery for orders over £50, U.K. addresses only)

https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/national-trust-pocket-optic-rubber-binoculars.html

Like the Argos ones, they’re small, fit in your palm, easy to adjust the width and acuity, very powerful - great for last row of the Rear Amphitheatre at ROH, and the back row of Rausing Circle and the Gallery standing places of Royal Albert Hall). And long term, kinder on one’s eyes. You don’t need to be a member of the National Trust to buy them. 

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