ellyb Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 I'm not sure if this is the right place but I'm thinking that with the combination of price increases and lots I want to see next season I'm regularly going to find myself a long way up in the gods... My binoculars aren't great so wondering if anyone might have any recommendations for an upgrade? Ideally suitable for upper amphitheatre, so pretty powerful - and preferably not too expensive! TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 A quick forum search brings up this thread, which may be of help: I have a feeling there may be another one somewhere, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellyb Posted June 8, 2023 Author Share Posted June 8, 2023 55 minutes ago, alison said: A quick forum search brings up this thread, which may be of help: I have a feeling there may be another one somewhere, though. Thank you but unfortunately none of the ones listed are suitable, or the links don't work. There is mention of a previous thread but apparently it was lost at some point unfortunately. Just hoping for ideas of what sort of spec to go for and figured there would probably be a few here who were old hands at watching ballet specifically from the ROH amphitheatre and had done the trial and error already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 For years now I've used a pair bought at the ROH shop: https://shop.roh.org.uk/products/black-opera-glasses - now £50 but were a lot less when I bought them... I sit in the amphi and find them very good. But it can be a personal thing - they might not work for everyone's eyes. (You can try them out in the shop if necessary/possible.) There may be cheaper ones available but I regard it as a good and necessary investment since I go to a lot of performances and use them every single time (and for most of the time!). In more than 45 years of ballet-going this is only the 3rd pair of opera glasses I've had. The first pair were a sort of folding contraption that snapped shut, and I used them for so long that they were held together with a rubber band for the last years of their life! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellyb Posted June 8, 2023 Author Share Posted June 8, 2023 19 minutes ago, bridiem said: For years now I've used a pair bought at the ROH shop: https://shop.roh.org.uk/products/black-opera-glasses - now £50 but were a lot less when I bought them... I sit in the amphi and find them very good. But it can be a personal thing - they might not work for everyone's eyes. (You can try them out in the shop if necessary/possible.) There may be cheaper ones available but I regard it as a good and necessary investment since I go to a lot of performances and use them every single time (and for most of the time!). In more than 45 years of ballet-going this is only the 3rd pair of opera glasses I've had. The first pair were a sort of folding contraption that snapped shut, and I used them for so long that they were held together with a rubber band for the last years of their life! That's interesting, thank you; I'd discounted them as they didn't have great reviews... but they only have 2 reviews so it's not much of a sample size! They're only a 3x magnification though and I was wondering whether that would be enough from the amphitheatre? I'll pop in and have a look when I'm next in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 (edited) https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/national-trust-pocket-optic-rubber-binoculars.html National Trust pocket optic binoculars £18. Small and discreet enough to look like opera glasses, used from the very last row of the rear amphitheatre at ROH and the last/furthest row at the Royal Albert Hall- powerful enough to see facial expressions and small details. More powerful (magnification) and sharper than two sets of opera glasses I previously had. Argos also used to do similar good ones but seem to be out of stock at present....they might come back so do recheck their website from time to time and before you buy. Edited June 8, 2023 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) 8 hours ago, ellyb said: They're only a 3x magnification though and I was wondering whether that would be enough from the amphitheatre? Well I can see faces and details absolutely clearly from about a third or half of the way back in the amphi (and I'm very short-sighted!); I haven't sat further back than that for a while but I have used them from there too with no problem. And they're very compact and look nice too. Good luck anyway! Hope you can find something that suits you. Edited June 9, 2023 by bridiem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 There are a number of factors to consider when buying a pair of binoculars. Apart from the weight and size you will see that they may be classified as, for example, 8x25. The first number is the magnification and the second number is the aperture. When I bought my first pair of binoculars (with a view to both wildlife and theatre watching) the shop told me that for letting light in in a theatre you should go for the highest aperture available for the magnification. I did use them in the amphitheatre and they were fabulous. As we are talking nearly 40 years ago and technology has improved that may no longer be the most important factor. Sadly because of their construction, when one of the lenses slipped they were classified as BER. I bought my second pair when I was still a contact lens wearer. When I had to go back to wearing glasses I found them much harder to use. I was in a specialist shop in Norfolk (Cley Spy) and was talking to the gentleman in there. I ended up trying various binoculars and buying a new pair that worked better for me as a glasses wearer. I even got a decent trade in on my current pair. Around 30 years ago I was gifted a pair of opera glasses (with 3x magnification) of the type sold in the ROH shop. I loved using them and still have them but as I try to go for front stalls in theatres these days they very rarely get an outing. My best advice would be to go to a shop where binoculars are sold and try them out. You don't have to buy but it will give you a better idea of what you need to buy. I've just come across this article which may explain things a bit more clearly: https://www.astroshop.eu/magazine/information/binocular-information/understanding-binoculars/magnification-x-aperture/i,1119#:~:text=The first number represents the,It is actually quite simple. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 …. and don’t spend too much. Sadly, we all, at some point, have lost a pair. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, RobR said: Sadly, we all, at some point, have lost a pair. A sticky label with phone number could be a good investment! https://www.wovenlabelsuk.com Strange coincidence, I've been sorting out my oddball collection of vintage and simply ageing binoculars (garden birdwatching) and opera glasses this week, cleaning etc, and have delved into the background history a little. The 'vintage' opera glasses it turns out are by a famous French maker Lemaire Paris (remarketed by TB Winter Newcastle https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp52672/t-b-winter ) with a 'bee' as logo, and the ones I like best for birds are probably Colmont Paris and most likely WWI. There is a name engraved on them, possibly the officer who owned them, British. Ebay has many photos of similar. Also forgotten about the 'folding' ones which I need to search for! I agree, weight is a consideration if you're holding them for any length of time in the theatre. I'm learning a great deal from this thread. Edited June 9, 2023 by Ondine 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellyb Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 15 hours ago, Emeralds said: https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/national-trust-pocket-optic-rubber-binoculars.html National Trust pocket optic binoculars £18. Small and discreet enough to look like opera glasses, used from the very last row of the rear amphitheatre at ROH and the last/furthest row at the Royal Albert Hall- powerful enough to see facial expressions and small details. More powerful (magnification) and sharper than two sets of opera glasses I previously had. Argos also used to do similar good ones but seem to be out of stock at present....they might come back so do recheck their website from time to time and before you buy. Sorry, I did see your recommendation on the other thread but for some reason read it as though you hadn't tried them! I have an NT property nearby so may pop in and have a look at those. If they aren't available I'll try the ROH ones; it looks like they are Helios ones that I can get for a lot less than £50 and I feel reassured that they'll be ok for even the furthest seats. Thanks everyone, all very helpful! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 A sticky label would only work if they were handed in. Mine were not handed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, RobR said: Mine were not handed in. There are meanies everywhere but we aren't all meanies. I'd have handed them in, or called had there been a number! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I lost my pair at (I think the old) Sadler's Wells. Nobody ever handed those in, either. I think they were WW1 - tatty suede case with purple silk lining - I'd inherited them from my dad, I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 4 minutes ago, alison said: tatty suede case with purple silk lining Mine have a tattyish but OK leather case with purple silk lining*, and I'm suspecting older than I first thought! Inherited via a neighbour of my parents, along with many other nice things they were going to be binned! She was a rather grand old lady, I also have her damask table napkins, luncheon and dinner sizes, with laundry marks. Those were the days. *I am resisting all the simply gorgeous ones on ebay as I have enough STUFF. Tempting though! Some are VERY reasonably priced for such beautiful objects. None of the above is very useful when considering what to buy to see the dancers from the nether reaches of the ROH. It wasn't built for ballet. We digress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I think my Swarovski bins are 8x20 and I find that field of view a bit narrow if you are not just focusing on a couple. Excellent optics but v expensive now. Binoculars seems to have gone up astronomically! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 7 hours ago, Ondine said: weight is a consideration if you're holding them for any length of time in the theatre. For those for whom this is a really Important issue, there are various hands-free products on the market, which fit to your head. They are high-spec but, warning, do not come cheap. However they sometimes turn up secondhand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Or, for twenty five quid (more if you go for vintage): 😏 Black Opera Glasses with Gold Trim & Elegant Lorgnette Foldable Handle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineTheMediocre Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 Mine are a small pair of binoculars, bought from Argos many years ago, probably for about £20. They're 8x22 magnification which is similar to the National Trust ones linked to upthread (and which are only available online, according to that NT webpage). Argos don't seem to have an equivalent now but this Kodak pair might be the closest: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1979453?clickPR=plp:6:8 They're 10 times magnification which is quite strong for theatre use but probably OK from the ROH amphitheatre. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 On 09/06/2023 at 16:08, Shade said: I think my Swarovski bins are 8x20 and I find that field of view a bit narrow if you are not just focusing on a couple. Excellent optics but v expensive now. Binoculars seems to have gone up astronomically! I've just checked and these are what I have, black, fairly small and light that go into a handbag, I can see most things from the amphitheatre without having to keep fiddling with them, I've had them for ages. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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