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How many of you use fixed focused bino's #7567036 07/29/19 04:38 PM
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How many of you use fixed focused binoculars? Or I'll clarify, bino's that don't have the traditional focus knob. Once you focus the diopter adjustment on each of the eyepieces the binoculars are always in focus.

I have three pairs our out the ranch. One Zeiss 8x30 B/GA Dialyt, Zeiss Jena EDF and pair of Minox. I prefer them much better over the traditional center focus knob on the majority of binoculars. I don't find many others who use them. Just curious on who uses fixed focus binoculars and what type you're using?


Distance is not an issue, but the wind can make it interesting!
Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567050 07/29/19 04:48 PM
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I shouldn't go first on this cause my binos and most other equipment is "good enough" so I haven't upgraded for many years. If I ever upgrade any important equipment like binos I will probably research a lot-easy to do on forum- and go pretty high end. That's kind of my normal disclaimer on here that im not dumb as dirt but im not up to speed on tons of new equipment. I may be completely off base on this but back in the day if you did not focus it yourself then your eyes have to do the focusing and it will cause eye fatigue if you glass a lot. You listed expensive brands so maybe im wrong an if so im sure yall will beat me up. I wont even call that 2cents-its just a penny.

Last edited by freerange; 07/29/19 04:49 PM.

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Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567070 07/29/19 05:02 PM
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Never here to beat someone up. My buddy got the Zeiss 8x30 B/GA in the mid 80's. They were just the opposite of what you thought. A lot less eye fatigue, he didn't spend his time focusing, while he was glassing. I couldn't afford them at the times as I had small kids. In the late 80's I got a pair of the Zeiss Jena EDF for a great price. Much bigger and bulkier than my buddies but wow were they great for glassing. A few years later I was able to afford the pair he had. Much smaller and easier to tote around. Later as my kids started hunting I bought the Minox for a $200. Very bright, didn't have the clarity of the Zeiss but they worked great.

You can find expensive and inexpensive fixed focused bino's. I was just curious who else is using them.


Distance is not an issue, but the wind can make it interesting!
Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567093 07/29/19 05:50 PM
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I played with some years ago, and did like them, but I'm in the most my money goes to my kid camp so for now it's the old swaro el's I spent years wanting and finally traded for. I'm waiting to see if one of these ranging binos will get good enough for me to leave the el's and the terapin in the truck.

Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567108 07/29/19 06:09 PM
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I shoot and hunt in many various parts of Texas. I may be glassing and ranging inside 300 yards, or more than a mile. Leica Geovid 10X range finding binocs are what I carry now, and they have an adjustable focus knob. However, I used to carry a Swaro Laser Guide 8X range finder, and the focus was not adjustable. I never felt like I needed it with that optic, it always did great. So, the same holds true for observation optics as does rifle scopes, the better the glass is ground, the more clear the image, the greater span of distances the image will look in focus.

Also, the higher the fixed magnification is, the more one is likely to need adjustable focus. At 8X, fixed might be fine, 10X or more, and you'll probably want adjustable focus.


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Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: J.G.] #7567133 07/29/19 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by FiremanJG
I shoot and hunt in many various parts of Texas. I may be glassing and ranging inside 300 yards, or more than a mile. Leica Geovid 10X range finding binocs are what I carry now, and they have an adjustable focus knob. However, I used to carry a Swaro Laser Guide 8X range finder, and the focus was not adjustable. I never felt like I needed it with that optic, it always did great. So, the same holds true for observation optics as does rifle scopes, the better the glass is ground, the more clear the image, the greater span of distances the image will look in focus.

Also, the higher the fixed magnification is, the more one is likely to need adjustable focus. At 8X, fixed might be fine, 10X or more, and you'll probably want adjustable focus.


You're dead on when it come to the better the glass the clearer the image and the more clarity. I always tell folks purchase the best glass you can afford. It can literately make or break a hunt. You may be right on the 10X or higher for fixed focus bino's. My fixed focused bino's are all 7 & 8X. I did a quick google search and other than Steiner, all of the 10X fixed focus binoculars are low cost manufactures. It seems the high end bino manufactures such as Zeiss, Swarv and some of the others all stop at 8X for fix focus. I may be wrong but didn't see any on my searches.

On my antelope hunt in WY in 2011, my fixed focused Zeiss made all the difference in the world for days spent glassing. Another hunter that joined with me and my guide on day two had a real inexpensive pair of bino's. He got so frustrated with his binoculars and kept using very inappropriate language! I drew the short straw and was first to shoot for that day. It was a three day hunt and I did take my antelope on day 2. I lent him mine a few times for him to use during the day after I got mine. He took his antelope that evening. The guide had a $2K pair of Swar and one of their spotting scopes. As he said his living depends on the glass he uses.


Distance is not an issue, but the wind can make it interesting!
Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567726 07/30/19 01:58 PM
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On the fixed focus models, it becomes an issue if you want to see stuff up close (birding for example). Where traditional models might focus as close as 7'-10', the fixed focus models might not focus well until 30 yards or more. My parents have a set of Steiner fixed-focus 12x binos and the glass quality is quite good from 75 yards to around 500 yards, but it does drop off inside from 30 to 75 and past 500 yards, and it's not even in focus inside of 30 yards.

As Jason said, the lower the magnification, the wider the in-focus range will be on the fixed models. That's just physics at work. Optical designs also play a part, with higher-end designs prioritizing a wider mag range as a design constraint for better end-user experience. Tangent Theta scopes are an example of this, where lots of folks say there is really no focusing required outside of about 300 yards. I love my SWFA and Delta stryker, but that's just not the case with them at all, or any other scope I've ever played with to be honest. I've heard Minox is similar to TT in that respect.

Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7567768 07/30/19 02:57 PM
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I had a thread in this section a fee months ago, pertaining to my NF ATACR. Set focus for a 100 yard shot. Adjust focus again for 200 yards, adjust focus again for 300 yards. And then, everything beyond 300 yards is in focus. Very good glass is what that is.


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Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: J.G.] #7567795 07/30/19 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by FiremanJG
I had a thread in this section a fee months ago, pertaining to my NF ATACR. Set focus for a 100 yard shot. Adjust focus again for 200 yards, adjust focus again for 300 yards. And then, everything beyond 300 yards is in focus. Very good glass is what that is.

That's impressive. I assume that holds true all the way up to 25x?

Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: patriot07] #7567824 07/30/19 04:08 PM
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Yes, I failed to mention that is at 25X


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Re: How many of you use fixed focused bino's [Re: Jeff in TX] #7568054 07/30/19 08:43 PM
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10x50 Steiners with fixed focus.


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