Space Walker 3D Bins arrived :)

[Tweedledee]

Just received these 3D binoculars this morning from the USA. I think they are probably the first to come in to the UK.

 

Had these on pre-order since they were first announced about 7 months ago. After an original release date scheduled for March/April this year, the dates were put back "to ensure best quality of this innovative new product". They were released on Friday in the US, and mine arrived at Heathrow on Sunday morning, but they have been held up in customs for a while.

 

They became a bit expensive with the new exchange rates after Brexit, but these yanks want our business and made sure the duty and VAT were rock bottom.

 

They came very well packaged and cushioned, which is a good job since the big outer box had obviously been chucked around a bit in transit. The binoculars look and feel of excellent quality and are actually smaller and lighter than I expected, which is nice. They are 8x42 with a 60 degree apparent and 7.5 degree real field. They have twist up eyecups and batwing eyeguards to shut out stray light. I like the large eye lenses on the eps.

 

Looking through them in daylight, the view is good, and focusing easy but the eye position initially seemed quite critical to get the best view. Once the twist up eyecups are adjusted properly, the eye position is perfect every time, but would probably need readjusting for other users. In daylight there is a small 3D effect with square sections standing out within the view, but of course these bins are not made for daytime terrestrial use. The Lederman 3D optical array produces this effect in daylight with its glass squares in the field of view which somehow trick the brain into seeing 3D. The squares should disappear in the dark leaving a convincing 3D effect on star fields.

 

Hoping for a clear night tonight to see what this 3D effect is all about. I'm still very sceptical, as this is obviously a fake effect, but anyone who has read the rave reviews from respected astronomers is bound to be intrigued.

 

We'll see if they end up in For Sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Graham]

Sorry I am confused.

What ??? How ???

You see things in 3 dimensions normally so ---- 

[Tweedledee]

2 hours ago, Graham said:

Sorry I am confused.

What ??? How ???

You see things in 3 dimensions normally so ---- 

I'm confused as well Graham. 

 

But have a look here...

http://www.3dastronomy.com/

 

And here...

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/518711-report-l-o-a-3d-and-space-walker-3d-binoculars-at-cheifland/

[Smithysteve]

I can imagine they are pretty confusing for daylight viewing, but the reviews do look promising for Astro use, so hopefully you should be ok Pete.

Looking forward to hearing how they shape up ?

Cheers!

[+Graham]

I await your first light report with interest. 

[Tweedledee]

49 minutes ago, Graham said:

I await your first light report with interest. 

So do I.

[philjay]

Interesting stuff, I too await with interest. Not really sure about the technology involved in these though, aren't all binos 3d cos we use both eyes

[Tweedledee]

Had a quick look out last night with the 3D bins, but the sky was so bright and murky that I could only manage to see a maximum of about 3 stars in the field of view at any one time. So no 3D effect was visible.

 

Just visible against the bright sky were the dim outlines of 3 square glass plates (the Lederman Optical Array), each about a quarter of the field across, and they were only seen in the left barrel. I was worried that I had a dud, and emailed Russ Lederman about the missing array in the right side. He said that this is the correct configuration. Somehow the LOA tricks the brain into seeing the 3D effect. Reports suggest there is a 3D effect where DSO's jump out hovering in front of the milky way background to create a spectacular wow factor.

[philjay]

A case of the old  Trompe-l'œil eh?

[Tweedledee]

1 hour ago, philjay said:

A case of the old  Trompe-l'œil eh?

You've got it precisely Phil. 

 

Last night I got the 3D effect for the first time and it was quite a wow factor. I realise that a bright sky illuminated by the moon doesn't help the 3D effect at all. The more stars that are visible, the more depth is seen. Last night wasn't great but I really enjoyed the view. Couldn't stay up as late as I wanted till it got even darker as I had to be up early this morning.

 

These 7x42 binoculars are the easiest and nicest to focus out of the seven pairs that I own. They are small and light and therefore very easy to hold steady. I've seen enough to know the views will only get more spectacular in clearer skies.

 

As other reports have suggested, it is difficult, if not impossible to imagine what the stars look like with this 3D effect, you just have to experience it for yourself. I could not comprehend this myself, but from last night's less than spectacular sky, I can see I'm going to get some real enjoyment from thesearch 3D bins especially from a dark site. I can't properly describe how nice and different this 3D experience is, but can say that it definitely adds to observing enjoyment and takes nothing away, and I actually get the feeling it somehow allows more detail to be perceived. You can argue all you like that the view is fake and false, which is correct, but the actual experience is addictive and engaging. Already I'm thinking that I'm not really too fussed about looking through my other "ordinary" binoculars. I actually want more of this fake 3D effect because it adds another exciting and different dimension to binocular observing. And I never thought I would say that. 

[+Graham]

Fascinating stuff Pete.

Anything that increases the enjoyment levels has to be a good thing.  

[Smithysteve]

Sounds very promising Pete! That's quite an endorsement ?

Just as a matter of interest, what are they like as terrestrial bins?

[Tweedledee]

14 hours ago, Smithysteve said:

Sounds very promising Pete! That's quite an endorsement ?

Just as a matter of interest, what are they like as terrestrial bins?

This is possibly going to be unexplainable and you will probably not understand what I am describing without seeing it for yourself, but you did ask Steve, so here goes...

 

Did a bit of a side by side test this afternoon comparing my 10x50's (7.1 degrees) with the 3D 8x42's (7.5 degrees) in daylight. The simple answer is that either my 10x50's are crap or the 7x42's are superb. At EMS 4, I had a scan around the Yorkshire Dales countryside using Micks fantastic Swarovsky's in daylight, and the clarity of view in the 8x42's reminded me of this.

 

Looking down to the bottom of the garden (not very far) with a tree and bush in the middle distance and a hedge at the end, the view was crisp and slightly better in the 8x42's than the 10x50's. The 8x42's have the three plates of the Lederman Optical Array arranged in roughly a horizontal line, each glass plate is a square approximately one quarter of the field of view wide. These are placed in the left barrel only, the right is as per normal bins. The view through the middle square shows a flat image very positively in the foreground, the general view, not through a square, showed the background hedge as a flat image further back, the two side squares showed the hedge but recessed even further back from the surrounding hedge. So the image showed three levels of depth all crystal clear. Around the edges of the array plates there is nothing spurious or noticeable except a clean transition to the next level. That is what is visible when you concentrate on trying to analyse this view. When you relax a bit the whole image seems to develop a full range of 3D effect, not just three different levels. So the brain is trying to interfere here to give a full 3D view.

 

Looking down to the bottom of the garden is not far enough for a proper test, so I put both binoculars in the car and had a short trip out to a better vantage point on the outskirts of Mansfield (yes, there are some nice views around here). Viewing things at a longer distance (a mile or two), the 3D effect was far less visible. Against the bright sky, a slight shadowy outline of the edges of the three array plates could just be seen. Comparing the view across the fields and woods with cows etc. the view in the 3D binoculars was far superior to my 10x50's, a previous favourite of mine. Surprisingly, the view was much sharper, brighter and with better clarity and contrast in the 8x42's. A white wooden fence in the distance stood out much brighter and clearer, and blacks looked blacker in the 8x42's. This was so apparent that I kept swapping binoculars to check again and even had to examine the 10x50's more closely to see if the lenses were covered in dust, or smeared with something, but they looked pristine. Oddly enough any 3D effect had all but disappeared in the more distant view, and with a bit of relaxation of the eyes the array squares became pretty much invisible. The extra brightness and contrast seems far in excess of the difference in exit pupils, 5mm for the 10x50's and 5.25mm for the 8x42's.

 

So, in daylight the view through the 8x42's is superior to my 10x50's but takes a bit of getting used to. They feel so much nicer to look through, and despite the smaller aperture and magnification I can definitely see more. Some weird brain training is happening when using these 3D binoculars and I certainly haven't got my head around it fully yet. The more I use the binoculars the better they seem to be, and at night time in a dark sky, they will send a tingle down the spine of anyone who see's this incredible 3D effect on the stars, which is of course what they are designed for.

 

These binoculars are rather special and I can thoroughly recommend them.

 

I gather that Rob, Binoviewer is also getting these 3D bins, so I'm eagerly looking forward to his evaluation of them, as he is our expert on using both eyes.

[Smithysteve]

Wow Pete, thanks for taking the time to carry out the comparison to the 8x50's and write up an excellent review. They certainly sound outstanding and its obvious that you can't wait to try them out on a starry night asap.

again you have given me something else to ponder upon.

i look forward to hearing more about them and also hearing from Rob on the matter... ?

Cheers!

[Tweedledee]

You're welcome Steve. I would have done the comparison sooner or later, but you got me motivated to do it sooner.

 

A practical aspect that I like about the 3D bins is that you can't lose the lens caps. The objective lens caps are fixed and just flap down out of the way when you are looking through them. Now I have the supplied neck strap fitted, the eye lens caps (a one piece rubber unit) clips permanently onto the neck strap, so you'd have to try really hard to lose them. A good design.