MEADE TRAVELVIEW 7x50 BINOCULARS B120102
Written: Apr 10 '09 (Updated Aug 02 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: These a good binoculars for casual viewing.
Cons: They are not water proof.
The Bottom Line: These are inexpensive binoculars that provide an excellent bang for the buck.
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| Dr.P's Full Review: Meade B120102 (7x50) Binocular |
MEADE TRAVELVIEW 7x50 BINOCULARS B120102
Binoculars come in varying sizes, shapes, and price ranges. Some are designed with a specific purpose in mind, such as for exploring the heavens at night, and others are for more general use. Some binoculars are priced at thousands of dollars, and some can be had for under twenty dollars. Today I shall be reviewing the Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars model number B120102. Read on and see if these binoculars might have some of the qualities that you might be looking for in a pair of inexpensively prices binoculars.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars are in my view, entry level binoculars. They have a list price of $45 dollars, but if you do a little shopping, you will find that these same binoculars can be had for a discounted price of $27.95. That is a pretty good deal for all that these binoculars have to offer.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars are designed for the casual user, and are not really suitable for a real professional, or even a very serious amateur. These binoculars are really for the casual user to enjoy and have fun with. The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars are suitable to travel with to sporting events, such as a baseball game, or to do some casual observations of nature in the raw, such as watching animals in the wild from a distance, as they go about their activities of daily living. These are good general purpose binoculars.
Since these are entry level binoculars, I am going to assume that many of the people who may be reading this review are new to the subject of binoculars, and are not overly familiar with the technical terms that are typically used to describe binoculars. I shall therefore explain the meaning of any technical terms as I use them. I shall now endeavor to discuss some of the features of the Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars that make them desirable, as well as some of their weaknesses.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars have a magnification power of 7 times. This is an easy fact to understand. The number "7" in the descriptor 7x50 refers to the magnification power. It means that an object will appear 7 times bigger than when viewed by the unaided eye. The number "50" refers to the size in millimeters of the objective lenses, which are the larger lenses on the other side of the binoculars. The size of the larger lens or objective lens has nothing to do with the magnification power, but its size is important as regards the capability of the binoculars to display a bright clear image in lower light conditions. In bright light, even a pair of binoculars with small objective lenses will yield a sharp bright image. However, in lower light conditions, a large objective lens serves to increase the amount of light that is available to view the image, and thus all other things being equal, a set of binoculars with large objective lenses will yield a brighter image to the viewer.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars are "fully coated" lenses. This means that all of the air to glass surfaces of these binoculars are coated with an anti-reflective coating of Magnesium Fluoride. O.K. so why is this important? As most of you who are reading this review probably already know, some light is always reflected when it hits a glass surface. In the case of binoculars, the more light that is reflected, the less light is available for the viewer to see an image. Thus the less light that is reflected off the optics of the binoculars, the more that is available to make the image that the viewer sees be sharp and clear. Coating reduces the reflectivity of light, and the result is a sharper and brighter image.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars have a Porro-Prism design. Prisms are used in binoculars to reduce the physical length of the body, as compared to a telescope, and secondly to correctly orient the image for the viewer. Porro-Prisms consist of two prisms at right angles to each other, and the design is much simpler than a Roof-Prism Design. A Porro-Prism design tends to yield a brighter image than that of a Roof-Prism design. However, when designed and engineered properly, either or both of these designs are fine.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars are weather resistant. This is not the same thing as being fully water proof. Fully water proof binoculars are relatively impervious to the issue of things like temperature and humidity changes because their inner workings are airtight, and thus they will not fog up when you are outdoors. They also are easy to clean and can be washed off without fear of getting water or moisture inside of them.
The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars have a field of view of 356 feet at 1000 yards. This is a good field of view for general viewing. The Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars weigh in at 30.8 ounces, which is not very heavy, and should present no problems for the average person to deal with. These binoculars also come with a handy carrying case and a neckstrap.
So who should consider purchasing the Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars? Well, if you are just starting out as a nature enthusiast, and are not sure if you are going to actively pursue this as a hobby, these binoculars would be suitable for an entry level person. They would not be good for a person who is going to be using them in wet or humid conditions, as they are merely weather resistant, and not fully water proof binoculars. These binoculars could be used to enhance the excitement of sporting events. Imagine sighting in on the hand signals of a catcher at a baseball game, or trying to read the lips of the manager when he comes out to the pitcher's mound to speak to the pitcher. Imagine zooming in on the face of your favorite tennis player at a professional match and getting a close up view of the look of intensity and concentration on their face during a match. Imaging taking these binoculars to a rock concert and getting a real close up view of your favorite rockers in action. These binoculars are very suitable for casual viewing of nature and sporting events. The low price range of these Meade TravelView 7x50 Binoculars makes them a very good choice for an entry level pair of binoculars, and they definitely provide a lot of bang for the buck.
Well I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my review, but now if you will excuse me, I must get back to practicing my guitar. Good luck, and good viewing.
Recommended:
Yes
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