I just started leaving a Nikon zoom binocular (repaired for $20) in the car. On a really cold day I pulled them out of the glove compartment into the heated interior of the car and they fogged up. Is this a problem other people have? Does this mean the moisture will get inside and mess up the optics? I suppose it's the same as bringing warm binoculars out into the cold and then back into the warm..... I'm used to using my binoculars to look out the kitchen window so I have no idea how field glasses behave in the field. Claire

Do not be too quick to dismiss WalMart. Out of curiosity I just went to their website and input the word "Binoculars" in their search bar and boy was I surprised at what I found. I knew going in that Walmart has a very good sporting goods selection and serious hunters are very discriminating about their field optics, but I was not prepared for what I found. I had expected to find moderately priced mid range binoculars from companies such as Tasco or Focal, although in retrospect I think "Focal" is a proprietary trade name associated with K-mart. What I was not expecting to find was binoculars from top world class optical manufactures like Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus, who are primarily known as professional photographic optics manufactures and Bushnell, Leopold, and Steiner who manufacture world class telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and rifle & pistol sighting scopes. While I found prices ranging from $27 to over $1200 In my opinion there are a number of items listed in the $50 to $100 range that would well meet the needs of an avid birdwatcher for years to come. In my previous post I discussed the general construction of binoculars but there are a couple more features that I failed to mention. ZOOM - You will see some binoculars that are listed as zoom lenses by example, they may say something like 6-10x. I am sure that zoom lenses are desirable to some people, but in my experience you would probably always use them at the maximum magnification anyway so the zoom feature is moot. In addition, in order to achieve the zoom function they often have to add additional optical elements, which adds weight and reduces the light gathering ability resulting in a slightly darker image. COATED OPTICS-Generally coated lenses are only found on higher class optics but they offer many advantages. In its simplest form they apply a coating that reduces UV (Ultraviolet light). A UV coating does not generally effect the image quality but by reducing the amount of UV light that passes through the lens it will greatly reduce eye fatigue. They also apply coatings to reduce internal light flare, chromatic aberrations and aspherical aberrations. These coatings help maintain edge sharpness and color sharpness in the image and in my opinion they should be considered a very desirable feature.

I found this web site that may help you. It shows how to adjust binoculars to merge the two images. After looking at the site you may be able to tell if you want to try the repair yourself. I hope you find the site of some value. Here is a link that might be useful: Collimating Binoculars

Mike, I am a freelance nature photographer and long retired wildlife research biologist, using binoculars on a regular basis. I bought a pair of 10X42's in the camo two years ago. For the money, compactness, light weight and excellent optics, they are the best that I have used over the years. Now, at age 68, they are a treat for me to use, and I would highly recommend them to any outdoor activity user considering purchasing binoculars. I did find it odd that the ocular, rear lens caps, when removed for use, were not attached to the body to minimize loss.I secured mine with a piece of netting twine through the strap's connector on the body. Problem solved. Jonathan J. Weber