Lidl Xmas optics from tomorrow

[nytecam]

Just spied this Lidl page available from tomorrow Thursday Dec 17th LIDL

nightvision monocular [image intensifier -see in the dark] @ £99
planetarium star projector @ £50
binoculars zoom x10-x30 60mm aperture @ £15
three stage microscope + USB camera to laptop @ £50

Good stuff goes early

[vole-woman]

Cor! Thanks for the tip-off!

[carlos_dfc]

I'd advise to avoid the 10-30x60 zoom binoculars though.

These are not the much-praised 'Lidl binoculars' from previous offers.

I own a pair of these same binocs, bought elsewhere, quite a while ago, and I keep them for one reason only...
To remind me NEVER to be tempted by cheap zooms again.

They are truly awful
Very narrow depth of field - which is narrowest at low powers - the very time when you want it to be widest.
Surprisingly dim images for a 60mm binoc (due to inferior Bk-7 prisms)
Collimation (alignment) of the two barrels 'wanders' as you zoom.
It's common in zoom binocs, for focus to vary as you zoom - but with these things, the diopter adjustment (L-R focus balance) also wanders as you zoom.
Loose mechanism means the eyepieces move when they touch your eye socket, an extra frustration in getting the things focused.

AVOID!!


If you ever see fixed-power Bresser 10x50s in Lidl or Aldi, snap 'em up - they are surprisingly good - but don't confuse them with these horrible zooms.


I quite fancy the Planetarium myself
And I know someone who owns the microsope, and rates it highly

[nytecam]

Thank Carlos for zoom bins warning - I did wonder if they were similar to Aldi ones I bought for a grandson last year and returned, after brief test, for refund and bought the Lidl 10x50 bins which were excellent

Another half-warning for the IR nightsight devise above with this response from internet..
"It is a regular CCD camera without IR-cut filter. It uses infrared light source to illuminate the target. Its CCD sensor does not have any light amplification capability"
unlike the image intensifier devise I bought from Lidls last year although it looks identical Shame but I'll still have a look at it in Lidls today just the same.

[vole-woman]

So the night vision stuff isn't that good? That's what I was interested in.

[nytecam]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

So the night vision stuff isn't that good? That's what I was interested in.

Hi - it was the only 'special' kept in the stockroom so I had a cursory look at the box, which I wasn't allowed to open. On the box was deer in close-up [~6ft away] at night but I suspect the camera was on a tripod for remote viewing via the video lead to a tv monitor so not exactly field equipment and portable in that example . I gave it a miss until someone pays £99 and reports back - any takers: cool:

[vole-woman]

Cheers. £99's a lot of money, so I'll hang fire, I think.

[Boddie]

Bought them.

Tested them in paralell with my Yukons.

Took them back, as dont need two sets.

I'd say they are worth £99, but it depends what you want them for. If you think these will help you identify birds at night, see owls 100 foot away or watch deer 200 yards away then save your money.

For the record my Yukons dont help with such activities either.

If you want some bins that'll help you glance around the garden to see if there is a fox in it they are fine but what use will you really get out of them?

I use mine to look out for poachers and in the local efforts to safeguard against nighthawking

[nytecam]

Called in at Lidls Leatherhead lunchtime and they had two models using different technology eg

1] Lidl Meade/Bresser Nightlux = image intensifier @ ~£110 and
2] Lidl Nightsight CCD viewer @ £99 eg uses a B&W Sony ICX404AL 1/3" 510x492p CCD as detailed at
Sony Global - B/W Video Camera CCD

Hope that's of interest

[Boddie]

I never tried the Nightsight, may grab some tomorrow. It was the Nightlux I tried. They are better than nowt but I guess I was trialling them against my Yukon Tracker RX.

I would suggest that if you dont have a real need for these they are an expensive toy. My Yukons were a gift and get limited use, mostly just for camping and fishing. Be interested to see how the CCD set operate and what sort of images they give