Binocular collimation brings the optical elements into alignment to produce a sharp, clear image.
Collimation is a descriptive term that means the optical elements, the prisms and lenses, found within a pair of binoculars that are aligned along the central light pathway. If the optical elements are misaligned, then the magnified image will appear fuzzy, misshapen or appear to be two images that don't come together. Pentax binoculars provide a means to collimate or repair the optical alignment of the binoculars by means of prism tilt screws.
Instructions
1. Locate a large building with well-defined vertical and horizontal lines, such as those provided by large windows, and position yourself far enough away from the building so several rows of windows are visible within the binoculars' field of view. Focus your binoculars so the edges of the windows are sharp and clear.
2. Locate the prism tilt screws that are positioned on each side of the binoculars just in front of the eyepiece (These screws are small and should not be confused with the screws that hold the binoculars' housing together). Look through the binoculars and while keeping your left eye open, open and close your right eye about every second. Do this 10 or 12 times. You will notice that the window edges of the building you are viewing seem to shift slightly (up and down, left and right).
3. Make small adjustments (approximately ¼ turn at a time) by carefully turning one of the right-side, prism tilt screws. Make adjustments using one screw at a time. Check the optical alignment by repeating the visual exercise described in Step 2. Continue to make small adjustments until you have reduced the image shift to its least amount. (You will not be able to reduce the shift to zero).
4. Repeat Step 2, keeping your left eye open and blinking your right eye. Repeat Step 3 for the left-side screws.
5. Focus on the horizontal edge of the building top when you have finished collimating both sides of the binoculars. While focused on the building edge, slowly pull the binoculars away from your eyes to a distance of about 5 or 6 inches and ensure that the horizontal edge of the building remains unbroken. If the straight edge of the building appears to be optically broken or displaced, make small adjustments to the prism adjustment screws until the edge appears connected.
6. Focus your binoculars on a bright, distant object with distinct surface detail. Ensure that the single image provided by the binoculars is well merged, sharp and free of double images. If the image does not appear as you desire, continue collimation.
Tags: edge building, optical elements, prism tilt, prism tilt screws, small adjustments, tilt screws
