Foggin Swarovskis

[LongRangeBangin]

Has anyone ever had a problem with Swarovski's fogging? Outsides, not internal? I have the wind/shade cups on mine and in any foul weather they fog. I have made some hunts/hikes where your getting a work out and your breathin hard, pull them out of the bino-shields, throw 'em up for a glass while I catch my breath......FOG! Wipe the moisture off, and they fog back up!!!!! Any ideas or suggestions or opions greatly appreciated.

 

[Foreman4x4]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-15-10 AT 06:19PM (MST)[p]Let them get some air so they're the same ambient temperature as outside and quit breathing on the lenses. That's also one reason why I'm not a fan of winged eyecups, besides blocking the sun, they hold heat and moisture in.

 

[vichris]

There's any easy fix for that, and you don't have to change a thing. Most opticians/optical shops sell a liquid lens cleaner that has antifogging properties. Pearle Vision markets a product called Kleer-Fog that works wonders. There are lots of products out there. Works wonders on binos, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, eyeglasses and any other optics.

 

[redrabbit]

Carry them inside your jacket so they are warmer to lessen the chance of condensation on a cold glass surface. Or lay a chemical handwarmer atop the ocular lenses when in the bino-shield to warm the lenses. Wipe the sweat off your eyelids before glassing. Try the fore-mentioned anti-fog.

http://dougkoepsel.smugmug.com/

 

[CDN]

First- If you are wearing a hat w/ a brim, push the cap up away from your eyebrows as you bring the binoculars to your eyes. Second- If you are able to fold the winged eyecups over, do so. I sometimes(depending on the binoculars)will lower the eyecups as if I was wearing glasses. Yes, this causes a gap. That's the point! Airflow. Much easier to do when glassing from a tripod though. Third when activity levels are high I keep my optics as close to me as possible and some times under my vest to keep them warm. Not to be arguementitive with FOREMAN4X4's theory of keeping the optics at air teperature, but this will only cause the problem more often rather than solve it. The whole reason glass fogs up is because of drastic tepmerature difference. Last but not least, do not breathe on your optics. This system continues to work for me and my hunting partners. Fogging, regrdless of what preventitive measures will usually occur when you have cold and high humidity coupled with high activity levels. I almost never fog my optics up when sitting for long periods of time. But I have froze up my pan head from breathing on it so much that the sub-freezing temps froze the condensation. On another note I refuse to use anything other than Zeiss/Swarovski spray or wipes to clean my lenses. I have never found a need for anti-fog coatings. I usually find that I cause the fogging not the optics or lack of coatings.IMO. Hope this helps. CDN

 

[porterrockwell]

I agree with not putting any other products other than Swarovski cleaning fluid on them. Also be cautious in wiping any lenses with anything other than a soft lens cloth. I own the Swaro cleaning kit and although the cleaning solution is not an anti fog, I just do a quick drop on the oculars and wiPe gently with the provided cloth and it seems to do fine.

As mentioned, hold them just slightly away from your eyes and forehead when you first sit down and start glassing. i know this defeats the reason for winged eyecups, however, I carry mine in my bino pouch. I keep the factory cups on until i get the sweat of my heat and my own body temp has cooled down. Then i quickly switch the eyecups if I am going to do some serious glassing.

It is not the Swarovski's. I owned the Bushnell Elite with their anti fogging coating on the lense, but these to still fogged up. It has happened with every binocular I have owned, not just Swaro. Get the sweat off, hold them away from your head, turn your hat around, make sure you gently clean before each hunt with Swaro cleaner and do keep them close to your body and they will be just fine. Never had a problem with my El's.

Good Luck.
Porter.

 

[LongRangeBangin]

Thanks for all the input. My spy glass are carried in a bino cover outside a coat usually. I can assure you its not my breath thats fogging them. I was sorta leaning towards the eye cups holding in the heat but wasnt sure if I was the Lone stranger to this problem. Again thanks for all the input.