Optical filters

C

chino69

New member
Is anyone aware of camera optical filters that will fit scope objective tubes? I was in a Best Buy store over the holidays and it looks like camera polarizing, skylight 1A, and other filters may fit the large objective scopes. This might be a good way to enhance and/or minimize downrange distortion created by sunlight, etc.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
 
I sort of wonder about how the threads in the objective bell and the camera filters would match. It seems that everyone has to have their own special thread pitch so that nobody else can use their precious filters. Sort of like plumbing parts, but worse.... :D

It'd be great if they did work though.
 
chino69 said:
Is anyone aware of camera optical filters that will fit scope objective tubes? I was in a Best Buy store over the holidays and it looks like camera polarizing, skylight 1A, and other filters may fit the large objective scopes. This might be a good way to enhance and/or minimize downrange distortion created by sunlight, etc.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
Click to expand...

Lou,

I have two that fit a Nightforce Benchrest model. One is a blue blocker, and the other is an adjustable polarized lens. I bought them used, and no longer have a use for them. Both were made in Japan but there's no other name on them.

Let me know if you might want them, and I'll put them up for sale in the classifieds.
 

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Filter threads

Larry Elliott said:
I sort of wonder about how the threads in the objective bell and the camera filters would match. It seems that everyone has to have their own special thread pitch so that nobody else can use their precious filters. Sort of like plumbing parts, but worse.... :D

It'd be great if they did work though.
Click to expand...

Larry,
That's where I'm at. I might just have to buy a filter to try; I can return it if it doesn't fit. I would imagine someone else has thought of this and may have tried it which is why I'm floating this thread. I know from my old 35mm camera days that I kept a Skylight 1A filter on at all times for color resolution and as lens protection. I had an assortment of polarizing, yellow, red, and green filters that would enhance the image depending on which filter was used.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
 
Filters for sale

Joe Pellegrene said:
Lou,

I have two that fit a Nightforce Benchrest model. One is a blue blocker, and the other is an adjustable polarized lens. I bought them used, and no longer have a use for them. Both were made in Japan but there's no other name on them.

Let me know if you might want them, and I'll put them up for sale in the classifieds.
Click to expand...

Joe,
I don't have a Nightforce. The largest objective scopes I have are 8.5 X 25 Leupolds and 6 X 24 Sightron; I'm not sure if they will fit. What kind of experience did you have using them? Did you use them much, and if so, did they improve the image? I could see where the polarizing could be used to temper bright sun and remove unwanted glare.

I do have several friends who have Nightforces. I'll contact them to see if they are interested.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
 
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They would be great for a hunting situation when you have the sunlight in the background. You can turn the polarized filter dark enough to block out the sun, but I cant imagine that's safe on your eyes looking directly into the sun with one. The blue blocker works like a good pair of sunglasses.
I bought them for target shooting , but never found a need for them where I shoot.
 
Lou,

Except for the late model Leupold scopes that have the threaded objectives that fit their own filters, most scopes have too small an objective thread for the larger filter sizes typically available for modern SLR lenses. There is quite an array of adapters made that might allow use of the larger lower cost camera lens filters.

Before getting deeply involved in a search for scope thread sizes, filter adapters and filters, please give some thought to what you hope to accomplish by using filters and your expectations of worthwhile benefits. Please read the attached article for a little background.
 

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Filters

Chino,
I few years back Mike Lucas showed me a filter to fit a Weaver36,take you scope to a camera shop and match one up.
Nick
 
Filters, continued

Fred Bohl said:
Lou,

Except for the late model Leupold scopes that have the threaded objectives that fit their own filters, most scopes have too small an objective thread for the larger filter sizes typically available for modern SLR lenses. There is quite an array of adapters made that might allow use of the larger lower cost camera lens filters.

Before getting deeply involved in a search for scope thread sizes, filter adapters and filters, please give some thought to what you hope to accomplish by using filters and your expectations of worthwhile benefits. Please read the attached article for a little background.
Click to expand...

Fred,
Thank you very much for the info. I knew someone would be able to shed some light on the subject. Read my post below as to why I want to reduce glare.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
 
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Sunlight

Joe Pellegrene said:
They would be great for a hunting situation when you have the sunlight in the background. You can turn the polarized filter dark enough to block out the sun, but I cant imagine that's safe on your eyes looking directly into the sun with one. The blue blocker works like a good pair of sunglasses.
I bought them for target shooting , but never found a need for them where I shoot.
Click to expand...

Joe,
There is a particular meadow that I shoot groundhogs in where I get late afternoon glare; that's why I was inquiring about the polarizing filter. I'm shooting at an oblique angle toward the sun. Not quite enough to be directly into the sun but just enough to screw up my sight picture.

Lou Baccino
Chino69
 
Lou,

For that afternoon meadow condition it would probably help to use a longer tubular lens shade on the objective. It is real important here to have a very effective anti-reflection coating on the inside to suppress internal reflections from that oblique sun to keep it out of the scope.

I make my own using a flocked paper (flocking on the inside of the formed tube) made for such applications from Edmond Optics. Depending on the size you want to make I would suggest either the NT54-582 (two 20 x 26 inch sheets for $16.50) or the NT54-582 (five 8 x 10 inch sheets for $25.50).
 
Afternoon shooting

Fred Bohl said:
Lou,

For that afternoon meadow condition it would probably help to use a longer tubular lens shade on the objective. It is real important here to have a very effective anti-reflection coating on the inside to suppress internal reflections from that oblique sun to keep it out of the scope.

I make my own using a flocked paper (flocking on the inside of the formed tube) made for such applications from Edmond Optics. Depending on the size you want to make I would suggest either the NT54-582 (two 20 x 26 inch sheets for $16.50) or the NT54-582 (five 8 x 10 inch sheets for $25.50).
Click to expand...

Fred,
Once again, thank you for the tip. Right now the unsuspecting marmota monax are hibernating in their burrows, unaware of the sinister planning taking place.

I use a sunshade, but it's clearly not enough. The other problem I've had is the sun disturbing the sight picture leaving me to put a towel over the rear part of the scope and my head; just like old 'flash in the pan' photographers. Any ideas there?

Lou Baccino
 
For the Nightforce BR scope, someone (maybe Nightforce) made/makes an adapter so standard camera filters will work, I have one myself.
 
I use a sunshade, but it's clearly not enough. The other problem I've had is the sun disturbing the sight picture leaving me to put a towel over the rear part of the scope and my head; just like old 'flash in the pan' photographers. Any ideas there?
Click to expand...

Here's a 2-dollar fix Lou.

I carry a piece of foam in my rifle case all the time, and when the sun is low I just slip it over the eyepiece. It blocks out ALL the light just like the visor in your car.

Just cut the hole a little smaller than the eyepiece, and it should fit on several different scopes. No matter how bad the sun is I can shoot with one of these on.
 

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Lou,

I have prescription cut polarised sunglasses & have been known to shoot with them. I concluded some time ago when I still did a bit of belly shooting with iron sights that the issue with older eyes seems to be lowered ability to accommodate glare, rather than not enough light. When I switched my shooting frames to polarised lenses, rather than the standard or tinted prescription ones, my acuity increased & I was able to decrease the ring sizes I needed.

I've noticed when I use polarisation with a scope, I achieve the same benefit, but at the same time, my perception of mirage is decreased. As I rely on doping mirage changes to some degree, I'm reluctant to use the polarised lenses except in cases of high glare & mirage.

John
 
Foam sun shade

Joe Pellegrene said:
Here's a 2-dollar fix Lou.

I carry a piece of foam in my rifle case all the time, and when the sun is low I just slip it over the eyepiece. It blocks out ALL the light just like the visor in your car.

Just cut the hole a little smaller than the eyepiece, and it should fit on several different scopes. No matter how bad the sun is I can shoot with one of these on.
Click to expand...

Joe,
That is one hell of a fix; Thank you! I have plenty of foam and might even epoxy a piece of dark fabric to the top edge to tuck my head under. You've certainly given me some good ideas, Thanx!

Lou Baccino
 
Soft eye and shooting cap

Fred Bohl said:
Lou,

On the back end you might try a shooters cap. See http://www.championshooters.com/hats-ssl.htm

Or my favorite for realy bad sun at the bench is the Dvorak Soft-Eye. See http://www.dvorakinstruments.com/scope.htm
Click to expand...

Fred,
Thank you for the input. I have the soft eyes and they require too much wriggling to work to my satisfaction; in fact I have about three or four similar devices sitting in the 'tried, but 'No Cigar' box'. I like the idea of the hat with flaps but I'm going to try the idea that Joe P. posted, above, using a piece of foam with a hole to go over the ocular lens. I can epoxy or glue a piece of dark fabric to the top edge to totally block out the sun.

Lou Baccino
 
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Some info about threaded camera lens filters.

Most of these filters come in several "standard" sizes ranging from 46mm to 82mm. There are some specific filters that are smaller and some that are larger. A 52mm threaded filter from most any filter manufacturer will fit lenses from most any lens manufacturer that is designed for a 52mm filter. The same can be said for any size filter. What I a saying here is there seems to be a significant level of standardization between the manufacturers of lenses and filters as far as the thread pitch for a given size filter.

Also, there are step up and step down adapters the allow you to use a smaller or larger filter on a lens. For example, using on of these adatpers, you can use 77mm filters on lenses designed for 67mm filters.

I am sure that an step up or down adapter could be made to use camera lens filters on rifle shops provided the proper thread pitch was uses on the scope side of the adapter.

My biggest reservation to using camera filters on rifle scopes would be the effects of recoil on the filter. They seem to be pretty rugged as far as camera use goes and can be bumped around a bit, but they are never subjected to anything like recoil.

The filter I think would be the interesting to try would be a circular polarizer. It is two pieces of polarized glass, one in front of the other and the front one rotates in relation to the rear. When properly adjusted, it remove most, if not all, of the reflections from reflective surfaces.
 
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