Improving cheap optics

JasonTetziki · Jul 26, 2021

The problem with cheap optics is the glass. The farther the light enters from the center of the lens the greater the angle of refraction required from the lens. Let's play. Place aluminum foil over the front lens on your scope and wrap/ smash it in place. Start with a sharp pencil tip and poke a 1/8" hole through the center of the foil. This will only use the center of the lens for refraction. Take a look, clarity should improve but dark. Start enlarging the hole until brightness is usable. Compare clarity with the foil on and off. Experiment with the foil hole size to balance brightness with clarity. When I was satisfied with my balance I drilled the cheap lens cap with same size hole, 3/4". My cheap scope is now usable and clear even on high power. Hope this helps clear up your optic.

Rlynn · Jul 26, 2021

Give them away and buy a quality scope. You can get away with a cheap scope, but if this is your main hunting rifle, save up and but the best scope you can afford. Always look for sales. You can get some really good deals on scopes if you are patient and persistent. You will not regret it. I stopped buying hunting rifles and spent the money to make the ones I had/kept the best they could be. I bought scopes suited for the task I was using the rifle for, fixed bad triggers and invested in reloading equipment/supplies for each caliber I own.

Hueco · Jul 26, 2021

You haven't really "improved" a cheap optic. It's still a cheap optic...you've just chosen to improve the perceived clarity by adding a small aperture in front of the lens.

It is the job of the lens to focus light coming in from various angles into a single point. Obviously, this is difficult to do and tradeoffs are made...focusing all colors is difficult, which is why you often see blue/purple fringing that is out of control on cheap optics.

By placing a small hole in front of your lens, you're limiting the available light and taking some workload off the lens system, as it now has to focus the rays from fewer angles. Sure, that makes things look clearer at the cost of being dimmer overall (as less light is entering the lens). This will work in high light scenarios and may even be preferable if you are trying to avoid lens glint or glare or ghosts and lack a lens hood...

But, it'll junk your already junk lens in low light.

Not of concern for scopes, but along the same lines...photographers have been doing this *forever* to creative effects: https://expertphotography.com/how-to-create-custom-bokeh-effect/

Along the lines of above, don't misshape that hole you poke or your out-of-focus areas are going to appear quite odd while you sight in on that deer.

I don't hunt, but I do photograph and the point is the same: buy the best glass you can afford for the job at hand.