Store Info

WHO

Who is OPT Binoculars? OPT Binoculars is a division of OPT, one of the world leaders in binocular, telescope and optical sales. We can answer any of your questions regarding binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, accessories and much more. We offer a large selection, competitive pricing and great service before, during and after the sale. Give us a call or send us an e-mail anytime and let our staff help you find the perfect set of optics!

WHAT

What is OPT Binoculars? OPT began as a small camera store way back in 1947 and has since grown into one of the largest binocular and telescope retailers in the world. (See store history below). OPT is a real store, staffed by real people who own and enjoy the equipment we sell!

WHERE

Where is OPT Binoculars? Around the corner or around the globe, it is easy to get in touch with OPT. OPT is located at 918 Mission Avenue in Oceanside, California. If you live in (or are visiting!) sunny Southern California, stop by and check out our beautiful showroom. We are located conveniently near the intersection of Interstate-5 and Mission Avenue. If you are coming from I-5, exit on Mission Avenue and head west, towards the beach. We are approximately 200 yards west of the I-5 freeway, right on the northwest corner of Mission Avenue and Horne Street.

Click here see a map to OPT

WHY

Why shop at OPT Binoculars? OPT is one of the largest dealers worldwide for Meade, Celestron, Canon, Nikon, Bushnell, Vixen, Bogen, Orion, Leica, Stellarvue, Pentax, Televue, Coronado and many more. We keep thousands of products in stock for a total inventory value in excess of one million dollars! We carry everything from compact binoculars to giant astronomy binoculars, from portable spotting scopes to top of the line apochromatic refractors. If it is out on the market, you can probably find it here at OPT.

OPT Binoculars offers competitive pricing, a wide selection and free shipping on orders over $100! We also offer a generous 30 day return policy to make sure you end up with the product you really want.

WHEN

When can I contact OPT Binoculars? OPT is open seven days a week to help serve you. We are open from 10am until 7pm Monday through Friday, 10am until 6pm Saturday and 12pm until 5pm on Sunday Pacific Standard Time. You can also send us an e-mail 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Alternatively, you can send us a fax or, if you prefer, you can send us an old fashioned letter via mail. We will be happy to converse with you regardless of the medium you choose!

HISTORY OF OPT

OPT was founded in 1947 by Donald Penning a Flying Tiger fighter pilot from World War II. At this early stage, the business was called Oceanside Photographic Center, and it mainly sold camera equipment to the Marines from the local base, Camp Pendleton.

In 1974, Oceanside Photographic Center moved into its new, larger facilities at 216 North Hill Street in Oceanside, just a few blocks down the road from our current location. A few years later, in 1977, the store once again outgrew its storefront and moved into a larger facility at 207 North Hill Street.

In 1982 Oceanside Photographic Center began selling telescopes and telescope accessories. Three years and a couple hundred telescopes later the business changed its name to Oceanside Photo and Telescope.

OPT began a period of rapid growth as the telescope side of the business took off. In 1988, OPT moved to a larger facility at 1024 Mission Avenue to accommodate the tremendous increase in telescope sales and the number of telescope needed for inventory.

In 1994 OPT created their very first website, www.optcorp.com. The first rendition of the website was a simple list of telescopes and accessories available at OPT. Two years later, in 1996, www.optcorp.com expanded to include photos, more products and more information.

In 1999 OPT was selling so many telescopes and cameras that they had completely filled up the store, top to bottom! OPT opened its first warehouse in 1999 to properly inventory the large selection of telescopes, cameras, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes and accessories.

1999 was also the year that www.optcorp.com officially became an e-commerce website. The website was an instant success and was expanded once again in 2001 with more products, photos, info and more!

OPT had long since outgrown the store at 1024 Mission Avenue, but finally moved into a new location near the end of 2004. The new $1.5 million dollar building is one of the largest and most complete showrooms in the world. Not only can you find nearly 100 different telescopes on display, you can also check out our star dome overhead, our beautiful glass compass underfoot or the exotic astrolabe near the entrance. Or come by and do some hydrogen-alpha solar observing from our balcony and check out the view of the Pacific Ocean through some binoculars or a spotting scope.

Also near the end of 2004 (a busy year!) we launched the latest version of www.optcorp.com. This latest version of the website is filled with new features, thousands of products, tens of thousands of pages of information, thousands of images and much, much more.

In September 2006 we launched the newest member of our family, www.optbinoculars.com. While this website is new, OPT has been in business for nearly 60 years and we plan on being here for at least another 60!