Why should one have to pay for it in the first place ? Seems like it would be easier to just maintain it together with the viewpoint & avoid the unnecessary complexity of a payment system - previously one had to go there to retrieve the coins, now you need to get electricity & Internet connectivity in.
Providing the binoculars 'freely' increases the admissions price even for those who might have brought their own pair and didn't need a provided set. Also how would visitors share the binoculars fairly between them, time-wise? Having them available for rent, essentially, solves these questions (albeit at a cost).
