Cameras and Lenses

10x32 bins

Some of what I have read in all the bin threads has got me thinking. Would 10x32 premium bins be worth having?

The first pair of birding bins I ever bought were the Swift Ultralite 8x42 porros. I compared them to the 10x42 Ultralites, which were virtually the same size and weight and found that I could actually read distant signs more readily with the 8x. This was due to shake.

With the somehat smaller roofs and a better holding technique I wonder if a pair of 10x32s would serve me better than 8x when birding in the open. I realize a substantiallly reduced FOV is one concern.

The plethora of new 32s (Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Swaro) that will be available has me salivating abit. Based on price I guess if the Nikons worked well I would consider getting those, as I would most likely have a full size premium 7x or 8x also and I don't own a bank.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience?

Greetings Bill,

When I purchased my Nikon 8X32 HG binoculars, I went into the dealers where I evaluated these and several other binoculars with a pre-conceived notion that 8x was just better for all around birding. This was based on reading hundreds of internet testimonials to that fact, as well as considering the logic of the whole 8x proposition (things like field of view, depth of field, light transmission, etc.).

Being aware of this bias, I was more than willing to test it as thoroughly as possible - to make sure I had the RIGHT bias and wasn't talking myself out of something that might really be better based on other peoples opinions, incomplete facts, etc. Because of this, I included a pair of Nikon HG 10X32 binoculars and a pair of Leica 10X32 BN binoculars in with the numerous 8X32 binoculars I was evaluating. I tried as hard as I could, using every test I could think of, both handheld and stabilized to try and find something about the 10x binoculars that would recommend them for my needs over the 8x models.

My conclusion was almost identical to yours... I could read distant signs and see details at distance easier through the 8x binoculars because of the "shake" factor, and the only times the 10x really seemed to have any advantage at all was in VERY low light conditions when trying to resolve color detail... but the difference was so slight that in many cases I wondered if I was fooling myself and "seeing" this because I was supposed to be seeing it. I did further testing, as I always do when there is an unresolved question, and found that I was indeed seeing more color detail in low light with the 10x binoculars.... which is a large part of my decision to later purchase a set of 10x50 binoculars to complement my 8x32 main binoculars for low light conditions. HOWEVER... this does NOT mean in any way, shape, or form that I would recommend 10x binoculars for general purpose use and everyday birding, quite the contrary - I would try as hard as I could to talk someone out of it. There are SO many good reasons to choose 8x for your main binoculars, and so FEW reasons in favor of the 10x.

Hope this helps, your mileage may vary as always!

Best wishes,
Bawko

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