I'm now looking for a pair of 10x50s as a back to my everyday 8x32s. I primarily intend to use these for birding at dusk, when I will have no other equipment with me.
A powerful case was made for this magnification and objective lens size in a thread on binoculars for dusk a few months ago, but the thread was lost when Birdforum crashed a little while ago.
I'm tempted by the Pentax SP DCF specification and online reviews, but they are difficult to see before buying. I know the Leica and Swarovskis are well thought of.
What else should be on the shortlist?
Nikon's 10x42 SEs will outperfom all the 10x50 roofs and are a good deal cheaper than the high end offerings.
[QUOTE=trealawboy]I'm now looking for a pair of 10x50s as a back to my everyday 8x32s. I primarily intend to use these for birding at dusk, when I will have no other equipment with me.
A powerful case was made for this magnification and objective lens size in a thread on binoculars for dusk a few months ago, but the thread was lost when Birdforum crashed a little while ago.
I'm tempted by the Pentax SP DCF specification and online reviews, but they are difficult to see before buying. I know the Leica and Swarovskis are well thought of.
What else should be on the shortlist?[/QUOTE]
I have been thoroughly pleased with my Leica 10 x 50 Trinovids, more so than I expected, and I had high expectations. The weight is a little daunting at times, but the balance is superb and the build quality seems higher than either my 7 x 42 or 10 x 32 Trinovids. Also, the field of view is extraordinary - noticeably wider than the 42mm models from Leica, Zeiss and others - and the brightness at late dusk is remarkable. Friends who have looked through the binocular have all had a uniform reaction: Wow! The cost is a little daunting as well, but actually worth it. I cannot recommend any binocular more strongly.