Dear all,
I have the possibility to buy a new pair of bino`s, and big doubt`s concerning my next 30 years birding (I hope!). Do someone can help me in the pursuit of THE BEST 10x BINO`S?
Leica`s, Swarovski or Zeiss, wich are the best?
Can the Zeiss 10x40 Victory, be compared with the other two?
Where can I see some reviews, concerning this bino´s?
Do someone know the lowest prices in UK, for this three bino´s?
Thank you very much for your kind attention,
Hugo Blanco
Welcome to Birdforum - the most addictive place on the net.
Just to show how different people can be I tried Swaro and Leica side by side and one of the reasons I bought Leica was because I thought that they had truer colour.
The fact is all these bins are excellent. In the UK suppliers have field days where you can try bins out- don't know if you have that option in Portugal. It is worth spending some time when you are spending this amount of money. But trust your eyes and buy the ones that give you the right "feel"
Good luck what ever you do.
Hugo: I believe the next edition (June) of Bird Watching magazine will review these bins, though they might restrict themselves to 8x only. Even if that is the case, you will gain something from the reviews of the build and handling if not the optics.
Anyway, which is best is a personal thing.
Optically many peopke consider the Nikon HG and Leica to be the best. A very close second are the Zeiss and the Swarovski. Many people rate the Swarovski as overall best i.e. the best combination of handling, build and optics. Zeiss are the lightest at ~700g (Swarovski ~800g, Leica ~900g, Nikon ~1000g). In my view weight IS important. Many people don't like the feel of the Zeiss. The Nikon have the best shape and balance (in my opinion) but are a bit too heavy for prolonged use. The Leica are nice though the shape is not as good as some.
I would also check out the Nikon 10x32 HG. To me they looked brighter than other competing products. They are smaller and lighter than a full sized binocular bit not as sharp or bright.