The Raven was not poor and in all respects is a handy birding tool for a beginner, just not all that different from Yosemite. For all that, the 8x Yosemite may have better resolution.
Too many toys to compare.
..until I tried to read a distant license plate (maybe 200 yards away?) with them, and then compared that view directly with my Nikon Travelite 9 x 25's. I don't think the extra half power was the difference -- do you? In the Nikons the numbers and letters stood out clearer; otherwise the other compared views were acceptably similar. I tried them out because I need binoculars with a wider apparent field of view than the Nikons give (60 for the Ravens vs. 50 degrees for the Nikons) and still be lightweight. (The Eagle is only 17 oz.) I guess for $130 I can't have everything. *sigh* Whatever I wind up buying has to be under $200. After reading this forum for several years, and reading mfr. specs, I don't think there's anything out there in my price range that meets all my criteria so... I may still get the Ravens because, sharpness-wise, they may be close enough.
I noticed actually the same thing with my 8x32 Eagle Optics SRT, it gave me more detail than a 9x25. I no longer have the 9x25 to see if it beats any others.
The Raven was not poor and in all respects is a handy birding tool for a beginner, just not all that different from Yosemite. For all that, the 8x Yosemite may have better resolution.
Too many toys to compare.
[QUOTE=Tero;1709838]I noticed actually the same thing with my 8x32 Eagle Optics SRT, it gave me more detail than a 9x25. I no longer have the 9x25 to see if it beats any others. [/QUOTE]
I'm confused -- my 9x25 showed *more* detail than did the Raven, and I sort of questioned whether or not that is due to the slightly extra magnification of the 9x25. ?
Overall it's not at all a bad binocular -- it just may not be worth $130 to me to get a wider field of view.