Looking for a good set of 10x42/50's for shore birding, hawks, owls.
Yes, I know they're harder to steady and heavier and no, I don't want to hear how good Swaro, Zeiss, Leica are (unless you are willing to contribute the difference :-)
What I'm considering (remember it's under $500)
Nikon Monarch 10x42, 10x56
Olympus Magellan EXWP I 10x42
Leopold Olympic 10X50
I wear glasses and will consider porro bins.
Got any better choices... or experience with any of the bins mentioned above?
Thanks for te help!
Well, some of those. I like the Monarchs though I upgraded to a better more expensive model.
10x is a little difficult to shop for, as many of the 10x30 or so may not be what you want. So you are right to look for 10x42. Many 10x50 have rather narrow a field of view.
I was not impressed with the brightness of several Pentax 10x roofs. They may approach the Monarch but were not brighter. Maybe the top of the line Penatax is worth a look. Actually, check the Pentax DCF WP II 10x42.
If you find any Vortex, the mid price and top of the line are worth a look. Have not seen most of them, hard to find.
We roof prism fans put up with a lot of faults in these mid price models at least. I find roof prisms relaxing to look through, soI don't care so much about the edges. And birds can be placed in the middle for a nice view with a Monarch for instance. I found some more of the sweet spot in my more expensive model, but you can still tell it is a roof prism, not a porro. Porros I like for long distance view, but dont care to haul the big 10x50 porros around.
Have you considered the Nikon SE demo at CameralandNY for $499?
Other than the short ER, I would also suggest the EII - same place.
I doubt if you could find a better view at any price.