It seems that a few forum members also went to the Rutland Birdfair. I spent 6hrs there on Friday mostly trying binoculars. Probably a mistake as I came away rather dazed, confused and with pretty sore eyes and still only saw fraction of what was on offer. Two days on I've been mulling over some of the more memorable highs and lows and thought if would be fun to invite other attendees to share their own nominees for show awards.
My nominees.
Best Newcomer : Kite Petrel 8.5x50. A lower mid-priced Japanese made pair from a Belgian company which will be available in the UK shortly.
Best Remake: Kowa 8x30 porro. Apparently from the same factory as the original Yosemite with a naff colour scheme. Runner-up Opticron Savanna 6x and 8x30 (same source?).
Best Value: Viking 6.5x32 MD. Hideous looking, plasticy pair that shamed second tier alpha pairs for sharpness. On offer at the show for £99! (list price £249)
Best value Brand: Meopta
Biggest disappointment: Swarovski CL. Beaten by Meopta meostar, Kowa Genesis XD and several others. Even the Viking MD on some performance points.
Best in Show: Nikon EDG 7x42 Very tight competition!
Most likely to buy: Viking MD (given times are hard, but if I get a small windfall, a Meopro or Meostar.)
Of course this may be controversial and simply reflects my own tastes, prejudices and the time and energy available for testing (and perhaps the fact I was struggling to judge colour to some degree with the atypically sunny, high glare conditions).
Any other categories and nominations?
David
PS. A late addition to the categories.
Strangest behaviour: Swarovski Owners(?) Many of the attendees were wearing a wide spectrum of binos. I thought if very odd that a disproportionate number of celebrities and organisers along with ticket, bird food and vacation sellers, even garbage truck drivers were spending the day with Swarovski's around their necks. Proud owners? Maybe I'm just cynical.
I am curious...did Meopta have an HD/ED version of the Meostar available at the show?