Hi everyone,
I'm new here, but I saw that people seem to give friendly answers to questions so I thought I'd post my own current dilemma... I apologise if this is an issue that people argue about regularly but I couldn't find much using the 'search' function, so:
Which compacts (8x20ish) do you use / do you prefer / do you think are better? (Also, is it worth going for the 10x25ish versions? I'll obviously try out the two sets of specs before I buy, but is there a general consensus of opinion?)
I'm thinking of investing in Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski. I've had chance to try out the Leica Trinovids and Zeiss ClassiCs but not found the Swarovski model in any shops yet.
At the moment I have a cheap pair of Praktica things but I'm tired of the poor quality image, have got some money, and want to do a decent upgrade.
I'm not seriously into birdwatching, but want something small, lightweight and of excellent quality for hiking in the UK and also travelling worldwide, for general use but of course also for when I see birds/other animals/etc and am interested in getting a better view.
I hope I can get some advice here.
Thanks for your time :)
JT: I bought a Zeiss 8x20 Classic binocular for my mother to watch her bird feeder. Bird Watching magazine gave them higher marks than the Leica and Swarovski equivalents and when I tested them I was impressed. The view is superb: no discernable colour cast, a decent field of view, and good centre sharpness, with some softness at the edges. You might also wish to consider the Bausch And Lomb 8x24 Legacy porro-prism binocualr at half the price. Nothing like as neat but a very nice binocular nonetheless.
Of course these compact binoculars are only of use in good light as the objectives are so small. They are also a little fiddly to view through as the exit pupils are tiny. But for hiking they will do the business.
From all that I've heard from those looking at compacts in the 8x20 range, the Zeiss binos seem to be consistantly rated ahead of the other major players.
Andy