Apologies if this has previously been debated to death before but I couldn't find anything using a quick search.
What do you gain from the 42 objectives over the 32 objectives in modern bins. I understand that theoretically the 42's should be brighter but does the difference really bear up these days considering the price differential for most manufacturers
TIA
Andrew
I've always felt that in the 'real world' the difference between 42mm binoculars and 32mm models (assuming equal optical quality) is only really apparent in the 30-40 minutes after dawn and a similar period at dusk plus on those overcast days when conditions equate to dawn/dusk. Hence, if I was birding in the Mediterranean where it tends to be bright and sunny, I'd be more than happy with 8x32s (which are, in fact what I often use in Spain). In the UK there's the odd occasion when 42mm objectives come into their own, but really not that often. There may be more of an advantage with a bigger OG if you're not uisng a prime glass, but to be honest even in the UK my Nikon 8x32s stand up pretty well against my Zeiss 8x42s in terms of brightness,
John
The price difference could only be justified in the amount of glass used. The other materials cost very little.
I have several 8x32 roofs and one pair of 8x42 porros, as the similar roofs with that kind of field of view cost either 150 dollars or more than 1000. The field of view was the issue for me. If there is any brightness gain, fine. On sunny days, no difference. The porros have better depth of field. My fov is arounf 400ft.