I was wondering if anyone could give me advice (or simply their opinion) about getting a second pair of binoculars. My only pair is a Zeiss 8x20. I have been nothing but happy with them, but I started wondering if it might be nice to have a full sized pair too (my birthday is coming up after all...). Is it really worth the expense to get a full sized pair? Will I really see much more or have a better experience with, for instance, an 8x40 or 10x42? I started wondering if this is just a case of binocular lust and perhaps I am just using excuses to justify the purchase of a new pair of binoculars. I live in a fairly small town without many stores or opportunities to test different binoculars to see what my personal opinion is, and neither do I know anyone who has a good full sized pair that I could borrow. I wanted to see if I could benefit from some other birders' experiences.
Hi Laura. I'm sure you know the technical differences between 8x20 and 8x42 so I will only report my experience comparing Nikon HGL 8x20(which I bought) and 8x42. The main difference is obviously brightness, so if you use your bins on cloudy days and in dark places, bigger will be much better. The second most important difference for me is ease of use. Theres no comparison, the bigger one is A LOT easier to align with your eves and for observing for longer periods.
Besides that there were no significant differences optically. The larger Nikon had more visible CA and maybe it resolves better over long distances, but I didn't notice it (resolution was almost the same for me) as I tested both bins in a city on a sunny and snowy winter day.
I hope my experience may give you some insight on this subject, but all of the above are subjective and remember that I was comparing two binoculars of the same series. It may be invalid for comparing two bins from different manufacturers.
To me there is a huge difference between an 8x20 and a 8x32 that would would notice immeadiately. Going from 8x32 to 8x42 or 10x42 isn't that much more dramatic a change, but the problem is you can get some reasonably priced 8x42s or 10x42s, the Zen Ray EDs for instance, where a high quality 8x32 is still pretty expensive.
So to me, weight-wise I would upsize to a good 8x32 in a heartbeat, if cost was a big issue or the extra size and weight didn't bother you, I would try one of those 8x42 Chinese EDs, or maybe a Vortex. I forgot to mention some of the excellent porros such as the Leupold Yosemite or Cascade. I love my little 6x30 Yosemites. My 8x32 Nikon SE is my favorite bin, but they are no longer made, are fairly expensive and they are not waterproof.
Hope that helps,
John