Have you ever picked up a binocular and IMMEDIATELY thought "Wow, this feels so good, so right, as if made for my hands!"?
This has happened to me a few times, but most recently it occurred when I'd bought an old (late 1960s/early 1970s?) Zuiho 7x50 on UK eBay for very little money. It's an American-pattern (Bausch & Lomb shape) porro, halfway in size between a Swift Audubon and a WW2 B&L US Navy 7x50 model, well balanced and looks rather elegant. The optics are quite good, considering they're at least 40 years old and only 'coated', albeit the field is a limited 5.1*. I have to push the oculars well into my eye sockets to obtain even a medium-sized view, so it won't suit spectacle wearers and can't compete with (say) the Audubon's 'big easy view', but it's pretty sharp and quite pleasant when you get used to it. Made in Japan, J-E32/J-B160.
But it's the shape that's so comfortable: my hands mould themselves to the smoothly rounded contours and my thumbs fit perfectly underneath the body. I was so impressed with the 7x50 Zuiho, I bought a very nice 7x35 Zuiho too. This is also beautifully shaped and is perhaps the nicest-looking binocular in my collection, resembling an over-fed Nikon 8x32SE. In comparison with the 7x50, it has an 11* wide angle, and is marked J-E32/J-B25. Its oculars are 25mm across in contrast with the 7x50's puny 17mm.
Maybe it goes to prove that old binoculars can be a pleasure to own, even if they can't compete with modern stuff for sheer optical performance.
I'll post pictures shortly...
What's your favourite "feel-good-to-hold" binocular?
[QUOTE=James Bean;2275495]
What's your favourite "feel-good-to-hold" binocular?[/QUOTE]
I absolutely know what you are talking about.
For me, nothing is as physically perfect in practice and feel as the simple little excursion 7x36.
NO question, they aren't close to the best optically. They're not even the best I have tried. And while they even have physical flaws (diopter is not "set" in the center, some claim focus wheel issues in cold weather), no matter what I try out, these still fit and feel the "best" to me.
Yep. 8x32 Swaro ELs. Like a glove baby.
Too expensive for me now but the ergos of the Sightron 8x32 are incredible close to that of the Swaro. About the same size as well.
Maybe the 7x36 Zen Ray ED2 as well.