Hi all. I am looking to fill in the gap between my 7x20 Nikon Travelites (that I originally bought for backpacking) and my 20-60x80 Vortex scope.
I wear glasses (lineless bifocals) so eye relief is an issue. I have noticed that the eye relief offered within any particular line/brand varies between, for example, the 8x and 10x glasses. What is the impact of this? Should I go with 8x42 because it offers 19mm relief as opposed to the corresponding 10x42 that only offers 15mm?, or is this not an issue
On the other hand, I am pleased with the FOV that I get from Nikons, but they certainly are lacking in definition when trying to ID small birds in the canopy - which can be very frustrating! Will I get the performance increase I am looking for if I go with 8x, or should I go to the 10x? (I am looking in the 40mm object lens range ).
I have been reading a lot of the posts here about cost vs. quality and realize that there are gives and takes that have to be made on either end. There is certainly a lot of expertise on this board (Tero, Henry Link, FrankD etc.) but it can be a bit overwhelming for a novice.
Thanks for any feedback you can give me!
The magnification difference between 8x and 10x is not a big deal, so I favor 8x for the wider field of view and depth of field. There are a lot more good 8x choices than 10x, but if you do commit to 10x there are some with excellent eye-relief, most notably the Nikon 10x42 LXL (but also Swarovski 10x50 SLC, Zeiss 10x42 FL). You might also consider a good 8x32, but most are a bit frustrating if you need lots of eye-relief (Zeiss 8x32 FL is a good one in this respect).
--AP
That is a gap I'd tend to plug with a 7-8x42 binocular. I agree with Alexis in that the difference between 8x and 10x is not much. 8x is typically a lot easier to hold steady and usually has more eye relief, which appears to be a concern for you.
You may well eventually decide there are other gaps for you and decide to either go to a 32mm glass for lighter weight or even a higher magnification of some sort. But a good 8x42 won't really ever leave you in the lurch.
As with others, I'd tend to recommend a Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED or the ZEN ED. These are a superb optical instrument and for not a lot of money will fill your gap quite nicely while you contemplate what your ultimate best configuration turns out to be.