Cameras and Lenses
Konica Minolta Activa (8x40) vs. Celestron Ultima DX 8x32 vs. Nikon Action EX 8x40
Hi everyone,
I fancy having a pair of porros for a back up pair of bins.
Does anyone have any thoughts on
Konica Minolta Activa (8x40) vs. Celestron Ultima DX 8x32 vs. Nikon Action EX 8x40
How do they compare optically? How do the views compare?
I wear spectacles so what do you think of their eyerelief/spec-friendliness?
The Konicas are an unknown to me (can find no reviews on line). They interest me because they are a bit lighter than the others.
I know the Celestron are highly regarded by many on BF. That's why I'm interested in them.
I have tried the Nikons in a local optics shop and like the view and the feel of them.
The other two I can only get on line (the Konicas from the US only) so I'd like as much info as possible before parting with cash for them.
Thanks in advance for any info/opinions you can give.
Cheers,
Martin.
Hi Martin,
I own the Celestrons. They have enough eye relief to work perfectly with my glasses with the eyecups down. Optical quality is amazing for what I paid ($75). I haven't used the Minolta or Nikon, but based on the postings I've read, my impression is that they are both a bit dated.
Two other binoculars you might consider are the Bushnell Legend 8x42 Porro and the Pentax 8x40 PCF WP II. The Legend has a little more eye relief than the Celestron. I have to raise the eyecups just a little. The optical quality is as good and perhaps a little my contrasty than the Celestron Ultimas. I just bought the Pentax at a give away price and I'm very impressed with them. They have a narrow field of view (just 6.3 deg) but the optical quality is outstanding. They also have the best ergonomics of any budget porro I've seen. They allow you to keep your elbows down next to your body where they belong. The Celestrons and Legends force your elbows out, which gets tiring and makes it harder to hold the bins steady. The Celestrons, Bushnells and Pentax are all waterproof with external focusing. This results in somewhat stiff focusing due to the o-rings used to waterproof them.
Of the three, I like the Pentax the best because of the ergonomics. All of them provide incredible value for the money. Good luck with your purchase.
[QUOTE=BinoBoy;1509506]They also have the best ergonomics of any budget porro I've seen. They allow you to keep your elbows down next to your body where they belong. The Celestrons and Legends force your elbows out, which gets tiring and makes it harder to hold the bins steady.[/QUOTE]
Reaching around to the focuser on top of the porro often forces your arms out (especially with the Legend porro ... they do seem wide) so try focusing with your thumb on the bottom of the focus wheel.
Try the thumbs up grip or military grip (search the forum for a couple of threads) which will free up your thumbs and puts your arms directly under the bins. I find this is the best grip to use with a porro.
Or use the top focus but use two fingers (one left and one right) to push-pull the focus (useful if you can just get your finger tips to them).
Or focus from the top and change your grip (works for distant targets that don't move towards or away from you).
I've not tried two of the three but I do like Celestron DX. The Nikon's should be fine given some other comments on the forum about them. I wouldn't say they're "out of date" ... heck, they're a fully multicoated porro with good ER and wide FOV so they should do the job. They were the standard "cheapest decent bin for beginning birders" for a while. Their optics hasn't worsened 
The Legend porro is another you should consider too.