Hi! I am most definitely a newbie here. I've done some reading,
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Public.../Age_Binos.html
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/s...tory.html#intro
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/...05_reviews.html
And some of this forum in hope of narrowing in on a binocular choice.
I am looking for a high quality general purpose binocular pair. Small enough that it wouldn't get left behind on trips, bright enough with amazing image quality that I wouldn't be too prone to wanting to upgrade it, durable and warrantied so that I could depend on having it in the family for many years to come. Price... I think I'm willing to go to $1,000 but would prefer not to go too far north of it. Lastly I'm making a trip to Hawaii soon and am hoping to put this binocular to the test during that trip... so it's something I'd like to have in my hand in the next few weeks! It would be a very general purpose bino--occasional bird watching and other sightseeing by myself or my GF, when on the upper deck at ballgames, when hiking, etc. Probably not too much nighttime use. Low weight would be a huge plus. Neither of us wears glasses.
Based on the above I am leaning toward an 8x32 binocular, specifically the Victory T* FL in that size. The price is a little higher than what I'd like to pay, at least from B&H, though I could squeeze it in I suppose. My questions are,
- what else should I be considering? It sure seems like all the reviews on the net focus on 8x40 and 10x40 sizes. There isn't nearly as much on the 30mm and 32mm binoculars. I feel like for me, the 40+mm pairs would tend to get left at home a little too much for comfort, whereas the 30-32mm pairs seem to be a nice balance. Where does Nikon fit into the picture at this size? What about Leika? (The latter seems to expensive... even the Zeiss is slowly breaking the bank.)
- for general purpose casual use, am I on the right track with a 8x32 pair? I realize this is a bit subjective... I guess what I was wondering was, how do ya'll tend to regard 8x20 binoculars? It seems like there are a few good ones on the market, they're small, light, and half the cost! Would I find myself regretting something this compact? If you could only own one, which would you choose?
- I love Canon's image-stabilized SLR lens (own a few) and therefore have long been tempted by their offerings as well as some of the Nikon stabilized binoculars. What's the story here? It seems like, for the same price, Canon/Nikon gives you stabilized 14x magnification, but poorer quality optics, is that a fair assessment? Are these taken seriously? They get the same glowing reviews as the Leica and Zeiss binoculars I've seen, however I'm not sure if these glowing reviews are all coming from the same crowd, or from two separate crowds with different priorities.
Sorry for the long post... any thoughts would be appreciated!
Yeah, you are on the right track in considering 8 x 32's. They are the most user friendly in a number of respects such as weight, field of view, eye relief and price. There are alot of them to chose from too. If you want the best optics you should consider Nikon's 8 x 32 Superior E Porro Prisms. At $600.00 they are also the best buy of all the top of the line bins but they aren't water proof. Nikon also makes a first rate Roof Prism, the 8 x 32 LXL. They sell for about $850.00. I have one and I'm very pleased with it. At 23 ounces it is the heaviest of the 8 x 32's but it has a bright, clean, expansive view. it is waterproof and built like a tank and comes with a 25 year guarantee (as does the SE above.) The Leica's, Swarovski's and Zeiss's best will cost from $1000.00 to $1500.00 and they are among the best made. Minox and Kahles and Zeiss make more moderatly priced bins in the $600.00 range. It will be a tough choice. Try to find a dealer who has a variety of them to choose from and try them out and pick the one you like best. Finally, I have a Leica 8 x 20 which is a great little bin, but with it's double hinges and small exit pupil and narrow FOV, it's not nearly as user friendly as any 8 x 32 bin.
Good Luck,
Bob
PS: welcome to Bird Forum!!
You are definitely on the right track. A top-end 8x32 sacrifices gives up nothing to full-sized binos when it comes to optics, can be nearly as compact as (though will be heavier than) a reverse-porro compact, and are optically and ergonomically far superior to any 8x20 or other pocket-roof model.
Given your description of what you are looking for, I don't recommend a porro-prism model--they are gangly/awkward/bulky, both when hanging around your neck and when packed in your bag, in comparison to their roof-prism counterparts. The Nikon 8x32 LXL is excellent optically and nicely priced--you should try it out--but it is as heavy as some full-sized models. The Swarovski 8x32 has wonderful ergonomics, but is expensive and longer than the others, so it takes up as much room when packed as full-sized binos.
As for the models you are currently leaning toward, the Zeiss 8x32 FL has a wide field of view, excellent eye-relief, is exceptionally bright, has very little chromatic abberation, superb close-focus, nice smooth focus, and very tight minimum interpupillary (52 mm) for kids or adults with close-set eyes, but I don't like the amount of off-axis astigmatism this model has, and it isn't ergonomically a perfect fit for me. It is a great binocular, and I use it regularly, but it is not flawless--try before you buy! As for Leica, there are two choices with practically identical optics, the 8x32 Ultravid (slightly brighter, lighter, and more compact) and the 8x32 BN Ultra/Trinovid. I like both of these equally, and more than the Zeiss FL. I'll confess to being partial to the 8x32 BN as a travel bino--for me, the ergonomics are perfect, the build is awesomely solid and beautiful, the optics superb (one of my favorites for some reason, though I have many optically excellent binos), the rainguard for the oculars is the only design that I've ever liked on any bino that I've ever tried (so I actually use it), and the tight-fitting leather case adds almost no bulk, protects against scuffs when packed, yet has enough room for a strategicallyly folded full-size neoprene strap to fit inside. I actually bought another Leica 8x32BN case for my Zeiss 8x32 because the case that comes with the Zeiss is extremely bulky!
--AP