Cameras and Lenses

Nikon Action 10-22x50 vs Bushnell Natureview Plus 10x42 (Porro)

I'm looking for a reasonable replacement for some old (I'd guess pre-1960s), damaged and scratched 8x30 binoculars, which I inherited from a great uncle!

My main requirements are:

• Greater magnification (10x or upwards);
  
• Improved image quality (I think any new binoculars would improve this!);
  
• Porro prism;
  
• Price limit of around £100.
  

1. The Nikon Action's magnification is given as 10-22x, what does this really mean? Is it adjustable? If so how, and are there any drawbacks of this?
   
2. I've read good reviews of the exact Bushnell Natureview model, but for the roof prism type. Both porro and roof are Bak-4 prisms. Should there be any distinguishable difference in image quality between the porro and roof prism versions?
   

the 10x42 bushnells were my first binoculars..

played the field quite a bit since,however those bushnells kept me happy till
i could afford a better pair of roofprisms.

the one thing strikes me now about those binoculars was the lack of backlash
and bridge flex that plagues some porro prisms,the build quality was very good
for the money,they never really went wrong.

as for the optics,they're pretty much as good as anything else in this catagory,though i'd sudgest you try and get hold of some nikon action 10x40 models,these nikon models have always been highly praised on this site,the bushnells get very little mention.

compared to fixed magnification wide angle bins you might find the optics of the nikon zooms dissapointing.this is due to extra lenses needed in the zoom mechanism.

matt

As Matt said, 10-22x means a zoom model, that has a lever for adjusting the power. They are never optically as good as normal (fixed power) binoculars.

You will have a smaller field of view (the view in degrees, or m/1000m), and sharpness and brightness will almost certainly deteriorate when the zoom is adjusted to higher power.

As to the porro/roof prism question, in this price range porro prism models are recommended. Roof prisms are more expensive to make and thus would be of inferior quality in the lower price range.

So, my advice would be to go for a porro prism model, non-zoom.

Marko

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