I was planning on just going with Nikon Monarchs as a simple choice. Known brand, buy them locally, good warranty, I have used them in the past for short periods and liked them. But perhaps the design has changed because those I tried in the stores are not comfortable. I don't know exactly what it is, but the way the eyepieces interface with my eyeballs isn't a good fit, no matter how high or low or in between I twist the eye cups. I end up having to tilt my head backward to get a non-obstructed view. So as pretty as the view is when I have it, they're just not going to work.
My main worry is that this incompatibility issue is because of the twist-up eye cups, which would likely mean I won't be comfortable with many of the comparable options either. I've never run into this problem in the past. Thoughts? I'm rather stumped, I can't think of any good reason my face doesn't fit the binos (or the other way 'round
).My ideal bino is:
1. 8x or 10x magnification. Probably 10, since I will eventually have my trusty 7s back.
2. Durable. I do a lot of rainforest hiking, they need to be water and fogproof, and reasonably (somewhat? a little?) bang-proof.
3. Good repair policy. My trusty 7s got between me and a granite rock under the influence of gravity, bending the housing on one side.
4. Good in low-light, see 2 again. I would hopefully also be using them to observe crepuscular critters in addition to birds. (Which means 5mm exit pupil minimum, I guess. Could I get away with 10x42, considering the coatings that give better light transmission?)
I do not wear eyeglasses, so my impression is that eye-relief is not a variable I need to be concerned about.
My ideal price point is around $300, but this can be fudged upward toward $500 or $600 if the benefit is great enough.
I'm trying to build a list to choose from, so far I've got:
Zen-ray ZRS or ED2
Vortex Talon
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD
I know I'm missing things I should be considering, what would you add to my list? Are there binos that fit my general criteria that have rubber eye cups? I'm very willing to take any advice you're willing to give. Thanks!