Hi folks, I'm new but hoped to get some info from you on some binocs. I have a late 90's edition of the Simmons Presidential 2400 8x42wa Porro style binocs. I have loved these binocs and never really looked through anything brighter or clearer despite trying several high quality brands. When new, these binocs listed for over $400 but would sell in the low $300's. For mid 90's, that was pretty good money, especially for a simmons brand.
Anyway, was in the market for new binocs for fun and bought a pair of Leupold cascades and nikon monarch. The monarchs were brighter than the cascades, though l like the feel of the leupold better. The difference in brightness wasn't huge, but distinct. I then took my Simmons Pres out and compared brightness, and was surprised, once again, at how much brighter they were under very low light conditions. The contrast is great and optical quality as well. I've also owned but since sold the Simmons Presidential Roof 8x42s, they were not as bright and the focus was not infinte so I didn't like them as well but the Porros have been incredible.
I also own a pair of steiner nighthunter 12x56 and a second pair of the simmons presidential porros. I also own a Swarovski scope and have used their EL series binocs, so I have a decent amt of experience w/ optics but remains mistified by the exceptional performance of these Simmons (long since discontinued).
By the way, in the meantime, I ordered a new pair of Leupold Pinnacles, due to arrive Friday and hope they have similar brightness/clarifity to my simmons, though they were $500
Is your EL a newer model? If not, I've noticed that the older models have a slightly yellow bias, which didn't seem as bright as the 2009 8x30 SLCNeu in daylight despite the aperture difference. In low light, the EL was brighter than the SLC, but the colors still lacked the "zip" of the better coated SLC.
In general, given two bins, a porro and a roof, with the same AR coatings, the porro will give brighter views because of the light loss from the roof prisms.
However, today, with the advances in prism coatings - phase coatings, sliver coatings, dielectric coatings - the gap has closed considerably, though a well made porro prism can still give more light transmission, as evidenced by the reviews on allbinos.com.
So it depends on which two bins you are comparing, particularly with the roofs.
Beyond actual brightness, there are differences in perceived brightness due to color bias. Some coatings are "cooler" (like the older ELs) and some are warmer (like the Nikon SE and HG). This can trick your brain into thinking one gives brighter views than the other when in fact the difference may be due to the range of the light transmission spectrum (which colors are emphasized) rather than the overall light transmission value.
That's my two cents, I'm going to bed! We have an ice storm on the way, and I have to back up my files to a flash drive in case I have to temporarily relocate to a part of town that isn't without electricity like I did last time we had one of these ice storms.
Sorry, I haven't a clue, rdfish1! But I'd like to welcome you to the forum. Many of us here, you will find, are mystified by a particular of the performance of some special binocular, and actually spend good money to prove that nothing beats it!
For me it's always been a Porro too. The Fujinon FMT-SX 7x50 is my sickness. Of course nobody could blame me for spending thousands in trying to find a bino to beat it, because its weight and individual focus are obvious hard challenges to the treetop warbler aware. But optically, I want no finer view.
So, your passion, especially over a binocular that I or probably hardly anybody else here ever even heard of, especially a Porro, coupled with your interest in trying others that we are familiar with, but finding they never quite measure up to the Simmons' mythic ideal, is welcome here.
I promote you to the rank of lieutenant on the basis of a single post!
You can hem and haw about the transmission of a Schmidt-Pechan roof prism all day. Aluminum coatings suck, silver is better, dielectric is very good if properly done, but highly subject to precision of execution.
Porros rock, what can you say. Total internal reflection is, well, just total. Like, a law of physics!
Ron