Recommend me a $200-$300 set of Porros!

[ravisurdhar]

I'm looking for a set of Porros, either 8x or 10x, and somewhere between 42 and 50mm. Waterproof would be nice too. Looking to spend $200-$300 (though I'd prefer something towards the bottom of that range). I was looking at the Leupold Cascades Internal Focus and Mesas, both looked quite nice...any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[Tero]

Many nice internal focus porros have narrow fov. I have yet to find a 10x porro in that range I like. Most are heavy. 8x42 porros...several models out there. I have the cheap Bushnell Legend, suits me fine.

[Kevin Purcell]

If you are willing to look at 8x32 the Clestron Ultima DX is at buydig.com for $75. It is a rather nice bin (used to sell for double that). Waterproof (as external porros can be). Nice bright, sharp wide view.

The Legends sound good though I've not tried them. Again a wide view. The small reverse porros I did try were both bright and very sharp so they have the (relativley cheap) technology to work.

Neither of these two are light bins (both 31oz or so).

I have just received a set Leupold Cascades (from FrankD who loved them) which I'll try out over the next day or so. Not tried the Leupold Mesas. They are a fair bit lighter than the two bins above but rather narrower FOV (6.4 degrees).

[ceasar]

http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=2399

These match your specs. Nice wide field of view too!
Bob

[FrankD]

I was looking at the Leupold Cascades Internal Focus and Mesas, both looked quite nice...any other suggestions?



I would most certainly recommend the Cascade porros. They have that transparent porro view to them with excellent edge sharpness. The handling is superb as well. I just loved picking them up. The curve of the dogleg definitely fits like a glove in my hands. Focusing speed and tension was also very much to my liking. These are definitely better in several respects in comparison to the roofs in and even above this price range.

These are selling for $223 at Eagle Optics right now. That is about $55 less than what they were originally selling for. I think they are a steal and would not hesitate to buy another if my finances allowed for it right now. ;)

[mooreorless]

Frank, The Cascade porros are looking better to me all the time. Me being a porro kind of guy.;)
Regards,Steve

[ronh]

Vixen makes good stuff. http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=5143

[Tero]

The 10x might then be worth a look.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=5140
Probably as good as all these ProMasters and so on.

[Pileatus]

I'm looking for a set of Porros, either 8x or 10x, and somewhere between 42 and 50mm. Waterproof would be nice too. Looking to spend $200-$300 (though I'd prefer something towards the bottom of that range). I was looking at the Leupold Cascades Internal Focus and Mesas, both looked quite nice...any other suggestions?

Thanks!
The Leupold Cascades prove what's possible with an internally focused porro. I am impressed with the 8X42 and 10X42 models but, truthfully, Leupold didn't go the "extra" mile and make the Cascade porro a truly attractive binocular. The rather narrow field of view in both models, though in line with many other models, is the most obvious limitation. The 8X42 should have a 390' FOV and the 10X42 a 330' FOV to be competitive. It's amazing how a relatively small increase in FOV changes one's impression of "quality".

As alpha binoculars settle in at the $2000 level someone might just come along and build a 21st century porro that birders will buy. The Leupold Cascades prove it can be done and I'm quite certain a "near-perfect" porro (waterproof, lightweight, solid-internals, ergonomic, wide FOV, ED glass, etc.) could be sold for less than $500 USD.

As they are, the Cascade porros are a real value at current prices. If you can live with the FOV (I probably could adapt) then there's no better porro available in that price range. The sharpness and clarity I saw in the first 10X42 Cascade porro I sampled instantly reminded me of my SE.

Good luck!
John

[FrankD]

Excellent points John. I should have mentioned the narrow field of view. With my being a self-admitted wide field of view type of guy it is somewhat surprising that I find the Cascade porros so attractive. As I had mentioned in another post they have grown on me. I could not agree with you more though in terms of the small improvements that would need to be made in order to make this bino competitive with roofs costing 5 times as much. Replace the eyepieces with something that produces a wider field of view and you easily have the nicest bin under $1000.

[jedku]

I'll add to Bob's laconic recommendation for the Swift Audubon 8.5x44 porros. I have had them for over 4 years and lots of hours in the field. I have tried a large variety of porros. I think these are the best in the price range. The optical quality and field-of-view are excellent. They are very sturdy.
Only 2 small caveats: 1) eye relief feels a bit short if I wear my glasses, but the view is perfect with contact lenses, 2) the body is large and while it is not hard for me at 6ft to manipulate the focus, someone with smaller hands might find it a pain. Like many external focus porros, the focus wheel does tighten up in the winter due to temperature changing the viscosity of lubricants.
I am always looking through other bins, especially porros, to compare. There are very few bins beneath the "alphas" that can compete with them for optical quality. I do admit there are other bins that are more comfortable to hold. But, I go for quality of view first and am very happy with the Swifts.
Having said that, I follow this thread with interests since I am curious if any new high-quality porro models have come out in the last couple of years. Anything new?