New toy, and what a deal to boot! (1 Viewer)

I snatched up a pair of EII 10x35s on clearance for $270. Dare I say brighter than the 42mm HG? I would dare say it, no offense. The only other 10x I have been able to hand hold so steady was the 42mm EL. There is something about a handful of midsized porro glass that feels good. The smaller two fingers fall perfectly around the objective tubes, the palms wrap the body, and the index fingers slide right behind the prisms. A better view could not be had for twice the price at least.

Robert,

I have heard good things about the EII 8x30, as well. I hope that you may find and identify many birds with your new purchase.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :scribe:

My brother said they looked like the old metal pair we finally convinced grandpa to throw away. I let him look through them at a cooperating crow. He remarked, "I have never noticed a bird blinking before." He has been using Legend 8x42s, and apparently missing something. The detail is amazing to say the least.

Robert Ellis said:

My brother said they looked like the old metal pair we finally convinced grandpa to throw away. I let him look through them at a cooperating crow. He remarked, "I have never noticed a bird blinking before." He has been using Legend 8x42s, and apparently missing something. The detail is amazing to say the least.

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Robert,

Welcome to the world of the porro prism binocular. Nikon sure put all the optical pieces together when the built the E's and SE's.

Enjoy!

John

John Traynor said:

Robert,

Welcome to the world of the porro prism binocular. Nikon sure put all the optical pieces together when the built the E's and SE's.

Enjoy!

John

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Or welcome back, as my first pair were old Jasons.

are they usable at dusk and dawn?

For the last 4 weeks i have been looking for a pair of binoculars. I want a pair of 10x, and i have tried all of the top brands. I have no $$$ limit (thanks to wife, credit cards), but i want to be really happy with my purchase. I even drove 4 hours to a larger city to see and try a better selection of binoculars than we have in the stores here in town. Believe it or not, my favorites are not the $1500 makes from Germany/Austria, but the 10x42 SE and the 10x35 EII from Nikon. There must be something wrong with my eyes or my brain ( :bounce: ), but i can see much better with either of these two, and i am very pleased by them. I guess i am weird, but i liked the handling and the view better.
So, i have a question: would the 10x35 EII be usable at dusk and down, or on cloudy winter days? The 10x42 SE have a large enough exit pupil, but how about the 10x35?

The 10x42 will be marginally better at dusk and down, on cloudy winter days I doubt you would notice a difference. In any case, the difference under any conditions would be so small that you could only notice it in direct comparison, which in practice you'll only do once if at all. Image-quality-wise there is very little to choose between the SE and the E II. The SE has a flatter field, so it retains high image sharpness further out to the edge of the field. Then again, the E II has a substantially wider true field. The SE has a more durable and shockproof body. The E II:s have a reputation of going easily out of alignment if knocked - of course, they can be professionally re-collimated, but if you tend to handle your binoculars like you would a baseball mitt, the SE would be a better bet.

If you haven't yet, and want to get some perspective and perhaps reassurance, go read my ALULA review on the Ultravid and other 10x binocs on www.alula.fi

Kimmo

Otto McDiesel said:

For the last 4 weeks i have been looking for a pair of binoculars. I want a pair of 10x, and i have tried all of the top brands. I have no $$$ limit (thanks to wife, credit cards), but i want to be really happy with my purchase. I even drove 4 hours to a larger city to see and try a better selection of binoculars than we have in the stores here in town. Believe it or not, my favorites are not the $1500 makes from Germany/Austria, but the 10x42 SE and the 10x35 EII from Nikon. There must be something wrong with my eyes or my brain ( :bounce: ), but i can see much better with either of these two, and i am very pleased by them. I guess i am weird, but i liked the handling and the view better.
So, i have a question: would the 10x35 EII be usable at dusk and down, or on cloudy winter days? The 10x42 SE have a large enough exit pupil, but how about the 10x35?

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Otto,

You can't argue with the view of the Nikons. Personally, I'd choose the SE because it's built like a top quality porro should be built. Also, the lower eye relief numbers on the E models would not satisfy my personal needs.

My SE 8X32mm is pretty good at dawn/dusk, but my Ultravid 42mm is brighter under the same conditions...as it should be. However, my Ultravid is sometimes too bright during the day and often has a bit less contrast than I'd like. When the light dims or I'm deep in the woods, the contrast in the Ultravid is so good I almost believe it was optimized for low light conditions. The SE is stunning during most of the day and is very good in low light.

Best of luck to you.

John

I will agree that the EII's have to be the best bins for the price. (at least for me they are)

I compared them to my Pentax 8X43 SP's and the 10X35 EII's are brighter. (Does this seem right? My eyes see it that way.)

Good viewing,
Raybo