New Binoculars (1 Viewer)

mikebidwell · Sep 13, 2005

Hi there

This may seem a daft question, but hopefully I can take advantage of your experiences

For the past 20 years I've used a pair of 10X40 BGAT* bins and have been extremely pleased with them. With all of the improvements which have gone on in recent years, I'm now thinking of replacing them. The problem is I'm not sure which ones to go for :'D

When I bought my 10X40's it was fairly easy, either Zeiss or Leica,( and of course, how much I was prepared to spend ) but now I'm stuck :stuck:

Any suggestions please :brains:

Best wishes

Mike :t:

Otto McDiesel · Sep 14, 2005

mikebidwell said:
Hi there

This may seem a daft question, but hopefully I can take advantage of your experiences

For the past 20 years I've used a pair of 10X40 BGAT* bins and have been extremely pleased with them. With all of the improvements which have gone on in recent years, I'm now thinking of replacing them. The problem is I'm not sure which ones to go for :'D

When I bought my 10X40's it was fairly easy, either Zeiss or Leica,( and of course, how much I was prepared to spend ) but now I'm stuck :stuck:

Any suggestions please :brains:

Best wishes

Mike :t:

It's the same. Leica, Swarovski, Nikon HG, and Zeiss. Try them before buying.

denco@comcast.n · Sep 15, 2005

mikebidwell said:
Hi there

This may seem a daft question, but hopefully I can take advantage of your experiences

For the past 20 years I've used a pair of 10X40 BGAT* bins and have been extremely pleased with them. With all of the improvements which have gone on in recent years, I'm now thinking of replacing them. The problem is I'm not sure which ones to go for :'D

When I bought my 10X40's it was fairly easy, either Zeiss or Leica,( and of course, how much I was prepared to spend ) but now I'm stuck :stuck:

Any suggestions please :brains:

Best wishes

Mike :t:

Zeiss FL 10x42's.

Dennis

trealawboy · Sep 15, 2005

Otto McDiesel said:
It's the same. Leica, Swarovski, Nikon HG, and Zeiss. Try them before buying.

Ditto.

I too have had the Zeiss 10x40 BGAT for 20 years. They are good, but the modern range of binoculars are much better. Much reduced chromatic aberration, brighter and more contrasty and lets not forget those eyecups. The modern twist up eyecups are a big improvement on the foldup eyecups on the Zeiss. The close focus is significantly better too. In my view it is worth getting a newer pair.

I think there's not too much between the so-called top brands optically speaking. There may be modest differences in field of view, close focus and so on, but for me it comes down to differences in handling, e.g. focus mechanism features, feel in my hands, eyecup design. My own personal preference is for the Nikons, but yours could be different. As often said here, try before you buy.

xenophobe · Sep 15, 2005

The most recent Zeiss 10x40 BGAT Dialyts/Classics with the latest T*P* coatings are still comparable to all the current "top" bins, IMO. They're just much heavier. Oddly, the nearly identical eye cups of the 10x40 don't bother me like the 7x42s did.

Leif · Sep 15, 2005

Otto McDiesel said:
It's the same. Leica, Swarovski, Nikon HG, and Zeiss. Try them before buying.

Yup. And of course there are old and new models: Zeiss Classic vs. FL, Leica BN vs Ultravid, Swarovski EL vs SLC. I recommend going to field days (LCE, Kay Optical, In Focus etc).

Leif

mensun · Oct 19, 2005

mikebidwell said:
Hi there

This may seem a daft question, but hopefully I can take advantage of your experiences

For the past 20 years I've used a pair of 10X40 BGAT* bins and have been extremely pleased with them. With all of the improvements which have gone on in recent years, I'm now thinking of replacing them. The problem is I'm not sure which ones to go for :'D

When I bought my 10X40's it was fairly easy, either Zeiss or Leica,( and of course, how much I was prepared to spend ) but now I'm stuck :stuck:

Any suggestions please :brains:

Best wishes

Mike :t:

I think swar 8*30 is what u need!

Buster · Oct 19, 2005

xenophobe said:
The most recent Zeiss 10x40 BGAT Dialyts/Classics with the latest T*P* coatings are still comparable to all the current "top" bins, IMO. They're just much heavier. Oddly, the nearly identical eye cups of the 10x40 don't bother me like the 7x42s did.

The ClassiC's are actually lighter than most, not by much, but still lighter.

Here's the weights as listed by Cabelas:

Zeiss 10x40 ClassiC's @ 26.8oz

Leica 10x42 Ultravid @ 28oz

Swarovski 10x42 EL @ 27.5oz

Zeiss 10x42 FL @ 26.9oz

Nikon LXL 10x42 @ 27.8oz (According to Bearbasin.com)

Nikon Venturer/Premier/LX 10x42 @ 34oz

Leica 10x42 BN @ 32oz

Swarovski 10x42 SLC @ 30.7oz

Pentax DCF SP 10x43 @ 25oz

elbert van Wijk · Oct 19, 2005

I actually wondered why you want 10x. I've noticed a trend among twitchers in the Netherlands. They more and more switch over to fore instance 8,5x42 (swarovski)
greetings

Bluetail · Oct 19, 2005

My old 10x40 Leitz Trinovids weigh only 24 oz. How come the top models have never bettered that? Is it one of the prices you pay for better optical quality?

Robert Ellis · Oct 19, 2005

Added armoring means added weight I suppose. BLs are lighter than BRs, Swaros porros are lighter without the rubber coat.

Swissboy · Oct 19, 2005

Bluetail said:
My old 10x40 Leitz Trinovids weigh only 24 oz. How come the top models have never bettered that? Is it one of the prices you pay for better optical quality?

Looks like some of these weights are not correct. Leica lists its 10x42 Trinovid with 890 grams, whereas the corresponding Ultravids have 765 (BR) and 695 (BL) grams.

Bluetail · Oct 19, 2005

Hi Robert. The current Trinovids are heavier than mine. My use of the name "Leitz" was deliberate - they are 20 years old! Also, note, only 10 x 40, not 42.

xenophobe · Oct 19, 2005

Buster said:
The ClassiC's are actually lighter than most, not by much, but still lighter.

Here's the weights as listed by Cabelas:

Zeiss 10x40 ClassiC's @ 26.8oz

Leica 10x42 Ultravid @ 28oz

On my digital shipping scale I get:

Ultravid 10x42 BL 24.8 oz
Zeiss 10x40 BGAT 26.2 oz

As for my comment about them being much heavier... they do feel a lot heavier, but not when holding them both at the same time. I think it has to do with the weight : volume ratio. They're smaller than my Ultravids in tube girth so I feel like I'm holding on to less, so they just feel weightier. *shrug*

Buster · Oct 19, 2005

I've never had an Ultravid in my hands, so I can't comment as to how they feel. The point of my post was that the Zeiss 10x40 ClassiC's are by no means "heavy".

The weight I posted for the Ultravid was the "BR" version, so you're probably right that the "BL" is lighter.

mikebidwell · Oct 19, 2005

Hi there

Just to say since my original posting I've taken the advice which many of you gave and that was "try them out". Well I spent quite some time yesterday in Bath trying out Leica Ultravid's and Zeiss FL's and looking at an 'owl' . I must admit I was impressed with the performance of both makes, but in the end I felt Leica would be the ones I would go for. However the dilema now is do I stay with 10 X 42 or go for the 8 X 42. One thing though I did notice with the Leica was that the 10's I tried had that notchy focussing action whilst the 8's were so smooth.

Anyone got any other thoughts please.

Swissboy · Oct 19, 2005

mikebidwell said:
One thing though I did notice with the Leica was that the 10's I tried had that notchy focussing action whilst the 8's were so smooth.QUOTE]

That is exactly as it was when I tried the two models. Is there a general difference or is this just accidental? There have been discussions going on in other threads about the rough focus on those Ultravids. But never seemed to be typical for 8x to be smooth and 10x to be rough.

Swissboy · Oct 19, 2005

Bluetail said:
Hi Robert. The current Trinovids are heavier than mine. My use of the name "Leitz" was deliberate - they are 20 years old! Also, note, only 10 x 40, not 42.

Sorry, forgot that the earlier much lighter model was also called Trinovid. I have one of those myself. Too bad they do not have phase coated prisms yet. And that close focus is pretty bad too, if you need it. But very handy neat glasses! I must have bought them in the mid seventies. Thus, they must be around 30 years old. One tube has a slight misting, but still good to use.

denco@comcast.n · Oct 20, 2005

mikebidwell said:
Hi there

This may seem a daft question, but hopefully I can take advantage of your experiences

For the past 20 years I've used a pair of 10X40 BGAT* bins and have been extremely pleased with them. With all of the improvements which have gone on in recent years, I'm now thinking of replacing them. The problem is I'm not sure which ones to go for :'D

When I bought my 10X40's it was fairly easy, either Zeiss or Leica,( and of course, how much I was prepared to spend ) but now I'm stuck :stuck:

Any suggestions please :brains:

Best wishes

Mike :t:

Zeiss FL's 10x42. Best there are. Don't mess with Leica's they are not as sharp. Get the best.

Dennis

Robert Ellis · Oct 20, 2005

The Leicas are nice and compact, like the BGATs were. The FLs are an inch or more longer. The Leica gives a fantastic view.

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