FrankD
Well-known member
I thought it might be a good idea to start a new thread to continue the discussion of the Dakota Elite series binoculars from the Binocular Bargains thread. For those of you that did not read the thread these binoculars are a Ritz Camera house brand that have been on clearance through Wolf Camera's clearance center on Ebay. Several individuals on the forum have ordered the 7x28s with a few picking up the 8x32s. Nobody that I am aware of has purchased the 10x42s at this point.
I purchased two pairs but not at the same time. A second batch of the 7x28s showed up a couple of days ago and I ordered my second pair (along with an 8x32 that is due to show up on Monday). I took the two pairs and compared them side by side outside just a bit ago. The two binoculars have an identical exterior with one key change....the color of the reflections in the eyepiece. One pair has a pure "purple" reflection. The other pair has a purple/green combination. The view through both is very good but I did notice that the overall color representation, and possibly apparent sharpness, is different. The unit that displays a purple/green reflection has a slightly brighter image and seems to have a more relaxed view. The sweet spot appears slightly larger and I feel like it provides slightly more detail than the other unit.
After my recent experience comparing the Zen Ray ED2 and ED3 and their subsequent changes in antireflective coatings I have learned a thing or two about how much those changes can affect the view through a specific binocular model. The ED3 appears brighter with slightly more detail because the antireflective coating change is designed to key in on that portion of the light spectrum that gives us the perception of a bright image. It also keys in on what I would consider a more neutral color bias to the entire image. I feel that much the same is occurring here with my two specimens of the Dakota Elite 7x28s.
Comments, thoughts, suggestions are welcome.
I purchased two pairs but not at the same time. A second batch of the 7x28s showed up a couple of days ago and I ordered my second pair (along with an 8x32 that is due to show up on Monday). I took the two pairs and compared them side by side outside just a bit ago. The two binoculars have an identical exterior with one key change....the color of the reflections in the eyepiece. One pair has a pure "purple" reflection. The other pair has a purple/green combination. The view through both is very good but I did notice that the overall color representation, and possibly apparent sharpness, is different. The unit that displays a purple/green reflection has a slightly brighter image and seems to have a more relaxed view. The sweet spot appears slightly larger and I feel like it provides slightly more detail than the other unit.
After my recent experience comparing the Zen Ray ED2 and ED3 and their subsequent changes in antireflective coatings I have learned a thing or two about how much those changes can affect the view through a specific binocular model. The ED3 appears brighter with slightly more detail because the antireflective coating change is designed to key in on that portion of the light spectrum that gives us the perception of a bright image. It also keys in on what I would consider a more neutral color bias to the entire image. I feel that much the same is occurring here with my two specimens of the Dakota Elite 7x28s.
Comments, thoughts, suggestions are welcome.
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