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8x vs 7x Bins - Which is best? (1 Viewer)

M

mike60

Well-known member
It took me many years to understand, accept and believe that the benefits of 8x bins far outweighed the extra magnification of 10x. I now far prefer 8x and have only bought 8x bins in the past few years. I only very rarely hanker after that missing 2x magnification these days.

Can I apply the same logic to move from an 8x bin to a 7x bin ? I know all the technical and optical advantages, but what magnification provides the optimum trade off? The reason I ask is that I plan to evaluate the Ultravid 7x42 and the new Zeiss FL 7x42 (when available) as my primary bins. Will I miss the extra 1x power in the field? Moving from 10x to 8x is a 20% reduction in magnification. Moving from 8x to 7x is a further 12.5%. Is it a step to far? Has anyone had positive/negative experience with this transition?
 
They have some 4x binoculars as well, should be even better. Most are made of plastic and are for sale with souvenirs and other tourist junk.
 
Tero said:
They have some 4x binoculars as well, should be even better. Most are made of plastic and are for sale with souvenirs and other tourist junk.
Click to expand...

Very helpful post to an 8x / 7x thread.
 
mike60 said:
It took me many years to understand, accept and believe that the benefits of 8x bins far outweighed the extra magnification of 10x. I now far prefer 8x and have only bought 8x bins in the past few years. I only very rarely hanker after that missing 2x magnification these days.

Can I apply the same logic to move from an 8x bin to a 7x bin ? I know all the technical and optical advantages, but what magnification provides the optimum trade off? The reason I ask is that I plan to evaluate the Ultravid 7x42 and the new Zeiss FL 7x42 (when available) as my primary bins. Will I miss the extra 1x power in the field? Moving from 10x to 8x is a 20% reduction in magnification. Moving from 8x to 7x is a further 12.5%. Is it a step to far? Has anyone had positive/negative experience with this transition?
Click to expand...

A 6x binocular would be very useful for watching dragonflies. The FOV of an 8x is just too narrow to follow an active Hawker.
 
Well Ok, you guys are on the right track, experiment. The ones that go buy the somethingxsomething that were recommended in Snooty Optics magazine and then report back "I bought them, these are the last pair I will ever need", they are missing something. We who boldly go to 6x or 15x are getting a bit of fun out of it. I have landed at 10x for the near future, due to spent money, bat am open to other choices. Not 6x though. ;)
 
Thanks for that link, Gorank - very informative.
I believe that age and eyesight must be a limiting factor in magnification selection for some, but most people with perfect vision and very steady hands choose 7x/8x over 10x these days. When i say age, i'm including the very young as well - young kids seem to get on much better with an 8x than a 10x in my experience.
I suppose my thinking is this : I found that moving from 10x to 8x made a huge improvement to comfort, fatigue and my general enjoyment of using bins for extended periods and often in less than ideal situations, so maybe moving to an excellent 7x such as the Ultravid 7x or the new Zeiss FL 7x with further improved resolution, fov, dof, low light capability, and weight will be just as rewarding. I think someone who owns top quality modern roofs in both 8x and 7x of the same brand may be able to help in this discussion
 
I actually have some zoom binoculars, Bushnells, that I mostly use at the 7x end. They are 25mm and the angle is so small, that only at 7x are you able to find the bird. Then I add a bit zoom if the bird stays still, maybe to 10x. 7x is plenty of magnification for most days. My preferred binoculars are Nikon Sporter 10x. I have no problems of any sort with those, I can hold 8x and 10x equally steady. To me 7x and 8x are pretty much the same.
 
I opted for 7x42s several years ago. These replaced some 8x40s. Under most observing conditions I am certainly not using the entire objective (nor was I with the x40s), but I really wanted a nice wide field of view. They were also the "best fit" for me.

Clear skies, Alan
 
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