We have the older Alpin and, at the time we bought them, they were very highly regarded indeed. They still offer a super light construction with a bright, wide and sharp view. I'd guess they would be up there with the Nikons in many areas but coatings and the like have surely improved - well, I'd like to think so!Marko_ said:Anyone know how the Optolyth Alpin 10x40 porros compare with Nikon 10x42 SE.
I'm looking for a 10x porro with very good image, especially sharpness. Are the Nikons significantly better?
Marko
Marko_ said:Anyone know how the Optolyth Alpin 10x40 porros compare with Nikon 10x42 SE.
I'm looking for a 10x porro with very good image, especially sharpness. Are the Nikons significantly better?
Marko
How odd - ours are ten years old, have had regular use and are A1. I would say they are very finely constructed.chartwell99 said:The Nikons are significantly better in all respects, especially build quality. Optolyths, both old style and so-called New Generation, are actually OK optically (although not at the Nikon SE level) but are notoriously fragile. The roof prism versions (Royal series) are even worse from a build quality perspective. I would not buy another of either configuaration at any price.
scampo said:How odd - ours are ten years old, have had regular use and are A1. I would say they are very finely constructed.
Henry B said:Betterviewdesired and Alula have reviews on both bins...hope this helps [I have the Alpins].
Well no. Not sure the SE's were around when I bought my Optolyths, but it's hardly comparing like with like considering the price difference, current Nikon SE's costing nearly twice as much as the equivalent Optolyth Alpins. So perhaps it was an odd question to ask in the first place. I also note that the weight of my Alpin 10x50s is much the same as that of the current SE 8x32s. :h?:Marko_ said:OK, so you rate them quite highly. But have you had a chance to compare to Nikon SE's?
sidewayspigeon said:I think you’d be hard pushed to find a porro that could beat the SEs, but there are two newish binoculars that might be worth considering: the Minox BD 10x44 BP and the Opticron 10x42 HR WP. Unfortunately, I’ve tried neither, but if I had to buy a new porro prism, I’d want to try these two out.
Iain