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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Porros or Roof Prisms -- survey (1 Viewer)

Swissboy said:
7x50 just does not seem to be in fashion anymore these days. I'd definitely need a model with center focus, though.
Click to expand...

7 or 8 years ago there was a Japanese Binocular sold under the name Carton. They made a great 7 x 50. Orion sold them. I had one for casual astronomy and general use that I later sold to a friend who wanted a good bin for deer hunting and taking to football games. It was bright, sharp, lightweight and had a generous FOV, great depth of field and practically no CA. It cost over $200.00 new. It was lighter than most 50mm Roofs and at that time a heck of alot better than them. I don't know why they've gone out of favor. An 8 x 50 would be even better and still beat out a roof 8 x 50 even today.

Bob
 
1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.


No. 4 applies to me nowadays. I prefer to use these glasses in ascending order: it is Pentax 8x42 DCF WP, Nikon 10x42HG, CZ Jena Notarem 10x40 , CZ Jena Jenoptem (non-multicoated).
In the 1980s it was No.2 (mainly CZ Jena Jenoptem 10x50w porros, both multicoated and coated variants, though I did have a CZ Jena Notarem 10x40 roof.

Debashish Chakravarti
 
1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.


No. 4 applies to me nowadays. I prefer to use these glasses in ascending order: it is Pentax 8x42 DCF WP, Nikon 10x42HG, CZ Jena Notarem 10x40 , CZ Jena Jenoptem (non-multicoated).
In the 1980s it was No.2 (mainly CZ Jena Jenoptem 10x50w porros, both multicoated and coated variants, though I did have a CZ Jena Notarem 10x40 roof).

Debashish Chakravarti
 
3. I use them equally.

Swift 8x42 Ultra Lite on bird outings. B&L Custom Compact 7x26 for quick looks when I walk to and from work.

*******

7x50s always seem to have relatively narrow fields of view and not-very-close focus. It seems like the 7x50 configuration is most often used as a marine or an astronomical binocular, which may be why they don't need close focus.
 
2 for me.

Sizewise I like the handling of roofs, particularly 8x32s but am too cheap to buy Leica or Swarovski. Optically, Porro prisms provide much more bang for the buck. My favorite is a pair of old Swarovski 7x42 Porros, light weight, waterproof, and sharp as a tack. Best of all no CA, which seems to be a problem with many mid-priced phase coated roof glasses.

Charlie Schmalz
 
I am now leaning to 4 and 5, see opening post. I have one pair of reverse porros that I like, they have real eye cups, and prefer to other compacts. But my main porros, Nikon Action Ex 8x40, get limited use. Many birds end up being fairly close, and I find it somehow unpleassant to stare at a group of birds or a spot that is less than 50 ft away for a long time with the porros. I suspect it is because I do not like the view of the two barrels being so far apart. The other reason is that my eyes seem to be somewhat different, and the more merged together view is more pleasant for me.

When looking in the distance, the porros are fine. I may still get a good pair of 10x some day.

So even though the average birder is still better off starting with 8x40 or 7x porros, I am moving away from them. When wearing my glasses, the Actions still are the most comfortable, even compared to my best roofs. I am talking about the holding of the binoculars and the feel to hold them up. The view as I said is somewhat a problem for me.
 
Tero said:
I guess I don't know how to attach a voting type of thread. So you can just answer by number which type you are. You can explain your preferences.

1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.

I personally am currently 4, but close to 3, really.
Click to expand...



Pretty much a 5. I have had alot of Porro's including the Nikon 10 x42 SE but once I tried Roof Prisms I never went back to Porro's. The best Roof Prism's just feel better in my hands, they have better balance, and they are waterproof. I think they are just superior if you can afford them over the porro's. I think they are slicker looking too.

Dennis
 
#4, but if I wasn't afraid I'd break them I'd choose one of the Nikon SEs instead of a roof, which is my main bino (when I'm not borrowing one of the family bins). I think the image is at least as good, some say better, and the savings would've been substantial.
 
Tero said:
I guess I don't know how to attach a voting type of thread. So you can just answer by number which type you are. You can explain your preferences.

1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.

I personally am currently 4, but close to 3, really.
Click to expand...

#4. I only have 2 pairs of binos - one is a compact reverse porro I take EVERYWHERE with me, and one one roof prism for birding. Even though the porro is with me most often, I much prefer the roof because of the handling, ruggedness, and feel, and end up using it the most.

PS: By the way, PCH Birder, where are you in PCH? I live in Long Beach, about 1 mile north of PCH.
 
survey

Tero said:
I guess I don't know how to attach a voting type of thread. So you can just answer by number which type you are. You can explain your preferences.

1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.

I personally am currently 4, but close to 3, really.
Click to expand...

I am a 5 .


Paul.
 
Porro or Roof prisms

An interesting but probably uninformative thread, other than - It will probably tell us more about when we bought our binoculars. Older binos tend to be poros.

I want to buy a pair of top of the range zeis or leica binos and can only get roof prism types, as these firms do not seem to bother with out of fashion porro deisgns - even though they are tachnicaly superior.

It seems that fashion is more important than performance.
Now here's my cinical bit. When we have all bought roofs, the big guns wil all reintroduce 'superior' porros and we'll all buy another pair!

Only my opinion.

PS. Please correct me if i am wrong, but aren't most high quality scopes porro designs?
 
definitely not-roofs will always be more user friendly than porros. porros have pretty much become obselete to sleek, weatherproof, durable roofs, even though they are better optically...
 
I wouldn't call them obsolete. Plenty of amateur astronomers would take a porro over a roof, in fact I'd dare say most of them would. As of yet there has not been a roof design that equals the porros in most of the qualities that astronomy buffs prefer.
 
well, probably obsolete for most birders except the beginners and the budget-wise. Porros are bulky, heavy, easy to put out of collimation and hard to weatherproof, but they are cheaper than good roofs. roofs are the choice for most elite birders im sure...
 
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