angelo225544
Well-known member
Once again I took a chance and purchased a much berrated binocular only to discover that I love it. This time its the Zeiss Diafun 10x30. Mind you, my opinion is based upon the price of a used pair - not the $400 price of a new one. I dislike double-hinged compacts so I do have a prejudice regarding handling. These fit my large hands perfectly. In direct comparison to my Nikon LX 8x42 and Swarovski SLC 10x50 - and to my astonishment - the center sharpness is fully the equal of either. The Nikon's are noticeably more bright and contrasty in any light - the Swarovski's only gain a significant edge in brightness in poor light. In my own version of a NEED test (reading lines of type of varying sizes at a fixed distance in moderate indoor light) the Diafuns greater magnification more than offset the Nikons greater contrast and brightness. I COULD READ SMALLER TYPE WITH THE LOWLY DIAFUN THAN WITH MY BELOVED LX'S! And all of this in a 15 ounce package! I see none of the chromatic abberation I've read about - although sharpness does diminish rapidly away from the center. I am keeping these and highly recomend them as a fine "go everywhere" binocular. This is easily the best view I have seen at this price and at this weight.