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Which binocular(s) control stray light best??? (1 Viewer)

cycleguy

Well-known member
????

Just wondering which ones you think handle stray light/internal reflections best???

And, how important is it to you???

CG
 
My Leica (non HD) Ultravid 10x42 handled it very well… better than my Zeiss Victory FL 8x42… it is important to me because I'm always looking to the south and south west from where I live on a large pond…
 
????

Just wondering which ones you think handle stray light/internal reflections best???

And, how important is it to you???

CG
Nikon 8x32 SE and I have had a lot of binoculars. Fairly important but not for me a deal breaker. I prefer the Swarovision 8x32 and it is not as good at stray light control as the SE.
 
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It's not just the hot-spots and veiling glare that needs to be considered but much more subtle diffuse scatter as well. I still think the Kowa Genesis is about the best I've seen for overall contrast. Incidentally the Allbinos eyepiece shot looks relatively poor for the Genesis so what do those photos actually mean in practice?

David
 
Just wondering which ones you think handle stray light/internal reflections best???

This is a question that's almost impossible to answer. Sure, if a binocular is *terrible*, that's something that may well become obvious within a couple of minutes, especially if you know what to look for. But with all others you need extensive experience with a binocular in the field, in all sorts of lighting conditions. And in order to decide what's "best", you need to have used quite a lot of different binoculars ... ;)

That said, generally speaking I find most of the alphas I know well enough do pretty well. Some high-end porros are outstanding (Nikon 10x40 and 8x32 SE, Swarovski Habicht 7x42, the Hensoldt Fero D-16 and Fero D-19 for instance), but also some roofs, like the Zeiss Dialyt 7x42 BGAT*P. "Simple" designs seem me to be generally somewhat better than complex and/or compact designs.

And, how important is it to you???

I find it more important than a flat field. Far more important.

Hermann

BTW, forget about the Allbinos eyepiece shots. They contain *no* useful information.
 
My Nikon 10x32 EDG controls stray light the best of all my binoculars. This is very important when you are looking at an object that is in the general direction of the sun. It also came with very useful, easy to put on and effective slip on winged eye cups for use where there is annoying back and side lighting.

Bob
 
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My own subjective experience only, from binos I've owned and used in various conditions: best I've had re. stray light (or glare, or diffuse reflections or whatever) are Nikon EDG 8x42 and Nikon SE8x32. I don't like stray light, and although I formerly prioritised wide field, I'm currently happy with slightly narrower field if it eliminates stray light.
 
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Kowa Genesis or SLC HD. I've not tried the EDG or the HT(in a setting where poor control of stray light would be noticeable).
After central field sharpness and size of sweet spot, I'd say this would be my next spot of emphasis.

Justin
 
BTW, forget about the Allbinos eyepiece shots. They contain *no* useful information.

Strange that those pictures show Zeiss Conquest, Leica Ultravid and the Nikon EDG having excellent filtering compared to other brands... I guess that must mean those pictures are not relevant... |^|
 
My own subjective experience only, from binos I've owned and used in various conditions: best I've had re. stray light (or glare, or diffuse reflections or whatever) are Nikon EDG 8x42 and Nikon SE8x32. I don't like stray light, and although I formerly prioritised wide field, I'm currently happy with slightly narrower field if it eliminates stray light.

Sancho, have you tried the SLC? Just curious.


George
 
Sancho, have you tried the SLC? Just curious.


George

Hi George, my only SLC is a big 15x56 that I only use for sea watching. It's the 'older' model, and it's stray light is good, but not as good as the EDG when looking, for example, at the tops of trees backlit by a grey sky.
 
Strange that those pictures show Zeiss Conquest, Leica Ultravid and the Nikon EDG having excellent filtering compared to other brands... I guess that must mean those pictures are not relevant... |^|

Well, the reason I complained about the Allbinos reviews is that they put a lot of stress on what they call "false exit pupils", for instance here: http://www.allbinos.com/174-binoculars_review-Carl_Zeiss_Dialyt_8x56_GA_T*_ClassiC.html.

The point is that the Zeiss 8x56BGAT*P has no problems whatsoever with straylight IME, as these exit pupils fall well outside the exit pupil. So their comment that these "false exit pupils" are a "problem" is in my opinion misleading. They are not, as everyone who's ever used the 8x56 (or indeed the 7x42 BGAT*P) can attest. Holger commented on this phenomenon somewhere and explained in some detail why these "false exit pupils" occur and why they're no problem. Can't find the reference at the moment, unfortunately.

Hermann
 
I thought the Zeiss Conquest HD was very good in this regard. This is much more important to me than other things.
The Zeiss Conquest is pretty good regarding glare(better than the SV) but the SE is a little better. Any big aperture binocular is really good also. For example, the Zeiss 8x56 FL is excellent. Big exit pupils eliminate glare. Because the glare goes beyond the focus stop. I have tried Leica's and I always get too many blackouts with them. I don't know what it is with me and Leica's.
 
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The new Vanguard Endeavour ED II seemed to handle stray light well and the Zeiss Terra impressed me too.

Yes they do. I was able to capture some glare on the Terra ED 10x42 model but it was only in direct (bright) sunlit-clouds. It was even tough to reproduce consistently. Probably had to be the perfect angle, etc.

Overall, the Terra was fine.
 
I agree that with a 7mm exit pupil, you can forget about it. That describes my 7x50 Fujinon, darn near glare proof. But that is just a geometry thing--other FMTs with smaller pupils are not good at all.

Among roofs I've used, Leicas are the best, foremost the old Trinovids which are excellent, followed by the Ultravid. The Ultravid will give you a bright ring at the edge if you look near the sun, but the central image remains clean. Zeiss FLs aren't too bad, but give a generally washed over image in that circumstance, which in a way may be less disturbing, but doesn't get the information through as well. The Swarovision 8.5x42 is another step back.

It's more a problem for me in the winter when the sun is low, exaggerated by looking at wintering water birds on bright water. I've hardly thought about it all summer. But in the winter it rather ticks me off, and I try to plan my water birding for good light.

Ron
 
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