Opticron Traveller 6x32 bga my new vs old (1 Viewer)

Has anyone compared the new with the old and with other competing bins, roofs or porros?

The spell checker changed mg to my, and I cannot change it! Either that or I mistyped it.

The Wanderer,

I have had the opportunity to do both. What would you like to know?

Frank,

How good the superseded version was, say compare to the Bushnell birder 7x excursion and whether or not the more advanced coatings are obvious to an ageing viewer like me (70s) Of course, not being me you can't really say but, perhaps you could hazard a guess.

Price is important but not necessarily a deal breaker. The new version is about£240 and the other two about £150.

Wanderer,

The 6x32 is my favorite configuration for that model. The newer version's improved coatings to help to create a slightly brighter and more contrast filled image. Is it a significant change? I think that depends on what your expectations are. I can tell the difference side by side but whether or not that justifies the cost difference is something only you can answer.

There is much to like about the all the Traveller versions I've tried, but unless you are limited on budget I'd steer away from the pre-Mg version as it was not phase coated and was rather prone to glare. The Mg had better contrast, and I felt had a small improvement in edge sharpness but was still a bit glarey. The latest version, the Mg Black, has lost it's hinge lock. I've not compared it to the Mg directly, but my impression is the colour and contrast are improved. I can't say I've tested it for glare yet either, but it appeared more resistant than another Opticron model I tried along side. The objective lens is still rather exposed so I wouldn't expect it to be entirely problem free but maybe 'Black' is indicative of an improvement.

David

I believe there is no optical difference between the outgoing mg and the new black version.

I find the comments on glare very interesting. I have the 6x32 mg (got it for a heavily discounted price of £159) and I have never noticed glare. I have used it in a variety of situations, bright sunlight, low winter sun, dull light, low light and have never experienced glare.

I think it's a great little binocular. Very cute, lovely smooth focusing (although having the focus wheel at the front takes a bit of getting used to). Optically it is very good with a very good depth of field. The contrast is the stand out point for me. All in all, it povides a wide, sharp, contrasty and relaxing view. One of my favourites.

Thanks to you all, much food for thought to ponder on.

Does anyone have any views on the Bushnell I referred to in thread number 3?

It's quite a while since I last looked at the Excursion and I wouldn't have swapped it for either the Bushnell Elite 7x26 or the Opticron Classic 7x36 I owned at the time. I still very much enjoy the Classic and see a couple of places have it at big discounts. This is what I had to say about it a few years ago:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=224112

David

David

I like the Classic a lot. It has something about it that's hard to put into words. The one big gripe I had with it was the positioning of thr strap lugs. They dug into my large hands.

I haven't seen any "big reductions". Could you point me in the general direction ? Although I like the Classic, I just couldn't justify spending £400 on it.

Hello,

In the post 8 above, Typo provided a link to Report: BGA Classic: in post 11 he ranks bins ergonomically, by his preference, and I was struck by the reference to the Viking MD 6.5x32 models. I had assumed Viking bins to be mediocre.

There was not a lot to go on, searching via Google,but these bins were closed-out a few years back at £99. However, I found a couple of pairs, second hand, one at £99 and the other at £99.99.

There were a couple of others that I found but they were much more expensive.

After consulting with Typo, who is extraordinarily helpful, I decided that I could not justify spending more than £100, particularly with these bins having an eye relief quoted at 22mm. (My optician measured the distance from my eyes to the front glass of my specs at 20mm, so I hoped they would be fine.) I bought the cheaper of the two bins.

The other pair may be seen here:

http://www.stevensimpsonbooks.com/?page=shop/disp&pid=page_Optics .

Tuesday pm: the bins arrived before noon. I took them into the dining room to unpack them; they were naked - strap not fitted no caps and a possibly third party soft case. On my way to our lounge I passed through the kitchen and weighed them on our postal scales - 700 grams not the specified 600 grams I was expecting and hoping for. I consider this to be inexcusably sloppy of Viking.

I adjusted the diopter first and then tried the view, having set the ipd to 64 mm. I could not get the bins in a good position and was experiencing black outs. I have 'o' rings. I used two per side, each of 1 mm diameter. Better, but not quite there, so I added another one each side - perfect!

Typo warned me that the eye cups wobble, and they do but this does not affect me wearing specs.

I am very satisfied with their sharpness, brightness and contrast. The view is wide and the depth of field is fabulous. Sitting in my lounge with the bins focussed on the closest feeder, I can see further with acceptable sharpness, as far as I need. No need to refocus just bring them up to my eyes and watch.

The weight issue won't go away but I can live with that.

To use a technical term, I am thrilled.



My thanks to you all, and particularly to Typo.


Best wishes,


The-Wanderer