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7x35ish Roof Bin Choices (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DHB
- Start date
Steve C
Well-known member
Probably it is. If Atlas or Promaster bring it out, it'spretty much...well n ot much different. Swaro used to make a 7x30. I would bet the reason it is still not made is that it didn't sell well enough to keep. As for another go at it by Swaro, or another alpha, well I don't have a crystal ball. Personally I'd like to see one.
The Swift Eaglet 7x36 is a quite decent and very nice compact binocular. It has very nice optics, but it is a slight bit behind the alpha, but still very nice. The ZEN is pretty big, amaller than an x42, but bigger than most 30+ binoculars.
The Swift Eaglet 7x36 is a quite decent and very nice compact binocular. It has very nice optics, but it is a slight bit behind the alpha, but still very nice. The ZEN is pretty big, amaller than an x42, but bigger than most 30+ binoculars.
Kevin Purcell
Well-known member
I suspect that when you see 36mm bins from brands other than ZR you'll see 8x36 and 10x36. I think Charles really did something different going for the 7x36. I think for most folks 8x is clearly more than 7x. Even I find a 8x with 8 degree field to be closest to be "best trade off" for me (at least for now).
The ZR 7x36 is a unique ED roof bin with it's really wide FOV. It's not quite perfect: it could use more effective ER which the eyecups eat up. And with the "version 2" glare fixes it controls stray light better than any of the other 8x Chinese EDs I've used even though it has a wider FOV. For me it would be that last Chinese ED bin I'd let go as it fills a role than none of the other bins do; the closest is my Zeiss FL 7x42 (bigger, heavier, not as wide FOV but better focuser and very glare resistant and of course four to five times as much in cost).
Of course the question is "Where are the Top 4 7x ED compacts?" There aren't any. I guess they don't want to "confuse the consumer" by making a 7x32 or 7x35. I'm not sure why like the 7x42 I still think there is a market for these. But perhaps I'm just getting old.
The Swift Eaglet is nice (and both lighter and more compact than the ZR 7x36) but without the ED crispness. It's biggest failing is the small FOV from the simple Kellener eyepieces. For a field worker watching behavior it might be a good bet but for searching.
And that's it (AFAIK) apart from older 7x35 Leicas e.g. see David Attenborough in the BBC series The Life of Birds using these in Africa.
The ZR 7x36 is a unique ED roof bin with it's really wide FOV. It's not quite perfect: it could use more effective ER which the eyecups eat up. And with the "version 2" glare fixes it controls stray light better than any of the other 8x Chinese EDs I've used even though it has a wider FOV. For me it would be that last Chinese ED bin I'd let go as it fills a role than none of the other bins do; the closest is my Zeiss FL 7x42 (bigger, heavier, not as wide FOV but better focuser and very glare resistant and of course four to five times as much in cost).
Of course the question is "Where are the Top 4 7x ED compacts?" There aren't any. I guess they don't want to "confuse the consumer" by making a 7x32 or 7x35. I'm not sure why like the 7x42 I still think there is a market for these. But perhaps I'm just getting old.
The Swift Eaglet is nice (and both lighter and more compact than the ZR 7x36) but without the ED crispness. It's biggest failing is the small FOV from the simple Kellener eyepieces. For a field worker watching behavior it might be a good bet but for searching.
And that's it (AFAIK) apart from older 7x35 Leicas e.g. see David Attenborough in the BBC series The Life of Birds using these in Africa.
falcondude
Well-known member
7x36 is quite unique for both power and size. It certainly is perfect for the desire for wider quality FOV. It will not be my first choice. I still think 8-8.5x is the best overall. Once i have the 8x, the 7x will be the next logic option for me. The 7x36 is really good. If Swarovski offers 7x36 or 7x32 Swarovision EL, it will be great for us. Of course, the price will be higher too.
