which is the best 8x42 binocular (zeiss, leica, swarovski) (1 Viewer)

Maljunulo: how you use the instrument may change, though. Off-axis aberrations such as astigmatism may be more bothersome on a tripod, because it’s harder to centralise the point of interest than when hand-holding the binocular.

batvenci said:

Hello everybody, I am considering buying an 8x42 binocular for nature observing and I want to know which will give more pleasing views and wow factor- zeiss ht 8x42, zeiss sf 8x42, leica noctvid 8x42 or swarovision 8.5x42?
Which is better in terms of brightness, sharpness, clarity and contrast?
I read that many said that zeiss ht 8x42 has very high wow factor, is it the best choice?
Many thanks!

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Without a doubt. When you get into that level of quality, choosing is like splitting hairs with an ax.:cat:

Bill

I used a mirror mount for binoculars and was staggered how bad the edge performance was for astronomy as I let the stars drift across the view.
Hand held I automatically used the centre, but the fixed mirror didn't allow that.
It is best to mount such a mirror support on a panning tripod.

By comparison a scope with Nagler eyepiece is almost pin sharp edge to edge as the stars drift across the view.

batvenci said:

......... give more pleasing views and wow factor- zeiss ht 8x42, zeiss sf 8x42, leica noctvid 8x42 or swarovision 8.5x42?.........
Many thanks!

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Assuming that I cannot do a side by side comparison,
I would get the one with the best price.

edj

edwincjones said:

Assuming that I cannot do a side by side comparison,
I would get the one with the best price.

edj

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You could do that, but you would not end up with the best one for you.

I own 2 mentioned, and will probably never look through a Noctovid.

That means I find the Zeiss SF, the best binocular.

Start here first. I don't play favorites.

Jerry

Loud Green Man said:

Not wishing to hijack this thread but assuming we are all 21 and given of normal vision I'm struggling to understand why more thought isn't given to the low light qualities in the selection of birding bins.

There is of course a significant size and weight penalty with any 8×54/6 but to my mind this is worth enduring for the improved viewing experience in less than perfect light and not just at dawn and dusk.

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This is why Im trying out some Maven B2s, with a larger objective than is 'standard', in my own search for the 'right' set of optics.

Dorian Gray said:

Maljunulo: how you use the instrument may change, though. Off-axis aberrations such as astigmatism may be more bothersome on a tripod, because it’s harder to centralise the point of interest than when hand-holding the binocular.

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Thank you.

b3rd said:

This is why Im trying out some Maven B2s, with a larger objective than is 'standard', in my own search for the 'right' set of optics.

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I started out my binocular obsession primarily as an amateur astronomer. When choosing eyepieces for a telescope for night time viewing I think more in terms of exit pupils than magnification. I generally prefer an exit pupil of around 5mm for low power night viewing, though the choice of optimal magnification for extended low contrast objects depends both on their size and their surface brightness. The exit pupil size (assuming there is no vignetting in the optics) is simply the diameter of the aperture divided by the magnification. Since the area of an extended object increases like the square of the magnification, and the amount of light gathered increases like the square of the aperture diameter, the magnified object has the more light spread over more area resulting in the same brightness (less the imperfections of the optics). Both the increased amount of light and the increased scale help you detect differences in contrast and see details.

In bright light the exit pupil of many if not most binoculars is larger than the entrance pupil of the eye and this has several consequences. If it is bright enough that your eye is only dilated to 3mm, your 9x45 binocular is "stopped down" to a 9x27. An 8x42 would perform like an 8x24 in the same situation. As some compensation, eye placement is less critical when the exit pupil is larger than the entrance pupil of the eye. Of course as less light is available, you eye dilates more and you can use more of the available aperture. Maximal brightness, with no light wasted and no aperture wasted occurs when the exit pupil matches the dilation of the eye. OTH, maximum visual acuity for the eye occurs with an entrance or exit pupil of around 2-3mm. Larger pupils tend to show more imperfections of both the eye itself and the optical instrument.

This is a very long winded way of saying that the 5mm exit pupil of the Maven 9x45 is only fully utilized under low light conditions, but it generally makes it more comfortable to use even under bright conditions. What is more important, IMO it is an excellent optical instrument for both night and day use. There is a penalty in size and weight for a 9x45 binocular of this design, and while people spend much more, I consider $1,000 to be a significant investment in a binocular. Yet I find that it handles very well, and the views are truly outstanding. I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do.

Alan

ailevin said:

This is a very long winded way of saying that the 5mm exit pupil of the Maven 9x45 is only fully utilized under low light conditions, but it generally makes it more comfortable to use even under bright conditions. What is more important, IMO it is an excellent optical instrument for both night and day use. There is a penalty in size and weight for a 9x45 binocular of this design, and while people spend much more, I consider $1,000 to be a significant investment in a binocular. Yet I find that it handles very well, and the views are truly outstanding. I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do.

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Thanks. I'm very excited by it because of the positive things I've heard about it, (people are saying its close to the performance of alpha glass) but also because I think it fits my needs rather well. Given I think I'll be OK carrying something slightly heavier, I'm willing to trade it for a bit more optical performance or a bit of savings in $$ from an alpha purchase, then I'm willing to carry the weight.

BTW, in terms of weight, I find that a Rick Young Outdoors (RYO) harness makes a huge difference in terms of the weight, and I enjoy the harness even with much smaller and lighter binoculars.

batvenci said:

I want to know which will give more pleasing views and wow factor- zeiss ht 8x42, zeiss sf 8x42, leica noctvid 8x42 or swarovision 8.5x42?

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when spending that much money you simply HAVE to look through all these binoculars yourself. The cost and trouble of getting to, say, Germany and visiting a good optics shop(s) or an optics show which may offer a more realistic setting would be very well worth it when you're talking about binoculars that could be upwards of €1500 or more (Noctivid). The interaction you have with binoculars is incredibly intimate and reading Birdforum has shown me that different people do indeed literally see the world differently. You have to look through these binoculars with your own eyes and feel how they handle in your own hands (almost as important). To rely only on other perceptions before making such an expensive purchase would be very poor judgement. IMO of course.

No Batvenci, Patudo is spot on, namely don't go spending all that money based on the opinions of others. Find yourself a dealer who stocks all three 'alphas', and visit on the rainiest, cloudiest, filthiest day (preferably late afternoon). Test the bins outside if you can, and poke them into dark shadowy nooks and crannies. Hopefully YOUR eyes should pick up on differences between the three.

Egrets Ivadafew said:

No Batvenci, Patudo is spot on, namely don't go spending all that money based on the opinions of others. Find yourself a dealer who stocks all three 'alphas', and visit on the rainiest, cloudiest, filthiest day (preferably late afternoon). Test the bins outside if you can, and poke them into dark shadowy nooks and crannies. Hopefully YOUR eyes should pick up on differences between the three.

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Yes yes a thousand times yes.

edwincjones said:

Assuming that I cannot do a side by side comparison,
I would get the one with the best price.

edj

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Yes-you might not get the right one, but never seeing the others, you would never know.

edj

Many thanks to all of us for great experience! I think I should take a flight to look through them, there's no dealers or shops in my country, very disappointing.