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Nikon EDG - 8x42 vs 7x42..? (1 Viewer)

T

The Kingfisher

Well-known member
I´m familiar with the Nikon EDG 8x42, but what about EDG 7x42 compared to EDG 8x42?

I can see many advantages with 7x magnification, but what are the drawbacks compared to the 8x magnification..soft edges?, more CA?, maybe to much eye relief? Maybe something else?

I have got a brand new EDG 8x42 today, but thinking of switching to a 7x42 instead. With the change, I hope to be able to eliminate most of the shakings and thus have a calmer, more stable image = sharper image.
 
Other than the 7x "standard" Apparent FoV vs. the "wide" AFoV of the 8x there are no drawbacks. Even this difference is minor since the 7x still has a slightly wider True FoV. Far outweighed by the advantages 7x brings in use.

IMO, the 7x/10x42mm are the jewels of the EDG lineup.
 
RJM said:
Other than the 7x "standard" Apparent FoV vs. the "wide" AFoV of the 8x there are no drawbacks. Even this difference is minor since the 7x still has a slightly wider True FoV. Far outweighed by the advantages 7x brings in use.

IMO, the 7x/10x42mm are the jewels of the EDG lineup.
Click to expand...

OK..but why is 8x standard today when 7x has so many benefits - and no real disadvantages?
 
8x is THE STANDARD binocular magnification? News to me!

My advise was specific to the Nikon EDG series. Fact is, most 7x42 roof binoculars have smaller TFoV than many 8x42. So in that respect there is little reason (perhaps shake factor and larger Depth of Field) to choose 7x if the 8x has the same or larger TFoV.

For example, my Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 has a TFoV of 142m/1000m. Only the Zeiss 7x42 FL has a larger TFoV.
 
You will probably notice that the 7x also has a bigger exit pupil which makes eye placement easier and 7x generally has longer eye relief than 8x if you wear glasses.

I find that my 7 x 42 Leica Trinovid is very easy to use.

Bob
 
On a pretty brief try out I preferred the 7x to the 8x EDG. I agree with the points above, but it was more to do with the relative depth of field in different parts of the view. The 7x felt more 'natural' to me.

David
 
"easer to use" and "more natural" could be the result of a combination of factors including a ~40% larger DoF and ~30% shorter hyperfocal distance means less need to refocus. The larger exit pupil will tend to have less spherical aberation than optics with sub-5mm exit pupils too.
 
internal glare opinian

Kingfisher ,

good to hear from you you have an 8X 42 edg .
I am still still thinking to buy an EDG.I will probably go for a 8X42.
What is you opinian about internal glare compared with other bins?
 
I remember reading somewhere that Roger Troy Peterson and David Sibley both used 7x42s when working on their respective field guides. I have noticed people abandoning 10x in favor of 7x or 8x. I find 7x less tiring, as I can hold them steady longer. I also enjoy the wider field of view.

Martin
 
Purple Martin said:
I remember reading somewhere that Roger Troy Peterson and David Sibley both used 7x42s when working on their respective field guides. I have noticed people abandoning 10x in favor of 7x or 8x. I find 7x less tiring, as I can hold them steady longer. I also enjoy the wider field of view.

Martin
Click to expand...

Jerry Liguori, author of HAWKS From Every Angle and HAWKS At A Distance also uses 7x binoculars for his hawk watching. He likes their wide field of view. He does recommend that whatever power you use that it be a "high quality" binocular and that beginners should start off with a high quality binocular. See page 8 of the 2nd book above. And he "highly recommends" watching hawks ONLY with binoculars and not with scopes.

Bob
 
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I have now tried the 7x42 .. and can say that I will keep my binoculars I have already purchased, ie EDG 8x42. The 7x42 has too much eye-relief for me - even though I wear glasses. The field of view was slightly larger and the shaking was slightly reduced with 7x, but not to the extent I had hoped for. Instead, I realized that I like 8x and that I have been lucky with the 8x42 I already bought. Because I've got a really nice and super sharp copy!

Clearly sharper than another copy of the EDG 8x42 I've tried before. I also own a Swarovski SLC 8x42 HD. It is of course also sharp, but not so distinct sharp as this copy of EDG! I think this is a keeper.. :)
 
To all,

These comments will be similar to many that have been posted. I have been using the 7x42 EDG for nearly a year and I love the wider FOV. This slows down my motion and allows me to pick up more detail especially with birds in flight. As mentioned above by ceaser, that larger exit pupil makes the binocular a bit more comfortable fit for the average birder. I believe there are more advantages than disadvantages when going from an 8x to a 7x. Good Birding!

Best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon's Birding Market Specialist
 
ceasar said:
Jerry Liguori, author of HAWKS From Every Angle and HAWKS At A Distance also uses 7x binoculars for his hawk watching....
Click to expand...
Funny that. When i was really into raptors i thought 10x was "necessary". When i went to a migration site for the first time with my 7x's, i thought different. Of course, i was lucky, having the Zeiss 7x42 Classics :t:which still are, well, you know...;)
 
jaymoynihan said:
Funny that. When i was really into raptors i thought 10x was "necessary". When i went to a migration site for the first time with my 7x's, i thought different. Of course, i was lucky, having the Zeiss 7x42 Classics :t:which still are, well, you know...;)
Click to expand...

I saw a lot of those 7 x 42 ClassiCs at Hawk Mountain in the 90's when I was using my Leitz 7 x 42 Trinovid. A few people did not like their very long eye relief as I recall.

Now I use my Nikon 10 x 32 EDG and a 10 x 42 SE as a backup when I am there. Last year an intern from Nepal tried both of them. He liked the SE best. He said it was like binoculars he used in Nepal. He told me he had spent a lot of time studying the Himalayan Griffon.

Ligouri said he used the 7 x 45 Night Owl since 1994 when it was introduced until 2008 when he started using the Victory FL.

Bob
 
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7x and 8x

The Kingfisher said:
OK..but why is 8x standard today when 7x has so many benefits - and no real disadvantages?
Click to expand...

Please don't slate me if the following is incorrect but this is what I understood from a Leica rep.
Divide object lens diameter e.g 32 by magnification factor, 7 and 8. The result is 4.5 approx and 4.
In good light there is no difference, apart from magnification. In poor light however the pupil expands and the expanded pupil looking at an effective value of 4.5 can see more than a pupil looking into 4. In other words, in poor light the 7x would be brighter.
 
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