-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Is newer better? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ibmike
- Start date
gunut
Registered Offender
B&H just had the Zeiss Terra 10x42 on sale for $250...That is as cheap as I have ever seen it......it will definitely blow your mind with the brightness and contrast compared to what you have been using.... Even has the full backing of the Zeiss warrantee...should get you by for the next 50....
I don't think I've ever heard of Kalimar but I have a couple of porro prism binoculars of that kind of vintage, and the most obvious difference is that modern models mostly have better colour and brightness. I'm sure the difference of even a modestly price porro binocular like the Nikon Aculon would be very obvious. Fifty years ago it was clearly possible to make very sharp binoculars, but that was expensive. My fathers cheap Japanese binos from the 60s is very poor compared to the ones I use now.
Most models on the market now are roof prism designs (with straight barrels) which need various coatings to the prism to get the brightness of a porro design which adds to the cost. These may be absent or poor on the cheapest models and you might need to pay $150+ to get a reasonabe level of performance and around $3000 to get the very best.
Good luck,
David
Most models on the market now are roof prism designs (with straight barrels) which need various coatings to the prism to get the brightness of a porro design which adds to the cost. These may be absent or poor on the cheapest models and you might need to pay $150+ to get a reasonabe level of performance and around $3000 to get the very best.
Good luck,
David
Last edited:
Mike,
One alternative is Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42, which should be available for somewhere between 250-300 Dollars. Some friends of mine just got a pair of these to replace an old japanese porroprism binocular, and they were stunned by the difference in quality. There are many other options, but these I have just seen and tried, and think that for the money they offer extremely good quality and about all the features and conveniences you are likely to want.
Kimmo
One alternative is Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42, which should be available for somewhere between 250-300 Dollars. Some friends of mine just got a pair of these to replace an old japanese porroprism binocular, and they were stunned by the difference in quality. There are many other options, but these I have just seen and tried, and think that for the money they offer extremely good quality and about all the features and conveniences you are likely to want.
Kimmo
edwincjones
Well-known member
"is newer better?"
new have, or at least should have, better coatings on the optics
and I would expect the designs are better
but whether the glass, metal, manufacture, durability is better probably depends on individual binoculars
edj
new have, or at least should have, better coatings on the optics
and I would expect the designs are better
but whether the glass, metal, manufacture, durability is better probably depends on individual binoculars
edj
Kalimar lenses were fairly common around 1970 maybe. Some made in Korea.
It was a trade name, I think, with bought in optics, filters etc.
The binocular could be Korean or possibly Japanese. Probably medium quality even when made.
A top quality Porroprism binocular was probably better made 50 years ago, but poor coatings then and now time will have taken its toll.
Is newer better?
Not in T.V.s I think. Just replaced a well worn 10 year old Panasonic for a new Sony.
The Panasonic had a better picture and better sound. I don't rate LED backlighting as an improvement.
In addition the Panasonic had a 3D look to the picture. The Sony image is flat and fairly lifeless, although I have improved it with fine tuning. The Sony image also changes more with channel changes than the Panasonic, where the image coped well with different channels. The image seemed more stable.
Are new binoculars better? Again, not always.
It was a trade name, I think, with bought in optics, filters etc.
The binocular could be Korean or possibly Japanese. Probably medium quality even when made.
A top quality Porroprism binocular was probably better made 50 years ago, but poor coatings then and now time will have taken its toll.
Is newer better?
Not in T.V.s I think. Just replaced a well worn 10 year old Panasonic for a new Sony.
The Panasonic had a better picture and better sound. I don't rate LED backlighting as an improvement.
In addition the Panasonic had a 3D look to the picture. The Sony image is flat and fairly lifeless, although I have improved it with fine tuning. The Sony image also changes more with channel changes than the Panasonic, where the image coped well with different channels. The image seemed more stable.
Are new binoculars better? Again, not always.
Last edited:
NDhunter
Experienced observer
Welcome to Birdforum. You have already received some good advice.
You should mention your budget for a new binocular purchase.
Don't be bashful, lots of opinions on here, and you have noticed if
you have watched the banter.
My thoughts are don't go with anything Bushnell. The suggestion
of the Zeiss Terra 8x42 is very sound, I have this one.
Jerry
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Bushnell gets little love on Birdforum these days, but some of my favorite past and some present budget and other bins are Bushnell products (sometimes with other brand label), such as Bushnell 7x26 and 8x36 Custom, B&L 8x42 Elite, Browning 8x32 and Bushnell 8x32 Legend, Bushnell 7x42 Discoverer roof, Bushnell 8x42 Discoverer porro (all of those Japanese made and reliable), Bushnell 10x25 Legend Ultra HD, and now the feature-rich but unreliably manufactured (in China) Bushnell 8x42 Legend roof series. I'm going to be interested to learn whether the new L-series and M-series address some of the materials and manufacturing issues seen in the Ultra HD.
Leupold, Vortex, Swarovski, and Zeiss all get lots of love for their generous repair/replace warranties and follow-up service, but in my experience (since 1980s) Bushnell has always been just as generous or even more so (e.g. paying return ship costs when requested).
--AP
Leupold, Vortex, Swarovski, and Zeiss all get lots of love for their generous repair/replace warranties and follow-up service, but in my experience (since 1980s) Bushnell has always been just as generous or even more so (e.g. paying return ship costs when requested).
--AP
Last edited:
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
Definitely! That's the best way to know what you're missing and what you might want. --AP
