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Sightron "Blue Sky" II 8x32 (3 Viewers)

FrankD said:
Uh, the Leupold Cascade porros were Japanese not Chinese Brock..as were the Minox BD BP and the current Opticron HR WPs.

;)

...and for what it is worth I have owed two units of the Sightron 8x32 BS S II and tried a third. The only difference I noted between the three was in the focusing tension. The original, that I still own, had focusing tension somewhere in between the other two.

Optically I couldn't tell a difference between them.
Click to expand...

BINGO! Focusing tension differences. Thank you for FINALLY confirming what I wrote 700 posts ago! ;)

Jap or Chin, the Cascades also had QC issues with the focusers. Not sure if that's the reason you bought five of them or if there were also other issues with them? :h?:

Then again, Swarovski focusers are not consistent, and you have to pay top dollar for one of those. Designing a smooth focuser and making them consistently smooth is an art that few manufacturers have mastered besides Nikon (and even with Nikon, if you limbo low enough down the food chain to the cheapest Monarchs, you will find inconsistency in focus tension). :eat:

Anyway, the point was that Blue Spiderman had issues with the focusers on both samples, and he rejected the first and is learning to live with the second one. I hate playing roulette so I will wait until somebody buys a BS II with a smooth focuser and then buy it off him when he gets tired of it. Then I will finally be a member of the Sightron BS II Fan Club of which you are president. :smoke:

Brock
 
brocknroller said:
BINGO! Focusing tension differences. Thank you for FINALLY confirming what I wrote 700 posts ago! ;)

Jap or Chin, the Cascades also had QC issues with the focusers. Not sure if that's the reason you bought five of them or if there were also other issues with them? :h?:

Then again, Swarovski focusers are not consistent, and you have to pay top dollar for one of those. Designing a smooth focuser and making them consistently smooth is an art that few manufacturers have mastered besides Nikon (and even with Nikon, if you limbo low enough down the food chain to the cheapest Monarchs, you will find inconsistency in focus tension). :eat:

Anyway, the point was that Blue Spiderman had issues with the focusers on both samples, and he rejected the first and is learning to live with the second one. I hate playing roulette so I will wait until somebody buys a BS II with a smooth focuser and then buy it off him when he gets tired of it. Then I will finally be a member of the Sightron BS II Fan Club of which you are president. :smoke:

Brock
Click to expand...

Brock,

Before this impending rumor about Japanese made Leupolds having bad focusers goes viral :eek!: I would like to state that I have an inexpensive Japanese made Leupold 7x42 BX-2 Cascade and it has exactly the same focus wheel that my Japanese made Swift 8.5x44 Model 828 Audubon has and I have never heard any complaints about that binoculars focus wheel or quality control.:t:

In fact, I am certain that both of these binoculars are made by the same Japanese company.:king:

Bob
 
ceasar said:
Brock,

Before this impending rumor about Japanese made Leupolds having bad focusers goes viral :eek!: I would like to state that I have an inexpensive Japanese made Leupold 7x42 BX-2 Cascade and it has exactly the same focus wheel that my Japanese made Swift 8.5x44 Model 828 Audubon has and I have never heard any complaints about that binoculars focus wheel or quality control.:t:

In fact, I am certain that both of these binoculars are made by the same Japanese company.:king:

Bob
Click to expand...

I'm not spreading viruses (I have Norton 360), I was only referring to the Leupold 8x42 Cascades Porro, which had a sticky focuser. From what Frank said, so did other samples of that bin, some being better or worse than the sample he sent me.

On the upside, the ergonomics and armoring on the Cascades Porro were excellent, fit my hands wonderfully. The Leupoldlian engineers put extra thick rubber right where your thumbs rest underneath the prism housings, which made them very comfortable to hold.

Anyway, it wasn't the focuser that caused me to not to buy the bin, but the claustrophobic FOV, which was more like low end roofs than mid-priced Porros.

If the focuser was smoother and the FOV a degree wider, it would have been a keeper since the image within the "porthole" was quite good.

Brock
 
If the Cascades were the same as the Opticron HRWP's (from what I've read here, they were), then I can also add that the two examples that I tried of the HRWP's, both 8x and 10x42's, that the focusers were both "wonky", and were not what I would consider acceptable for a $350 binocular.

I can also say that besides that, yes, the FOV on both HRWP's was too limited, as Brock mentioned, and the main reason for me returning both, as well. Also, I will add that the view (sharpness, contrast, sweet spot, etc) wasn't any better than my Vixen Foresta porros, so why would I pay a premium for the HRWP Opticrons, when the Vixens could be had for $100 less?!

And getting back to the Sightron Blue Sky II's, sure, there can be variation in focus wheel tension, like any binocular, it seems, along with sample variation in optics quality. Why should they be any different from the others-no reason, for sure. Even with higher priced optics, they can vary too-and so can one's eyesight and how we percieve anything.

So, let's give this a Frank vs Brock debate a rest-and just get on with appreciating what we have and know to be to our liking and needs. I'm happy to have rediscovered the Sightron, as it fills a need for a compact, lightweight bin, wth a large, sharp sweetspot. Even if it isn't a Porro, it still has great merit for the money spent.
 
Barry,

In light of what you wrote about the Willie Wonker focusers on the Opticron HRWPs, I agree that we should give this BS II Frank vs Brock debate a rest and start a new Frank vs Brock debate on the focusers of the Loopy Cascades/Opti HRWP/Minox BP! 8-P

Frank, meet you on the Leupold forum. :smoke:

Gibb
 
brocknroller said:
Barry,

In light of what you wrote about the Willie Wonker focusers on the Opticron HRWPs, I agree that we should give this BS II Frank vs Brock debate a rest and start a new Frank vs Brock debate on the focusers of the Loopy Cascades/Opti HRWP/Minox BP! 8-P

Frank, meet you on the Leupold forum. :smoke:

Gibb
Click to expand...


Hey Gabby, hows it goin? B :)
 
Well, having had the SII's for a couple of months, I tried them in a shop against the best of the best,
Nikon EGD, Swarowski EL and Leica.

And as expected, the were not as good as the others, but to my surprise, not as far behind as I thought.
Let's say they were 90-95% as good.

Either I'm a Ray Charles when it comes to my vision, but I am very pleased with the SII's, and at 10-15% of the price, they are a bargain, at least to me.
 
Ysterkvisten said:
Well, having had the SII's for a couple of months, I tried them in a shop against the best of the best,
Nikon EGD, Swarowski EL and Leica.

And as expected, the were not as good as the others, but to my surprise, not as far behind as I thought.
Let's say they were 90-95% as good.

Either I'm a Ray Charles when it comes to my vision, but I am very pleased with the SII's, and at 10-15% of the price, they are a bargain, at least to me.
Click to expand...

Yakistan,

I wish you hadn't added that last remark in about comparing your vision to Ray Charles, especially since he's dead, because your previous sentence about the Sightron being 90-95% as the EDG, EL and Ubervid fit in perfectly with my post on the Swaro Discount thread in which I proposed that someone change the color on a Sightron BS II's armor to gray, re-badge it with the famous blue shield and try to pass it off as a new 8x32 Zeiss SF:

scroll down to the Piaget Effect

It was meant as a reductio ad absurdum argument, but if you weren't always wearing sunglasses, it might not have been so absurd, after all. ;)

Brock
 
A perfect comparison Ysterkvisten. An excellent value. Next month marks my third anniversary with the Sightrons. Zero problems and they see almost daily use. Not too shabby for a $180 binocular. ;)
 
Brock, no disrespect towards Ray Charles, he was awesome, but he is along with Stewie Wonder absolutely the most known blind guy.

I like 90-95% good at 15% cost.
Which is that bargain in spotting scones?
I already have the Theron Saker/ Helios Fieldmaster ED60.

Both thanks to FrankD...
 
You already have the closest thing to the Sightrons in spotting scopes. :)

You have to step up to the Celestron Regal M2 65 to see a noticeable increase in performance over the Saker. Back when the Regal 65, generation 1, first came out it was priced as low as $380. That was truly a bargain. The generation 2s are now priced at $500. Still a decent price but nowhere near the bargain.
 
Ysterkvisten said:
Brock, no disrespect towards Ray Charles, he was awesome, but he is along with Stewie Wonder absolutely the most known blind guy.

I like 90-95% good at 15% cost.
Which is that bargain in spotting scones?
I already have the Theron Saker/ Helios Fieldmaster ED60.

Both thanks to FrankD...
Click to expand...

Yak,

I never had a spotting scone, however, I do like the chocolate chip scones at Panera Bakery ;)

I didn't meant that it was disrespectful to use Ray Charles as an example, I meant that your judgement as to the Sightron BS II being 90-95% as good as the alphas would come into question if you compared your sight to a blind man.

Can you see me now?

As to other famous blind folks, two of my favorite guitarists - Doc Watson and José Feliciano. Then for the country folks, there's Ronnie Milsap. Old Doc passed away two years again, but José and Ronnie are still kicking.

Brock
 
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FrankD said:
A perfect comparison Ysterkvisten. An excellent value. Next month marks my third anniversary with the Sightrons. Zero problems and they see almost daily use. Not too shabby for a $180 binocular. ;)
Click to expand...

bh46118 paid $180 for his 10x42 Minox BP. I think we need a shoot-out between the Minox and the Sightron. 10x vs. 8x, so you'd have to adjust the chart distance, but which is "the best" in the $180 discounted price category?

To answer the burning question: Are we there yet? Can China now make bins as good as Japan?

Brock
 
$180 was regular price. Not quite a fair comparison....

.....plus they are made in the Phillipines not China.;)
 
FrankD said:
Thank you for the kind words Jerry. They are genuinely appreciated.

Related note number one, I used the Sightron 8x32s today for the PA migration count. An absolutely exceptional day for warblers and other migrants in my neck of the woods and the Sightrons performed admirably under all conditions.

Note two, don't buy the Sightron SI 8x25s. Horrible optics in comparison though they seemed durable enough. Will give the 8x32 SI a try when I have the time.
Click to expand...


Frank, have you had a chance to try the SI 8x32 yet? I noticed the big online retailer has them for $85 right now so I'm thinking I may give them a try.
 
One of my coworkers just bought a pair of these as a secondary binocular, so I finally have gotten a chance to peer through them. Initial impressions are a solid build quality, good focus-knob, terrible accessories, good center-field sharpness, decent sweet-spot, and mild amounts of CA, particularly noticeable along the periphery of the field.
I'll be using these as my field binoculars for the day to get a better impression, but from these initial views I can definitely say I'm not surprised about their positive reception here.

Justin

UPDATE: I'd like to reiterate my initial findings and add my new thoughts. Brightness is decent but nothing exceptional - probably about as bright as you are going to get for this price point. Color fidelity is great. Control of CA is a mixed-bag; the edges produce fairly strong CA to my eyes, but the center-field performance is quite good. Eye-relief is just barely acceptable for my glasses and was at times inconvenient. Overall a very good buy for the price and perfectly functional as either a secondary or primary bin, depending upon one's preferences. If you can't afford more than >$400 and want a waterproof, roof prism bino, I don't think you'll find much (anything?) better.
 
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SI or SII?

jremmons said:
One of my coworkers just bought a pair of these as a secondary binocular, so I finally have gotten a chance to peer through them. Initial impressions are a solid build quality, good focus-knob, terrible accessories, good center-field sharpness, decent sweet-spot, and mild amounts of CA, particularly noticeable along the periphery of the field.
I'll be using these as my field binoculars for the day to get a better impression, but from these initial views I can definitely say I'm not surprised about their positive reception here.

Justin

UPDATE: I'd like to reiterate my initial findings and add my new thoughts. Brightness is decent but nothing exceptional - probably about as bright as you are going to get for this price point. Color fidelity is great. Control of CA is a mixed-bag; the edges produce fairly strong CA to my eyes, but the center-field performance is quite good. Eye-relief is just barely acceptable for my glasses and was at times inconvenient. Overall a very good buy for the price and perfectly functional as either a secondary or primary bin, depending upon one's preferences. If you can't afford more than >$400 and want a waterproof, roof prism bino, I don't think you'll find much (anything?) better.
Click to expand...

Hi Justin,

Are you referring to the SI or SII Sightrons? I imagine it's the SII's, but not sure from the thread drift above. The Sightron SII's seem to be really nice, if you want to stay under $200 here in the USA, but the Leupold Mojaves at just a bit more are a very nice alternative, that seems a bit brighter, with a more immersive (wider view-8.0 vs 7.5 for the SII's). I am still undecided which I prefer, but I am leaning toward the Mojaves, at just 2.2 ounces more in weight.

But, I think I could be happy with either, for a lightweight carry bin, in 8x32.
 
Barry: My comments were in regards to the 8x32 SII. The Mojave are good but do not work at all with my eyeglasses. I'll probably purchase the SII for my significant other at some point.

Justin
 

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