Lynn Miller
Member
I have been following the BirdForum posts and have found the comments and advice regarding optics for birding to most enlightening. The best advice commonly given is purchase the binocular that is "right for you." I read an article in the February 2002 issue of Birder's World magazine by Pete Dunne on binoculars for birding which critiqued various makes and models. What caught my eye was his assessment of the Swarovski 10 X 50 SLC. He wrote that the view through the much heralded Swarovski 10 X 42 ELs was "merely beautiful", however, the view through the 10 X 50's was "exquisiite" and simply out resolved anything in the 40 - 45 mm objective diameter range. I have an older Swarovski 10 X 40 Habicht porro prism and I was looking to upgrade to a 10 power binocular in a roof prism that would provide the bright image of my Zeiss 7 X 42 T* P Classic. I knew that to achieve that level of brightness I would need to look at a binocular with a 50 mm + objective. I had been intrigued by the Zeiss 10 X 56 FL's with its 9.8 feet close focus and 16 mm eye relief. I found nothing else with a 50 mm or larger objective lens that focused under 10 feet. Nikon's Monarch 10 X 56 ATB has a close focus of 32.8 feet which makes it useless for birding and even the Swarovski 10 X 50 SLC's do not focus under 16 feet. The only other real contender to the Zeiss 10 X 56 FL's is the Leica 10 X 50 Ultravid that has a reasonable close focus of 11 feet and comes in at an incredibly light 35.4 ounces compared to the 44 ounces of the FL's. However, it has a short eye relief of 14.6 mm. My main concern regarding the Zeiss 10 X 56 FL's was the 44 ounce weight, however, I have found them ergomically superb. I had no problem following the movements of Bushtits and Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets within twenty feet. Did I mention the 330 ft. at 1,000 yds. field of view? Very good for any 10 power binocular. I have experienced no problem holding them steady for long periods of time observing seabirds off the coast. I attribute that more to the generous exit pupil of 5.6 mm than anything else. So far, I have found everything about my Zeiss 10 X 56 FLs to be just great, from the diopter adjustment, the twist up and lock eye cups to the quick and easy focusing. It was as if they were custom made just for me. Are they for everyone? At 44 ounces, no. But to anyone looking for a 10 power binocular, I would recommend they give the Zeiss 10 X 56 FL's a try before settling on one with a 40 or 42 mm objective. I have never seen more aesthetically pleasing views of birds through a binocular in my life.
Lynn
Lynn