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Roof or Porro - Which view do you prefer. (1 Viewer)

I don't like the ergonomics or lack of waterproofing of most porro prisms. The Swift 8.5x44 ED porro was nice in these regards, but I didn't find the view particularly striking for the price.
Aside from the Nikon SE, I've not found a porro to match/exceed the view afforded by my old Swaro ELs (non-SV) or current Kowa Genesis. The SE was probably a match for the Genesis in most regards (note: I didn't have the Genesis when I got a chance to look through the SE), but again the lack of waterproofing really disallows me from using a bino - I also tend to prefer 40mm+ objectives due to birding at all times of the day and in all types of canopy cover.

Justin
 
bh46118 said:
Here's some more troll bait for you to ponder.:-O Is the 3D view of the Porro more realistic, or do you find the roof more to your liking ?
Click to expand...

Bruce, perhaps the question of "realistic" and "to your liking" are two separate things?

Logic dictates that the roof prism spacing largely in line with a person's IPD provides the more "realistic" view. However I find that sometimes the roof view is 'compressed' and it's not until Afov exceeds 65 degrees that the roof view starts to resemble my Mark I eyeballs. In my view the distortion characteristics of the bin also greatly affects (in concert with an individual's own distortion profile) the resultant view, and may be why some roofs give some an unnatural view even though the objective centers are the same as the IPD.

The Porro view (normal, not reverse) is unnatural in that it magnifies the 3D effect - ie. what it would be like to see like a hammerhead shark! Again, depending on the distortion characteristics of the bin and person, this can seem "realistic", or a greater than realistic super 3D. Regardless, I prefer this Porro view, but wish that it could be had with the better ergo's of the elbows in roof handling and other benefits. There is also a certain 'clarity' or 'crispness' to the Porro view (as well as the enhanced 3D effect due to the objective spacing being greater than the IPD) which I believe is due to the simpler optical train (no dielectric coated prisms and associated losses) and gives an unmatched 'transparent' quality which is very much to my liking.

One thing that I don't prefer about the Porro view however is the 'apparent' reduction in perceived magnification at close - mid range due to the increased objective spacing, which requires an extra 1x to maintain parity with a similar power roof.


Chosun :gh:
 
bh46118 said:
Feel free to use this one. Binoculars are all about having a good time.3:)
Click to expand...

This should probably be in the "scopes" section.

;)

10.

ten22.jpeg
 
In comparing my EII to my similarly priced roofs, I prefer the clean, crisp and enhanced 3D view of the Porros. I quite like the ergos too and don't worry about the loss of waterproofing as I will also happily use a roof on those wet and cold days.
I don't like the more fragile nature of the Porros, having had two Porros in the past 2 years needing re-alignment.

Dave
 
bh46118 said:
Which two Porros had trouble ? Did they take a hard knock ?
Click to expand...

I take care of my bins, but my SRGA8x32 went out. They did fall in their case from my backpack onto our carpeted floor, perhaps a 5ft fall. Unlucky, but fixed perfectly by Opticron as a non-warranty repair.
My tiny MCF 7x24 are out, but it is possible that they were out when I bought them, it's only lately that I learned how to check for it.
My HRWP8x42 give a little eye strain when viewing under 50yds. Not sure about these. They also have been like this since new.

My wonderful EII 8x30 presently get little use...it's a shame, but I need a little more confidence that they are robust enough for my use (which is pretty gentle..)

Dave
 
Cluster said:
I take care of my bins, but my SRGA8x32 went out. They did fall in their case from my backpack onto our carpeted floor,

My wonderful EII 8x30 presently get little use...it's a shame, but I need a little more confidence that they are robust enough for my use (which is pretty gentle..)

Dave
Click to expand...

David,

Millions upon millions of very similar 6x30 and 8x30 Porro prism binoculars were built for the use of the Armies of the world during the 20th century. They should be tough enough for civilian use the 21st century.;) And they are not hard to fix by any competent binocular repairman if they need re-collimation -- unlike a Roof prism.

I've been using the same Nikon 8x30 EII for 13 years and I have by no means babied it! I've had to reglue it's covering back on it about 4 times during that period.

Bob
 
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bh46118;3055597.... said:
http://www.brandedbinoculars.com/binoculars-at-the-movies/
Click to expand...

Amazing close focus on those Porros! Too bad they don't include photos with the references.

One thing they don't mention is that in order to indicate that a character is looking through binoculars, most filmmakers show the view as two overlapping circles like a Venn diagram, as if the IPD were not set properly. Very few movies show the correct one circle view.

We had a thread on bins in the movies (on TV, too) a few years back. Maybe our archivists, mooreorless, can dig it out.

<B>
 
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cycleguy said:
Porros have the better optics, but I prefer roofs. I guess that means i prefer ergonomics over optical qualities as long as the optical qualitirs are good enough.

Thanks for asking.

CG
Click to expand...

I am certainly very far from being an expert on bincoluars (my brother laughed his head off when i told him that i ALSO chose my binos because of the colour ....) but maybe i can add something valuable too ..... when i bought my binos the shop-assistant said to me: The best binoculars are the ones you have actualy with you when you are out there .... i think there is some wisdom in that and so I cannot imagene to carry around a clumsy porro-prism. .... they are all clumsy i think, whereas mine fit into any pocket and i have them with me whenever I am outside (or almost).

Maybe it has to do with the style of birding .... . i dont go birding as others do, i just go for a walk in nice landscape where i know there are interesting animals too .... and when i see some interesting bird of course i look at it ..... later i may try to identify it with the books. In this sense ergonomics are fundamental to me .... . and if a binocular was ugly, I wouldnt want to carry it around anyway ..... sorry, but thats the way it is and i DO see birds with my binoculars!

M dP
 
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