vkalia
Robin stroker
I got the Razors as a replacement for my Pentax 10x43 SPs, which had been lying in a shop "unrepaired" for almost 7 months (couldnt get the part needed here). As it turns out, just 2 days before my Razors were due to arrive, I got a call from the repair guy saying he's machined me the part I need and fixed the Pentax. So I ended up with both the binos and had a chance to test them out side by side.
To be honest - not a huge difference in view. Contrast was similar & sharpness was similar. The Razors may have a slight edge in contrast, but if so, it is very minor.
As I was leaving on an exploratory trip to Eagles Nest NP, I decided to take the Razor 10x42s with me. After 5 days of full-time birding (and 40+ lifers!), I have reached the following conclusions:
1/ The weight of these binos is over-rated. I wore them with a harness and even after a full day, using them and holding them steady was not a problem. I found the heft and the design actually made it easier to hold them in hand.
2/ They are truly very sharp and have excellent contrast. If I could get the binos on birds, I was able to make out pretty much all the markings I need to see. And the view was very enjoyable, as well - comfy, without too many blackouts.
3/ The focus knob needs work. It is stiff and slow to turn: 1 and 1/4 turns to go from one end to another, which isnt a lot, but the stiffness means that it takes a while. I ended up missing out on a few birds in mixed-flock foraging parties because of the time it took to change focus.
4/ I also got a chance to look through a pair of Zeiss FL 10x42s and frankly, I was disappointed. To clarify, it isnt any kind of reverse snobbery. I can get myself a pair of Leica or Zeiss binos if I find them to be worth it and that was one of the reasons I took a look through the Zeiss glass. While I do enjoy the view from Leicas a lot (so much so that I might just stop thinking rationally and get me a pair of 8x32s anyway), I thought the Zeisses lacked punch and had a slight greenish tint compared to the Razors. But the ergonomics of the FLs were a lot better (back to that focussing knob again).
5/ I've realized that for birding in forests and thick cover, 10x42s are not optimal binos. Wideangle 8x32 or 8x42s would be much better for such a task.
Were it not for the fact that I find the Razors really nice to hold and keep steady, I'd be hard-put to justify them instead of the Pentax SP 10x43s, which have similar quality of optics, a much nicer focussing knob, and are also smaller, lighter, have an equivalent field of view and are currently a lot cheaper as well.
Still, if you live in the US, you can get the focussing knob tweaked quite easily by Vortex, which would make these excellent binos for the times when you need a little more reach. For me, I will see if the focussing knob loosens up further - if not, I'll sell these and stick to the Vipers.
Vandit
To be honest - not a huge difference in view. Contrast was similar & sharpness was similar. The Razors may have a slight edge in contrast, but if so, it is very minor.
As I was leaving on an exploratory trip to Eagles Nest NP, I decided to take the Razor 10x42s with me. After 5 days of full-time birding (and 40+ lifers!), I have reached the following conclusions:
1/ The weight of these binos is over-rated. I wore them with a harness and even after a full day, using them and holding them steady was not a problem. I found the heft and the design actually made it easier to hold them in hand.
2/ They are truly very sharp and have excellent contrast. If I could get the binos on birds, I was able to make out pretty much all the markings I need to see. And the view was very enjoyable, as well - comfy, without too many blackouts.
3/ The focus knob needs work. It is stiff and slow to turn: 1 and 1/4 turns to go from one end to another, which isnt a lot, but the stiffness means that it takes a while. I ended up missing out on a few birds in mixed-flock foraging parties because of the time it took to change focus.
4/ I also got a chance to look through a pair of Zeiss FL 10x42s and frankly, I was disappointed. To clarify, it isnt any kind of reverse snobbery. I can get myself a pair of Leica or Zeiss binos if I find them to be worth it and that was one of the reasons I took a look through the Zeiss glass. While I do enjoy the view from Leicas a lot (so much so that I might just stop thinking rationally and get me a pair of 8x32s anyway), I thought the Zeisses lacked punch and had a slight greenish tint compared to the Razors. But the ergonomics of the FLs were a lot better (back to that focussing knob again).
5/ I've realized that for birding in forests and thick cover, 10x42s are not optimal binos. Wideangle 8x32 or 8x42s would be much better for such a task.
Were it not for the fact that I find the Razors really nice to hold and keep steady, I'd be hard-put to justify them instead of the Pentax SP 10x43s, which have similar quality of optics, a much nicer focussing knob, and are also smaller, lighter, have an equivalent field of view and are currently a lot cheaper as well.
Still, if you live in the US, you can get the focussing knob tweaked quite easily by Vortex, which would make these excellent binos for the times when you need a little more reach. For me, I will see if the focussing knob loosens up further - if not, I'll sell these and stick to the Vipers.
Vandit
