• 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.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Binocular "pairings", are two better than one ? (1 Viewer)

Torview

Torview

Well-known member
I`m finding an SE/EII pairing a match made in heaven, the SE goes whenever the weather looks iffy or terrain more rugged or demanding like the coast. The EII goes when in woodland or close in Birding, or when I`m maybe not primarily Birding but enjoying panoramic views where the extra fov is so much more enjoyable.

I`v never had two bins that compliment each other so well, both close to the best optically, both so similar yet with complimentary differences (if that makes sense).

Both together have cost me about half the price of a new SV, which I`m thinking is the only current bin that could take the pair on and win, and I can very well see the appeal there also, and one day hope to make it my trio.

Any equal pairings you`v had, have ?
 
Don't have a need for two essentially the same but I find my 7x36 and 12x50 compliment each other very well. Cost? Less than 20% of a ELSV. ;)

David
 
Hi John. A little off topic - sorry. I can't justify the extra expense for a second pair of binoculars or, for a scope for that matter, but to cut a long story short a scope has been ordered8-P (caught OH in a good mood and ordered before she changed her mind:-O).

I really enjoy my Trinovids 8x42 (the ones constructed from granite) and after trying 10x42 Ultravids (my fathers) I saw no need to have both (8x and 10x) as the extra reach just wasn't as much as expected. I often bird near estuaries however and I really felt the extra reach of a spotting scope was a "need" rather than a "want".

Rich
 
Hello,

As an OAP, I enjoy using 6.5x or a 7x for general use. Both the FOV and stability make for pleasant use. Currently, I prefer the 6.5x32 Meopro for my general glass but I carry a 10x32 Zeiss FL. At one time, I carried a Zeiss 7x42 ClassiC and the 10x32. I resort to the 10x, when I need the "reach," although I find the 10x a bit hard to use.

I now realise that Torview wrote of "equal pairings," which is not of which I wrote. Using one of two binoculars of the same power, for different occasions would strike many as a luxury. I understand that the EII has a much wider, immersive field than the SE, but it is somewhat more delicate and it is lighter. I can also appreciate that in some circumstances one might be better than the other. -edit.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood
 
Last edited:
For general use I paired the Zeiss Terra ED 8X42 with the Canon IS 18x50. I used it during Friday in a plateau at 850m for birding and later at 1650m for astronomy and was very happy with both.
I saw many birds I don't recognize so I must start reading, but also cows, horses, goats, sheep and trees in a distance. It was nice to double the magnification easily.
 
typo said:
Don't have a need for two essentially the same but I find my 7x36 and 12x50 compliment each other very well. . ;)

David
Click to expand...

compliment is the key work here
all binoculars are compromises
but depends on your use

I prefer a smaller, lighter, lower mag for walks in wooded/closed in areas
a higher mag for for open areas and distance viewing

edj
 
Torview said:
I`m finding an SE/EII pairing a match made in heaven, the SE goes whenever the weather looks iffy or terrain more rugged or demanding like the coast. The EII goes when in woodland or close in Birding, or when I`m maybe not primarily Birding but enjoying panoramic views where the extra fov is so much more enjoyable.

I`v never had two bins that compliment each other so well, both close to the best optically, both so similar yet with complimentary differences (if that makes sense).

Both together have cost me about half the price of a new SV, which I`m thinking is the only current bin that could take the pair on and win, and I can very well see the appeal there also, and one day hope to make it my trio.

Any equal pairings you`v had, have ?
Click to expand...

Nope, either of my 8X would do me just fine for anything I do.

The whole concept sounds like something you would tell the wife to convince her you need two of the same thing. I think you just want two 3:)

I never realized the SE was more weather resistant than the E II or that a wide view was a liability on the coast or in rugged terrain. o:D
 
Previously, we have taken Nikon Venturer LS 10X42, and Fujinon FMT-SX 16X70 on cruises, but will now leave the 16X70 home and take the Nikon for my Other Half, while I have my new Swarovski EL SV 10X42.

It will be ever so much more fun, now that we can share the same views.
 
Torview said:
I`m finding an SE/EII pairing a match made in heaven, the SE goes whenever the weather looks iffy or terrain more rugged or demanding like the coast. The EII goes when in woodland or close in Birding, or when I`m maybe not primarily Birding but enjoying panoramic views where the extra fov is so much more enjoyable.

I`v never had two bins that compliment each other so well, both close to the best optically, both so similar yet with complimentary differences (if that makes sense).

Both together have cost me about half the price of a new SV, which I`m thinking is the only current bin that could take the pair on and win, and I can very well see the appeal there also, and one day hope to make it my trio.

Any equal pairings you`v had, have ?
Click to expand...

I have the same binoculars and find they compliment each other nicely ("How do you do, Mr. SE, you're looking fine and dandy today? Thank you, Mr. EII, they say I'm the superior E, but you are the original, and I wouldn't be here if not for you).

I do, however, miss my 10x42 SE and 10x35 EII for birding in open fields or from cliffs where that extra magnification and larger image scale were helpful. But it is getting harder for me to hold 10x steady w/out sufficient bracing.

I hope that someday Canon or another company will come out with a 10x42 IS that is lighter and less bulky than the "L" and without its oversized eyecups,. The 10x30 IS is pretty good, though the degree of stabilization can vary from unit to unit, and the optics are not at the quality of the SE or EII.

Given the utility of IS bins, I'm surprised that Canon is the only major company making a full line of IS bins, particularly as baby boomers age and "the shakes" because more of an issue for them.

Right now Canon has no major competition, so they don't need to innovate, which is why I'd like to see a competitor come out with a line of small IS binoculars useful for birding, which I think would spur the innovation that's needed to make IS bins more useful for birding and reduce or eliminate the "artifacts" and "swimming" that can be problems for some people.

With the bulkiness of IS electronics today, Canon could never make a roof prism bin that was nearly as slim as the non-IS version. Canon did make a roof IS, a 12x45, but that had the same football shape as the other models.

Once they can make IS bins that are just a bit bulkier than the non-IS version, the way that top RF roofs are, then I think you'd see a lot more birders buying them. They should neglect 8x42s. Even an 8x bin could benefit from IS electronics.

Brock
 
Last edited:
edwincjones said:
compliment is the key work here
all binoculars are compromises
but depends on your use

I prefer a smaller, lighter, lower mag for walks in wooded/closed in areas
a higher mag for for open areas and distance viewing

edj
Click to expand...

+1
My EII 8x30 is paired well with the EII 10x35. Both serve different purposes. I try not to duplicate coverage.
 
I'm always surprised at how many birders get along without pairing up a bino plus scope. The difference between 8x and 10x strikes me as just about nothing.

For example I use a Nikon ED50 + 27x for travel. A binocular is lost in comparison to that simple set-up and it's easy to carry all the livelong day.

I don't often carry a scope in the woods of course, but pretty much everywhere else. So I'm curious, why not more scopes??

Mark
 
I tend to follow the same pattern as Mark. A nice 8x32 roof and a lightweight 50 mm scope. I typically only utilize a 2nd set of bins if I know someone else is going along.

If I had to pick a second pair of bins to pair with my 8x32 then it would be my 7x35 Porto. Wider, deeper field of view but not as rugged and not waterproof.
 
I don't need more than one binocular, but I like to have two: a small/compact size and a full size.
I always carry only one binocular when out.
 
Last edited:
Annabeth2 said:
I don't need more than one binocular, but I like to have two: a small/compact size and a full size.
I always only carry one binocular when out.
Click to expand...

And Lord knows, you don't need more than one handbag either, but variety is the spice of life! ;)

I was looking at the specs on the new Kowa 8x42 BD XD, and it seems to check all the boxes for you.

19mm ER
23.2 ounces (very light for a full sized roof)
5.1 x 4.9 inches (heck, my Nikon 8x32 LX was larger than that!)
4.9 feet close focus
it also has some red colored accents that you might like

It ticks three boxes on my "must have" list - 7.5* FOV (more than a degree wider than the previous Kowa BD), ED glass, and it's on sale at EO for $424.15.

It also has a knurled aluminum focuser and while not a "must," it's a nice feature.

I did read a report from someone on BF that he tried one at a trade show and thought it had too much CA. Not sure how sensitive you are to CA.

But overall, it looks like your cup 'o tea.

kowa/kowa-bd-xd-8x42-binocular

Brock
 
brocknroller said:
And Lord knows, you don't need more than one handbag either, but variety is the spice of life! ;)

I was looking at the specs on the new Kowa 8x42 BD XD, and it seems to check all the boxes for you.

19mm ER
23.2 ounces (very light for a full sized roof)
5.1 x 4.9 inches (heck, my Nikon 8x32 LX was larger than that!)
4.9 feet close focus
it also has some red colored accents that you might like

It ticks three boxes on my "must have" list - 7.5* FOV (more than a degree wider than the previous Kowa BD), ED glass, and it's on sale at EO for $424.15.

It also has a knurled aluminum focuser and while not a "must," it's a nice feature.

I did read a report from someone on BF that he tried one at a trade show and thought it had too much CA. Not sure how sensitive you are to CA.

But overall, it looks like your cup 'o tea.

kowa/kowa-bd-xd-8x42-binocular

Brock
Click to expand...

yeah I did check that one out online a couple of times.
It's true , it does check a lot of boxes for me, but I haven't
read very good reviews of the optics which concerned me
back when I was looking at it. I haven't found any good reviews
of it yet. It looks nice though.
 
Annabeth2 said:
yeah I did check that one out online a couple of times.
It's true , it does check a lot of boxes for me, but I haven't
read very good reviews of the optics which concerned me
back when I was looking at it. I haven't found any good reviews
of it yet. It looks nice though.
Click to expand...

That's why we need you to buy one! We need a guinea pig....er.. I mean, an experienced user to review it.

My money's tied up in Tesla Motors stock. My former editor's son swears it's going to explode. Or he might have been referring to Elon Musk's other company, SpaceX. ;)

I think Piergiovanni might be evaluating the Prominar XDs since he posted photos of them on binomania.

Brock
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 10 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

G
Leica, Zeiss & Swarovski binoculars compared: A personal report
2 3
Replies
42
Views
4K
Paultricounty
P
S
Leica Trinovid Classic (Retrovid) 7x35 or Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32...
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
Andy Gan
A
kimmik
A different set of four hand-held binoculars
Replies
16
Views
2K
dorubird
dorubird
dorubird
My only four hand-held binoculars
2 3
Replies
41
Views
8K
dorubird
dorubird
looksharp65
One 8x3x to rule them all
4 5 6
Replies
106
Views
12K
looksharp65
looksharp65

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top