FrankD
Well-known member
Guys,
I had been involved in a binocular discussion in another forum and had the opportunity to buy and evaluate the Vortex Razor bins. I know previous threads touched upon them but didn't really cover their qualities because of a problem originally with the focusing mechanism. I am going to copy/paste my thoughts on them thus far.
The overall build quality seems very good. All of the fit and finish is excellent. There is no play in the rotating eyecups or central hinge however, the latter is just a bit looser than I would prefer.
The design is very good as well. My hands fit comfortably around the barrels. The open bridge design gives the impression of a much lighter weight binocular. The eyecups have a very nice multi-click stop mechanism that allows them to be adjusted in very small increments. In addition those increments are nicely labeled on the side of the eyecup so as you twist them out the graduations are revealed. There is also a set of flared eyecups included in the packaging. The rubber armor seems more than sufficient at protecting the binoculars from any type of dents or dings. The diopter adjustment is found by popping out the focusing knob and is also of the click-stop design.
Negatives at this point, and take this with a grain of salt as I am being a bit picky...
- though nowhere near as bad as I have seen mentioned in other posts the focusing knob is a bit stiffer than some of the other binoculars I have owned. I think this is somewhat of a perceived stiffness though if that makes sense. I believe this is the result of two issues. One, the size of the focusing knob and the angle with which my finger comes off the barrel and rests upon it. If the focusing knob was a bit smaller I do not think it would be as much of an effort. Two, the texture of the knob itself. The knob is coated with a series of very small, pointed "nodules". They are by no means uncomfortable and offer very good traction but they give the effect of something rough on the tips of my fingers and this could be contributing to the perception of a less than desirable focusing tension.
- the previously mentioned central hinge tension. I would prefer it a bit stiffer so it is more difficult to collapse.
- the rubber armor has a somewhat unpleasant odor
Ok, I had some time this afternoon to give the 8x42 Razors a bit of an optical examination.
Two BIG THUMBS UP!
Outstanding in every regard I can think to comment on.
Field of View:
Exceptional, class leading, superb...are just a few words that come to mind. At 410 feet they pretty much equal my Meopta Meostars and better the Zeiss FLs by 5 feet.
Edge Sharpness:
Same set of adjectives. The edge sharpness is a bit better than both the Meopta and the Leica Trinovid I currently have in my possession. I would say it is roughly equal to that of the new Swaro SLCs and ELs and just a hair less than that of the Nikon Premier/Venturer/HGs.
Color representation:
Very neutral and very similar to the Leica Trinovids in their vividness of colors.
Brightness:
Excellent brightness levels. I have yet to check it in low light conditions but I have a difficult time believing it is going to disappoint.
Color Fringing:
I was unable to detect color fringing against several high contrast objects including a crow against a blue sky and the highly reflective top of one of my bird feeders. I can pick up slight color fringing in both cases, especially around the edges, on both the Trinovid and the Meopta but not the Razor. Vortex advertises this binocular as having extra low dispersion glass and it shows.
Apparent sharpness:
With very neutral color represenation this binocular displays very sharp images and a nice sweet spot of focus from very good depth of field.
I really do not have anything negative to say about this binocular's optics. In fact, this might be, arguably, the nicest image I have had the privelege to look at from a premium roof prism binocular. There isn't any annoying levels of astigmatism or edge distortion, no "almost artificial" color representation and definitely a very low level of color fringing.
In my opinion this binocular isn't a Swarovski EL knockoff. It is a direct competitor. For all of you folks that trust my fairly limited experience I would suggest trying these binoculars out. I think many of you will be genuinely surprised at what $700 will get you.
I had been involved in a binocular discussion in another forum and had the opportunity to buy and evaluate the Vortex Razor bins. I know previous threads touched upon them but didn't really cover their qualities because of a problem originally with the focusing mechanism. I am going to copy/paste my thoughts on them thus far.
The overall build quality seems very good. All of the fit and finish is excellent. There is no play in the rotating eyecups or central hinge however, the latter is just a bit looser than I would prefer.
The design is very good as well. My hands fit comfortably around the barrels. The open bridge design gives the impression of a much lighter weight binocular. The eyecups have a very nice multi-click stop mechanism that allows them to be adjusted in very small increments. In addition those increments are nicely labeled on the side of the eyecup so as you twist them out the graduations are revealed. There is also a set of flared eyecups included in the packaging. The rubber armor seems more than sufficient at protecting the binoculars from any type of dents or dings. The diopter adjustment is found by popping out the focusing knob and is also of the click-stop design.
Negatives at this point, and take this with a grain of salt as I am being a bit picky...
- though nowhere near as bad as I have seen mentioned in other posts the focusing knob is a bit stiffer than some of the other binoculars I have owned. I think this is somewhat of a perceived stiffness though if that makes sense. I believe this is the result of two issues. One, the size of the focusing knob and the angle with which my finger comes off the barrel and rests upon it. If the focusing knob was a bit smaller I do not think it would be as much of an effort. Two, the texture of the knob itself. The knob is coated with a series of very small, pointed "nodules". They are by no means uncomfortable and offer very good traction but they give the effect of something rough on the tips of my fingers and this could be contributing to the perception of a less than desirable focusing tension.
- the previously mentioned central hinge tension. I would prefer it a bit stiffer so it is more difficult to collapse.
- the rubber armor has a somewhat unpleasant odor
Ok, I had some time this afternoon to give the 8x42 Razors a bit of an optical examination.
Two BIG THUMBS UP!
Outstanding in every regard I can think to comment on.
Field of View:
Exceptional, class leading, superb...are just a few words that come to mind. At 410 feet they pretty much equal my Meopta Meostars and better the Zeiss FLs by 5 feet.
Edge Sharpness:
Same set of adjectives. The edge sharpness is a bit better than both the Meopta and the Leica Trinovid I currently have in my possession. I would say it is roughly equal to that of the new Swaro SLCs and ELs and just a hair less than that of the Nikon Premier/Venturer/HGs.
Color representation:
Very neutral and very similar to the Leica Trinovids in their vividness of colors.
Brightness:
Excellent brightness levels. I have yet to check it in low light conditions but I have a difficult time believing it is going to disappoint.
Color Fringing:
I was unable to detect color fringing against several high contrast objects including a crow against a blue sky and the highly reflective top of one of my bird feeders. I can pick up slight color fringing in both cases, especially around the edges, on both the Trinovid and the Meopta but not the Razor. Vortex advertises this binocular as having extra low dispersion glass and it shows.
Apparent sharpness:
With very neutral color represenation this binocular displays very sharp images and a nice sweet spot of focus from very good depth of field.
I really do not have anything negative to say about this binocular's optics. In fact, this might be, arguably, the nicest image I have had the privelege to look at from a premium roof prism binocular. There isn't any annoying levels of astigmatism or edge distortion, no "almost artificial" color representation and definitely a very low level of color fringing.
In my opinion this binocular isn't a Swarovski EL knockoff. It is a direct competitor. For all of you folks that trust my fairly limited experience I would suggest trying these binoculars out. I think many of you will be genuinely surprised at what $700 will get you.
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