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

Compact cheap roofs? (1 Viewer)

buff

Well-known member
I do a lot of driving as a part of my job and there is always something to see, so naturally I want small cheap compact roof prism. I already have Pentax reverse porro UCF WR 8x24 which is good but it is not compact enough for my pocket. I've seen bushnell excursion 8x28 and trophy 8x27 for $87 and $37 respectively; excursion is phase coated trophy is not, is excursion that much better to justify extra $50 or are they pretty much similar?
If you have any other advices let me know.

Regards.
 
[good] Compact cheap roofs...no such thing. Most of them will not make you happy. But if you can spend about 250, many 8x32s are worth a look.
 
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As I said I want something that would fit in my pocket and 30mm bins are not that much smaller than full-size 40mm bins, hence 30 mm wouldn't fit in the pocket.
 
Buff,

Sorry but Tero is correct. There is no such thing a good, cheap, compact roof. There are lots of cheap compact roofs, but practically none of them are pase coated and almost none of them have very wide fov. You might look at the Leupold 6x32 Katmi. They are 4" or so wide, depending on your pocket, they might work.

Good luck.
 
There is no such thing a good, cheap, compact roof... practically none of them are pase coated
This is not true at all. The little Pentax I posted above is quite good, as was its brother, the original DCF MC and they are both in fact, phase coated. The DCF MC II originally sold for about $120. I've seen it selling recently for around $90. If waterproofness is a prime concern you could look at the new Pentax DCF SW. It sells for $150. You do compromise a bit on FoV (288 ft.) but while not exceptional, this is still quite useable. My little DCF MC II is my daily companion and has allowed me many sightings that I would have otherwise missed.

Of course, some part of this question is a bit dependant on how we are going to define "cheap." For example, if your budget will stand to stretch as far as say $250 or so, your options increase greatly.

For example:
9x25 Pentax DCF LV - $250. FoV = 294 ft.
8x25 Kowa BD - $260. FoV = 331 ft.
8x25 Vortex Fury - $230. FoV = 319 ft.

All of these are phase correction coated and sport reasonable (though admittedly not fantastic) fields of view.

You might look at the Leupold 6x32 Katmi.
I can't see how, since buff has already stated that a 30mm binocular is too big, he could get by with a binocular that sports an even larger 32mm objective.
 
I think I am a Pentax man as I have ordered today my fifth Pentax binocular 8x28, which is now discountinued but I managed to find it from canadian retailer so I'll have canadian warranty. This was more than I was willing to spend; happens to me all the time, decide on the money willing to spend and then allways add $100 or so to gain that litlle extra in performance.
As soon I saw it on the website of the canaidan retailer I knew I got to buy it as few people gave it good review, and I knew this might be my last chance to get it as it is discontinued; it is a bit heavy (460 gr.) close to 17oz. but dimensions are such that it doesn't seem to be much bigger than Pentax DCF MC 8x25.
 
luczink,

I still say there is no such thing as a good cheap compact roof. Cheap stops and inexpensive starts when you get into compact roof glasses which are phase coated. For less money than your Pentax, there is practically nothing phase coated. Please note I did not say there are none which may not fit the category, just almost none. I agree that your Pentax choice is good, but it is inexpensive, not cheap. There are certainly good compact inexpensive binoculars out there. The examples of garbage, cheap, compact roof prism binoculars are legion. Even companies who should know better still make them. These are what I was cautioning Buff against.

As for giving me grief about the Katmi recomendation open your eyes. Your own recomendation of the Vortex Fury 8x28 is for a binocular with larger external dimensions than the Katmi. Just lighter and less FOV. Buff's own eventual choice of the Pentax DCF MP 8x28 gives him a very good compact binocular which he will no doubt enjoy very much. It is also larger in external dimension than the Katmi, and your Fury choice, and again with less FOV and practically identical weight wise to the Katmi. His pocket was evidently larger than you assumed. B :)
 
There are numerous 8x25 pocket binoculars, they are all better than nothing. Mine is a Minolta, no longer sold. My wife has Nikon Sportstar 8x25.
 
It is too late to buy it now but what do you guys think of Minox BV 8x25, if specs are accurate than it has all numbers of full size glass: FOV 390ft, ER 15.5mm, weight 11 oz?
 
I have the Olympus 8x21 RCI. It has all the shortcomings of small objectives namely short eye relief and brightness. However they were given good reviews by Consumer Report.

I think they do well given their limitations.

Doug at Cameralandny has them.
 
Well I received Pentax DCF MC 8x28, opticaly bin is surprisingly good, sharp clear, crisp and bright in the middle of the day; works great with eyeglasses, although I haven't tested it in detail but it is good. However it is not compact for pocket and it is heavy. It is good enough for long hikes but not for pockets.
I have seven days to return it and now I'm thinking to replace it with some no more than 25mm compact, but even they are not much smaller than this 8x28 bin although they are lighter usually around 10oz. so even though they are smaller even they might not be as pocket friendly.
My only reamining choice is monocular, I have minox 6x18 wich magnifies 6 times but it is dim, so do you know any monocular taht is better than this minox.
 
Steve C said:
His pocket was evidently larger than you assumed.
Then again, maybe not...

Zeiss does make a couple of monoculars that are about the size of a pen. I think they are called Design Select and come in 8x20 and 10x25 configurations. They also make a couple with lower magnifications. Nikon makes a 5x15 monocular that is a bit larger than the Zeiss.

A monocular might be smaller, lighter, and less obtrusive in the pocket (though not necessarily so) but, I'm not sure they would provide very good views, especially for any kind of extended viewing. I have a laser range finder that I use quite a bit and its monocular is just not very nice for general viewing. It works for what it was designtd to do but, it definately never replaces a good binocular. Good monoculars are also almost as expensive as decent compact binoculars.

The absolute best pocket binocular I have ever handled (as far as compactness and low weight) is the 8x20 Zeiss ClassiC (now called the Conquest). It's optics are pretty darn good too. This little binocular will dissappear into the pocket of a dress shirt with no problem. It usually retails for I think, around $300. My little Pentax DCF MC II is indeed bigger than this Zeiss but, it still is quite acceptable slipped into a trouser pocket. It is definately significantly smaller than the DCF MP you currently have. This is helped by its double-hinge design which allows it to fold into a much smaller size than is possible with the larger Pentax.

Of course, some of the answer to your question is going to be dependant on just how comfortable you are carrying things in your pockets. My younger brother, for example, cannot stand to have anything but his wallet, a small key ring, and his very small cell phone in his pockets. I, on the other hand, between pants, shirts, and jackets carry a whole bunch of stuff with me all the time. So much so that most people gape in disbelief when I empty all my pockets.

If you tend to lean more toward my brother's way of thinking, you are going to find it difficult to find anything that won't bother you. If you are more like me in this respect, there are some pretty darn good options available to you.
 
Buff,

I bought and returned the Minox BV 8x25. My opinion is they are pure junk.

Focus knob fell off... mushy focus feel... optics always feel out of balance (yes I know how to set the diopter) They are attractive in size and weight... but that is all.

Try them at your own risk

Cheers
 
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