Binocular advice please (1 Viewer)

I am planning to purchase my first pair of good binoculars and would like some advice from those who have had experience with the different brands.

I am considering:

Vanguard Endeavor ED II - 10x42 or 8x42

Vortex Viper HD - same

Zen-Ray Zen ED3 - 8x43 or 10x43

Hawke Sapphire ED 8x42 or 10x42

I am open to other suggestions but I have to keep the price at no more than $600.

Thank you so much for your help!

I have both Viper's, 8 and 10. For the price, they are great! Cant beat that warranty either.

I forgot to mention

Thanks!

I have been reading very good things about the Vipers.

I did forget to mention that I wear glasses so I would need good eye relief I think.

You can't really go wrong with any of your choices. I have tried or owned all of them and they really do offer excellent optical performance for the price. They all have their strong points and weak points. It depends on what your preferences are.....size, weight, field of view, etc...

My current favorites in that price range are the Theron Questa 8x42. Same features as the bins you mentioned but with the introduction of a field flattener element in the eyepiece for true edge to edge sharpness. Wide field of view too. Probably the only downside is that they are a couple ounces heavier than your group. $425 the last time I checked.

http://theronoptics.com/site/mobile?url=http://theronoptics.com/QUESTA_HD-ED_BINOCULARS.html#2683

I preferred the Leupold Mojave HD (not the earlier non-HD version) over the ones you posted. It has a fairly small footprint for a 42mm bino, and weighs less than many others as well.

IMO the ED3 is better than the Vanguard or Viper. Certainly a demo example directly from the Zen-Ray website is a very cost-effective way to go.

Just in case you didn't know - another $250 and you could get a new Leica Trinovid 8x42 from Eurooptic. Just sayin'.........

Hi JaniceAnn,

It's always difficult to guess someone elses priorities. The binoculars mentioned range from about 24oz to 29oz in weight, length from 5.8" to almost 7", with or without a field flatteners, different colour rendition and to some extent, effective optical resolution. Really quite different in a number of ways, yet I often see relatively new users in retail outlets struggling to tell any difference at all. From the answers you've had so far you've had quite different recommendations and I'd probably choose something different from them.

I would suggest you look at the ergonomics first. Of your list the Vortex Viper HD, is Japanese made and is shortest, lightest and has the nicest focus. There are two versions of the Hawke sapphire. The dual hinge 8x43 is very much like the ZenRay ED3, but the top hinge is just a little smaller and lighter and fits my hands and face a little better, and for me a bit nicer to use and might be my second choice. I have a Endeavour EDII, and while I appreciate it's optical characteristics I'm not so keen on the ergonomics, but if you a really eagle eyed it might be in the running.

Do you really need an 8x42? There is no real advantage over an 8x32 until it's virtually dark, and in my experience, even the top birders are already heading for their cars. A bigger exit pupil does give a bit more leeway with eye positioning which can't be ignored, but just maybe, the 4.9" 20.6oz Vortex Viper HD 8x32 might suite you better?

David

About the 8x32

I should mention that my eyes are not that great anymore and I do need to have cataract surgery before long.

I was concerned about the amount of light from an 8x32 binoculars not being enough.

Is this inaccurate? I really have so little knowledge that I don't have any idea.

I have found some Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 and 10x42 for about $200 more than I was prepared to spend but would they be worth the extra money?

There is also a pair of the older version of the Leica Trinovid 8x42 for $250 more.

I do feel uncomfortable spending that much even though my husband gave me the okay.

Hi - following up David's post above, you'll get 4mm of exit pupil from an 8x32 - not much less than from a 10x42mm. Whether you go for the smaller set will depend (without prying!) on how old you are (and thus how much dilation you can expect from your eyes in poor light) and what you intend to use the bins for.
I am an 8x32 convert, as i carry them all day and quite often, long distances. A good, bright 8x32 may well out perform a less bright 8x42 anyway. Eye positioning against the cup may be the only fussy thing about them, but you soon get used to whatever set you have.
It might be worth checking the l-o-n-g thread on the Celestron Blue Sky II. They're difficult to get a look at in the UK, but they have some big fans in the US, and seem to be very reasonably priced.

Sorry - Sightron, not Celestron!!

JaniceAnn said:

I should mention that my eyes are not that great anymore and I do need to have cataract surgery before long.

I was concerned about the amount of light from an 8x32 binoculars not being enough.

Is this inaccurate? I really have so little knowledge that I don't have any idea.

I have found some Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 and 10x42 for about $200 more than I was prepared to spend but would they be worth the extra money?

There is also a pair of the older version of the Leica Trinovid 8x42 for $250 more.

I do feel uncomfortable spending that much even though my husband gave me the okay.

Click to expand...

Maybe a 7x42 or 50 would be even better with your eye problem?

Really it would be best if possible to try a bunch and see what works for you. Even ask your optician as many of those people are fans of good bins and a lot even sell them. I know they do a lot of little monoculars especially for people with vision problems as I own a few -even though my eyes are pretty good- as well as about ten binoculars of all different sizes and I generally like the smallest one I can get away with but there is no doubting bigger is generally better for more serious viewing with least eye straining over a longer period of use. Smaller is obviously better for portability.

The optician should at least be able to help advise you on what your eyes would be capable of best using. No harm in asking before spending a lot of money?

paddy7 said:

Sorry - Sightron, not Celestron!!

Click to expand...

I'm sure others understand the technicalities of cataracts better than I do, but I don't think brightness is the main problem, more glare and contrast which are some of then Sightron's strengths by all accounts. I suspect it might serve you very well. Maybe review post surgery?

David

Hi JaniceAnn,

I don't know much about cataract surgery effect, but I can tell you that I recently sold an individual
eye focus binocular to a lady and she said that she needed individual eye focus, because she had just had cataract surgery and they would be better for her than center focus. I don't know why, didn't think to ask, and can't think of any reason myself, but remembered it when I saw your post, so may be worth checking with your optician before spending?

Ben

I am trying to hold off on surgery as long as I can!

I checked my area and there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go to see binoculars. We don't have a Cabela's near by or a camera store so I may have to just buy sight unseen online.

I have been looking at the older version of the Leica Trinovid 8x42 but at $849 it is right at the limit of what my husband will okay. I wasn't planning on spending that much but...

I am not sure if it is worth the extra expense though I do like the reviews I have read.

Any advice on this?

Thanks everyone for all the help you have already given and for continuing to help me make a decision.

I do find making a final decision difficult normally.

Janice,

That is an excellent price for the previous version of Trinovid (assuming we are talking about the one that was just discontinued within the last year).

However, I am a big advocate for value. With optics there is a bit of a curve where you pay a certain amount of money to reach a certain level of performance and then any additional cost beyond that only gets you small incremental optical increases, slight build quality increase or possibly a slightly better warranty or customer service.

In my opinion those slight increases aren't worth the exponentially increased costs associated with them. $400-$600 will get you a binocular that will certainly satisfy and only really be slightly "beaten" by models costing double or more..and even then typically only in one area and only slightly.

I did not recommend the Sightron Blue Sky SII referenced above simply because it is significantly under your price range. Regular cost is typically around $180 US. However, optically it is excellent for the price and in many ways comparable with the binoculars you originally mentioned...and in an even lighter package.

My suggestion would be to order a pair of the Sightrons from a place with a good return policy. Try them out and if you don't like them then return them or exchange them for one of the pairs you originally listed.

Hi Janice,
It is important to try any binocular in different light levels, as your pupil size will vary.
Presumably one eye is more affected than the other.
You may see a shading in one side of the binocular if a cataract is in the line of sight. It will depend on the position of the cataract/s.
You may have problems looking into bright lights or sunlit objects.
An optician might advise.
But the main thing is to try the binoculars in different conditions, particularly in your most likely conditions.

I know a young lady, multi talented, but unable to decide on things.
She repeatedly asked her i-phone device what she should choose, and in frustration eventually used some choice words to the i-phone for not deciding for her.
The i-phone said to her. "That wasn't very nice, was it".

I don't know if you can ask i-phones what binocular to buy. But ask it nicely.

Good luck.

JaniceAnn said:

I should mention that my eyes are not that great anymore and I do need to have cataract surgery before long.

I was concerned about the amount of light from an 8x32 binoculars not being enough.

Is this inaccurate? I really have so little knowledge that I don't have any idea.

I have found some Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 and 10x42 for about $200 more than I was prepared to spend but would they be worth the extra money?

There is also a pair of the older version of the Leica Trinovid 8x42 for $250 more.

I do feel uncomfortable spending that much even though my husband gave me the okay.

Click to expand...

Hi Janice - welcome to the forum! :t: |:d|

I also wear glasses and have the Zen-Ray 8x43 ED3, and it has been my goto bin for many years, and now lives in the car ready for impromptu walkabouts ....... o

These are great all round value bins, bright, easy to hold, wide field, and nice optics for the price that in the center field compare with the $2K binoculars. Glare performance is ok, and eye relief is nearly enough for me to see the entire wide field. I would not go past these to get to the Zeiss Conquest HD's even if they were the same price! Try before you buy if you can and be sure to get one with minimal focus backlash (or slop) :cat:

I would recommend sticking with the 8x42 format at your budget, as I have found that you really need to go to near alpha expense to get decent 10x. :eek!:

If you want a flat field of view then the Zen-Ray Prime HD/ Leupold Mckinley HD/ Theron Questa HD optical clones are very good value for money too, at a slightly more expensive level. To me, again, they best the Zeiss Conquest HD's. The Zen's seem to be priced higher than the other two clones, and although I haven't seen the Leupold or Theron, if they are all identical, then wouldn't be worth the extra spend over the other two. Frank D has seen all three, and is probably best placed to comment in relation to that.

Colour saturation is slightly better than the Zen ED3, and moreso the glare handling performance. The Zen Prime's have CCW focusing to infinity, which is not my personal preference - hence my having the Zen ED3's (CW). The Leupold McKinley's may be in run-out at the moment, or already?? Note also that the Leupold (Generation 2) and Theron (by the looks of it) seem to have more comfortable, smaller diameter eyecups ..... again, ask Frank.

Even though these 3 flat field clones are around 820 - 850grams, they are very compact and rock-like, and feel much lighter than their listed weights. (o)<

The only other bin I would mention is the porro prism, Swift Audubon 8.5x44 ED. R-e-a-l-l-y Great optics, but lesser glare performance, and you would need to check the build quality of the unit you get carefully - particularly internal finish -- I didn't have any joy from Swift :C themselves in dealing with the unit I sadly returned, but Adorama were top shelf - going above and beyond to help. :t:

All 3 of these bins are brighter than their near competition, and offer $2K level optical performance in the center, nearly equal to the best I have seen, the Zeiss 8x42 HT. :king:

Good luck with your choice, and being US based it should be easier for you to view these units, ferret out deals, or have ease of return with minimal expense if required. You can't go wrong dealing with the big retailers, and do try before you buy, and just go with the ones you/ your eyes, prefer best .....


Chosun :gh:

Hi Janice, that Leica sounds like a great buy, I`d like to suggest the Opticron Dba Vhd in 8 or 10x, Eagle optics has it for $795, cheaper than the Leica, its a very nice binocular and well worth a try.

JaniceAnn said:

I am planning to purchase my first pair of good binoculars and would like some advice from those who have had experience with the different brands.

Click to expand...

Out of interest and it may help folks to make suggestions. What model of binocular/s are you using at the moment or have been using? An 8 or 10x42 and what make/model?

How do you find them or in what areas do you feel they could be better?

What are you expecting/hoping to get from your new model?

How serious or regular a binocular user are you and is it just birding?

I see you list 8 and 10x. Well 8x is steadier and normally has a wider view and is more general purpose i.e. good for a lot of situations like keeping a flying bird in view, generally a more panoramic and scenic view, while 10x is more for distance with a narrower view and needs a bit steadier holding so perhaps the 8x is the better choice of the two here which might whittle it down some for you for a start.? Franks Suggestion of the Sightron seems good. I own a Kowa SV 8x32 which I think is something similar and priced similarly and I find it excellent. I also have a Hawke 8x43 Sapphire ED which is also great but quite a bit larger. The smaller Hawke 8x42 Sapphire ED would be more like the Sightron/Kowa size. Unless you are a pretty serious user and even if you are you don't necessarily need a Leica or such.

It looks as if there are Bass Pro outlets in Richmond and Hampton. The Bass Pro shop nearest me has a good selection of binoculars. I'd think those might also carry a decent selection.

I cannot emphasize enough the value of looking through several pair of binoculars at the same sitting where possible. It's a good idea to have a checklist of things to look at before you get to the shop and to think about each of those in each pair you look through.

JaniceAnn said:

Thanks!

I have been reading very good things about the Vipers.

I did forget to mention that I wear glasses so I would need good eye relief I think.

Click to expand...

Do you have astigmatism?

If you have only refractive errors you may be able to use binoculars without your glasses, unless the correction is very large.

I just read further. Would it be possible to wait until after you get your cataracts done?

You will be astonished at the difference in your vision, and might choose differently after that.

You also may be able to discern differences in optics which you couldn't see before that.