I picked up a new pair of Nikon 10x25 LXL's on E-bay because I couldn't resist the price of $330.00 shipped and I wanted to try the 10x25 format so I thought I would write a quick review and comparo to my Zeiss 8x20 Victory's.
Straps are fine on both with the Nikon having a little thicker nicer strap but because it is bigger it makes it harder to stuff in the case with the binoculars but it is possible. Case on my Zeiss is Nylon Cordura which is fine and the Nikon comes with the typical super high quality leather LX case with magnetic snap like all LX's. The Zeiss comes without any lens covers whereas the Nikon includes the ocular covers which I installed on the strap and actually work pretty good. Both binoculars have very a high quality feel and build to them with the Nikons being slightly longer but about the same width when folded up. The Zeiss are about 9 oz. and the Nikons are about 11 oz. They are both very compact. The Zeiss's single hinge versus the double hinge on the Nikon are a little easier to use. The objective lenses on the Nikon being 25mm are considerably larger than the 20mm's on the Zeiss. Focus is fine on the Zeiss but a little easier and smoother on the Nikon but with the Nikon you have to use your small finger because it is positioned at the far end of the binocular. I don't find this a problem once you are used to it. Now let's get to the optics.
Of course each binocular has the normal advantages of 8x versus 10x with the 8x having a bigger FOV, little better DOF, and easier to hold steady while the 10x of course brings things in closer so you can see more detail and I believe the 10x25 is slightly brighter in twilight situations and is slightly better at seeing detail at distance also. Optically they are both excellent and I like them both and the Zeiss has excellent edge sharpness but the Nikon's are amazing in this respect. They are without a doubt the sharpest binoculars at the edge I have ever used with second place going to the Canon IS's. In fact you can HARDLY tell the difference in sharpness between the center and the edge and this makes for a really nice clear view all the way to the edge. So optically the Nikon's might have a slight edge over the Zeiss although both are really excellent and I like them both even though they are different. Like most compacts they are touchier than full size binoculars when it comes to eye placement but their small size and weight makes them very desirable to use and to own because the optics are really superb. Conclusion is I like them both in their own ways and the 10x25 format works very well in a compact.
Straps are fine on both with the Nikon having a little thicker nicer strap but because it is bigger it makes it harder to stuff in the case with the binoculars but it is possible. Case on my Zeiss is Nylon Cordura which is fine and the Nikon comes with the typical super high quality leather LX case with magnetic snap like all LX's. The Zeiss comes without any lens covers whereas the Nikon includes the ocular covers which I installed on the strap and actually work pretty good. Both binoculars have very a high quality feel and build to them with the Nikons being slightly longer but about the same width when folded up. The Zeiss are about 9 oz. and the Nikons are about 11 oz. They are both very compact. The Zeiss's single hinge versus the double hinge on the Nikon are a little easier to use. The objective lenses on the Nikon being 25mm are considerably larger than the 20mm's on the Zeiss. Focus is fine on the Zeiss but a little easier and smoother on the Nikon but with the Nikon you have to use your small finger because it is positioned at the far end of the binocular. I don't find this a problem once you are used to it. Now let's get to the optics.
Of course each binocular has the normal advantages of 8x versus 10x with the 8x having a bigger FOV, little better DOF, and easier to hold steady while the 10x of course brings things in closer so you can see more detail and I believe the 10x25 is slightly brighter in twilight situations and is slightly better at seeing detail at distance also. Optically they are both excellent and I like them both and the Zeiss has excellent edge sharpness but the Nikon's are amazing in this respect. They are without a doubt the sharpest binoculars at the edge I have ever used with second place going to the Canon IS's. In fact you can HARDLY tell the difference in sharpness between the center and the edge and this makes for a really nice clear view all the way to the edge. So optically the Nikon's might have a slight edge over the Zeiss although both are really excellent and I like them both even though they are different. Like most compacts they are touchier than full size binoculars when it comes to eye placement but their small size and weight makes them very desirable to use and to own because the optics are really superb. Conclusion is I like them both in their own ways and the 10x25 format works very well in a compact.
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