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Sightron "Blue Sky" II 8x32 (3 Viewers)

I purchased a Sightron BL 8x32 and am looking to replace the loose fitting plastic rainguard with a better model. Has anyone found one that would fit? The eyepieces are smaller than ones on my other binoculars, so none of them fit.

Does anyone know if this one would work: http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/vortex/vortex-binocular-rainguard which tapers down and might fit.

or this one: http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/zeiss/zeiss-classic-bga-binocular-rainguard which I know people like on this forum, but I think it might be too big for the sightron.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Todd
 
Todd,

I cannot say on the two models you referenced. I do have an odd assortment of rainguards on hand though. I will give them all a try and see which ones work and which ones don't.
 
I purchased a Sightron BL 8x32 and am looking to replace the loose fitting plastic rainguard with a better model. Has anyone found one that would fit? The eyepieces are smaller than ones on my other binoculars, so none of them fit.

Does anyone know if this one would work: http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/vortex/vortex-binocular-rainguard which tapers down and might fit.

or this one: http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/zeiss/zeiss-classic-bga-binocular-rainguard which I know people like on this forum, but I think it might be too big for the sightron.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Todd

What is the OD of the eyepiece? Like Frank, I have many different ones and styles.

Tom
 
This is a little Rube Goldgerg-ish, but I took a bicycle innertube and cut lengths the same as the eye cup of the Sightron. If you trim them carefully, when stretched over the eye ceups, they increase the diameter enough that a standard size eye piece is just about right. They really are hard to tell they are even there.
 
Todd
I don't have any extra ones that would fit that I could send you as most are too big. The ones on my 8x28 Excursions would fit fine at 39.5mm, but could be 1/8" deeper as they are a little shallower than standard. The ones for 8x36 Excursion Ex are about 40.4mm but are deeper and heavier duty. Either one could be ordered from Bushnell for $5 + $1.85 SH. The only extra ones I have on hand are all 42mm or larger.

Tom
 
I'm really tempted by the glowing reports of the S II Blue Sky 8x32 but I have one question I haven't seen addresses and that is eye relief.
Is the stated 17.5 mm of eye relief close to accurate? I have read that the Theron clone has the same stated eye relief but because of the eyecup design the usable eye relief is about 14 mm. Does the Sightron share that trait with the Theron? I'm usually OK with about 16-18 mm of useable eye relief. Thanks.
Tom
 
Tom,

The ocular surface is very close to the level of the eyecups. You might lose 1 mm there...maybe two at most. Here is a pic to identify the issue further.

I have no problem seeing the full field stop with the eyecup fully collapsed. I don't wear glasses but typically need binoculars with 16-17 mm of eye relief because of facial dimensions.
 

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Thanks Frank. Hopefully the Blue Sky 8x32's eye relief will work for me. I think I'll give them a try.
If they are in the same optical league as the Nikon 8x32 SE I'm curious to see how the Blue Sky 8x32 compares with my EDG 8x32.
Tom
 
Short of the SE, and arguably the Meopta, I have not compared them directly against any of the Alpha 8x32s. I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue when the time comes.
 
I was just reading this thread today. Being new here I found it most interesting. And I have a question. I recently bought the Nikon 3- 8x42 and I'm not happy with it overall. Not surprising I guess as it was a first purchase of better optics for me and until now I've never had anyone to talk about optics with. What I'm looking for is something a little smaller than the physical size of the Nikons and a wider FOV as they are too narrow for me at FOV 330ft.

Can anyone compare the Optical quality of these to the Nikon Monarch's?
 
the Monarchs are a long-standing popular "bang for the buck" model, but many other binoculars in the "budget" category have now passed them by. Although they are generally light and ergonomic and solid, their biggest flaw is their narrow FOV (as you have found) and there are now better options in the same price range.

my wife has a pair of 10x42 Monarch ATB which are certainly fine, but they are clearly behind my 8x43 ED3's as well as other bins I've tried recently (7x36 ED2, 6x32 Viper, 8x32 Viper HD primarily).

In the $200-300 segment it depends on priorities... if you really want maximum optical quality in the most compact size, I would bet that Frank et al will say these Sightron 8x32's are the king right now. If you want to maintain a "full size" 42mm format the Zen-Ray ZRS HD is pretty darn compact for a 42mm model and will be brighter and wider than your Nikons. You could also consider a demo 7x36 ED2 from Zen-Ray's website which, while not being much more compact than the Monarch 3's, will be brighter and have a massive field of view.
 
Eitan,

My apologies. Don't know where my head was at with the earlier post. You are correct. I think I was thinking of the 9x32 model when I first saw it and just overlooked the 28 mm objective.

BC,

I certainly agree with Eitan's comments. The Sightrons are better optically and ergonomically than the Monarchs. If you read through the entire thread you saw that I compared them with some pretty stiff competition and they held their own quite well.
 
Bc
I would imagine the new Monarch 3 are not getting much press here as they have the same old narrow FOV as their predecessors, are relatively new, and there are a number of really good 8x binos out for $180-$220 that have much wider FOV's and better overall optics than the Monarchs. Many like the 8x32 Sightrons as you can see from this thread, others the 8x36 or 8x42 Bushnell Legend Ultra HD's. The 8x36 Pentax NV's and 8x42 Diamondbacks also have a following. I see from your other post that you really like your newly acquired 6x32 EO Rangers, so my suggestion would be to look at the 8x32 Sightron or the 8x36 UltraHD's (my fav) as they would probably come closest to what you are looking for. The 8x36 Ultras can be had for about $180 and the Sightrons for $195, or the 8x42 Ultras for about $210.

Model FOV TFOV AFOV Close/ft Weight Height
6x32 EO Ranger 409 7.8* 47* 3 19.4 4.9"
8x42 Monarch 3 330 6.3* 50* 9.8 24.9 6.1"
8x32 Sightron II 394 7.5* 60* 7-8 19.8 5.5"
8x36 Ultra HD 426 8.1* 65* 6.2 20.6 4.9"
8x42 Ultra HD 426 8.1* 65* 6.5 22.4 5.5"
 
Thanks for those leads. The Monarch's gotta go. I never realized I'd have them such a short time.

According to Optics planet the Sightron 8x32 have a 420ft FOV??

and

I just ordered a pair of 7x36 Dimondback's for $99 on sale

and

I just found the Bushnells with rebate for $174. Hard to beat.



One last question

Is it less expensive just being addicted to booze?
 
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