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

The Most Beautiful Binoculars in the World (1 Viewer)

Robert Wallace said:
Oh Denis I thought you were like Emperor Nero, an "arbiter of style".
I own both East and West German Zeiss 8x30 porros and both are better looking than the Habicht.
The CZJ 8x30 was probably the template for the style of the Habicht model but why the ugly exposed screw heads on the bridge absent from the CZJ?
Unfortunately I asked my wife which she thought the better looking and she chose the CZJ rather than the West German Zeiss. I can't argue about her taste because years ago in the tap room of "The Murgatroyde Arms" was displayed this notice. "Never criticise your wife's judgement. Look who she married".
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Where's the picture of the Zeiss? Let me decide.
 
ceasar said:
Robert Wallace said:
Stephen B's excellent photograph demonstrates the aesthetic differences between porro and roof prisms. I think it also demonstrates the smooth and silky styling of the roof prism giving them overall advantage in the beauty competition. .......................


I can't agree here. Certainly both are "made up" well and have achieved a "look" that woman with less than classic beauty work at to achieve. And who better to understand this than Swarovski AG which specializes in Fashion Accessories among many other things!

Basically the porro prism binocular has always been, since it's inception, a "contraption" limited in design by the laws of Optics.

The one porro prism binocular that pushed the boundaries of the design is the Nikon EII which with it's oversize prisms enrobed in curvacious prism housings gave the porro's usual squat utilitarian looks a kind of sensuous, Rubenesque beauty, which while adding to it's visual appeal, actually improved it's optical performance!

The open bridge redesign of the roof prism binocular did nothing like this. If anything it became more than a look; it became a statement! A demand: "Look at me, I am different!" It catches ones eye in a Tammy Faye Bakker sort of way.

The newly redesigned Zeiss Victory is different and good looking. Less than beautiful but nevertheless handsome in a Bauhaus utilitarian sort of way!:t:

Bob
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Broadly agree but were not the Nikon E1 and later the E11 inspired by the Zeiss West design? The E1 had a strong resemblance to the Zeiss design. Indeed did it not appear until after the Ziess 8x30B ceased production?
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james holdsworth said:
Stephen,

It looks like you live in birding / bino heaven - I am quite envious. What a backyard!
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Thank you. It does offer quite a birding environment. I have been trying to get better at smaller bird ID'ing because most of my focus here has been the variety of large birds. Because the large birds, I think simply because of their size and I enjoy them- they get most of my attention. Just this morning I was watching (2) Redtailed hawks hunt in the grassy field below me. I also have a great variety of waterfowl in the river below ( ducks, geese, Great Blue Herons etc. This winter we have had a large rookery of Great Blue Herons hanging out right below my hillside bluff. There also have been a pair of Bald Eagles hanging around this winter ( just like in most winters). In the summer we have a bunch of Osprey's hanging out and nesting right behind my house. And the summer brings out a number of Turkey Vultures. And right below us in the field has been a group of Wild Turkeys getting ready for their "spring dance".


karmantra said:
stephen b: I agree with your view on both binos as being beautiful--I would probably throw in the EL 42 & EL 50 SVs in as well! :t:
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Agreed- and I was including all the EL's and SV's sizes when I said "I do like the aesthetics of the EL/SV binoculars"


Robert Wallace said:
I own both East and West German Zeiss 8x30 porros and both are better looking than the Habicht.
The CZJ 8x30 was probably the template for the style of the Habicht model but why the ugly exposed screw heads on the bridge absent from the CZJ?
.........
Click to expand...

The Zeiss certainly are very beautiful and styling looks a lot like the Habicht. Which one is "prettier" may be debatable. The screw heads on the Swarovski have to do with part of the waterproofing component.

I know that in person the Habicht is much nicer looking than I had thought from just looking at pics before purchase. One advantage the Habicht's have over the Zeiss now days is that you can actually buy a New Habicht today; and another is they are waterproof. And the Swarovski company is a great optics company. (* not that Zeiss isn't- but to have a great modern optics company with fantastic CS still making traditional porro's is a plus when buying one of them)

And I have to say hats off to Swarovski for still continuing to make a traditional style binocular. This in spite of the fact that the rest of the optic world is going forward with only mostly roofs. And Swarovski is certainly in that group ( one of the leaders really) that is pushing the envelope with roof designs. I know that Swarovski makes a ton more coin on their roofs; but in spite of that they continue to make the fine traditional porro's that they started with.
 
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My pair of 2009 Leather Swarovski Habicht 7x42 bins are the most beautiful detailed bins I have ever seen.

But also the Hunter 7x50 porro bins I inherited from my dad are still, for several reasons, very beautiful.

My top 7:
1. Swarovski Habicht 7x42 Leather
2. The Zeiss 7x42 B/GA Dialyt
3. Zeiss Victory HT 8x42
4. Hunter 7x50 porro
5. Zeiss Classic Dialyt 8X56 GA T*
6. Bynolyt Stork 8x42
7. Meopta Meostar 8x56 WP
 
Malloot said:
My pair of 2009 Leather Swarovski Habicht 7x42 bins are the most beautiful detailed bins I have ever seen.

But also the Hunter 7x50 porro bins I inherited from my dad are still, for several reasons, very beautiful.

My top 7:
1. Swarovski Habicht 7x42 Leather
2. The Zeiss 7x42 B/GA Dialyt
3. Zeiss Victory HT 8x42
4. Hunter 7x50 porro
5. Zeiss Classic Dialyt 8X56 GA T*
6. Bynolyt Stork 8x42
7. Meopta Meostar 8x56 WP
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You like big exit pupil. What is a Bynolyt Stork 8x42? Never heard of them. Are they German?The Habicht leather even smells Austrian doesn't it?
 
«The Zeiss certainly are very beautiful and styling looks a lot like the Habicht. Which one is "prettier" may be debatable. The screw heads on the Swarovski have to do with part of the waterproofing component.

I know that in person the Habicht is much nicer looking than I had thought from just looking at pics before purchase. One advantage the Habicht's have over the Zeiss now days is that you can actually buy a New Habicht today; and another is they are waterproof. And the Swarovski company is a great optics company. (* not that Zeiss isn't- but to have a great modern optics company with fantastic CS still making traditional porro's is a plus when buying one of them)

And I have to say hats off to Swarovski for still continuing to make a traditional style binocular. This in spite of the fact that the rest of the optic world is going forward with only mostly roofs. And Swarovski is certainly in that group ( one of the leaders really) that is pushing the envelope with roof designs. I know that Swarovski makes a ton more coin on their roofs; but in spite of that they continue to make the fine traditional porro's that they started with.[/QUOTE]»

Stephen
I agree with your comments about Swarovski and indeed three years ago I purchased a CTC 30 x75 telescope pure indulgence but I love using it. I could be tempted to buy a pair of 8x30s even thought they do not match my Zeiss aesthetically IMO.
 
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[email protected] said:
You like big exit pupil. What is a Bynolyt Stork 8x42? Never heard of them. Are they German?The Habicht leather even smells Austrian doesn't it?
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I like big exit pupils for the ease of watching indeed.

Bynolyt is the dutch brand name for OEM binoculars from the far east.
They provide a nice range of binoculars for every budget.

46ec3ec1d54eb3bc5939d5102fc097cb.image.640x480.jpg


The leather Habicht makes me jump to my youth, when I used my fathers Hunter binoculars which were also leather covered and the smell of my Habicht remembers me of those beautiful times with loads of Deer, Roe, Boar, Foxes, etc. in front of those old Hunter 7x50 porro binoculars.
 
The Bynolyt looks very much like the Theron Optics Wapiti LT and the TruGlo 8x42 open bridge. Will have to check the specs on the Bynolyt to see how they compare.

32127497.jpg


72314.jpg
 
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Specs meet, but the Theron are a bit cheaper though. Maybe some difference in coatings?
Also in all black the are not so nice as the TruGlo and Bynolyt.
 
Ceasar (post 37) and Robert Wallace (post 42),
I do not belive that Nikon copied its E design from the Zeiss West 8x30 porro and certainly not from the Zeiss East 8x30 porro. If I place three Nikon 8x30"s of different construction periods next to the Hartmann 8x30 Compact 8x30, they are practically identical and I know very sure that Hartmann (I have spoken with mr HHartmann when he still made these binoculars) did not copy its design form Nikon, but I think it was the other way around.
Gijs
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
Ceasar (post 37) and Robert Wallace (post 42),
I do not belive that Nikon copied its E design from the Zeiss West 8x30 porro and certainly not from the Zeiss East 8x30 porro. If I place three Nikon 8x30"s of different construction periods next to the Hartmann 8x30 Compact 8x30, they are practically identical and I know very sure that Hartmann (I have spoken with mr HHartmann when he still made these binoculars) did not copy its design form Nikon, but I think it was the other way around.
Gijs
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Hi Gijs,

My comments about the Nikon 8 x 30 EII were about how it differed in appearance from the Swarovski 8 x 30 Habicht and concerned it's larger, more curvacious prism housing and I wasn't concerned with when this look appeared.

However I do have Brin Best's book BINOCULARS and People. At page 28 it shows a picture of "A 1950's 8x30 binocular made by Nikon but also bearing the markings of Nippon Kogaku. This model provided optical quality on a par with the best binoculars being made in Europe at this time." This model appears to have the large prism housing I was talking about in my post above which was concerned only with how it's looks compared to the Swarovski.

I think you will agree that there is only so much practical maneuvering room for use in changing the exterior look of porro prisms and most of it is determined by what is inside them.

Bob
 
ceasar said:
Hi Gijs,

My comments about the Nikon 8 x 30 EII were about how it differed in appearance from the Swarovski 8 x 30 Habicht and concerned it's larger, more curvacious prism housing and I wasn't concerned with when this look appeared.

However I do have Brin Best's book BINOCULARS and People. At page 28 it shows a picture of "A 1950's 8x30 binocular made by Nikon but also bearing the markings of Nippon Kogaku. This model provided optical quality on a par with the best binoculars being made in Europe at this time." This model appears to have the large prism housing I was talking about in my post above which was concerned only with how it's looks compared to the Swarovski.

I think you will agree that there is only so much practical maneuvering room for use in changing the exterior look of porro prisms and most of it is determined by what is inside them.

Bob
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Bob:

Here is another porro design. More modern and stylish.

Jerry
 

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NDhunter said:
Bob:

Here is another porro design. More modern and stylish.

Jerry
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Jerry, That's a very interesting looking design. I quite like the form factor. Do you have any more details on the make, format, specs, and prism layout?

Bob may have somewhat of a point about the detailing - but it definitely has potential in my book.


Chosun :gh:
 
Chosun Juan said:
Jerry, That's a very interesting looking design. I quite like the form factor. Do you have any more details on the make, format, specs, and prism layout?

Bob may have somewhat of a point about the detailing - but it definitely has potential in my book.


Chosun :gh:
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OK, maybe its not exactly beautiful but my goodness its intriguing. A Swift Audubon for the 22nd century!

Lee
 
Chosun Juan said:
Jerry, That's a very interesting looking design. I quite like the form factor. Do you have any more details on the make, format, specs, and prism layout?

Bob may have somewhat of a point about the detailing - but it definitely has potential in my book.


Chosun :gh:
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This Swarovski porro prism design had limited success with the hunting fraternity back in the 80s. I had one myself (very good view and light transmission albeit with a pronounced yellow tint) but unfortunately my binocular was stolen. As far as formats I remember 7x42, 7x50, 8x56, 10x40, and 10x50. May have also been a 10x56? Jerry???? Steve (mooreorless)????

I actually liked the ergonomics on the SL Habicht, one of the few porro designs with thumb indents on the bottom.

Steve
 
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