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Sightron "Blue Sky" II 8x32 (1 Viewer)

> 5. Light weight and great for my hands (483g naked)

That's very close to mine which weighs 487 g naked.

In addition to the weight spec being incorrect on the Sightron website, has anyone pointed out that the FOV spec is incorrect as well? The website claims the FOV is 420 feet @ 1,000 yards, but I think the FOV is actually very close to 7.5 degrees.

Someone earlier on this thread compared Bushnell Ultra Legend 8x36 to the Blue Sky. I have both models too. The Bushnell has a larger FOV, but a smaller sweet spot. It has higher center resolution, and I prefer the focuser of the Bushnell. The focuser of the Blue Sky is slow and somewhat stiff.

The Blue Sky is lighter and has a larger (though not great) sweet spot, very neutral color rendition, and shows great control of glare.
 
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So what's going on? It's been a nearly 10 days since a BF member bought an 8x32 Sightron BS II.

I blame Frank. His newly found fascination with the Maven 8x30 B1 is distracting him from his primary job as Sightron Special Ambassador. I haven't seen him post in a while, he may be over in the Philippines meeting with Sightron reps to discuss their next marketing campaign -- Canada.

"Sightron binoculars, eh?"

<B>
 
brocknroller said:
So what's going on? It's been a nearly 10 days since a BF member bought an 8x32 Sightron BS II.

I blame Frank. His newly found fascination with the Maven 8x30 B1 is distracting him from his primary job as Sightron Special Ambassador. I haven't seen him post in a while, he may be over in the Philippines meeting with Sightron reps to discuss their next marketing campaign -- Canada.

"Sightron binoculars, eh?"

<B>
Click to expand...

After 1122 posts, have you looked through a Sightron?

Nope.

Case closed, eh?

PS: 72 posts were yours, and you never even looked through the ding-dong.
 
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One thing you can say about Diner Boy, he is consistent. Always posts right after mine and always posts the same comment every time. YAWN. :cat:

Well, I guess when you lack creativity and a sense of humor, you got to stick with what you know. :smoke:

<B>
 
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It's been a dull afternoon at the keyboard (pays the bills though) so I ordered one of these Sightron Blue Skies to see what all the fuss was about. Sounds pretty good based on "eleventy seven" posts hereabouts. ;)

Will report back after a couple weeks' use.

Mark
 
Look forward to seeing your comments Mark.

Considering your optical preferences I hope it at least makes a little impact on you.

Plus, you just proved Brock wrong in that somebody new bought the Sightron 8x32. ;)
 
Kammerdiner said:
It's been a dull afternoon at the keyboard (pays the bills though) so I ordered one of these Sightron Blue Skies to see what all the fuss was about. Sounds pretty good based on "eleventy seven" posts hereabouts. ;)

Will report back after a couple weeks' use.

Mark
Click to expand...

I just loaned mine to a fellow biologist today, and they were very impressed. Said they were going to order their own pair later today. Of course, we had plenty of light for what we were viewing, but her comments were about how sharp the view was, and how light and easy to handle they were.
 
FrankD said:
Look forward to seeing your comments Mark.

Considering your optical preferences I hope it at least makes a little impact on you.

Plus, you just proved Brock wrong in that somebody new bought the Sightron 8x32. ;)
Click to expand...

Frank,

You're back! How was your trip to the Philippines? Did your hosts take you to the famous Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City where the 1975 "Thrilla from Manila" was held?

1,125 posts, and Mark finally buys a Sightron. I guess he needed some convincing it was worth $185.

Here's the only way he will be completely satisfied with the Sightrons. Keep the "S" in Sightron and cover the rest of the letters with green tape and print the letters WAROVSKI and add a Peregrine Falcon logo. Then he wont be able to see any flaws in the bins, guaranteed! ;)

<B>
 
FrankD said:
Look forward to seeing your comments Mark.

Considering your optical preferences I hope it at least makes a little impact on you.

Plus, you just proved Brock wrong in that somebody new bought the Sightron 8x32. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm looking forward to seeing these. $162 shipped is quite the bargain as well. I may give them to my nephew afterwards. We'll see.

He wanted to take his mom birding for Mother's Day last year. She has a good pair of binoculars, his were not so good.

After about half an hour, with her seeing birds left and right, he finally asked her why he couldn't see any of them. Turns out he didn't realize you had to focus the silly things. :eek!:

Brock, I think the main reason I waited so long is because I simply don't need a third 8x32. So I'll probably end up giving them away at some point. I love to create more birders and a decent binocular often does the trick. Once you see warblers, let's say, how can you not like to watch? :t:

Mark
 
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I’ve used the Sightron for close to a week now. I don’t have much new to say about it because it’s all been said before by many other satisfied users, but for what it’s worth I can certainly confirm that the Sightron 8x32 is an excellent little binocular and, here in the states at least, a wild bargain at $162. I’ve been informed that it might cost $380 in Europe and at that price the competition would thicken.

The important thing is that I could go birding with the Sightron for years and not think twice about it. It’s that good. I can easily understand why Frank has used these as his primary binos for so long.

Just some highlights:
--Plenty sharp in the center, maybe a hair less sharp than the 8x32 FL and 8x32 SV, but nothing very noticeable in the real world.
--Absolutely minimal CA. Very, very impressive.
--Great color and contrast as well, although it leans toward yellow/red. On the plus side, the Scarlet Tanagers never looked better. ;)
--Light weight. 17 ounces on the nose (483 gm). It’s exactly the same size as the 8x32 SV but weighs 3.5 ounces less. Nice! The supplied strap isn’t much so I put a simple Op/Tech neoprene strap on it and it’s comfy as can be.
--The focus is solid, smooth, and has absolutely no slack. A very nice feel. On my sample, the focus is stiffer than the FL and SV so on a hunch I put the Sightron in the freezer (first time I ever tried that). Yup, the Sightron got pretty darn stiff, so maybe not first choice for sub-zero outings. Too hot around here to tell really. The focuser warmed up so fast I hardly had a chance to try it while it was frozen. Does anyone know if these focusers break-in/loosen up over time?
--Chasing warblers involves LOTS of focusing and the counterclockwise to infinity focus tripped me up a few times, but I can’t say I missed anything because of it. I figured it out. And the focus just “snaps.” Never a hint of hunting around for it. Very nice.
--Personally I like the ergonomics. The odd bumps and ridges aren’t really noticeable in use. It’s a bit ugly, but the FL is no beauty queen either. ;)
--The Sightron is not quite as bright as the other two but the difference isn’t dramatic—for my eyes anyway. I noticed the difference while looking at White-crowned Sparrows under a bush in the rain. The FL and SV pulled a bit more detail from the gloom. In better light you’d never see a difference I don’t think.
--The field of view is narrower than the others, but FOV has never been tops on my list of priorities. YMMV.
--The rainguard isn’t very good, too loose, but there are other options. The case is minimal—which I actually like although others evidently do not.

So nothing new here. Just another satisfied Sightron user. What a sweet little binocular. :t:

Mark
 
I posted a little comment on other thread about my clon of the Sightrons,the Kenko Ultraview EX 8x32 OP DH.Also a wild bargain ,bought it about a year ago on the USA for 160 $ or so..It is my only binocular right now,and im happy with them too..The 7.5 degrees FOV is not narrow by any means,others have wider views,but paying a price,either monetary or visual( amounts of edge distorsion,eye relief etc..)..good glasses use the 7.5 degrees fov,..start with the nikon SE 8x( but i leave that one aside of any comparison ),and then the Pentax SP and ED 8x32 models...actually the view on the Kenkos fall to my view between those two models,better than the SP regarding CA and probably a tad sharper, but not as clean/neutral a view as the Pentax ED,probably smaller Sweet spot,but pretty close in center sharpness...the Kenko is Very utilitarian,but well made..Great contrast and good glare control too.Ergos are also very nice..barrels are slightly tear shaped,with a rounded,but a bit squared ridge edge on the top outer edge,similar to top zeiss HT ,that really fits well the hand..the CCW focuser is now asimilated by my brain,no issue,plus you can focus them with your thumb from underneath amd fool yourself to think that you are rotating the wheel to the left for near focus..it works until you get used to it...
Eye relief is right there to use with my LARGE vintage wayfarer type glasses,and even if i loose a tad of field stop,i have measured and the same fov can be seen with or without glasses( my rimless frames allowed to get more eye relief,but need to change the prescription on those yet)...ONE THing about the Kenkos...my pair got a dot of condensation inside one barrel after a couple months of use..tiny and undetectable in the view,but a bit worryng...it went away and has not returned,but is the main flaw i can mention and only concern.My theory is that the objective is a doublet,..they put it together ,some air gets trapped,THEN ,they purge the binos with gas,but that tiny amount of air might have been susceptible of condensation.just a theory,but I have read at least another report on the Sightrons fogging .This said,if I needed to replace this pair I would not hessitate to buy another pair
 
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Nice comments Mark (and Mayoayo).

I appreciate the fact that someone had the chance to compare the Sightron with the FL and SV under real world conditions.

It doesn't hurt that we are in the same state and you were doing the same thing I was over the last week or so. ;)
 
FrankD said:
Nice comments Mark (and Mayoayo).

I appreciate the fact that someone had the chance to compare the Sightron with the FL and SV under real world conditions.

It doesn't hurt that we are in the same state and you were doing the same thing I was over the last week or so. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, it's been a nice week here in PA for the birds! Just loads of year birds. I always remember the "best views ever" for each bird and this year three warblers made the list, all with the Sightron. :t:

I should amend my assessment of CA, perhaps. It's a little more than "minimal" under certain conditions. Not a big deal though.

Frank, long overdue thanks to you for discovering this gem of an all-rounder.

Mark
 
I would bet against it being a Sightron clone. I think Ceasar is on the right track. Kruger is s known OEM for REI optics. Having said that I would bet it is the equal of the Sightron.
 

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