As I have discussed elsewhere in the forums, I ordered 4 pairs of bins for my Dad to evaluate on a recent visit. He was looking to replace a pair of Swift 8.5x44 Audubons that he lost. Being an occasional birder, and having more sense, he is much more frugal about optics than I am. Also, I get asked for bin recommendations from beginning and occasional birders. Since these folks usually aren’t nuts enough to spend $500, $1,000 or $1,500 on bins, I wanted to get more familiar some under $300. The bins I looked at are:
Nikon Sporter 8x36 - $169
Bushnell Legend 8x32 - $229
Celestron Noble 8x32 -$249
Celestron Noble 8x42 -$269
All of these are roofprisms, which I greatly prefer over porroprisms for ergonomic reasons. I did try to get a Nikon 8x30EII porro, since its had good reviews, but Eagle Optics didn’t have them in stock.
All came with a soft case and the cloth neckstrap that you would expect for bins in this price range. I would probably order a neoprene strap for each, although I might skip it for the 19oz Celestron 8x32s. Both Celestrons came with decent ocular rainguards, identical to the ones that come with EO Rangers. All had the typical, plain objective caps that tend to fall off easily. The specs given are from the manufacturer’s info, I didn’t specifically check them, but during my handling I didn’t find any reason to question them.
Center field resolution is my primary optical concern. Edge sharpness is not of great importance to me. I will admit bins that have full field sharpness do seem to have a more pleasing view. I also find that ergonomics is becoming ever more important to me. Focus wheel turns were in the range of 1.25 to 1.50.
I tried to find CA with these bins mainly viewing distant tree leaves against overcast skies. I didn’t see any. For some reason I do not find CA as easily as some otheres do. I think I did find it once in a Zeiss Classic 10x40. I do see it severely (yellow) when looking offcenter in my eyeglasses.
Flare evaluation is something I’ve not yet been able to get a handle on. Sometimes I don’t get it even when viewing at a very acute angle with the Sun. Sometimes I get it just from a bright patch of sky while in a forest. I never really noticed it at all on my Leica 8x32BAs. It’s godawful in my Nikon Diplomat 8x23s. Its at times unsettling noticeable in my Leica Ultravid 8x42s. The 4 bins here didn’t appear to be much different than my Ultravids.
My evaluation was done with a “dollar bill across the dimly lit kitchen test”, as well as some shady backyard viewing during late afternoon - early evening. I also took my Dad out for a day of birding and bin review. After some early viewing with all 4, he latched onto the Celestron 8x42s for the rest of the day. He later decided to buy them.
IMO all of these bins are definitely worth their respective prices.
Nikon Sporter 8x36 $169
FOV= 366ft, CF= 9.8ft, ER= 20.55mm, Wt= 25.3oz, HxW= 5.7in x 5.0in, WaterRESISTANT
Made in China
The Sporters were the heaviest (25oz) and the armor was the least impressive; being the slickest and least durable. In fact, with probably the least handling of the 4 bins, the eyecups were pretty scuffed up and a couple tiny divots were taken out of the body armor. I figured they weren't returnable, so for now I'm keeping them as my car bin, unless I find somebody that will buy them. So beware! If you order a pair for demoing, put on your kid gloves! The Noble 8x42s got the most use and didn't show any marks. The Legends didn't either.
The rainguard was crappy, being of very stiff plastic. Eyecups are very similar to the Celestrons, but seem flimsier. The focus wheel was very stiff, but also the smoothest of the 4 bins. It did loosen up a bit after some use.
The eye relief is so great that when the cups are fully retracted I got severe blackout. Twisting out the cups about 6-8mms did the trick. I'll have to make this permanent using some rubberbands. The 8x42 Nobles had the same problem, but not as severe.
For $169, the 8x36 Sporter is a nice roof prism bin. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Sporter to any frugal beginner birder seeking to get a decent bin. The Nikons overall had the most "pleasing" view. This is based on my perception that they were the warmest and had the most eye filling image. (The 8x42 Nobles in particular had a bit of "looking through a telescope" effect.) They also appeared to have the least amount of sharpness falloff as you move from the center to the edge. HOWEVER,...the Nikons were also the dimmest and least sharp of the 4.
They are not water/fogproof like the others.
Bushnell Legend 8x32 $229
FOV= 396ft, CF= 4ft, ER= 16mm, Wt= 23.8oz, HxW= 5.1in x 5.0in, Waterproof, Limited Lifetime Warranty, Made in Japan.
Does not have an ocular cover, just caps. The eyecups appear to be the most durable of the 4 bins. The armor was the heaviest also. Phasecoated prisms. This is the very first bin ever where I noticed the fall off of sharpness towards the edges during casual use. However there is still plenty of usable viewing area. Focus smooth, somewhat stiff, but not as stiff as Sporter. Noticeably brighter and sharper than the Sporter. Just a touch sharper than the Celestron 8x32. The Legends had the coldest, or bluest, image
The Legends are indeed phase-coated and have the “Rainguard” antifog coating. I chilled them in my refrigerator alongside my Leicas, then took them out. While the Bushnells did fog up, compared to the Leicas they took longer to do so, did not fog up as nearly as bad, and were quicker to clear up. They also had a usable image while they were fogged.
Celestron Noble 8x32 $249
FOV= 393ft, CF= 5ft, ER= 20mm, Wt= 19oz, HxW= 4.9in x 4.8in, Waterproof, No-Fault Warranty, Made in China.
Both Celestron Nobles are very similar to the Eagle Optics Ranger Platinums that have been mentioned on BF. They also look similar to the Alpen Apex roofs that are available in the US. The specs are either identical or very close between these brands, and there are probably some others out there that are similar.
Focus was smooth and very loose, perhaps too loose. Very lightweight. Brighter and sharper than the Sporter. Just a touch less sharp than the Legends. Both Celestrons were the closest to having a neutral color, although they may be a tad on the blue side.
Celestron Noble 8x42 $269
FOV= 341ft, CF= 8ft, ER= 20mm, Wt= 23oz, HxW= 5.75in x 5.1in, Waterproof, No-Fault Warranty, Made in China.
These were easily the sharpest and brightest of the 4 bins. The center resolution of is very close to that of my Leica Ultravid 8x42.
The focus wheel was easy and smooth, almost perfect (for me). However, there is something I find appealing about the silkiness of the Nikon movement.
I wondered if the Noble 8x42s were phasecoated. I've seen ads that say they are, but other ads and Celestron’s website say multicoated only. There was a sticker on the box that said "Now with phase coated and fully multi-coated optics." I later emailed Celestron’s tech staff, they replied a couple days later that the first Nobles were phasecoated, then they weren’t, now recently, they are again. The serial number on this pair was 000126, which seems pretty low.
A nice, inexpensive, lightweight and compact full size roofprism bin.
Nikon Sporter 8x36 - $169
Bushnell Legend 8x32 - $229
Celestron Noble 8x32 -$249
Celestron Noble 8x42 -$269
All of these are roofprisms, which I greatly prefer over porroprisms for ergonomic reasons. I did try to get a Nikon 8x30EII porro, since its had good reviews, but Eagle Optics didn’t have them in stock.
All came with a soft case and the cloth neckstrap that you would expect for bins in this price range. I would probably order a neoprene strap for each, although I might skip it for the 19oz Celestron 8x32s. Both Celestrons came with decent ocular rainguards, identical to the ones that come with EO Rangers. All had the typical, plain objective caps that tend to fall off easily. The specs given are from the manufacturer’s info, I didn’t specifically check them, but during my handling I didn’t find any reason to question them.
Center field resolution is my primary optical concern. Edge sharpness is not of great importance to me. I will admit bins that have full field sharpness do seem to have a more pleasing view. I also find that ergonomics is becoming ever more important to me. Focus wheel turns were in the range of 1.25 to 1.50.
I tried to find CA with these bins mainly viewing distant tree leaves against overcast skies. I didn’t see any. For some reason I do not find CA as easily as some otheres do. I think I did find it once in a Zeiss Classic 10x40. I do see it severely (yellow) when looking offcenter in my eyeglasses.
Flare evaluation is something I’ve not yet been able to get a handle on. Sometimes I don’t get it even when viewing at a very acute angle with the Sun. Sometimes I get it just from a bright patch of sky while in a forest. I never really noticed it at all on my Leica 8x32BAs. It’s godawful in my Nikon Diplomat 8x23s. Its at times unsettling noticeable in my Leica Ultravid 8x42s. The 4 bins here didn’t appear to be much different than my Ultravids.
My evaluation was done with a “dollar bill across the dimly lit kitchen test”, as well as some shady backyard viewing during late afternoon - early evening. I also took my Dad out for a day of birding and bin review. After some early viewing with all 4, he latched onto the Celestron 8x42s for the rest of the day. He later decided to buy them.
IMO all of these bins are definitely worth their respective prices.
Nikon Sporter 8x36 $169
FOV= 366ft, CF= 9.8ft, ER= 20.55mm, Wt= 25.3oz, HxW= 5.7in x 5.0in, WaterRESISTANT
Made in China
The Sporters were the heaviest (25oz) and the armor was the least impressive; being the slickest and least durable. In fact, with probably the least handling of the 4 bins, the eyecups were pretty scuffed up and a couple tiny divots were taken out of the body armor. I figured they weren't returnable, so for now I'm keeping them as my car bin, unless I find somebody that will buy them. So beware! If you order a pair for demoing, put on your kid gloves! The Noble 8x42s got the most use and didn't show any marks. The Legends didn't either.
The rainguard was crappy, being of very stiff plastic. Eyecups are very similar to the Celestrons, but seem flimsier. The focus wheel was very stiff, but also the smoothest of the 4 bins. It did loosen up a bit after some use.
The eye relief is so great that when the cups are fully retracted I got severe blackout. Twisting out the cups about 6-8mms did the trick. I'll have to make this permanent using some rubberbands. The 8x42 Nobles had the same problem, but not as severe.
For $169, the 8x36 Sporter is a nice roof prism bin. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Sporter to any frugal beginner birder seeking to get a decent bin. The Nikons overall had the most "pleasing" view. This is based on my perception that they were the warmest and had the most eye filling image. (The 8x42 Nobles in particular had a bit of "looking through a telescope" effect.) They also appeared to have the least amount of sharpness falloff as you move from the center to the edge. HOWEVER,...the Nikons were also the dimmest and least sharp of the 4.
They are not water/fogproof like the others.
Bushnell Legend 8x32 $229
FOV= 396ft, CF= 4ft, ER= 16mm, Wt= 23.8oz, HxW= 5.1in x 5.0in, Waterproof, Limited Lifetime Warranty, Made in Japan.
Does not have an ocular cover, just caps. The eyecups appear to be the most durable of the 4 bins. The armor was the heaviest also. Phasecoated prisms. This is the very first bin ever where I noticed the fall off of sharpness towards the edges during casual use. However there is still plenty of usable viewing area. Focus smooth, somewhat stiff, but not as stiff as Sporter. Noticeably brighter and sharper than the Sporter. Just a touch sharper than the Celestron 8x32. The Legends had the coldest, or bluest, image
The Legends are indeed phase-coated and have the “Rainguard” antifog coating. I chilled them in my refrigerator alongside my Leicas, then took them out. While the Bushnells did fog up, compared to the Leicas they took longer to do so, did not fog up as nearly as bad, and were quicker to clear up. They also had a usable image while they were fogged.
Celestron Noble 8x32 $249
FOV= 393ft, CF= 5ft, ER= 20mm, Wt= 19oz, HxW= 4.9in x 4.8in, Waterproof, No-Fault Warranty, Made in China.
Both Celestron Nobles are very similar to the Eagle Optics Ranger Platinums that have been mentioned on BF. They also look similar to the Alpen Apex roofs that are available in the US. The specs are either identical or very close between these brands, and there are probably some others out there that are similar.
Focus was smooth and very loose, perhaps too loose. Very lightweight. Brighter and sharper than the Sporter. Just a touch less sharp than the Legends. Both Celestrons were the closest to having a neutral color, although they may be a tad on the blue side.
Celestron Noble 8x42 $269
FOV= 341ft, CF= 8ft, ER= 20mm, Wt= 23oz, HxW= 5.75in x 5.1in, Waterproof, No-Fault Warranty, Made in China.
These were easily the sharpest and brightest of the 4 bins. The center resolution of is very close to that of my Leica Ultravid 8x42.
The focus wheel was easy and smooth, almost perfect (for me). However, there is something I find appealing about the silkiness of the Nikon movement.
I wondered if the Noble 8x42s were phasecoated. I've seen ads that say they are, but other ads and Celestron’s website say multicoated only. There was a sticker on the box that said "Now with phase coated and fully multi-coated optics." I later emailed Celestron’s tech staff, they replied a couple days later that the first Nobles were phasecoated, then they weren’t, now recently, they are again. The serial number on this pair was 000126, which seems pretty low.
A nice, inexpensive, lightweight and compact full size roofprism bin.
