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Low(ish) cost roofs to match my Opticron HR WP 8x42 porros? (1 Viewer)

M

mulligatawny owl

Well-known member
Hi there, Ive found this forum very helpful in choosing binoculars for myself ( HR WP 8x42's) but I'm now looking for ( preferably) some roof prisms with a nice wide field of view and good close up ability for my partner that will match or come very close to the optical quality of the HRWP's.

I've just bought and returned some opticron Verano 8x 32's, these cost me quite a lot more than the HRWP's but to my surprise they were quite frankly rubbish in comparison. For a start they didn't work great with glasses on ( we both wear glasses) but more importantly they were far far less sharp, shockingly so in fact.

In fact I'm amazed each time I put the HRWP's to my eyes, the view is just pristine, stunningly sharp. I can pick out the smallest details at a great distance with them and also hold them dead steady as they are so comfortable.They are like a razor or a lazer beam dissecting and penetrating the view, just exquisite. The Verano's were like a child's toy in comparison, even in bright sunlight.

Soo, do I just buy another pair of HRWP's (or similar porros?) or are there any low to mid price roofs that are comparable? Im guessing from my research Hawke frontier ED's ( or zen ray's, but I cant get them in the UK) and Im not sure how these would be with glasses? All suggestions welcome :)
Many thanks.
 
I think you have a dilemma. I found the HRWP to be excellent, (but might have wished for a wider field of view). When I tried the x42 Opticrons I thought the Verano was the sharpest of the mid-priced, but for me lacked the contrast I like. The Hawke Frontier ED would be the most obvious alternative, with very low CA and bigger sweet spot if I remember correctly, but again for me lacked the contrast I prefer. (There are plenty here that would disagree with that comment) The Bushnell Legend Ultra HD I found similar as well.

Of course the x42s might be quite different to the x32s and more to your taste, so I suggest checking those out first. Otherwise my suggestion would be stick with the porros or revise the budget quite a bit.

David
 
Many thanks for your advice :) I think you could be right about sticking with porros although I think I will try out the frontier ED's.
I would like something with a bit of a wider view though, the HRWP is a bit narrow, but in use I find them so satisfying its not a problem. I guess I'm just looking for something a bit different but equally as good rather than just getting another pair of HRWP's.

Its strange with the HRWP, I bought them without trying and was a bit underwhelmed at first probably due to the narrowish view and lack of roof type wow factor close up, but once out in the field they are just phenomenal.
£350.00 or so is about my limit I'd say.
 
mulligatawny owl said:
Many thanks for your advice :) I think you could be right about sticking with porros although I think I will try out the frontier ED's.
I would like something with a bit of a wider view though, the HRWP is a bit narrow, but in use I find them so satisfying its not a problem. I guess I'm just looking for something a bit different but equally as good rather than just getting another pair of HRWP's.

Its strange with the HRWP, I bought them without trying and was a bit underwhelmed at first probably due to the narrowish view and lack of roof type wow factor close up, but once out in the field they are just phenomenal.
£350.00 or so is about my limit I'd say.
Click to expand...

In that price range you could try the Nikon Monarchs 8x42. They are my favorite low end roof. It is very hard to match a porro in that price range. You probably need a Zeiss FL and they are way over your budget. There is a Nikon 8x32 EDG on Astromart for $850.00 US. That might match your porro.
 
Thanks denco, i'll give the monarchs a try when I can.
I think I've got a list of sorts:
Hawke frontier ED 8x43
opticron imagic tga wp 8x 32, 7 x 42 or 8x 42 porros
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8 x 42 roof
Nikon monarch 8x42
nikon action ex 7 x 35 or 8 x 40 porros
And some wild cards -
leupold yosemite 6x 30 porro
vortex raptor 6.5 x 32 porro
vortex fury 6.5 x 32 roof.
 
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Got the hawke frontier ED 8 x 42 in the end for the bargain price of £230 :) Have only just recieved them today and briefly tried them out indoors but first impressions are that they are shockingly good, easily a match in sharpness to the HRWP but with a much wider field of view.
Strange how two dealers I spoke to told me that the veranos were equal to or better than the hawkes....er I dont think so!
 
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Owl:

Good luck to you on those, just so the eyecups don't go batty like some have told of.
Otherwise, do try the Nikon Monarch. Dependable, like Dennis mentioned.
 
Owl,

I'm delighted you are happy with the Hawkes. As for your comment on the Verano's I'm not entirely surprised. Sadly I've seen quite a lot of sample variation in some models I've tested recently, the Verano being amongst them. One pair I tried was unusable, another pretty good, up there with the Hawke ED IMO. But then I've seen a mechanically faulty Hawke, and another with a distortion problem in one barrel, (as well as three good ones). There have been other Brands and models with more subtle issues that still shouldn't have passed QC.

Even the top priced models occasionally have issues if you read the threads here, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that there are duds in pairs costing a fraction of the price. My real issue is how some sales staff and company representatives deal with it. Things like vigorous denial there is a problem (or there has ever been a complaint before), or are rude or abusive when you point out an issue, really bug me.

Fortunately there are good guys out there as well, who won't stock some brands or models, or even warn you of high return rates and try their best to provide good service to their customers.

David
 
Maybe I was a little harsh about the veranos, they were very nice ergonmically, weighed very little and were perfectly usuable, just a good deal behind in sharpness compared to HRWP and now the Hawkes, perhaps I did get a dud and other samples would be much better.
Anyway, had a good test out of the hawkes today and I'm mighty impressed, just as sharp as the HRWP if not more so. Still prefer the HRWP overall so far though mainly because of their wonderfully balanced feel, smoother focus and fantastic depth of field, tis nice to have the luxury of choosing between the two :)
 
Just another little update for anyone interested. After a weekend with the Hawke ED's I was back using the HRWP's this morning and once again Im astonished by them, to my eyes they are sharper and more contrasty than the hawkes, the image is just cleaner and more satisfying, the handling and focus is spot on too, the hawkes feel quite clunky in comparison.
I really hope opticron continues to sell this model.
 
At retail price, you'd probably have to be looking at a £400+ roof prism binocular to match the sharpness of the optics in the HR WP. In the Opticron range that moves you above the Verano to the Imagic BGA SE. The Frontier EDs have a full retail price at the same level as the Verano.

And yes, the HR WP will continue for the foreseeable future :)

Cheers, Pete
 
Just a further update for the sake of (highly subjective and rather inexperienced) accuracy and so as not to mislead anyone with my previous posts.

Ive spent much more time with the hawkes and have grown to really like them, Im really appreciating the larger field of view over the HRWP's and now think they are at least equal in sharpness to the HRWP.
Sometimes in a certain light they are just stunning, its hard to believe you can have such a bright and sharp view in a roof of this low cost.

The HRWP seems to be more consistent in its superb image quality though, you can always rely on them no matter what the light conditions, whereas often the hawkes seem to have a rather distracting white curtain around the image, (Ive no idea of the technical term for this or the reason for it)

Anyway I'd now say I like them both equally :) ...and Im also very glad the HRWP will continue to be sold, I think I may buy the 10 x 42 one day :)
 
Ok ....in my enthusiasm for my new purchase I jumped the gun...looks like I'm gonna have to spend a LOT more money to match the view of the HR WP's in a roof.
 
mulligatawny owl said:
Hi there, Ive found this forum very helpful in choosing binoculars for myself ( HR WP 8x42's) but I'm now looking for ( preferably) some roof prisms with a nice wide field of view and good close up ability for my partner that will match or come very close to the optical quality of the HRWP's.

I've just bought and returned some opticron Verano 8x 32's, these cost me quite a lot more than the HRWP's but to my surprise they were quite frankly rubbish in comparison. For a start they didn't work great with glasses on ( we both wear glasses) but more importantly they were far far less sharp, shockingly so in fact.

In fact I'm amazed each time I put the HRWP's to my eyes, the view is just pristine, stunningly sharp. I can pick out the smallest details at a great distance with them and also hold them dead steady as they are so comfortable.They are like a razor or a lazer beam dissecting and penetrating the view, just exquisite. The Verano's were like a child's toy in comparison, even in bright sunlight.

Soo, do I just buy another pair of HRWP's (or similar porros?) or are there any low to mid price roofs that are comparable? Im guessing from my research Hawke frontier ED's ( or zen ray's, but I cant get them in the UK) and Im not sure how these would be with glasses? All suggestions welcome :)
Many thanks.
Click to expand...

If the HR WP 8x42's offer the image your partner is looking for and fit your partners hands then why not just go with another pair?
 
John S. said:
If the HR WP 8x42's offer the image your partner is looking for and fit your partners hands then why not just go with another pair?
Click to expand...

I think you are probably right....though I should admit that I've been using them much more than my partner as I go birdwatching a lot more by myself. She's quite happy with the Hawkes, and they ARE very good. Basically its me being a bit bino obsessive at the moment, guess I'll just have to get saving.
Its just that as good as the Hawkes are they do seem to be afflicted with a vague haze in comparison to the, to my eyes anyway, perfect sharpness of the HRWP.
 
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mulligatawny owl said:
I think you are probably right....though I should admit that I've been using them much more than my partner as I go birdwatching a lot more by myself. She's quite happy with the Hawkes, and they ARE very good. Basically its me being a bit bino obsessive at the moment, guess I'll just have to get saving.
Its just that as good as the Hawkes are they do seem to be afflicted with a vague haze in comparison to the, to my eyes anyway, perfect sharpness of the HRWP.
Click to expand...

If she is happy with the bins in hand then go no further. I've found that if I try to improve something my wife is happy with that the result can introduce new problems!
 
Ok, so I'll definitely keep the Hawkes cos she's happy with them ...but I'm gonna save up for some Nikon SE 8x32's for myself . I think I may indeed have joined the porro cult :) Makes no sense at all to me that porros went out of fashion |:S|
 
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