Good afternoon all,
I plan to purchase a set of binoculars for general outdoor use (hiking included) and a bit of hunting. I've done quite a bit of reading here on the forums over the last week or so, and would like to ask a question or two prior to purchasing. I'm primarily looking at the $100-150 price range, though I could spend more ($200-300) if need be. That said, if I don't have to spend the money, I'd rather not.
The consensus seems to be that porro binoculars will provide a superior viewing experience at a given price range. The Yosemite, Kowa YF, and others have been mentioned as good budget contenders that perform well above their cost. I've also read good things about some of the budget roofs, like the Atlas Radian, ZR Vista, and so on.
As for the questions...
1) With respect to durability, just how difficult is it to knock a porro binocular out of alignment? As mentioned, I plan to do a bit of hiking, so light weight and durability are certainly a consideration. (It would be fantastic to have something that could stand up to light jogging, for example.) Is this a death wish with porros? Or are the aforementioned examples up to such duty? I don't abuse my gear, but I'd like to avoid something that is so fragile that a brief jog might result in porros becoming uncollimated.
2) With respect to optical performance... It seems that budget roofs have come a long way in the last few years, with much of the technology trickling down to binoculars like the Vista. At the $100-150 price point, are phase corrected roofs like the Radian and Vista significantly worse than porros? Or has the performance gap closed such that the optical differences can be neglected, and the nod might go to the roofs with respect to overall package?
Thank you for the advice and suggestions! As a additional note, I do not wear glasses.
I plan to purchase a set of binoculars for general outdoor use (hiking included) and a bit of hunting. I've done quite a bit of reading here on the forums over the last week or so, and would like to ask a question or two prior to purchasing. I'm primarily looking at the $100-150 price range, though I could spend more ($200-300) if need be. That said, if I don't have to spend the money, I'd rather not.
The consensus seems to be that porro binoculars will provide a superior viewing experience at a given price range. The Yosemite, Kowa YF, and others have been mentioned as good budget contenders that perform well above their cost. I've also read good things about some of the budget roofs, like the Atlas Radian, ZR Vista, and so on.
As for the questions...
1) With respect to durability, just how difficult is it to knock a porro binocular out of alignment? As mentioned, I plan to do a bit of hiking, so light weight and durability are certainly a consideration. (It would be fantastic to have something that could stand up to light jogging, for example.) Is this a death wish with porros? Or are the aforementioned examples up to such duty? I don't abuse my gear, but I'd like to avoid something that is so fragile that a brief jog might result in porros becoming uncollimated.
2) With respect to optical performance... It seems that budget roofs have come a long way in the last few years, with much of the technology trickling down to binoculars like the Vista. At the $100-150 price point, are phase corrected roofs like the Radian and Vista significantly worse than porros? Or has the performance gap closed such that the optical differences can be neglected, and the nod might go to the roofs with respect to overall package?
Thank you for the advice and suggestions! As a additional note, I do not wear glasses.