Dear all!
One thing that surprises me with this excellent forum is the little amount of discussions about the need of a large exit pupil. This is always pointed out in theory and advertisments.
I am to buy a pair of good binos and have looked through binoculars mainly in shops and on photo exhibitions, that is, in good light and, of course, at a steady ground and with no wind. I have looked mainly at 8x30 and 8x42 binoculars from Zeiss, Swarovski and also Leica. Everything looks good in those conditions due to the forgiving conditions where the pupils of the eye are small.
What are your thoughts on this matter when using binoculars in practice, especially at dawn and dusk? I exclude usage in a boot at sea and in strong winds where it is difficult to hold the binoculars steady. I am mainly talking about "good" viewing conditions when you can place and keep the eye in a good position relative to the eye pieces of the binoculars.
To clarify what I mean, I have read some posts about the Nikon SE-s (with 4 mm exit pupil) where several people concluded that they in low light can see as much with a pair of SE-s as with a pair of top notch 8x40/8x42/8.5x42 binoculars (with around 25 % larger exit pupil which equals about 50 % more light transmission). Most comments are about differencies in physical appearance between the porros and the roof binos, but very few seem to care about the differencies in exit pupil.
According to several sources, the pupil in the human eye dilates to a maximum of about 6 mm in diameter in low light for "younger" persons (perhaps under 30), while for people over 50, the dilation tends to stop at around 4 mm.
I have come to think that people over 50 may not care about if they look through a pair of 8x32-s or a pair of 8x42-s in terms of exit pupil. Perhaps those who are now selling their 7x42-s to buy e.g. 8x42-s or 8x32-s instead have become older and no longer really need more than 4-5 mm in exit pupil?
One conclusion is then that the Nikon SE binos are better suited for those over about 40 and to a lesser degree for me (who is 34) if the intention is to find binos for low light usage.
Any thought on this? Is there anyone with deeper insights in human vision who might share their expertise?
One thing that surprises me with this excellent forum is the little amount of discussions about the need of a large exit pupil. This is always pointed out in theory and advertisments.
I am to buy a pair of good binos and have looked through binoculars mainly in shops and on photo exhibitions, that is, in good light and, of course, at a steady ground and with no wind. I have looked mainly at 8x30 and 8x42 binoculars from Zeiss, Swarovski and also Leica. Everything looks good in those conditions due to the forgiving conditions where the pupils of the eye are small.
What are your thoughts on this matter when using binoculars in practice, especially at dawn and dusk? I exclude usage in a boot at sea and in strong winds where it is difficult to hold the binoculars steady. I am mainly talking about "good" viewing conditions when you can place and keep the eye in a good position relative to the eye pieces of the binoculars.
To clarify what I mean, I have read some posts about the Nikon SE-s (with 4 mm exit pupil) where several people concluded that they in low light can see as much with a pair of SE-s as with a pair of top notch 8x40/8x42/8.5x42 binoculars (with around 25 % larger exit pupil which equals about 50 % more light transmission). Most comments are about differencies in physical appearance between the porros and the roof binos, but very few seem to care about the differencies in exit pupil.
According to several sources, the pupil in the human eye dilates to a maximum of about 6 mm in diameter in low light for "younger" persons (perhaps under 30), while for people over 50, the dilation tends to stop at around 4 mm.
I have come to think that people over 50 may not care about if they look through a pair of 8x32-s or a pair of 8x42-s in terms of exit pupil. Perhaps those who are now selling their 7x42-s to buy e.g. 8x42-s or 8x32-s instead have become older and no longer really need more than 4-5 mm in exit pupil?
One conclusion is then that the Nikon SE binos are better suited for those over about 40 and to a lesser degree for me (who is 34) if the intention is to find binos for low light usage.
Any thought on this? Is there anyone with deeper insights in human vision who might share their expertise?