bausch & lomb Elite 8x42 - your opinion.. (1 Viewer)

hello,

Would appreciate if you gave your opinion about the bausch & lomb Elite 8x42 (62 0842)

Have read good reviews about the Elite 8x42. Some users have not liked the quick focus of this pair, which the user felt gave an impression of shallow depth of field. Am told that the 8x Elite performs well in contrasty light conditions.

waterproof, roof prism, fov 365', eye relief - 19.5mm, min focus - 6 feet, 822 grams/ 29 oz. bak 4 prism, fully multi coated, rainguard coating.

sat

I've used the 62 0842 (and have compared it to the 61 0842, which I used extensively for several years and still own. As far as I can tell the only difference between these models is the eye-cup design, and that early model 61 0842 lacked rainguard). They are certainly a very capable binocular, no doubt about that, but they aren't one of my favorites EXCEPT that they are outstanding for combination birding/butterflying owing to the close focus (mine focus down to just under 5 feet). Here is a long string of mostly gripes:

The extreme thumb groves/ridges design forces a limited range of holding positions, so try before you buy. I got used to using the very fast ratio focus, but I never grew to like it. They have an admirably flat field, but unfortunately, astigmatism outside the centerfield is higher than what I see in most other premium roofs, so the apparent sweet spot isn't especially large. The color rendition is also too orange/warm for my tastes. The newer models from Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski that utilize dielectric mirror coatings are noticably brighter, but by itself I don't consider the difference very important. I'm especially careful with my optics so I haven't had troubles myself, but I know a number of other birders who used these and there is agreement that the coatings are more scratch prone than others. In direct comparison to newer generation binos, the image seems less contrasty--it is a bit lifeless and lacks snap; fine textural details are harder to make out for some reason, probably a combination of all the above. I realize the last comparison is very vaguely described, but every time I've compared my or my friends' Elite to a Swarovski 8.5x EL or Leica 8x42 Ultravid I've been immediately struck by the difference in overall image quality (this is the primary reason I no longer choose to use them). The Elites have excellent eye-relief, no problems with glare, and are compact for an 8x42 of their era (same size as 8x42 Ultravid). Design/build is solid but not as refined as Swarovski, Leica, older Zeiss.

So I guess I'll say, again, they are a very very capable bino. If you can get them used at a good price (<$300??), they'd be worthy of consideration as a much cheaper and in most cases better alternative to today's ~$500-700 8x42 roof-prism choices. I got mine new for $740 in 1997.
--AP

Thank you Alexis, excellent & helpfull post. Much appreciated.

The 8x42 elite were reviewed by Better View Desired, at that time they were their reference standard - http://www.betterviewdesired.com/Elite.html

There was a used elite 8x42 on sale for $ 425.

sat

Yes, I remember the BVD review well--I was a subscriber to BVD back when it was a paper newsletter. Steve Ingraham's review of the B&L Elite was very positive. What he failed to point out in the discussion of the optics is the presence of so much astigmatism. His description of the optics might lead to the impression that the B&L Elite has better edge-to-edge sharpness than other top binos. That is certainly NOT the case, as you will see from just about every other critical published review of the model. I've generally enjoyed Steve's reviews, but to this day I cannot understand his review of the B&L Elite or how it displaced the Zeiss 7x42 Classic as his reference standard.
--AP

Alexis Powell said:

Yes, I remember the BVD review well--I was a subscriber to BVD back when it was a paper newsletter. Steve Ingraham's review of the B&L Elite was very positive. What he failed to point out in the discussion of the optics is the presence of so much astigmatism. His description of the optics might lead to the impression that the B&L Elite has better edge-to-edge sharpness than other top binos. That is certainly NOT the case, as you will see from just about every other critical published review of the model. I've generally enjoyed Steve's reviews, but to this day I cannot understand his review of the B&L Elite or how it displaced the Zeiss 7x42 Classic as his reference standard.
--AP

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I wonder if there were significant sample to sample differences as my Elite, purchased at about the same time as yours (and for just about the same amount of money), has not suffered from noticeable astigmatism and has been in many ways a first class optical instrument, and light years better than the Bushnell Elite replacement (although I admit that might be seen as damning with faint praise). I have actually gotten used to the quirky grip points and the ultra quick focus although my Elite suffers from some focus backlash which is disappointing. I also wish the field of view was wider (felt the same way about the Nikon 8 x 42 HG, but the Elite seems more restrictive). My sample is extremely sharp and crisp with superb color rendition and is adequately bright. In my view, a similar example would be a true bargain at today's eBay prices if found in good condition. I do agree with you, however, that Steve must have been really down on 7x glasses to rate the Elite higher than the Zeiss 7 x 42 ClassiC. The 7 x 42 ClassiC truly is an optical marvel.

chartwell99 said:

I wonder if there were significant sample to sample differences as my Elite, purchased at about the same time as yours has not suffered from noticeable astigmatism and has been in many ways a first class optical instrument...

Click to expand...

Oh yes, there were significant unit to unit differences. The unit I currently own is actually about a year younger than the one I originally purchased. That one, which I got mail-order and should have been aggressive about returning to the vendor but wasn't, was a lemon--TINY sweet spot in both barrels, poor contrast, flare-prone, and even more orangey color rendition. I took it to the B&L headquarters where they tested it and proclaimed it at the low end of what they considered acceptable. After further discussion, they gave me my choice of several new units which I tested in their yard and picked my favorite. The difference in contrast between my lemon and the new units were like night and day! This Elite is indeed a fine binocular, and was quite competitive with the top roofs of the time, so don't let my quibbles in my earlier post (which describe my better unit, not the lemon) convince you otherwise. One design diffference I noted: the metal retaining ring for the objectives was gloss black and untextured on my original pair but is matte black and has rings/ridges on the newer pair.

As for the astigmatism--I've looked through 30+ of this model and they all have it. Rake the focus back and forth while viewing something at the edge of the field with strong vertical and horizontal lines (like window screen or some types of tree bark) and you should see the vertical and horizontal features alternately appear and disappear.
--AP