mfunnell
Registered Confuser
I've been thinking about sample variation - of both binoculars and binocular users.
What prompted me was thinking about my Zeiss Terra ED 8x42 bins - a model that is sometimes liked, quite often criticised and seldom really loved around here. Yet I really, really, like mine. Love 'em? Maybe not. But it's close, since they seem to suit me so well. And it is quite OK that my opinion differs from the collective view - I don't think "I'm right and they're wrong". Not at all.
It is quite possible that my Terras are particularly good sample. But even that doesn't seem to account for my assessment being at such a variance from the collective view: that doesn't seem so for other binoculars. While variation in preference and opinion is to be expected, what I see seems to be reasonably close to that reported by others for models of binocular I do have (Nikon 8x30 EII, Sightron SII Blue Sky, Pentax 6.5x21 Papillo II and so on).
My guess is that somehow the quirks, faults and foibles of these particular binoculars happen to match my foibles, faults and quirks especially well. There are a great many things I like about them (especially bold colours and flare resistance), their faults (loss of sharpness and CA in the outer zones, among others) don't bother me much and I generally just like looking through them. Are they the best 8x42s around? Surely not. But they suit me particularly well.
I don't know for sure if that applies to all Terra ED 8x42s, or just my sample, but I have briefly tried others (in store only) and haven't found noticeable differences from my personal copy.
Would I recommend them to others? Of course, but with big caveats that they might not suit someone else nearly as well as they suit me. I know that I'm still looking for an 8x32 that suits me as well, and have looked through (and own) some very nice 8x30-something binoculars. But I still haven't found "the one". If I do, it will be "the one" for me - but not necessarily anybody else. In fact, I’m pretty sure that sample variation between binocular users is a lot larger than variations between samples of a particular binocular model.
...Mike
P.S. I have the 8x30 Nikon EII, which I dearly love for its views, but which doesn't match what I mostly want 8x30ish bins for, since it isn't easy to pack away in a compact space, nor does it seem quite robust enough. I probably have found an 8x32 that suits me really well, but I don't think I want to have. Because those Victory 8x32 FLs aren't cheap. Tempting, but not cheap.
What prompted me was thinking about my Zeiss Terra ED 8x42 bins - a model that is sometimes liked, quite often criticised and seldom really loved around here. Yet I really, really, like mine. Love 'em? Maybe not. But it's close, since they seem to suit me so well. And it is quite OK that my opinion differs from the collective view - I don't think "I'm right and they're wrong". Not at all.
It is quite possible that my Terras are particularly good sample. But even that doesn't seem to account for my assessment being at such a variance from the collective view: that doesn't seem so for other binoculars. While variation in preference and opinion is to be expected, what I see seems to be reasonably close to that reported by others for models of binocular I do have (Nikon 8x30 EII, Sightron SII Blue Sky, Pentax 6.5x21 Papillo II and so on).
My guess is that somehow the quirks, faults and foibles of these particular binoculars happen to match my foibles, faults and quirks especially well. There are a great many things I like about them (especially bold colours and flare resistance), their faults (loss of sharpness and CA in the outer zones, among others) don't bother me much and I generally just like looking through them. Are they the best 8x42s around? Surely not. But they suit me particularly well.
I don't know for sure if that applies to all Terra ED 8x42s, or just my sample, but I have briefly tried others (in store only) and haven't found noticeable differences from my personal copy.
Would I recommend them to others? Of course, but with big caveats that they might not suit someone else nearly as well as they suit me. I know that I'm still looking for an 8x32 that suits me as well, and have looked through (and own) some very nice 8x30-something binoculars. But I still haven't found "the one". If I do, it will be "the one" for me - but not necessarily anybody else. In fact, I’m pretty sure that sample variation between binocular users is a lot larger than variations between samples of a particular binocular model.
...Mike
P.S. I have the 8x30 Nikon EII, which I dearly love for its views, but which doesn't match what I mostly want 8x30ish bins for, since it isn't easy to pack away in a compact space, nor does it seem quite robust enough. I probably have found an 8x32 that suits me really well, but I don't think I want to have. Because those Victory 8x32 FLs aren't cheap. Tempting, but not cheap.
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