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Bushnell 8 x 42 Natureview Roof Prism (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Phil Owen
- Start date
Perry Grin
Well-known member
I have owned the 10x42 and was very happy with them. They are surprisingly light and represent excellent value for money IMHO.
tracker
Tom
Hi Phil,
Theres probably not much in it. I find, for walking round, and I suppose carrying alot of photo equipment, the 8x's suit me more. The lower the magnification also gives you a brighter image. I use the 8X36 Nikon Monarchs and although quite small, are very bright and adequate for my requirements. I also got them for a good price; pretty close to what your wanting to spend. The 10's may be fine for you. Where as I try to minimise weight where possible.
Theres probably not much in it. I find, for walking round, and I suppose carrying alot of photo equipment, the 8x's suit me more. The lower the magnification also gives you a brighter image. I use the 8X36 Nikon Monarchs and although quite small, are very bright and adequate for my requirements. I also got them for a good price; pretty close to what your wanting to spend. The 10's may be fine for you. Where as I try to minimise weight where possible.
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richard866945
Bino repair man
Phil, the Natureview range is fine but the Helios Naturesport plus range is virtually identical apart from the 8x has a 40 mm front lens and the price is about half. To the best of my knowledge, they are all made by the same factory and to the same spec. I handle both in my workshop and the parts are inter-changeable. I also sell both so I have no particular axe to grind.
Thamks everyone, just one or twi questions then.
The 8 x 42s will give me a brighter image and I suppose they will have a shorter focus range?????
I am finding that with my 10 x 50s that close up views of birds at a bird table from a hide for example are too close and they cannot focus short distances.
Also, would the 8 x 42s be better in lower light/ cloudy weather etc???
Thanks
Phil
The 8 x 42s will give me a brighter image and I suppose they will have a shorter focus range?????
I am finding that with my 10 x 50s that close up views of birds at a bird table from a hide for example are too close and they cannot focus short distances.
Also, would the 8 x 42s be better in lower light/ cloudy weather etc???
Thanks
Phil
richard866945
Bino repair man
Modern binoculars from the same range e.g. Bushnell Natureview 8x42 and 10x42, tend to have the same or very similar close focusing distance and they will both be much closer than your older 10x50. The 8x42 will be quite a bit brighter first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening but during normal day light, you won't notice the difference. The field of view is also likely to be very similar, perhaps a half of a degree more in the 8x. If you can hold a 10x steady, I would recommend it as the extra detail is worth it.
vkalia
Robin stroker
I have the Natureviews and I have to admit that I find them quite poor in optical performance. They appeared to be quite nice when I had no frame of reference, but now, compared to say Vortex Vipers or Minox BDs, the view from them is dim and lacking critical sharpness. I see a lot more details in the little boids with these other binos.
This leads me to suggest that the Stokes Broadwing or Vortex Fury may be a good buy - not a lot more expensive than the Bushnells, but offering performance that is closer to the Vipers/BDs than the Natureviews.
Vandit
This leads me to suggest that the Stokes Broadwing or Vortex Fury may be a good buy - not a lot more expensive than the Bushnells, but offering performance that is closer to the Vipers/BDs than the Natureviews.
Vandit
Just thought I would bump the thread as I've recently ordered some 8x42's waited for them before chasing to be told they had none left and would be sending out some 10x42's at no extra cost. They seemed to think this was a good deal but the reason for choosing the 8's was for brightness, field of view and ease of viewing items as would be holding by hand. As the message was left on my answer phone I was unable to say no I want a refund but after thinking about it I would like some people to advise if I'm being silly and I'm getting better binos or if my initial thoughts are correct? cheers but I'm new to all this
Perry Grin
Well-known member
Just thought I would bump the thread as I've recently ordered some 8x42's waited for them before chasing to be told they had none left and would be sending out some 10x42's at no extra cost. They seemed to think this was a good deal but the reason for choosing the 8's was for brightness, field of view and ease of viewing items as would be holding by hand. As the message was left on my answer phone I was unable to say no I want a refund but after thinking about it I would like some people to advise if I'm being silly and I'm getting better binos or if my initial thoughts are correct? cheers but I'm new to all this
IMHO you won't really notice any difference in brightness except on really dull days and if you do the vast majority of your birding at dawn and dusk. I use 10x42's and have no problem with field of view (if you look at the figures I don't think that there is a massive difference anyway) or with keeping them steady, but this is very much a personal opinion and you won't know until you try them.
Why not wait until they arrive, try them out and if they aren't working for you, send them back for a refund - after all they are not what you ordered. I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with them though.
Perry
I have the 8x42 natureviews and find them great, especially for the price. Have not tried the 10x42 except when I was deciding which binocular to buy, but I will get a set at some time as the 8's are so good.
I have 8's mainly for the slightly bigger field of view. Concerning brightness the eye opens and closes in response to the light coming in so only in extreme conditiond will you really find 10's dimmer then 8's as the pupil will open or close to compensate.
I have 8's mainly for the slightly bigger field of view. Concerning brightness the eye opens and closes in response to the light coming in so only in extreme conditiond will you really find 10's dimmer then 8's as the pupil will open or close to compensate.
captaincarot
Well-known member
i had a look through some of the 8x42's to day and to be honest i'm rather impressed by them they're a very nice binocular.
captaincarot
Well-known member
really should have added that my look through them was in a wood on an overcast day and i was still seeing plenty of detail, they have a good clear image, and the colours looked very good also.
To Jefflad, no idea where you are getting yours from but I used binoculars.com in the US. They shipped over 2 sets. Paid the shipping and duty and they worked out a fair bit cheaper.
Concerning the post saying that they didn't stand up to others they had tried, Vortex Vipers and Minox BD's, well at the price I suspect they wouldn't. I visited the birdfair last August and tried out quite a few binoculars as possible upgrades, including Vortex. At the end of the day the Natureviews cost me £100, to get anything significantly better, Vortex and Minox included, I was looking at the £600 range.
I could equally say that the Vortex Vipers I tried out didn't rate as good as the Leica's which were £1600.
P.S. One "warning" they have the most awful objective covers that you can imagine.
Concerning the post saying that they didn't stand up to others they had tried, Vortex Vipers and Minox BD's, well at the price I suspect they wouldn't. I visited the birdfair last August and tried out quite a few binoculars as possible upgrades, including Vortex. At the end of the day the Natureviews cost me £100, to get anything significantly better, Vortex and Minox included, I was looking at the £600 range.
I could equally say that the Vortex Vipers I tried out didn't rate as good as the Leica's which were £1600.
P.S. One "warning" they have the most awful objective covers that you can imagine.
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