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Super sharp centre, poor edges. (1 Viewer)

I have worked out what I like about the Bushnell Legend 8x42 porros.

I have always liked them, even compared to my SLC Neu 7x42s which cost so much more. There are days when I prefer the Legends to the SLCs.

The reason is that they are really really sharp in the centre. They are super sharp. But only for about the centre 40% of the fov. I can forgive the deterioration of the image towards the edge because the centre makes up for it. Also I lose the very edge of the fov where the deterioration is biggest because i wear glasses and the e/r cuts the edge off.

This has raised some questions for me though:

Is it a rule of optics physics that you lose a bit of resolution on the centre if you try to imrove the quality edge to edge?

Are there other bins that people like because they are super sharp in the centre even though they are poor at the edge? (ZR 7x36? It comes to mind although I haven't tried it).
I ask because the Legend porros focus really stiffens in the cold so I would like some 8ishx40ish roofs with a razor sharp centre view and with long eye-relief.

Thanks
Martin
 
I have worked out what I like about the Bushnell Legend 8x42 porros.

I have always liked them, even compared to my SLC Neu 7x42s which cost so much more. There are days when I prefer the Legends to the SLCs.

The reason is that they are really really sharp in the centre. They are super sharp. But only for about the centre 40% of the fov. I can forgive the deterioration of the image towards the edge because the centre makes up for it. Also I lose the very edge of the fov where the deterioration is biggest because i wear glasses and the e/r cuts the edge off.

This has raised some questions for me though:

Is it a rule of optics physics that you lose a bit of resolution on the centre if you try to imrove the quality edge to edge?

Are there other bins that people like because they are super sharp in the centre even though they are poor at the edge? (ZR 7x36? It comes to mind although I haven't tried it).
I ask because the Legend porros focus really stiffens in the cold so I would like some 8ishx40ish roofs with a razor sharp centre view and with long eye-relief.

Thanks
Martin

I'm thinking that price and performance fit nicely on a curve that moves rapidly toward flat as the price gets above say $500.00

My Unitron (Vixen Ultima) from at least 10 years ago delivers a very sharp center that has some adge fuzziness. Check out the current crop of almost identical Vixen Geoma bins. And at an even more affordable level check out the Nikon Action series. You will need to check out whether the eye relief spec meets your needs however.
 
I think my answer depends on the magnification. I seem to much less aware of the edges of 6-8x than I am on a 10x even if the AFOF is the same. Center sharpness (resolution + contrast) is definitely top of the ticklist. CA, edge definition, field curvature, FOV are secondary nice to haves.

David
 
Martin,

the FOV of the Legend is very large. If it were severely diminished with a fieldstop, the percentage of the field that consists of sweet spot would be much greater.
(Think Pentax porros that are nearly infamous in this regard, but have a nice edge sharpness)

But even with the same FOV the construction can put the emphasis on either the center, or the full field - on the expense of center sharpness.

I have read statements about this being Swarovski's policy, but I cannot judge how much truth there is in them.

The Legend porro is one of the bins that has tempted me a lot, but at the moment I'm decisive in sticking to two primary sets, namely 6.5x and 10x.
 
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