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Can a small bino really deliver? (1 Viewer)

Super Dave

Super Dave

Well-known member
What's the smallest bino that can really deliver an optical high?

The views from my 8x32SE and 6x30 Yosemite give my brain some kind of rush. The view is stimulating and hard to put down.

I picked up a Bushnell Custom in 6x25 and 7x26. They are excellent binoculars and do what they are supposed to do. But, they don't give me that same wow feeling as the other two.

I'm wondering what's the smallest binocular you have tried that wowed you with the view?

Thanks,
Dave
 
I would consider the view of the 7x26 very close to your description of the SE and Yose so I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. When you carry a light 8x20 on a long hike that doesn't break your back and you get a great view of whatever, I guarantee that will give you a rush. OTOH, I guess I think of binoculars more of a tool than a device for a happy...nevermind.
 
Dave,

I diagnose a severe case of Porromania. It's one of a family of diseases of which Swarromania may be the most painful. The symptoms may be relieved by staying home, drawing the blinds, disconnecting the internet and cutting up you credit cards, but it is very difficult to cure. A number of substitution therapies have been advocated, but withdrawal symptoms may be severe. It is good that you have acknowledged the problem and asking for help. The Bushnell Custom Elite program may be one of the more palatable options, but brace yourself for a difficult period of rehab.

David
 
I too have a 20 year or so old Bushnell 7x26 Custom Compact and it is still a great binoc. However, my Leica 8x20 BC Trinovid is hard to beat. I bought a Zeiss Victory 8x42 T*FL this past spring, and I can sit on my front deck, looking at license plates on cars up the street, and the little Leica is just as crisp and clear as the Zeiss. They don't have the low light capability and the eye relief is right on the edge for eyeglass wearers, but they are so dang great I would only trade them for the Ultravids (with more eye relief).
 
Super Dave said:
What's the smallest bino that can really deliver an optical high?

The views from my 8x32SE and 6x30 Yosemite give my brain some kind of rush. The view is stimulating and hard to put down.

I picked up a Bushnell Custom in 6x25 and 7x26. They are excellent binoculars and do what they are supposed to do. But, they don't give me that same wow feeling as the other two.

I'm wondering what's the smallest binocular you have tried that wowed you with the view?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend anything under a 32mm for that rush. The Bushnell Custome Elite 7x26 certainly didn't do it for me. It was a big dissapointment and it went back to the store the next day. The 20mm's are only alright if you really need the small size. The optics are a PIA compared to a 32mm.
 
Super Dave said:
What's the smallest bino that can really deliver an optical high?

The views from my 8x32SE and 6x30 Yosemite give my brain some kind of rush. The view is stimulating and hard to put down.

I picked up a Bushnell Custom in 6x25 and 7x26. They are excellent binoculars and do what they are supposed to do. But, they don't give me that same wow feeling as the other two.

I'm wondering what's the smallest binocular you have tried that wowed you with the view?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

Well, sure a small binocular can deliver - but it really depends on what you want and where it should be delivered. For example my wife's Swarovski 8x20 delivers very sharp and clear images in the lighting conditions it was designed to. My Nikon 6x15 Mikron reissue also delivers very well focused images. Both are very useful in situations ranging from nightime theater perfomances to daytime wildlife observation. Neither of them will perform like the Celestron 9.5x44 ED's at night or the Nikon 8x30 EII in the field birding nor would I expect them to.

The smallest (power and objective) binocular that impressed me with the quality of it's view was the Nikon 5x15 Titanium.
 
I love compacts because you can really have them with you always. None of them I´ve owned (Ultravid, Victory, HGL, Taiga, Elite, Vanquish, BGA/TPC, DBA Oasis) will match a top-end like EII, SE or SV in demanding (low-light) conditions. The only reason to own a superb compact is.....compactness. That is, do you really need a high-performing binocular that´s so small as to fit in a small pocket, to keep with you all the time? My rationale for having a compact (now that the kids are growing and I don´t need to carry loads of child-care stuff) is when cycling on a road-bike wearing all that silly lycra stuff that cyclists wear. I need tiny binos, in case I see a bird I need to check out (thereby losing a valuable 60 seconds cycling-time). The only ones that fit the bill (top-class, tiny, quick-focussing and waterproof) are Leica Ultravid 8x20. Unfortunately I sold my pair about 3 years ago. C´est la vie.
 
While at the Festaval of the Cranes at Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bosque/ 2 weeks ago we were walking to dinner with several birders we met. Off in the distance we spotted a bird. I was the only one with binoculars - Leica 10X25 and had great views of a Golden Eagle. My view was brief becasue I had to share the 10x25s with everyone else. Lots of appreciative WOW's from the viewers. I have a very long list of birds I have seen because I have them with me when any other bins are to large or heavy to carry.

Morning Snow Goose fly out at Bosque(not my videos).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB2xj0v6S-I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qk2KnkPfFo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1bGX9wB_gw&feature=related
 
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Tvc15_2000 said:
While at the Festaval of the Cranes at Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/crane/ 2 weeks ago we were walking to dinner with several birders we met. Off in the distance we spotted a bird. I was the only one with binoculars - Leica 10X25 and had great views of a Golden Eagle. My view was brief becasue I had to share the 10x25s with everyone else. Lots of appreciative WOW's from the viewers. I have a very long list of birds I have seen because I have them with me when any other bins are to large or heavy to carry.
Click to expand...

I guess you could say compacts aren't that great when compared to 32mm's but they are better than nothing!
 
Thanks for the input. My perspective was wrong. I get it now.

I took the 6x25 Bushnell's on a bike ride and stopped at this lookout (Search for this in Google Maps and do the street view: Alala Dr + Kaneapu Pl, Kailua, HI )

It sure was nice to have some binos on the ride.
Thanks,
Dave
 
Tvc15_2000 said:
Just curious which ones you have seen?
Click to expand...

I have had the Leica 8x20 Ultravid. the Leica 8x20 Trinovid, the Zeiss 8x20 Victory, the Nikon 8x20 LXL, the Nikon 10x25 LXL, The BL 7x26 Custom Elite and other assorted cheap compacts. Basically got tired of them all. They are really bad when the sun starts going down compared to a 32mm. Eye placement is a big PIA with them. I thought the Zeiss 8x20 Victory was pretty good until I tried the Zen Ray ZRS HD 8x42mm monocular and found out I like it better especially at dusk. I would rather have half of a real binocular than a 20mm toy. Just my feelings.
 
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Dave - The old Bushnell 6x25 porro is still very useful in many ways - small enough to tuck in your shirt for protection, good clarity due to low power, wide fov, adequate eye relief for eye glass wearers, 4.1 exit pupil, mechanically very reliable. Bow hunters, in particular here in Montana, love them because they give plenty of magnification in the brush and timber. Birds do show up quite well with them. Really a bit better than best quality monoculars. Greatly underestimated all around compact binocular IMO. John
 
John Dracon said:
Dave - The old Bushnell 6x25 porro is still very useful in many ways - small enough to tuck in your shirt for protection, good clarity due to low power, wide fov, adequate eye relief for eye glass wearers, 4.1 exit pupil, mechanically very reliable. Bow hunters, in particular here in Montana, love them because they give plenty of magnification in the brush and timber. Birds do show up quite well with them. Really a bit better than best quality monoculars. Greatly underestimated all around compact binocular IMO. John
Click to expand...

I'm still surprised that we don't see more low magnification (6x or 7x) compacts (even up to 32mm).

I guess the marketers know that the general public buy on magnification rather than other useful parameters (like wide FOV, brightness and reduced shake). Which is of course a shame as they miss out on bins that match their needs.

The older Zeiss 6x18 compacts may be worth looking at (though they didn't have a huge FOV).

And to address one of the OPs original comments: people do go "wow" at small "top 4" compacts when they use them. It happened when I gave my Zeiss Victory 8x20 to a friend to pick out a shorebird. He said "wow" and I was a bit surprised. I think sometimes we forget just how good the top-end compacts we use are. Not quite an SE but closer to an SE than the small Nikon reverse porro he was using.

But the real point of small compacts is so you can carry them when you wouldn't carry other bins. Then any bin beats no bin at all. But I do like my single hinge Zeiss.
 
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Sancho said:
I love compacts because you can really have them with you always. None of them I´ve owned (Ultravid, Victory, HGL, Taiga, Elite, Vanquish, BGA/TPC, DBA Oasis) will match a top-end like EII, SE or SV in demanding (low-light) conditions.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, all of the above compacts are excellent, and do exactly what compacts are supposed to do - provide great views in a very small package. They vary in optical quality, but for practical purposes the variation between them is pretty irrelevant in the field. More important considerations are price (80 euro to 600 euro!!!), whether or not you need waterproofing, double-hinged roof or single-hinge reverse-porro (or the really handy Zeiss Victory single-hinge roof), and most importantly, how tiny and light you actually need (from the cute and ultra-light Ultravid, to the bulkier but very comfortable "8x32-feel" DBA Oasis, or the solid, chunky, grippy Vanquish. Try them all out, you might be perfectly happy with the cheaper Taigas (superb optics), or the Vanquish (which is waterproof to boot).
 
Sancho said:
On the other hand, all of the above compacts are excellent, and do exactly what compacts are supposed to do - provide great views in a very small package. They vary in optical quality, but for practical purposes the variation between them is pretty irrelevant in the field. More important considerations are price (80 euro to 600 euro!!!), whether or not you need waterproofing, double-hinged roof or single-hinge reverse-porro (or the really handy Zeiss Victory single-hinge roof), and most importantly, how tiny and light you actually need (from the cute and ultra-light Ultravid, to the bulkier but very comfortable "8x32-feel" DBA Oasis, or the solid, chunky, grippy Vanquish. Try them all out, you might be perfectly happy with the cheaper Taigas (superb optics), or the Vanquish (which is waterproof to boot).
Click to expand...
Great thread Sancho...even though you didn't start it. Yours, and the other guys in-put is dynamic, purposeful, and very knowledgeable in all respects of compacts. I NEED a good quality compact NOW! How ever finance always gets in the way :C. I 'd love an Opticron Taiga, but it's useless if not waterproof, as is most non-waterproofs also. The Bushnell Elite 7X26 is SUPERB optically, but, again, not waterproof :C. Does this mean I'm 'gonna have to wait and save for a nice alpha compact: Zeiss Victory or Leica Ultravid?? Is it worth saving for one of these alleged beauties? Do i stick to buying an Olympus DC I, Taiga or Bushnell Elite....:eek!:
 
elkcub said:
You will have to save considerably less for a waterproof Nikon LXL (Premier) 10x25 or 8x20. Some people prefer the view, and the eye relief is 15mm.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-10x25mm-premier-lx-binoculars.html
Ed
Click to expand...
Thanks elkcub,
It's a fine binocular 8-P I've experienced viewing through the LXL and it's a beautiful, crisp clear view. How ever, the Bushnell Elite 7x26 rival them in my humble opinion. They ARE a bargain for i believe an 'alpha bin'. I'm wondering if the 10x25 FOV is much less than the 8x??
 
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