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Alpen Wings ED 8x20 & 10x25 - Ultimate Compacts ?? (1 Viewer)

lilcrazy2

Well-known member
United States
Alpen has announced the introduction of 2 new sub compacts, 8x20 & 10x25 with ED prime glass, BAK-4 prisms, PXA phase coating and silver coated prisms. They are supposed to be in the stores at the end of March. With a list price of $242 for the 8x20, the sales people said they expected them to sell in $180-$200 range. It will be very interesting to see how these new ED glass binos stack up against the alphas.

You can view the binos and specs at:
http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/html/binoculars.html

Size: 8x20 -- 10x25
Fov: 357 ft -- 285 ft
ER: 16 mm -- 16mm
Weight: 8 oz -- 8.5 oz
Close Focus: 6.5 ft -- 7 ft
 
Nice catch.

Ah, as predicted someone else picked up the Chinese OEM who is making these!

They look the same as the RSPB HD compacts previously discussed here with the distinctive "ring finger focuser": shades of the Nikon LXL compact.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=190155
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/p/Binoculars/RSPB_HD_Compact_Binoculars.htm

Specs aren't quite identical but very similar.

Links to the product pages that have blurb but no specs.

8x20 (ignore the 8x42 on the page ... copy and paste web site management)
http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/html/alpen_products_10.html

10x25
http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/html/alpen_products_11.html

Specs are here
http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/html/binocular.html

They're apparently in both ED and non-ED models or at least that's what the blurb says there are only product numbers for the ED versions. I wonder how much difference ED make for this relative longer focal ratio bins: the alpha makers haven't used fluorophosphate glass because they don't need them).

They also use silver mirror coating (like the earlier "alphas" but unlike the current ones. So they should have a "warmer" bias.

I wonder if we'll see them from other makers too.
 
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Crazy and Kevin:

Alpen optics, I count 59 models in what they offer. I am not sure what they compare
with, but I suppose they are a clone of the others from the Chinese source. There have
not been many comments on these as to reviews and recommendations.

As far as the subcompacts, that is a good one to see how they perform. The small ones
are difficult to engineer. As far as comparing to the Aphas, I am thinking it is like usual, you
get what you pay for, sofar a good reverse porro will beat many of these entrylevel roofs. But, I am hoping someone will sample these pockets, and compare them.

Jerry
 
Kevin

Looks like they copied the blurb on the full size 42mm Wings which have both non ED & ED models, and thus the 42mm spec.

There is an interesting article in which they claim that in 2009 Alpen was the number #2 bino seller in the US behind Bushnell. Its listed under Newsroom on their site.

Allbinos.com has the old Alpen Ranier ranked at #8 on the 10x42 list and Alpen is introducing a new Ranier ED which is their flagship model. I had a 10x42 Apex several months back that I would rank slightly behind my 10x42 Zen ZRS HD, and further behind my 10x42 Legend Ultra HD. I asked the marketing people if they were going to introduce an Apex ED model, which would make sense at the price point the regular Apex sells for - they responded no, and said the Apex was one of their best sellers.

Frank

I agree with you on these small subcompacts roofs, as most are not very good. The most disappointing one for me was a 10x25 Zeiss Victory B T P I bought back in the fall, and which I got rid of in short order. I sprang for one after reading all the glowing reviews on the Victory's in BF, and felt sick after realizing they weren't much better than my old 9x25 Bushnell Legend roofs. I guess like Denco, I am not a big fan of these mini binos. Hopefully someone will buy one of these new Alpen ED minis to test, so I won't have to.;)

tom
 
Kevin

Looks like they copied the blurb on the full size 42mm Wings which have both non ED & ED models, and thus the 42mm spec.

There is an interesting article in which they claim that in 2009 Alpen was the number #2 bino seller in the US behind Bushnell. Its listed under Newsroom on their site.

Allbinos.com has the old Alpen Ranier ranked at #8 on the 10x42 list and Alpen is introducing a new Ranier ED which is their flagship model. I had a 10x42 Apex several months back that I would rank slightly behind my 10x42 Zen ZRS HD, and further behind my 10x42 Legend Ultra HD. I asked the marketing people if they were going to introduce an Apex ED model, which would make sense at the price point the regular Apex sells for - they responded no, and said the Apex was one of their best sellers.

Frank

I agree with you on these small subcompacts roofs, as most are not very good. The most disappointing one for me was a 10x25 Zeiss Victory B T P I bought back in the fall, and which I got rid of in short order. I sprang for one after reading all the glowing reviews on the Victory's in BF, and felt sick after realizing they weren't much better than my old 9x25 Bushnell Legend roofs. I guess like Denco, I am not a big fan of these mini binos. Hopefully someone will buy one of these new Alpen ED minis to test, so I won't have to.;)

tom

Tom:

I guess I will reply here on those subcompacts, I have tried some, and for me, I have tried the Zeiss Victory 8x20 and the Trin. 8x20, and I preferred the Leica, and I recently puffed up the Nikon 10x25, as Denco did endorse these heartily, these are a very nice optic. I suppose you can do a search on that, under the Nikons. Part of that Nikon post has to do with the better quality of a 10x25
vs. the 8x20.

I would be very surprised if these come anywhere close to the top brands.

Jerry
 
Frank

My comment on most of the small subcompacts not being very good was directed toward the plethora of sub $100 roofs, and not really toward the alphas as a whole. I have read about every post & thread on the subcompact alphas, pros & cons on brands, and 8x vs 10x. Even thought about trying one of the 10x25 Nikon LXL demos from CLNY but they were out - thank god.;)

I did snag one of those 8x25 Columbia/Kruger Backcountry roofs from CLNY, but haven't even taken them out of the box yet, and I certainly am not expecting them to compare to the alphas, but will be interested to see if they come close to my Legends. As a whole, I just don't find the sub compacts to be very satisfying as many others pointed out on the recent long running small binos thread. Despite my apparent mild disdain for these small binos, I find myself drawn to them like a moth to the flame.3:)

tom
 
Tom,
I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the Columbia's. Very solid. Bright, with a wide FOV, big area of center sharpness and some edge softness. Great buy for $90.00. I bought a 2nd one. One stays in the glove compartment of my car. The other in the kitchen.
Bob
 
Despite my apparent mild disdain for these small binos, I find myself drawn to them like a moth to the flame.3:)

tom

So true. The allure is size and weight. And comparisons between compacts go fairly well--some are better than others. But the minute you put one next to a top-notch 8x32, you kind of go: "Oh, that's right. I forgot how much better these were."
 
The interesting thing about these is that only the top fout bin makers make decent 8x20. The previous non-waterproof 8x21 promotional bins don't really count.

The FOV of 6.8° is the same as the Zeiss and Leica offerings. Same size and weight too. So it's clear they're targeting this market niche as the 8x43 Chinese ED look for the

One might hope that it's the start of a trend so we'll have some choice. I also find my price point for this sort of bin is less than $200 (I paid $350 for my ex-demo Zeiss Victory 8x20) so I don't mind keeping it in my backpack.

The build tolerance of the small bins would be around twice that of larger bins though that's a bit offset with the longer focal length. I don't think the Chinese should have a problem building these given the other decent bins they're making that use CNCed diecast metal enclosures.

As usual with 8x20 bin its about being pocketable and always being with you so you can bird (or butterfly or whatever) when you are "doing other things" when you won't have the 32mm or the 40mm or bigger bins with you. A good 8x20 is a lot better than no bin at all and a good top-end compact is not that bad.

Of course it's all in the testing ... how do these bins compare to the other 8x20s out there. Someone is going to have try one out.
 
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I can't resist a comment about sub-compacts. Last week I purchased and then quickly returned a $399.99 Nikon 10x25 LX L to EO. My intention was to improve on the 10x25 SLC that I've been using for the past 18 yrs — which has roll down rubber eyecups and lacks the most recent coatings.

The optics and brightness of the LX L are top notch, and my overall preference for the SLC's view may simply be due to greater familiarity. The LX L's image is brighter than the SLC, the FOV is about the same, and I have the impression that magnification is somewhat greater. Using glasses, however, I didn't see any more of the field with the LX L, even though the ER has better specs. Upon examination, this is due to a residual stand-off from the eye lens of about 3.5 mm. compared with only 1.5-2.0 mm for the SLC. Roll down rubber eyecups have their advantages.

The thing that really put me off, however, is that the LX L isn't really a sub-compact by the same standards as the SLC. When folded down I'm used to a smooth light, object that fits easily in a jacket pocket and be taken anywhere. I've come to enjoy a graceful object with a tactile sensation that's almost sensuous (us old guys have our needs), and which integrates with my hand like it was made to be there. Unfortunately, in all these respects, the LX L was an utter disappointment. Heavy, clunky, boxy when folded, and awkward when deployed. I saw little reason to lug around the 10x25 when I already own a superb 8x32 LX L. Little things count when you're dealing with little things, you know. ;)

Ed
 
I used the 10X25 LXL lots last weekend. Your post got me to take another look at them and the Leica Ultravid 10X25. Side by side the main body (Nikon has a protuberance at the front which I did not include) the Nikon looks to be about a ¼ inch wider. Length is almost equal.

Where the Nikon stands out (for me) is in the height if they are laid flat (folded). The Nikon is almost 1/4 inch higher than the Leica when folded and it does make it look quite large. But I can fit the Nikon in the Leica case and the reverse.

I agree the Nikon has the a larger bin “feel” which some may actually prefer!
The Nikon also weighs 11.1 ounces, only one ounce more than the Leica at 10.1 ounces (including strap and eyecups but no case). But the Nikon feels like it weighs much more. Price wise I think the Nikon currently selling for $400 at one dealer I checked is a price/quality leader currently.

I fully agree with the hope some of these newer bins will compete on the quality level as well as cost. Other than the Uber sub compact bins. I recently tried the e Vortex Viper 10x28 hoping to get the same quality at a lower price, but it had such a small central focus spot (compared to the Nikon/Leica/Zeiss) I sent them back.

However this weekend while “chance” birding I saw way more birds with the bins in my pocket than I did with the 10X32s which were in the car! I seem to get better views of more birds when I have binoculars with me.

Enjoy your choice whatever you choose!
 
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Ah man. This is just ridiculous. I need this like I need a hole in the head!

OK, I'll call tomorrow, though I doubt they are open on Easter Sunday.
 
Good man! I really appreciate you saving me from myself. I've been buying way too many bins lately. I need to let the Discover card cool off for a month or two. Of course, if you love them, there could be a problem.
 
I posted in another forum that while Opticsplanet and others are advertising these for sale, Alpen customer service says that these binos will not even reach the USA before the end of May - if then!!

Last week I spoke to Alpens customer service after seeing these on ebay and thats what I was told. They also said that the ebay prices were lower than their minimum pricing. When I asked Opticsplanet how they were going to ship these if someone bought them - they said they would backorder from the manufacturer. You can also find these on ebay from lpmarketing under the model number 597 & 599.

I too have been waiting for these to hit the market to try them out, but looks like the wait will be a little longer.
 
There have been some questions about the number of models that Alpen makes, and some suspicion about the quality. I demo'd a Teton model last year and thought the optics and build quality were very good, but they were heavy and the price was out of sight. A couple of months back I picked up a new pair of 8x42 Apex's cheap and after a lot of side by side comparisons with other quality mid price binos, I decided that there really isn't much better in the $300 and less range. Excellent build quality and optics.

So I am hoping that these new compact Wings will exceed the Apex quality.
 
The Alpen Wings Ed 8x20 & 10x25 Models are finally in stock at around the $160 price range.

Since I already have a pair of the Nikon 8x20 LXL's, I ordered a pair of the 10x25's today to check out, and hope to have them by the weekend. I would rather have the smaller FOV and extra mag of the 10x for what they will be used for, and figured the extra length and higher mag of the 10x would make better use of the ED glass.

The website used to show the lengths at 5.4" but Alpen says the correct lengths are
8x - 3-7/8"
10x - 4-1/4"

Tom
 
So true. The allure is size and weight. And comparisons between compacts go fairly well--some are better than others. But the minute you put one next to a top-notch 8x32, you kind of go: "Oh, that's right. I forgot how much better these were."

Exactly on the 32mm. Let us know if the Alpen's are any good Lilcrazy. Your the expert on compacts.
 
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