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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sorry minox, I do love you, but I'm not in love with you! (1 Viewer)

birdles

birdles

Active member
OK, I've had my minox 10x42 bl for a few days now and although they are great, and I love them, it's a one-night stand! I feel there is a bit of refraction/shadows going on here.

My general understanding so far is that Swarovski EL series are the best. If you had around £1300 to spend what would you get?

I want to make one more purchase and make it a final one.

There's too much info out there that I don't understand the technical side of. I want a pair of binos that will not make me want a better pair, if you know what I mean.

I do understand this is a HUGE topic of discussion and discussed in HUGE length already. Thanks guys.
 
It has to do with attitude and the particular pair you have. I got a pair of Nikon Monarchs and was pleased with them to bird several yars. Then I got Zeiss Conquests and spent a good year with them. Though sharp, I never liked them even as much as the Monarchs. It was pretty obvious after 2 weeks and I should have sent them back. But I could not afford anything fancier and decided to see if they "grow on me". They did not.

I would give the Minoxes a full week, and alos shop to see how you can afford a bette pair. The next step up will be even a smaller leap.

Some porro models will give you better optics for less money.
 
The Minox BLs have a very good reputation so it sounds as if they just don't suit you. The only way to get binoculars which you love is to try them out and see which ones you get on with. If not you could spend £1300 on everyone else's favourites and still be disappointed. I would take time to find some good optic retailers who stock the favourites, such as Swaro ELs, Leica Ultravids and Zeiss FLs and see which ones you get on with. A good retailer should be able to recommend some cheaper alternatives and you might find you prefer them and save a bit of cash too.

Ron
 
Thanks Ron, that's good advice which I will follow. I will now try and find that all important good retailer.

Yasmin
 
The retail price may be a little high for any sub-alpha glass, but if you are planning on alpha glass, then yes, visiting a retailer will save time. Make sure they have a good exchange policy though.
 
birdles said:
Thanks Ron, that's good advice which I will follow. I will now try and find that all important good retailer.

Yasmin
Click to expand...
The In Focus shops stock a good range of binoculars, although they don't sell Leica. They have a shop at Slimbridge near Gloucester but I don't know what it is like. I am not familiar with your part of the country but maybe someone else can suggest some alternative retailers to try.

This is the In Focus website:
http://www.at-infocus.co.uk/index.html

Edit. I have realised that you are probably quite near Sherwoods at Studley. They sell a huge range of binoculars at very good prices. I would recommend phoning both retailers to check what they have in stock before travelling.

The Sherwoods website is here:
http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/

Ron
 
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Looks like the Sherwood policy is typical UK policy
As a consumer purchasing mail order under the 'Cancellation rights (Under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000)' you are entitled to a 7 day cancellation period. This regulation gives you the right to return the goods ordered without the need to give reason within 7 working days of receiving the item (starting the day after receipt), and by doing so to receive a full refund with 30 days of the goods arriving back to Sherwoods, (excluding the shipping & return shipping charge).
Click to expand...
 
I was looking for binos for a while, last year.I owned and used, for different lengths of time a bunch of good binoculars,In search of a love story.,starting with the classic Swift #820,Pentax Ed 8x32,MinoX BD 8x32(didnt like too much,perhaps the one i liked the least of all ,due to glare ,reflections)Nikon LXL 8x32,Nikon SE 8x32,Swift Eaglet CFT 7x36,and some more..all great binoculars ,but i kept looking ..
I have now one of the Chinese ED open Bridge designs,The ZEN 8x43by Zen-Ray,and i am keeping these ..I think you can find a similar(clone)version made to exact specifications for Hawke Optics,In the UK..
With a moderate price tag,and SUPERB image(Resolution is AMAZING.Period) AND build quality ,i shall recommend them to you,..at least look through a pair if you can,after you test the Top brands ,just before you make your purchase.
Very Good binoculars,but of course,we all have to decide which economy to support!
 
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The Hawke Frontier EDs and the Zen Ray EDs are more alike than not but they do have some noticeable differences in optical performance (the ergonomics, etc... are practically identical). The Zen's control stray light a bit better and have a flatter image at the edges but other than that I would call it a toss-up.

On another note, it seems that going from a Minox BL to a Swaro EL is a huge jump...in price and also somewhat in performance. There are quite a few bins in between those two in terms of price and performance. You may be entirely happy with a bin that is significantly less expensive than the EL which would leave a nice hunk of change for a scope. ;)

...as for me I do not not consider the EL the "best"...at least based on my preferences. I would opt for either the Zeiss FL or the Leica Ultravid over it.
 
Thanks for that, I do like to hear everyone's views. However, your suggestion of perhaps not taking such a huge leap would just make me very frustrated on what I was missing out on, and I would not be able to sleep! The Zeiss FL may be my choice, swayed by the very good price offered for these by Sherwoods at the moment which I have sent a post about.
 
birdles said:
The Zeiss FL may be my choice, swayed by the very good price offered for these by Sherwoods at the moment which I have sent a post about.
Click to expand...

IMHO I would slow down a bit! You need to get this right this time so that you can forget the glass and enjoy the birds. Its a bit like HiFi: you've got the right set up when you want to play all your old music again and you listen to the music not the equipment.

InFocus at Titchwell were excellent for me (they did have Leicas) and allowed me to try Swaros, Leicas and Zeiss over about an hour and gave me excellent advice on what to look for. 6 months later I repeated the exercise at the Rutland Birdfair. 6 months later I bought ... well, I won't say - you compare and decide!
(Although I suspect with these top names you'd be happy with any of them optically - the way they fit your face /hands is important too.)
 
birdles,

I tend to think Roger P has it right. Just because there is a smoking hot deal on the Zeiss, does not mean it is best of the alphas for you. But I do think you may be on the right track at just buying one at that price. That way you will have a alpha glass to take with you to compare against the likes of whatever alpha glass you find to compare it to. If you find the Swaro proves more to your liking, you may actually be able to sell of that bargain Zeiss for a profit. If the Zeiss turns out to be your best fit, then you can sit back and enjoy the deal you got. Just don't commit heart and soul to the Zeiss just because it was a deal. Any binocular I have is subject to replacement.

I also think from other comments you made that a top end glass will be what you will need to have to keep your mind at ease.
 
Steve C said:
birdles,

I also think from other comments you made that a top end glass will be what you will need to have to keep your mind at ease.
Click to expand...

Steve - How right you are about me! I'm afraid it's a flaw in my personality, any hobby I undertake I have to have the best of everything, the best books, the best equipment etc. I get too excited about it all. I've tried to change but I can't help myself.
 
birdles said:
... any hobby I undertake I have to have the best of everything, the best books, the best equipment etc. I get too excited about it all. I've tried to change but I can't help myself.
Click to expand...

That's why I think you need to try out all the top end makers in a couple of different environments - you'll never be happy otherwise - I know, I've been there!

Look at the difference in price between the discounted Zeiss (which I can see reasons for choosing!) and the 'toppest' of the topenders, divide that numbers by (say) 5 years and then 12 months to see the difference per month of confident use. Actually I guess I made a good decision (for me) 25 years ago and kept my Optolyth Alpins for that length of time until I finally changed to ......

Good luck!
 
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