10x25? 12x25?? You've got to be kidding. (1 Viewer)

Well many have said that and I agreed until this last Xmas. Every pair I had previously purchased made be into a believer that if you wanted something you could really use in a 25 aperture it need to be 8x or less.

For Xmas my gf bought me some Bushnell Legend ultra HD 10-x25 and I bought her a pair of 12x25 Nikon Prostaff ATB. Both were purchased mainly on rave reviews on Amazon and on a pair of Prostaff 9x25s that I had sold off and regretted the act later.

The Bushnell are bright and to my eyes that normally look through Zen Rays, they are sharp as a tack with a large sweet spot and clear almost to the edge. I'm floored every time I look through them. They have a consistent wow factor for me. If I have one complaint it's that they take practice to look through without getting partial blackouts. If I hold them out at the end near the front lense they hold relatively steady. Outside of the blackouts they are a pleasure to look through. Cost if I remember was about $179

The Nikon does an even better job in some ways. They hold amazingly steady for 12x verified by myself and gf. It's that strange shape they have I guess but it's impressive how steady you can hold them. They are bright for what they are with very good optics only slightly less so than the Bushnell. And there are no blackouts looking through them and they cost a mere $125. They are however lacking in fov but considering they are 12x not nearly as bad as you might imagine. I do not get that looking down a tube feel like I have with other larger Nikons for some reason. Once I looked through hers I wanted a pair for myself. (but I'm resisting the urge)

That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

I have a 10x25 Leica Ultravid, and I think it does quite well for it's small EP. It doesn't see much use during the depths of the winter, but it sees a lot of daytime use during the rest of the year when we are out hiking our local state parks.

Too long to acquire target, too dim, and too shaky for me....

That's what I always thought too. Never would be my first choice in an only pair of binos but I find myself taking them out often when I don't want something major around my neck. These actually work for me.

When I go 10x, I have 10x50s, and I hold them by the fronts (after focusing).
That puts some nice tension on the tendons and increases the moment of
inertia. It's not too bad. But 10x25 is a bit of a horse-ride. I love the 7x25 "bricks".