Theron Wapiti LT 8X32 or Sightron "Blue Sky" II 8x32? (1 Viewer)

I'm debating between these two binoculars after doing a little bit of research. As a person new to bird watching, I think the larger FOV of the Theron would make it easier for me to follow birds? On the other hand, I have heard that the sharpness of the Sightron is great. Is the view of the Theron not as clear/sharp as the Sightron? I have read that some people say that the focus wheel on the "Blue Sky" is stiff, which I guess would be a drawback if I need to hurry up and focus. Lastly, would these be a good upgrade from my current binocs (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QR40REC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1)? Feel free to share your thoughts, any help is appreciated! Thank you |=)|

Amazon not functioning page?

I had the 8X32 Sightron Blue Sky II and the Theron Wapiti LT 8X32 at the same time several years ago but ended up returning both of them.

The Sightron was the better choice optically and the Theron won out on the non optical attributes.

I returned the Theron because of three issues. It had a soft focus, a lack of brightness to the view and a noticeable brown/amber color tint. This may have been a bad sample not representative of the model as a whole. Steve C did not have these issues with his sample purchased months before mine. I did ask the seller/distributor to look at it on return and let me know if it was representative or a fluke. He said that would take some time that he did not have right then. That answer struck me as strange since I saw these issues in seconds. He was great about the return and friendly in his notes but I figured if it were not a priority for him, then it was not for me and I did not try another.

The Sightron was amazingly good optically for the price but was not as nice build wise. The reason I returned it was because it had only a few degrees of focus over travel past infinity. I did call Sightron about it and they could not assure me that other units would be any different. I would have gladly kept the Sightron if it had more over travel.

Binastro ..... The link worked for me. It is a "Eyeskey 8X42 Waterproof Adults Binoculars Lightweight and Compact with HD Green Films Fully Multi-Coated" selling for $55.99 with free shipping. Seller is Eyeskey Optics and the order is fulfilled by Amazon. It has 128 reviews and a 4.3 star rating out of 5 stars. Stated FOV is 356 ft at 1,000 yards.

I see no mention of phase coating and I do not know what is meant by HD Green Films. My assumption it is not phase coated. I would think the view from the Sgihtron and possibly the Theron, assuming mine was a bad sample, would be noticeably better. The lack of phase coating hurts sharpness and other attributes and even though the Eyeskey is said to be fully multicoated, I doubt it can have many layers at that price. Also the narrow FOV will give the impression of a tunnel like view.

Edit: I looked up the Theron Wapiti specs and it says "•Fully multi-coated optics, with phase correction and dielectric type coated BAK4 prisms". That should normally provide a pleasing view so I do not know what happened to mine. Opticron has a similar looking model calle the Savana R but a review says it is not phase coated and Opticron does not show phase coating in the specs.

I have not tried the Theron, but we do own the Sightron. The SII Blue Sky is a very nice bino that performs very well for it's price, and that I can feel comfortable in recommending to someone who is looking for inexpensive but competent daytime binocular. I can tell you that the focus wheel on ours is not stiff at all, and in fact I think it works quite well. Of course this does not guarantee anything with the example you might purchase.

If you don't wear eyeglasses, you might also consider the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30. It will certainly cost more, but IMO the added cost is worthwhile. It outperforms the SII in every way, and does it in a smaller package. Only downside is the ER is rather short.

You might also consider the Leupold BX-3 Mojave 8X32 on closeout at Cabelas for $199.99.

I have the Cabela's Guide version which is supposed to be the same except for the armor and badging. It does a very good job and the Mojave is a great buy at the closeout price.

I also have the Monarch 7 8X30. I like the smaller size and lighter weight for hiking. It is slightly better optically and has a larger FOV. The down side for me is the touchy eye placement and occasional glare issues. The Guide does give a great view and is much more of a pleasure to use. Tough call between the two. I am leaning toward the Guide.

The Mojave version beats the Monarch by a bunch right now on price. Cabela's: Mojave 8X32 $199.99, Monarch 7 8X30 $379.99. The Monarch may be a few bucks cheaper elsewhere.

I would most definitely pay the extra money for the Mojave close out over the Sightron.

BruceH said:

I see no mention of phase coating and I do not know what is meant by HD Green Films.

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I have no idea what the HD Green Films are either. When I bought these binoculars awhile ago, there was no mention of Green Films! I guess they made a change to the binoculars...

Is this the Guide that you are referring to? http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-GUIDE-SERIES-BINOCULARS/1821456.uts? I see that the FOV is 420 while the FOV on the Leupold BX-3 is 366 http://www.cabelas.com/product/LEUPOLD-BX-MOJAVE-BINOCULARS/1664888.uts?