The Kingfisher
Well-known member
Optics are fun..and now and then I am considering investing in new optics. Through the years I have owned some optics from different manufacturers - particularly Nikon. Currently I have the following setup: Nikon EDG 8x42, Nikon 8x32 SE, Nikon ED82 + 30x + 50x DS DS + 25-75x and the Nikon ED50. I am very happy with this stuff..except for one thing - the narrow field ov view of the zoom. The field of view is ok if the birds sit still, but to follow a flying bird (at least those that do not move in a straight horizontal path) is a challenge out of the ordinary!
I'm pretty picky when it comes to optics and prefer to have a binocular and a spotting scope from the same manufacturer. It's not about snobbery or so, but it just feels better that way. Moreover, the chances are greater that the color balance etc are similar between the binocular and the spotting scope if they are from the same manufacturer. Anyway..in the last few years I have spent some time looking through various binoculars and spotting scopes to really see what brands/models I like and do not like.
Below I have listed some binoculars and spotting scopes that I have looked through over the years. Most of them have I tried over long periods of time on several different occasions, but some have only been used for a few minutes because I was quick to note that they were not what I was searching for. Some personal comments are in the list too!
Steiner Discovery 8x44: Not at all my cup of tea. I felt that it optically not delivered what I hoped for..and certainly not on par with eg Swarovski or Nikon.
Leica Ultravid 7x42 HD: A pair of binoculars I like even though I should not do it. Why should I not like it? Compared to my Nikon EDG 8x42 it shows more chromatic aberration, have less field of view, less eye-relief, not as nice focus and clearly softer edges.
Meopta B1 7x42: No HD glass = strongly color cast (yellow). It is quite bulky and relatively heavy. The focusing was on the tested specimen quite sluggish. Otherwise a very nice pair of binoculars to look through.
Zeiss Victory HT: A pair of binoculars I have only looked briefly through. Has nothing specific to say about the optical quality, but the model did not suit me at all because I felt that the focus wheel was misplaced. I usually place my index fingers on the forehead, partly to minimize shaking and partly to get a precise distance between the binocular eyepieces and my glasses. This technique is impossible to do with Zeiss HT, unless one focuses with the little fingers.
(Zeiss Victory 8x42 SF): This bino have I not looked through, but because the focus wheel looks to be positioned exactly as in the HT, I conclude that this model does not suit me either.
Kowa Prominar 8,5x44: Manages chromatic aberration best of all binoculars I ever have tried. In many ways, a nice pair of binoculars, but I felt that the colors were a bit toward cyan. It has a quite narrow field of view and is relatively large and heavy.
Swarovski 8,5x42 Swarovision: Crisp and nice to hold, but the phenomenon of "rolling ball" makes me seasick. Would not even want it if I had gotten it for free..
Swarovski 8x32 Swarovision: Does not give as much rolling ball as the 8.5x42, but I experience the phenomenon even in this model. Compared with most other binoculars I've tried, I feel that the 8x32 Swarovision is more difficult to look through. I simply have a hard time with eye placement when I use it.
Swarovski 8x42 SLC: A very competent binocular that I do not think has some obvious flaws. This is one of the binoculars I've owned before, but unfortunately I had to give it back to the dealer because of a choppy and squeaking focus and because it leaked water so that it became fogged up on the inside. Pure bad luck with that particular copy I suppose! Yesterday I tried another copy of this model..and the focusing of that one was absolutely perfect! The same tension of the focus wheel no matter which direction it was turned to. And totally smooth!
Swarovski 10x42 SLC: Tried this for just a little while yesterday. Do not really have anything to say about it more than that I prefer the wider field of view of the 8x42.
Nikon 8x32 SE: My first binocular that I bought and still are in my possession. I think this bino is the sharpest of all binos I've ever tried. But sharpness is not everything. It handles chromatic aberrations quite well despite the lack of ED glass..but it is unfortunately not quite as good as eg Nikon EDG. The SE is not as bright as the EDG, has not as large field of view, is not quite as easy to look through, has a focusing wheel that becomes very sluggish at low temperatures, not waterproof and so on. Although it is incredibly sharp, it is perhaps not the first choice if you want a pair of binoculars that can handle the most diverse situations to which birders can end up in.
Nikon EDG (7x42, 8x42, 10x42): Briefly, I can say that I prefer the 8x version. 7x42 has too much eye relief for me and the 10x42 does not provide the same excellent field of view as the 8x42. The EDG feels spontaneously not quite as sharp as the SLC, but even so, I often find that the resolution is equally good. The EDG also has an ability to highlight the colors in a good way..something that I think is just as important as sharpness when it comes to identifying species of birds. Large field of view, reasonably bright, comfortable focusing, good edge sharpness, great colors and a "natural image" are some things I appreciate about the EDG.
Leica Televid 82 + 25-50x: Has nothing specific to complain about in terms of optics. In general, I am not fond of small focus wheels..and especially not those of the Leica Televid 82. Strange feeling in them - just as the focus wheels on their binoculars. The field of view is very good, but the maximum magnification of 50x is too low in my opinion. A zoom that at least has a maximum magnification of 60x and a large field of view is what I desire.
Kamakura EDV-81 + 25-55x: A little to low maximum magnification and the field of view is too narrow for my taste. In all cases when the zoom is meant to be used as the only eyepiece. Kamakura has never really felt like a really good option to switch to because there are probably optically better options to choose from, I think.
Zeiss Diascope 85 + 20-75x: Nice with the high maximum magnification of 75x, but zoomed out, the edge sharpness is too bad for me to be interested in this telescope. Particularly evident is the distortion when panning. Do not like this spotting scope at all and I do not think it have the “Alpha quality”!
(Meopta Meostar S2 82 HD + 30-60x): I have not had the opportunity to try this spotting scope. I have been very interested in this model, but after receiving some interesting information from a dealer the Meopta S2 82 is no longer an alternative to Nikon ED82. According to the dealer the S2 has an impressive field of view, but unfortunately at the expense of clear distortion. I do not like the Zeiss because of the distortion, so I assume that I am not going to like Meopta S2 for the same reason.
Kowa Prominar 883 + 20-60x: Crisp and nice optics in general. Neat and relatively compact scope given the large front lens. However, I was surprised last time I tried the 883 because it showed a pretty clear yellow color cast. The 20-60x zoom is okay, but I would like to have a field of view that matches my ED82 with 30x DS. It's just to note - there are few zoom lenses that even comes close to it..
Swarovski ATS-65 HD + 25-50x: Large field of view and a small, lightweight spotting scope..but 50x is as mentioned on the low side for maximum magnification. But worst of all..I get so-called "black-outs" with this eyepiece.
Swarovski ATS-80 HD + 20-60x: A better option than the 25-50x zoom. But I am used to using a fixed 30x eyepiece with a huge field of view for 95% of the time I am birding..then it's hard to accept a much smaller field of view of a zoom that will always be used.
Swarovski ATX-85 + 25-60x: I was initially skeptical about the concept of modules, but are not as skeptical towards it nowadays. I was at first not very fond of the zoom ring ended up right next to the focus ring either, but it's probably something you get used to after a while I guess. Optically, I have really nothing to complain about. The field of view is really good and the zoom range of 25-60x is good too. But even if the field of view is really good, it is still not quite as wide as I am used to with the 30x DS. And believe it or not, but there is a difference between what you can see in detail with 75x and 60x magnification. Nikon 25-75x may have a very narrow field of view, but in return, you can sometimes see details that are not possible to see with other telescope/eyepieces!
Swarovski ATX-95 + 30-70x: I have only briefly looked through this scope. I can not really tell anything from the small test..but what I can say is that it is a bit to big. The field of view is not exactly narrow, but there is no way to achieve the same wide field of view as with 30x DS. Of the ATX models, I prefer the one above, ie ATX-85 + 25-60x.
Nikon EDG 85 + 20-60x: I tried the EDG 85 with 20-60x zoom last fall and was impressed by the contrast in it. It is nice that the zoom at least reach the 60x maximum magnification, but like many other zooms, it has a too narrow field of view for my taste. Furthermore, it does not help that the scope is large and heavy either.
Nikon ED82 + 30x DS + 50x DS + 25-75x: Very narrow field of view with the zoom, making birdwatching less pleasant than it could have been with a zoom with larger field of view. Optically, it is nothing wrong with the zoom - it has in my own comparison tests proved to be sharper than both the zoom on the Nikon EDG and the zoom on the Zeiss Diascope 85. Moreover, it has the potential to reveal more details in objects than is possible with most other combos, ie the Swarovski ATX-85. With the fixed 30x DS eyepiece this combo is almost perfect - both optically and to handle!
The gist of it all: When it comes to binoculars, it is my personal opinion that the only alternative to the Nikon EDG 8x42 is the Swarovski 8x42 SLC. When it comes to spotting scopes..I do not think there is any good alternative to my Nikon ED82 + 30x + 50x + 25-75x. The most interesting option is the Swarovski ATX-85 + 25-60x. Really good optics and a really good field of view through the entire zoom range. You become more flexible with the 25-60x zoom than when you have to change eyepieces now and then. But on the other hand..the 30x DS is almost always attached to my Nikon ED82 and then it give a larger field of view than the Swarovski combo provides. And at least as sharp, I'd say too. At appropriate times, you can use the 25-75x zoom and then get access to a really high magnification that can not be matched by the Swarovski 25-60x. When both high magnification and a wide field of view is required (eg migrating birds that fly relatively far out from the shore), the fixed 50x eyepiece can be used.
As I see it, it does not feel like a good option to replace the ED82 with three different eyepieces to any other spotting scope with zoom. Even less if you take into account that such a switch would be a rather costly affair - around 20000 SEK (2200 EUR or 3000 USD or 1700 GBP) for switching to the ATX-85.
Nor does it feel so wise to replace the Nikon EDG 8x42 against a Swarovski 8x42 SLC. But because optics are so much fun, I could imagine using both the EDG binocular and the SLC binocular in my everyday birdwatching. The EDG can be used together with the ED82, while the 8x42 SLC can be used when moving around in the field without a telescope. This is what I have come up with after all the testing of various scopes and binoculars in the recent years ..
Feel free to comment.. |:d|
// Jonas
I'm pretty picky when it comes to optics and prefer to have a binocular and a spotting scope from the same manufacturer. It's not about snobbery or so, but it just feels better that way. Moreover, the chances are greater that the color balance etc are similar between the binocular and the spotting scope if they are from the same manufacturer. Anyway..in the last few years I have spent some time looking through various binoculars and spotting scopes to really see what brands/models I like and do not like.
Below I have listed some binoculars and spotting scopes that I have looked through over the years. Most of them have I tried over long periods of time on several different occasions, but some have only been used for a few minutes because I was quick to note that they were not what I was searching for. Some personal comments are in the list too!
Steiner Discovery 8x44: Not at all my cup of tea. I felt that it optically not delivered what I hoped for..and certainly not on par with eg Swarovski or Nikon.
Leica Ultravid 7x42 HD: A pair of binoculars I like even though I should not do it. Why should I not like it? Compared to my Nikon EDG 8x42 it shows more chromatic aberration, have less field of view, less eye-relief, not as nice focus and clearly softer edges.
Meopta B1 7x42: No HD glass = strongly color cast (yellow). It is quite bulky and relatively heavy. The focusing was on the tested specimen quite sluggish. Otherwise a very nice pair of binoculars to look through.
Zeiss Victory HT: A pair of binoculars I have only looked briefly through. Has nothing specific to say about the optical quality, but the model did not suit me at all because I felt that the focus wheel was misplaced. I usually place my index fingers on the forehead, partly to minimize shaking and partly to get a precise distance between the binocular eyepieces and my glasses. This technique is impossible to do with Zeiss HT, unless one focuses with the little fingers.
(Zeiss Victory 8x42 SF): This bino have I not looked through, but because the focus wheel looks to be positioned exactly as in the HT, I conclude that this model does not suit me either.
Kowa Prominar 8,5x44: Manages chromatic aberration best of all binoculars I ever have tried. In many ways, a nice pair of binoculars, but I felt that the colors were a bit toward cyan. It has a quite narrow field of view and is relatively large and heavy.
Swarovski 8,5x42 Swarovision: Crisp and nice to hold, but the phenomenon of "rolling ball" makes me seasick. Would not even want it if I had gotten it for free..
Swarovski 8x32 Swarovision: Does not give as much rolling ball as the 8.5x42, but I experience the phenomenon even in this model. Compared with most other binoculars I've tried, I feel that the 8x32 Swarovision is more difficult to look through. I simply have a hard time with eye placement when I use it.
Swarovski 8x42 SLC: A very competent binocular that I do not think has some obvious flaws. This is one of the binoculars I've owned before, but unfortunately I had to give it back to the dealer because of a choppy and squeaking focus and because it leaked water so that it became fogged up on the inside. Pure bad luck with that particular copy I suppose! Yesterday I tried another copy of this model..and the focusing of that one was absolutely perfect! The same tension of the focus wheel no matter which direction it was turned to. And totally smooth!
Swarovski 10x42 SLC: Tried this for just a little while yesterday. Do not really have anything to say about it more than that I prefer the wider field of view of the 8x42.
Nikon 8x32 SE: My first binocular that I bought and still are in my possession. I think this bino is the sharpest of all binos I've ever tried. But sharpness is not everything. It handles chromatic aberrations quite well despite the lack of ED glass..but it is unfortunately not quite as good as eg Nikon EDG. The SE is not as bright as the EDG, has not as large field of view, is not quite as easy to look through, has a focusing wheel that becomes very sluggish at low temperatures, not waterproof and so on. Although it is incredibly sharp, it is perhaps not the first choice if you want a pair of binoculars that can handle the most diverse situations to which birders can end up in.
Nikon EDG (7x42, 8x42, 10x42): Briefly, I can say that I prefer the 8x version. 7x42 has too much eye relief for me and the 10x42 does not provide the same excellent field of view as the 8x42. The EDG feels spontaneously not quite as sharp as the SLC, but even so, I often find that the resolution is equally good. The EDG also has an ability to highlight the colors in a good way..something that I think is just as important as sharpness when it comes to identifying species of birds. Large field of view, reasonably bright, comfortable focusing, good edge sharpness, great colors and a "natural image" are some things I appreciate about the EDG.
Leica Televid 82 + 25-50x: Has nothing specific to complain about in terms of optics. In general, I am not fond of small focus wheels..and especially not those of the Leica Televid 82. Strange feeling in them - just as the focus wheels on their binoculars. The field of view is very good, but the maximum magnification of 50x is too low in my opinion. A zoom that at least has a maximum magnification of 60x and a large field of view is what I desire.
Kamakura EDV-81 + 25-55x: A little to low maximum magnification and the field of view is too narrow for my taste. In all cases when the zoom is meant to be used as the only eyepiece. Kamakura has never really felt like a really good option to switch to because there are probably optically better options to choose from, I think.
Zeiss Diascope 85 + 20-75x: Nice with the high maximum magnification of 75x, but zoomed out, the edge sharpness is too bad for me to be interested in this telescope. Particularly evident is the distortion when panning. Do not like this spotting scope at all and I do not think it have the “Alpha quality”!
(Meopta Meostar S2 82 HD + 30-60x): I have not had the opportunity to try this spotting scope. I have been very interested in this model, but after receiving some interesting information from a dealer the Meopta S2 82 is no longer an alternative to Nikon ED82. According to the dealer the S2 has an impressive field of view, but unfortunately at the expense of clear distortion. I do not like the Zeiss because of the distortion, so I assume that I am not going to like Meopta S2 for the same reason.
Kowa Prominar 883 + 20-60x: Crisp and nice optics in general. Neat and relatively compact scope given the large front lens. However, I was surprised last time I tried the 883 because it showed a pretty clear yellow color cast. The 20-60x zoom is okay, but I would like to have a field of view that matches my ED82 with 30x DS. It's just to note - there are few zoom lenses that even comes close to it..
Swarovski ATS-65 HD + 25-50x: Large field of view and a small, lightweight spotting scope..but 50x is as mentioned on the low side for maximum magnification. But worst of all..I get so-called "black-outs" with this eyepiece.
Swarovski ATS-80 HD + 20-60x: A better option than the 25-50x zoom. But I am used to using a fixed 30x eyepiece with a huge field of view for 95% of the time I am birding..then it's hard to accept a much smaller field of view of a zoom that will always be used.
Swarovski ATX-85 + 25-60x: I was initially skeptical about the concept of modules, but are not as skeptical towards it nowadays. I was at first not very fond of the zoom ring ended up right next to the focus ring either, but it's probably something you get used to after a while I guess. Optically, I have really nothing to complain about. The field of view is really good and the zoom range of 25-60x is good too. But even if the field of view is really good, it is still not quite as wide as I am used to with the 30x DS. And believe it or not, but there is a difference between what you can see in detail with 75x and 60x magnification. Nikon 25-75x may have a very narrow field of view, but in return, you can sometimes see details that are not possible to see with other telescope/eyepieces!
Swarovski ATX-95 + 30-70x: I have only briefly looked through this scope. I can not really tell anything from the small test..but what I can say is that it is a bit to big. The field of view is not exactly narrow, but there is no way to achieve the same wide field of view as with 30x DS. Of the ATX models, I prefer the one above, ie ATX-85 + 25-60x.
Nikon EDG 85 + 20-60x: I tried the EDG 85 with 20-60x zoom last fall and was impressed by the contrast in it. It is nice that the zoom at least reach the 60x maximum magnification, but like many other zooms, it has a too narrow field of view for my taste. Furthermore, it does not help that the scope is large and heavy either.
Nikon ED82 + 30x DS + 50x DS + 25-75x: Very narrow field of view with the zoom, making birdwatching less pleasant than it could have been with a zoom with larger field of view. Optically, it is nothing wrong with the zoom - it has in my own comparison tests proved to be sharper than both the zoom on the Nikon EDG and the zoom on the Zeiss Diascope 85. Moreover, it has the potential to reveal more details in objects than is possible with most other combos, ie the Swarovski ATX-85. With the fixed 30x DS eyepiece this combo is almost perfect - both optically and to handle!
The gist of it all: When it comes to binoculars, it is my personal opinion that the only alternative to the Nikon EDG 8x42 is the Swarovski 8x42 SLC. When it comes to spotting scopes..I do not think there is any good alternative to my Nikon ED82 + 30x + 50x + 25-75x. The most interesting option is the Swarovski ATX-85 + 25-60x. Really good optics and a really good field of view through the entire zoom range. You become more flexible with the 25-60x zoom than when you have to change eyepieces now and then. But on the other hand..the 30x DS is almost always attached to my Nikon ED82 and then it give a larger field of view than the Swarovski combo provides. And at least as sharp, I'd say too. At appropriate times, you can use the 25-75x zoom and then get access to a really high magnification that can not be matched by the Swarovski 25-60x. When both high magnification and a wide field of view is required (eg migrating birds that fly relatively far out from the shore), the fixed 50x eyepiece can be used.
As I see it, it does not feel like a good option to replace the ED82 with three different eyepieces to any other spotting scope with zoom. Even less if you take into account that such a switch would be a rather costly affair - around 20000 SEK (2200 EUR or 3000 USD or 1700 GBP) for switching to the ATX-85.
Nor does it feel so wise to replace the Nikon EDG 8x42 against a Swarovski 8x42 SLC. But because optics are so much fun, I could imagine using both the EDG binocular and the SLC binocular in my everyday birdwatching. The EDG can be used together with the ED82, while the 8x42 SLC can be used when moving around in the field without a telescope. This is what I have come up with after all the testing of various scopes and binoculars in the recent years ..
Feel free to comment.. |:d|
// Jonas
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