Low light condition binocular (1 Viewer)

I am interested in knowing the best very low light condition binocular, and I suppose that the 7 x 50 mm models are the solution, but what 7 x 50 mm amongst all the others?

With the words "very low light condition" I think dawn and dusk, but also night.

Greetings!

I've tried just about every configuration for low-light, including the best 7x42 models, and I've found that nothing beats the Pentax SP 10x50 for all-around low-light use. They double as VERY good astronomical binoculars for no-light use... the only drawback is the narrow field of view compared to other 10x50 models (which I'm convinced is most of the reason these perform so well in low-light conditions!).

Best wishes,
Bawko

I've got a pair of Orion 8x56 mini-giant Porro's which are good for low light conditions.They are fairly light for their size. Also good for astronomy or low light conditions. Paid $150 for them ordered out of Orion's catalog. They have a clear, bright sharp view but field of view is only 5.8 degrees. Also the view is copmletely round when you look out.

Interesting fact: both Atomic Chicken and Ivn600 mention that their best night binocular are also both narrow field ones.

Is there any tie between low light level ability and field of view of binocular (lens diameter and enlarging beeing similar with other models)?

P.S. to Atomic Chicken and Ivn600: thank you for your help

I grab either my 10x40 Zeiss Classics, or if I need a bit more dark shadow detail I'll use my 12x50 Trinovids. As nice as my 10x42 Ultravids are, I think I can see ever so slightly more in darkness than I can with my Ultravids... Go figure.

Oh, and for night viewing, higher magnification is more important, IMO. I can see more detail with my 10x40's than I could a 7x42... Sure, the 7x42 appeared noticably brighter, but the 10x40's could view items farther away, and in the shadows on a moonless night, anything that isn't visible with the 10x40's wasn't visible with the 7x42.

I'm assuming a 10x50 would be pretty much perfect for night viewing, at least for me.

xenophobe said:

I grab either my 10x40 Zeiss Classics, or if I need a bit more dark shadow detail I'll use my 12x50 Trinovids. As nice as my 10x42 Ultravids are, I think I can see ever so slightly more in darkness than I can with my Ultravids... Go figure.

Oh, and for night viewing, higher magnification is more important, IMO. I can see more detail with my 10x40's than I could a 7x42... Sure, the 7x42 appeared noticably brighter, but the 10x40's could view items farther away, and in the shadows on a moonless night, anything that isn't visible with the 10x40's wasn't visible with the 7x42.

I'm assuming a 10x50 would be pretty much perfect for night viewing, at least for me.

Click to expand...

Well, if your 10 x40 binocular give you a better dark night viewing than your 7 x 42 one, is this because the magnification is higher or is this because the 10 x 40 mm model is more efficient at night (transparency of lenses and prisms)?

I am thinking about this alternative.

I think it is important to consider how the binoculars will be used. Most importantly on a tripod or handheld? For handheld use I think the brighter image of a 7x more than offsets the higher magnification of a 10x or 12x. Also, Abbe-Koenig prisms (used exclusively by Zeiss) are significantly brighter, especially in low light conditions, than any other roof prism system. I haven't seen a better low-light binocular than my Zeiss 7x45 NightOwls. The combination of Abbe-Koenig prisms, T* coatings, and 6.5mm exit pupil make this the brightest binocular I have used in low light (I haven't used the Ultravids yet).

Atomic Chicken said:

Greetings!

I've tried just about every configuration for low-light, including the best 7x42 models, and I've found that nothing beats the Pentax SP 10x50 for all-around low-light use. They double as VERY good astronomical binoculars for no-light use... the only drawback is the narrow field of view compared to other 10x50 models (which I'm convinced is most of the reason these perform so well in low-light conditions!).

Best wishes,
Bawko

Click to expand...

I'd echo Atomic Chicken's comments. I have a Zeiss 7x42 but it's easily beaten in low light (dawn/dusk) by a good quality 10x50. I've also tried 7x50's but on balance I think a 10x50 does a better job. My favourite lowlight binocular is my Minox 10x58 ED, but it's too big and heavy to carry around much. If I didn't have it I'd probably look at the Pentax 10x50 DCF SP (perhaps I'll get one anyway since Atomic Chicken is so positive about it !)

This is my first post...bare with me please.

This all sounds good...but reality for me is I need a lightweight, lightgathering, waterproof, tough set of binos that won't put me in the poorhouse. I'm often in the woods, hiking in remote areas. I carry lots of field gear, so weight is a concern; it can be quite dark even on the sunniest days under the canopy; I live and work in temperate rain forests, and well, ruggedness is a must hiking in some of the places I go.

My latest pair is a Brunton Epoch 8.5X43. My birding world opened up: The best I've ever owned (got them on a special deal at a wildlife conference). The problem I have is the lense covers always fall off--so now the lenses are always dirty and getting scratched(I'm sending them in on their warranty) I wear them around the neck out of the carryingcase, as I need them at a moments notice. However, this means they can get "beat up" when I'm running through the brush! I'm typically looking for owl and other raptor nests- and often all I get is a glimpse. If I'm "owling", I also have to look for color bands.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks
Sandra

Sandra, i know the dude who swindled you into overpaying for those Bruntons. I may have seen him at the same conference. Next time i'll tell him that he is selling junk to innocent graduate students who don't know much about binoculars.

You do not mention which lens covers fall off. If it is the ocular lens (small lenses) covers, you can get a one piece ocular lens cover and have it attached to the neckstrap.
like this one:
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=2583

If it is objective covers, than you need some set of tethered covers, like this
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=3679

In my experience (i did drag binos for weeks at a time through the taiga and washed the lenses with vodka), it is the ocular lenses that need to be kept clean. You can get half a ton of dirt on the objective lenses and still see what you need to see.

I would not advise for objective covers and ocular covers in the same time, because you will need at least 2-3 seconds to remove them, plenty enough for your shmuckvogels to fly off. If speed is the key word for you, and you need to collect data, fuchs the lenses and do not cover them at all. Just keep some moist lens tissue in your pocket.

Now, if your problem is scratching the lenses, don't worry, Brunton says they will fix your binoculars. If your problem is too much dirt on the lenses, try to stay a bit more erect and away from the forest floor when doing your surveys

Now, if you want a really good low light binocular for the woods, sell that Brunton, and get a 7x42 Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski. If you need a bit more magnification and less weight, go for a 8x32 from (you guessed) Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski - not necessarily in that order.

Welcome to Birdforum,Sandra.

For me there's no doubt about it at all.

Zeiss Dialyt 8x56 BGAT* ClassiC

It has regularly come out at the top of reviews of binoculars for light transmission.

For night use for example, details in the distance which are completely obscured by darkness are resolvable through the binoculars to a remarkable degree.

I don't know if there's better than the Zeiss 8x56 to be honest for this purpose.

Wow...that was a quick response! thanks all for your suggestions..For quickness, (as you mentioned) I have just given up on lense covers, but I'm not always using these binos in the woods, so when time is not a constraint or when the canopy is drippy, I still want to use them. Ill definitively be checking out the optics covers at eagle optics..(I have their raven scope--2 seasons of riding on quads, hiking over mountains in rough terrain, mostly looking for golden eagles and still work awesomely--found several NEW nests with those in Douglas fir forests- no cliffs here).

Looks like I'll need to start saving money for zeiss, leica, or swar'...maybe I can sell my bruntons on E-bay in the UK...I see from some threads that you can get amazing prices for binos there! LOL.

Again, thanks for all the advice
-Sandra