Pentax 9x28 LV vs Bushnell Legend 10x25 (1 Viewer)

Hello great community,

Happens that in a past of the couple days i'm struggling to choose first good binoculars...
I read a numbers of good reviews but id did not helped so far as there is no direct comparison between following two models i narrowed to:
Pentax 9x28 LV and Bushnell Legend 10x25
Both cost about the same, and have similar FOV and size/quality.

Initially i was looking at some great binos as Bushnell Legend 8*42, but considering the main purpose is general nature obas3ervance during travels, i decided size is matters in this case, and have small one sitting around batter then none... as even so 8*42 not large, it for sure takes space/weight and would be more dedicated tool rather then occasional toy.

But back to the above 2 contenders, apart from small diff in size/weight, main diff that i see is ER for Pentax (18mm) a bit better for eye wearer as myself, but Bushnell has a bit better optic/size and i guess 15mm could be reasonable for use as well.

Is there anyone who tried both of this models and could give their opinion on what they would go with if they had to choose one, and there is no specific requirements but just something that enjoy to use and not think about carry, more like just take and have it around, even if you not fully into birds yet

Thanks for any comments!

p.s. as an additional one I was looking at Pentax 8x25 DCF-SW, but i think beside a price it is inferior to both above models.

Igor,

Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure I can help in the comparison. My wife has had the LV 9x32 for a few years. She chose it in preference to a couple of other 10x25s as the eye relief was easier with glasses, the 3.1mm exit pupil was a little easier for eye positioning and a little brighter in low light. She also thought the pouch type case was more to her taste. It's proved a useful pair for hiking and sightseeing, but the view has high field curvature and consequently a smallish sweetspot, and the colour rendition isn't the most natural I've seen.

I can't remember trying the Legend Ultra HD. I'd personally avoid a 10x25 with a 2.5mm exit pupil. Too fiddly for my liking, and while 15mm would be OK with my glasses it's going to be a problem for some. I very much liked the Hawke Sapphire ED 8x25 though which I'd rate much higher than the Pentax. I don't know how it compares to the Bushnell.

Have you considered the Nikon Monarch M7 8 or 10x30. A bit more money but a very good binocular... just smaller than most?

David

Thanks Dave for reply. I did seen your post before about Pentax LV digg through the forum .
I got that they are both good options in portable bins on a budget, that iss actually a reason why M7 is out of scope, as for occasional use during hiking and sightseeing, i would prefer to stay on lover 300$ bracket.
Until I feel i use them often to upgrade.
What I want, is nice crisp image and size that i can use without thinking about it (on the note if I relly wan to take it).
Actually that is the reason why I switch from full size DSLR to the m43, and never had a regret.
Hawke Sapphire ED 8x25 looks the same as Bushnell Legend on paper, but more money and fever shops that sell it.

So would really interested to hear any more users that used Bushnell especially if they tried small Pentax bins as well.