binocular brand with overall good quality (1 Viewer)

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ebba

aka Yvonne

• Feb 12, 2009

• #1

It seems to me that many brands have a wide range, producing optics of varying quality. It makes it a total jungle to buy if you dont want to review every model.

Would be interesting to know which (wellknown) brand you think has the overall best quality and also which has the widest range of quality in optics.

Yvonne

 

dalat

...

• Feb 12, 2009

• #2

Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski are the brands known for overall top quality (and top prices).
Swarowski has 3 lines, so probably the widest range of quality binoculars. Leica has only 1 product line and Zeiss 2.

Nikon has probably the widest range of quality from almost crap to top quality.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2009

Tero

Retired

• Feb 12, 2009

• #3

Pentax is not really spectacular these days...we have so many options, but has been reliable as a brand for me.

 

Steve C

Well-known member

• Feb 12, 2009

• #4

ebba said:

It seems to me that many brands have a wide range, producing optics of varying quality. It makes it a total jungle to buy if you don't want to review every model.

Yvonne

Click to expand...

Yes it's a jungle, so define your budget, stay from the really cheap stuff and look at a few examples from what you have available to you in Sweden. When you find a couple you like, then you can start looking for reviews and opinions on those. Nobody has looked through everything.

Then a question on a forum about "I'm looking for......" and "I am wondering about Brand A or B", will get you a better range of response. Or at least a list of what is well known you might have access to.

 

Last edited: Feb 12, 2009

FrankD

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2009

• #5

Short of the $1000+ bins I would agree with Tero. Pentax is the first brand that came to mind. After that I really don't have a personal preference for quality. Some companies make some binoculars very well while other models suffer quality control problems.

 

mayoayo

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2009

• #6

Pentax actually has a wide,wide range of quality optics,from sport optics,to telescopes and astronomy eyepieces,to camera lenses..And I dont know what other instruments ..
Some of their stuff is quite spectacular..telescopes and astro eyepieces are regarded as the best .
their Sport optics lineage has enormous variety of prices and styles and is topped by the ED series,that if not spectacular,are superb binoculars and a great value in top of the line optics.Their No-Fault warranty is spectacular

 

T

ThoLa

Registered User

• Feb 13, 2009

• #7

dalat said:

Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski are the brands known for overall top quality (and top prices).
Swarowski has 3 lines, so probably the widest range of quality binoculars. Leica has only 1 product line and Zeiss 2.

Nikon has probably the widest range of quality from almost crap to top quality.

Click to expand...

Hello!
I fully agree with these statements.

This reply answers your initial questions quite precisely.

In the long run it pays off to go for the best quality!

Cheers, Tom

 

E

ebba

aka Yvonne

• Feb 13, 2009

• #8

Thanks for your replies

I was just curious since I often look at auctions on used bins
sometimes models comes up which I do not have a clue on.

Of course the holy trinity is a sure thing but other brands are a bit tricky if you are looking to make a good deal

 

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brunop

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2009

• #9

another vote for pentax here. best value and warranty 9though i've never had to use the warranty).

 

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passerine

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2009

• #10

I bought the Pentax 8x32 DCF ED last month and would agree with the positive comments posted above. I spent hours last August at the UK Birdfair wondering which pair of bins to upgrade to. I thought I had settled on the Nikon HGL's but then I chanced on the Pentax stall. In fair light I tested them on a chart about 40 metres away across water and was seriously impressed with the clarity of the image, which is similar to the excellent image I have from my Nikon ED 60. I fell into talking with a fellow tester and he (a Swaro EL owner) said he was really surprised at the quality of the image. I am still a novice regarding optics but the one thing I can say with some confidence is that having looked through just about every pair of bins on display at Birdfair few, if any, can match the Pentax for value for money. They have made a great difference to my birdwatching, punching through the gloom at twilight being the most noticeable improvement. They come with a thirty year guarantee.
Regards
Jim