sean davis
Member
Firstly I live in a area where the nearest stockist is about 3000 km away so I do not have the chance to try before I buy. I buy many products sight unseen and that is a fact of life for me. to this end I rely on posts and reviews by others and I sometimes post to give others the same information that I sometimes seek.
I recently purchased both the 8x32 and 8x42 FL bins and was able to fairly extensively test them both side by side in the field under a variety of conditions. Comparison was not made against any other binocular.
Firstly the view through both under all conditions is outstanding. Optically there are very nice to use. Absolutely no complaints or concerns at all.
The sweet spot is simply not an issue, and never ever noticeable, with either model.
In low light there was surprisingly no noticeable advantage with the larger 8x42 which also has a theoretical advantage in the techology used in the prisms. The 8x42 simply does not seem to provide a brighter image in light levels that are usable. They are both very good indeed.
Size, the 8x32 clearly wins. It is compact and very easily handled. The 8X42 is a little oversized in comparison which makes me reach for the 8x32 if given the chance.
Eyecups. They are different in size and both suffer from lack of a firm stop to maintain the desired setting. The smaller 8x32 has larger eyecups which seem preferable to the smaller cups on the 8x42 that go into my sockets. But both work well except they do not hold their setting and continually have to be checked for correct eye relief setting. In the end I found it easier to just have the cups wound right out and find that they somehow wind back in a setting or two and have to be wound back out during use.
Diopter adjustment. The 8x32 dipopter wheel stays put but the 8x42 sometimes comes out and if not careful the diopter is set instead of the focus. It is simply not I would call a good design but not a real problem. Something that can be got used to - provided it does not get looser/worse with use.
Focus mechanism. Now this is the biggest suprise of the unwanted kind. Four days into use on a 16 day trip, from new but under dusty conditions, the 8x32 focus wheel became gritty and stiffer. In alternately rotating the focus and diopter adjustment back and forth in the hope that it would become smooth again the focus /wheel mechanism partially popped out. The internal workings were partially revealed to show what appeared to be white grease and plastic cogs. The focus syncronisation between each side was lost and the whole mechanism thereafter spun (when it should not) during focus. Now the focus does not work properly and the diopter has to be continually reset. Simply put, the focus is cactus and they will go back for repair or exchange.
I am dissapointed with the focus failure, but this will of course be fixed.
Sean
I recently purchased both the 8x32 and 8x42 FL bins and was able to fairly extensively test them both side by side in the field under a variety of conditions. Comparison was not made against any other binocular.
Firstly the view through both under all conditions is outstanding. Optically there are very nice to use. Absolutely no complaints or concerns at all.
The sweet spot is simply not an issue, and never ever noticeable, with either model.
In low light there was surprisingly no noticeable advantage with the larger 8x42 which also has a theoretical advantage in the techology used in the prisms. The 8x42 simply does not seem to provide a brighter image in light levels that are usable. They are both very good indeed.
Size, the 8x32 clearly wins. It is compact and very easily handled. The 8X42 is a little oversized in comparison which makes me reach for the 8x32 if given the chance.
Eyecups. They are different in size and both suffer from lack of a firm stop to maintain the desired setting. The smaller 8x32 has larger eyecups which seem preferable to the smaller cups on the 8x42 that go into my sockets. But both work well except they do not hold their setting and continually have to be checked for correct eye relief setting. In the end I found it easier to just have the cups wound right out and find that they somehow wind back in a setting or two and have to be wound back out during use.
Diopter adjustment. The 8x32 dipopter wheel stays put but the 8x42 sometimes comes out and if not careful the diopter is set instead of the focus. It is simply not I would call a good design but not a real problem. Something that can be got used to - provided it does not get looser/worse with use.
Focus mechanism. Now this is the biggest suprise of the unwanted kind. Four days into use on a 16 day trip, from new but under dusty conditions, the 8x32 focus wheel became gritty and stiffer. In alternately rotating the focus and diopter adjustment back and forth in the hope that it would become smooth again the focus /wheel mechanism partially popped out. The internal workings were partially revealed to show what appeared to be white grease and plastic cogs. The focus syncronisation between each side was lost and the whole mechanism thereafter spun (when it should not) during focus. Now the focus does not work properly and the diopter has to be continually reset. Simply put, the focus is cactus and they will go back for repair or exchange.
I am dissapointed with the focus failure, but this will of course be fixed.
Sean
