Can you buy a good roof prism for $200.00 or are you jerking our diopter Frank? (3 Viewers)

Something i can add about my pair of Sightron. The view seems to be "similar" in quality to that of Leopold BX-1 8x30 Yosemitie (porro), with a bit of nod to the Sightron. I paid $79 for the Yosemite and $180 for the Sightron. The porro/roof price ratio seems about right. I am not saying they share glass. Just sayin'...

I had a chance to finally take a peak at some Yosemite's at a sporting goods store I made it out to yesterday. I could only use them in the store down the isles and my short time impression was smallish sweet spot and soft at the edges. Otherwise ok. I much prefer the View in the Vortex Raptors. I wish I had been able to take them outside and to have the Raptors there for a better comparison. I also looked at some Nikon Action and preferred the Raptors view over them also. But again it was just a quick impression. I do prefer my Sightrons to my Raptor's but not really by that much.

black crow said:

I had a chance to finally take a peak at some Yosemite's...

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I would agree re the comparative "sweet spot" size, going to the roof. The sightron is quite a deal. The temp here is going below 0 F tonight. Good chance to check the focuser

16deg today, and I left the SII and theronin my car. I hope to try out the focus at lunch.

Yo's have smaller sweet spot and softer edge but still vg glass for the$ imo. I use mine frequently. Used prices hovering around $50.

In a light weight porro I think the Raptor is very nice indeed now that I've compared them. Of course they cost at least a third more. It's worth it imo.

Speaking again of the Sightron, if they made it in 6x32, I would motgage the wife and kids to buy one, though would probably would need; only need to sell a couple of bow staves.

As it is, I really don't need to worry as I am simply not interested in an 8 x32.

People in my section of the world simply don't understand the usefulness of a good low power binocular in the woods and brush for both hunting and wildlife/bird watching, the latter particularly when you are doing something else such as hiking, fishing, taking kids to a park, etc.




For a dedicated widlife/bird watching outing, a 10 or 12 x with a 4 or 5mm exit pupil is probably superior.

All of the 6x binoculars I know of have relatively small fields of view for their power.

Rip

Ripantuck said:

All of the 6x binoculars I know of have relatively small fields of view for their power.

Rip

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...that is unless you start looking into some vintage porros. I just picked up a 6x30 Tasco model that sports a 604 foot field of view. It hasn't arrived yet but I will be sure to report on it when the time comes.

jaymoynihan said:

:t: Very interesting fellow.

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Yup, Edward Abbey was one-of-a-kind. Kind of an "enviro-anarchist" politically--if that makes sense. He'd vote for nobody in the upcoming election, that's for sure. "Blood Sport" was in One Life At a Time, Please, published posthumously. Book title from Thoreau, his deathbed words when asked by a preacher if he worried about the afterlife. When Abbey died, his close friends left his body for the vultures in an undisclosed location in the desert. Sounds like nirvana to me.

Anyway, could someone confirm that the Sightron really is 17.9 ounces? I think I saw that figure somewhere. If so...well, for the price....

Mark

Mark

I saw that 17.9 oz figure thrown out on the Sightrons as well, despite the published weight of 19.8 oz, which is the same as the 8x32 Theron LT. In my experience, I have found that binos weigh slightly more than their published weight - not less!

Kammerdiner said:

Yup, Edward Abbey was one-of-a-kind. Kind of an "enviro-anarchist" politically--if that makes sense. He'd vote for nobody in the upcoming election, that's for sure. "Blood Sport" was in One Life At a Time, Please, published posthumously. Book title from Thoreau, his deathbed words when asked by a preacher if he worried about the afterlife. When Abbey died, his close friends left his body for the vultures in an undisclosed location in the desert. Sounds like nirvana to me.

Anyway, could someone confirm that the Sightron really is 17.9 ounces? I think I saw that figure somewhere. If so...well, for the price....

Mark

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I weighted my pair but my scale really doesn't have accuracy to beyond the full ounce. They came in at just over 17oz.

black crow said:

I weighted my pair but my scale really doesn't have accuracy to beyond the full ounce. They came in at just over 17oz.

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I did not weigh them but it is very obvious that the Theron is heavier than the Sightron. I think 17.9 is on the heavy side. If the lightest 8x32 is what you fancy, the Sightron should be sufficient to the task.

Today's Premier Matchup! Sub$200 8x32 lightweights

I had a chance to really sit and put the Theron LT and Sightron SII through their paces for a while today. I have both and plan on keeping one. UNtil today, i was likely going to sell the SII.

Steve C said:

I did not weigh them but it is very obvious that the Theron is heavier than the Sightron. I think 17.9 is on the heavy side. If the lightest 8x32 is what you fancy, the Sightron should be sufficient to the task.

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Mass-off:
My trusty triple beam OHaus says that the SII, fully dressed with strap and both lens covers has a mass of 528.45 grams (18.64 ounces).

The Theron, equally dressed up with covers and strap, exceeded the maximum mass of the scale ( 610g = 21.5ish ounces).

Striped nude and ready to fight the SII is 483.65, or just at 17.0 ounces.

Theron's fightin weight is 542.35g, or 19.1 ounces moving the Theron to the top of, but still within, what I'd consider the lightweight class.

As mentioned, neither is heavy, and the Sightron feels noticeably lighter.

I prefer Therons heft while viewing, and Sightrons while wearing it around my neck. (the therons occular caps, the SII objective covers... the theron strap, the SII diopter... the theron looks, the SII centerfield sharpness, theron FOV... and so it goes)

SII Cold Weather Issues?
SIGHTRON focus wheel after a day in my car (35degF) results in no noticeable difference from the tension when stored in the house @ 63DegF. Completely and totally useable, though as mentioned by others, on the stiff side. Perhaps 35degF is not cold enough to reduce viscosity to annoyingly useless levels. My prefernce tends towards a smoother/easier to turn wheel, but could live with this without losing a moments rest. Bottom line, no cold weather issues at 35degF.

FOV's?
At 44 feet I was able to see 4 cinderblock widths, and the WapitiLT provided 4 and 1/4. Tough call without graduations on them. SII states 7.5, LT states 8. I believe them.

Centerfield Sharpness
Viewing various sized book titles and high contrast black on white package labels it was apparent () that the SII had a crisper image. I havent really been able to pin this down until today, inside, sitting, bino's at rest, side by side, with various package labels. The SII, for me, won this round today.

Color
There has been for me jsut "something" about the SII that jumps at me when I peer through. I use the LT quite a lot now, far more so than the SII. However whereas the LT is great to use, the SII has "something".. .I dont know what. Bear with me here, I'm a novice. It's been difficult for me to figure out what that something is while birding/viewing outside.

After today, that "something may be an edge in center sharpness. However, Tom hinted at trying to pin down if its a color issue, which can effect contrast. I looked at several flags, posters, and fireextinguishers in bright light and dim light (inside). Side by side, its is clear to me that the SII pops some colors more, most specifically the whites look whiter next to the reds of the fire extinguisher. the reds, by comparison, seem more brilliant. I cant tell any difference with blue, but green gave me a similar though less dramatic pop. I peered at a stuffed steelhead with some organish pinkish coloration on the side. The SII is slightly more vivid. The LT may be brighter.

So, FWIW, another LT-SII comparison.

The sightrons were at about 0 F all day. Could not move the focus wheel. Thinking of returning them. After all, they are roofs.

jaymoynihan said:

The sightrons were at about 0 F all day. Could not move the focus wheel. Thinking of returning them. After all, they are roofs.

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The Theron LT are quite similar to the sightron. The Theron focus wheel is much easier to move than the SII at room temp and todays temp (mid30'sF). If you like the sightron otherwise, it may be worth a look.

It does have a center pull/lock diopter though, which I think w/this design just doesnt give the precision of a regular right eye diopter.

Thanks for weighing in with the Sightron weight...17 ounces is NICE.

I've sort of come to the conclusion that for me the only reason not to carry a 42mm is weight, so a 32mm better be light or I'd rather stick with 42.

Sorry to hear about the focuser, Jay, although sample variations seem to be the norm. Overall, I think you do find more sample variation with the Chinese bins.

Mark

jaymoynihan said:

The sightrons were at about 0 F all day. Could not move the focus wheel. Thinking of returning them. After all, they are roofs.

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What does the manual say about its operating temp range? 0F= ~-18C which pushes the operating limit of -20C of most sports optics. And do you really stay out in those temps for more than a few hours Jay?

RJM said:

What does the manual say about its operating temp range? 0F= ~-18C which pushes the operating limit of -20C of most sports optics. And do you really stay out in those temps for more than a few hours Jay?

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An hour or 2 is within the ordinary.

I took my pro optic 10x43, Sightrons, and 8x28 excursions out today.

Temp was about 20degF at the coldest, 26 at the warmest. The binos were in it for about 6 hours.

EX8x28 wheel remained fully useful. Such a cool little set of binos.

Pro optic 10x was marginally stiffer but well withing useful range.

The SII was the stiffest but useable, however chasing small birds near and far was not happening. I tried to simulate this rapid focusing (on small birds) throughout a stand of cedars and a hedgerow ... doable but with the SII it was no longer easy. Viewing deer, ducks, a few redtail hawks, 2 pileated WP, some cool little duck I've never seen and cant yet ID, and a bunch of horses was no problem. So long as you had a moment to focus the image it was fine. A couple little junco's dotting about made life tougher. Rapid focus in winter isnt an SII strength. So, useable in the mid-upper 20'sF, but on the stiuff side of things, similar but perhaps a touch stiffer to the Yosemite in the cold.

That's a shame, that could be a deal breaker for those Sightrons. Fortunately it rarely gets below 30 here. Down to 20 is rare. That's a benefit of having several pairs of bins. If it gets cold then out come the Fury's or something else.

black crow said:

That's a shame, that could be a deal breaker for those Sightrons. Fortunately it rarely gets below 30 here. Down to 20 is rare. That's a benefit of having several pairs of bins. If it gets cold then out come the Fury's or something else.

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Sightron Update
Had my Sightrons out in the cold today too. The focus just gets too hard. I can't follow fast birds. Until Sightron puts some cold weather grease in these things they are just unusable in colder climates. I decided to keep them for summer birding because they are so good optically.