[NWBirder]

I may have missed some..

Bushnell Legend HD
Bushnell Excursion (birding series 7x36)
Kowa Genesis XD 33mm
Leupold North Fork
Leupold GR switchpower
Nikon Monarch X
Nikon EDG
Vortex Kaibab
Vortex Diamondback
Zen-Ray ZEN ED2
Zen-Ray ZRS HD

[oleaf]

Meopta 32mm... very nice little binocular.

Wait... is this a list of new binoculars introduced in 2009 or new binoculars you bought in 2009?

Cheers

[Tero]

Best I bought are Pentax SP 8x32. I took them on a trip as my only bino and got 40 or 50 lifers. My friend had a scope but we IDd the grebe by call before that.

[falcondude]

the best one I got is 7x36 ZEN ED2. The huge FOV and razor sharp resolution are all I have wished for.

[NWBirder]

Originally Posted by oleaf

Meopta 32mm... very nice little binocular.

Wait... is this a list of new binoculars introduced in 2009 or new binoculars you bought in 2009?

Cheers

sorry for poor wording. I mean to say binoculars introduced in 2009.

[Tero]

Naah, new models are just for checking out and sending back. Like my Ravens.

[Paskman]

Of those bought this year it has to be the Nikon 8x30 EII's: Never have I spent so much time spent looking at inanimate objects when there are no birds to be seen. Infact I have been know to just stare at the binoculars!! How sad is that?

Paul

[ingle1970]

Originally Posted by Paskman

Of those bought this year it has to be the Nikon 8x30 EII's: Never have I spent so much time spent looking at inanimate objects when there are no birds to be seen. Infact I have been know to just stare at the binoculars!! How sad is that?

Paul

Paul ,
i can agree with that , just recently got a 8x30 EII myself , its a marvel ! .

and as you say even looking at a mundane object reveals hidden treasures

just hope the new swarovision EL has the same effect on me !

[Sancho]

Couldn´t agree more, Paul and Ingle. I sold my EL´s to order the new version, and since have been using my EII´s (2nd pair!) a lot more. I´m seriously beginning to wonder if I need anything else. And sitting looking through (or at) them for no particular reason, Paul, is perfectly normal behaviour in the twisted world of bino-worship.

[ingle1970]

wont be long now , eh sancho

[Sancho]

Originally Posted by ingle1970

wont be long now , eh sancho

No, I suppose not....and then it´ll be just the new EL´s and the EII´s, maybe, and I´ll sell off the rest...I just don´t have enough Binocular Lurv to give anymore.

Wish I´d seen a pair of those Zen-Rays, though. They sound amazing.

[Pinewood]

Originally Posted by falcondude

the best one I got is 7x36 ZEN ED2. The huge FOV and razor sharp resolution are all I have wished for.

Hello FalconDude,

My only new one for 2009, as well, but I am not quite that enthusiastic, even though it is a fine glass.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

[Briggz]

Well I caught this bug rather late in the year but I think I have done pretty well.

I love the ZR ED2 and even though it was a crappy day here I had them out. I have to admit, I do like the Canon IS I got my wife as a present at X-mas. Made any object amazingly crisp.

Hopefully the Nikon SE's will be here by the end of next week. From all of the reviews I am truely interested in how these perform.

[Ardy]

Best new release was Zen 7x36 ED2 (new version)Value
Most dissappointing new release Leupold 10x32 HD GR

[Kevin Purcell]

We had both of the ZR ED bins this year (in only a year).

But I think both the ZR ED2 7x36 (revised version) and ZR ED2 8x43 are best bang for the buck 2009 bins.

Personal favorites used this year: Zeiss 8x32FL, Meopta 8x32, Nikon SE 10x42 and Canon IS 10x30. All excellent in their "class".

[kristoffer]

Definitely the ED2 7x36. Super optics for small money.

[Tero]

At least I got rid of my pocket bino and even reverse porro urges. I have a Minolta 8x25 reverse porro that seems to be mostly plastic. Nothing smaller than 28mm for me.

[ceasar]

I picked up a Vortex 9 x 36 Diamondback last May from Camera Land and used it for 6 months. It is certainly worth the $200.00 it cost. Like all Vortex Diamondbacks it has a very wide FOV and rather large "sweet spot" and is built like a tank and like most Vortex Diamondbacks it also could be a bit brighter in overcast conditions. It is a useful backup binocular and makes a handy loaner or one to keep in your car. It's not much bigger than alot of 8 x 32's like Nikon's LX L. I'm keeping mine.

I also got Orion's new $49.00 10 x 42 Monocular. It is surprisingly well built with a twist up eye cup, but I don't think it is phase coated. Has about 315" FOV at 1000 yards. It has about a 24" close focus and works best with my small monopod. It's not easy to hand hold. It focuses by twisting the barrel. But it is handy to keep around the deck or take anywhere you will be sedentary and want to have a bit of reach when you spy something at a distance. It's about 6 inches long and you can drop it into any piece of luggage.

Bob

[spyglass]

Tero, don't give up on reverse porros.....have ya tried the new Elite 7x26? Best little one I've ever had (I don't care about waterpruf).....be nice if they'd bump the obj's up to 28 tho'.....and add plossls for about 8*. I'd do backflips to have one like that....but the 7x26 is still a dandy.

[Kevin Purcell]

Originally Posted by ceasar

I also got Orion's new $49.00 10 x 42 Monocular. It is surprisingly well built with a twist up eye cup, but I don't think it is phase coated. Has about 315" FOV at 1000 yards. It has about a 24" close focus and works best with my small monopod. It's not easy to hand hold. It focuses by twisting the barrel. But it is handy to keep around the deck or take anywhere you will be sedentary and want to have a bit of reach when you spy something at a distance. It's about 6 inches long and you can drop it into any piece of luggage.

I'd missed that one. Though 10x seems a bit much for a monocular.

http://www.telescope.com/control/bin...roof-monocular

They also have a Japanese 8x32 monocular that I'd not noticed before.

http://www.telescope.com/control/bin...ngle-monocular

I tried another one an 8x42 ED monocular (a sample I suspect is made in the same place as the Chinese ED bins) that was very, very good but its not on sale in the USA. But is on sale in Europe. THere is a thread on that one.

[Steve C]

For me, there is no question that the ZEN ED 2 carries that honor. What you get for what you pay is pretty well astonishing, nothing comes close.

I would also include the Meopta Meopta Meostar 8x32.

I am tempted to include the Leupold Gold Ging 7/12x32 Switch power too, but I still am a bit undecided about it.

I think the Steiner Peregrine XP probably was 2008, but I was never able to see one until 2009. It qualifies too.

As does the Atlas Radian in a what you get for what you pay inclusion.

Atlas Sky King for bringing decent dielectric coatings into the $200 class binocular.

[FrankD]

I don't know if I could just pick one. Many of the previously mentioned models are high on my list though.

If I had to pick a few though it would probably be the 8x43 Zen ED and ED IIs along with the Meopta Meostar 8x32s. All are superb performers for the price.

[dbuss]

Definitely happy with purchase of Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 and Bushnell Elite 10x43. Disappointed with Zen Ray ED 10x43 -- focusing is slow and the binocular is bulky. ED2 version apparently fixes focusing problem but bulk remains.

[brocknroller]

I tried three 2009 bins: 8x42 Promaster ED, 10x42 EDG, and ZR 7x36 ED2.

The one I liked best was the ZR. The combination of the 7x36 configuration, WF, ED glass, and light weight make it great for birding, and the ergonomics are more like the EDG than the Promaster.

The Promaster ED had overall better image quality than the ZR, sharper, less pincushion, better edges, and better color depth (snappier reds like Nikon, in fact, the contrast and color depth are very similar to the LX). But I found the ergonomics somewhat awkward (too long, not enough finger room between barrels, and the thumb indents were in the wrong place for my hands and were too deep).

The Nikon EDG gets the optics and ergonomics "right," IMO. For $1,600 more, it damn well better!

My only beef was the on-the-focus diopter. Even though the cap problem has been corrected, I still prefer the diopter adjustment on the right eyepiece, preferably with a pop up ring like the ZR and LX.

Interesting to note that two out of three bins had defects that were corrected later, the ZR with the stray light problems and the Nikon with the loose focuser cap.

What I learned from trying these three bins is that the Chinese are catching up to the Japanese in optics, and are able to offer a competitive product for a fraction of the cost.

While the Top Three are secure, because there will always be a market for luxury products and the "snob appeal" of anything "Euro" will continue; however, I think Nikon needs to offer better competition at the upper mid price level - I haven't tried the Monarch X, but from the specs and features, they don't seem to compete with the Chinese EDs.

Ditto for the second-tier Zeiss Conquests. From what I've read, they are overpriced for what you get, but they will still appeal to Europhiles.

With the product safety issues from China, I have been slow to be won over. But the recession helped with that.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then poverty is the mother of necessity.

[mooreorless]

I don't know about the "snob appeal" but I bought a Swarovski 8x30 neu with a trade in of my old Swaro 7x30SLC and I am very happy with the 8x30SLC. I like the ZenRay 7x36ED2 but some of the things I don't like is the focuser, bad flare with low sun and looking at something with the sun off to the side or just above out of the view and diopter control. Other than that I really like it.:-)
Steve