Compact roof binoculars, have three in mind, opinions? (1 Viewer)

[jzmtl]

I'm looking for a pair of compact waterproof roof binoculars for when size/weight is a concern, currently I'm looking at three, the nikon trailblazer (sportstar ex) 8x25, steiner safari pro 10x26, and bushnell legend ultra hd 10x25. Would prefer 8x in two latter as well but they only come in 10x.

I know none of them has dielectric coating, bushnell has phase correction and ED glass but is also twice the price of nikon. Specs on the other two are big vague on what they have.

Any opinions on any of these?

P.s. I already have decent quality 10x42 roof and 8x25 porro, and alphas are out of my price range, so no need to steer me toward those.

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

JZMTL,
Also try the Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 when you start to compare compact binoculars. I have used it on quite a few hiking tours now and it is light very convenient to use despite the somwhat smaeelr field of view of 124m/1000 m, but a large part of the FOV is sharp (100m/1000m).
Gijs

 

[looksharp65]

I used to own the Bushnell Excursion 8x28 but changed to a Meopta Meostar 8x32.
It is surprisingly small (in particular sleek), lightweight, hangs flat on the chest and has very nice optics.

It may sound luxurious to use a Meopta as a compact bin, but believe me, when I bring it, it leaves nothing to desire.
The Excursion was nice, but the Meopta plays in a totally different league.

//L

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

looksharp65,
The Meopta Meostar 8x32 weighs 608 gram, the Swarovski CCL 8x30 503 grams.
Other data:
Meopta: FOV=139m/1000 m of which 65% is sharp =90m/1000m
Swarovski CL: FOV= 124m/1000m of which 89% is sharp=100m/1000m
Meopta: light transmission at 500nm=84,8% at 550 nm=87,6%
Swarovski CL: light transmission at 500nm=90% at 550 nm=93%
That explains why the CL is brighter in the field
Eyerelief of both binoculars is around 15 mm, enough to use them with spectacles.
Service level: Meopta =bad, Swarovski= excellent.
Price difference: the Meopta is around 200 euro's cheaper.
Both binoculars are well built and compact.
I have used both but I prefer the CL because of the higher user comfort and the optical performance.
Gijs

 

[ceasar]

Consider the Pentax DCF LV 9 x 28 which is now on sale at at Eagle Optics for $199.99. Under their return policy you can try it for 30 days. Ask about the policy.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/pentax/pentax-dcf-lv-9x28-roof-prism-binocular

It has a number of reviews there which are IMO accurate.

It's not a world beater and could not be one at that price. It is a small 28mm binocular with only one hinge. (It will fit into a bellows type shirt pocket.)

It is a very good, easy to use, well constructed binocular that can take a beating. (Mine has.) It has long eye relief if you wear glasses. My wife likes using it for that reason. It also has phase coatings. What it does not have is a wide field of view but I found it not to be restrictive. The FOV is a bit narrow with some astigmatism at the edge of the view.

I've kept it in my car for years. My son used it for 8 months in South America trekking around North Chile, Machu Picchu, Peru and the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia and he did not baby it. It fell in the lake near the shoreline without damage resulting.

I find it to be one of those binoculars that is better than the sum of it's parts.

Bob

 

[eitanaltman]

Other data:

What about the most important piece of data, that the CL (and the Meopta) is WAAAAY out of the price range he is looking at?

When a guy is asking about $100-200 models steering him towards a $900 binocular isn't particularly helpful.

 

[looksharp65]

What about the most important piece of data, that the CL (and the Meopta) is WAAAAY out of the price range he is looking at?

When a guy is asking about $100-200 models steering him towards a $900 binocular isn't particularly helpful.

Well, honestly I didn't read the OP too thoroughly since I just had a short break at work and used my mobile phone.
The reason I mentioned the Meopta (which I bought used for about $400) is that it does qualify as a reasonably compact binocular with a very good image.

If I initially had gone for the Meostar rather than (in turn) the Minox HG 8x33, the Minox BV 8x25, the Fuji Offroad 8x32 and the Bushnell Excursion 8x28, I would have saved a considerable amount of money.
Sometimes it's better to make a greater investment than to repeat a mistake over and over again.

Gijs, numbers maybe don't lie, although I'm dubious re your assessment of the Meostar's sweet spot. Almost all of the lacking edge sharpness is curvature of field, which makes it optically much better than (for example) the Zeiss FL 8x32.

The Meopta could be made better than the current version by adding ED glass and dielectric coating, but I find the view relaxing and rewarding as it is now.
The CL was an immediate disappointment when I tried it and I wouldn't waste my time with trying it again. But to be honest, I feel exactly the same about the Zeiss HT 10x42, so the CL is in good (?) company :-O.

//L

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

looksharp65,
Always follow your own observations and judgment when you want a binocular. Test of others may help if you are hesitating, but only your own opinion (and your wallet) counts when you want to buy a binocular. I do not share your observations with the CL and the HT but that is the way it is.
With egard to budget; I frquently was confronted with customers (when I was working a a volunteer in a binocular shop) who wanted a binocular of 150-200 euros and in the end they went home with a 1500 euro binocular.
Gijs

 

[looksharp65]

30-32 ,even the smaller models,are not Compacts..I think 28 could be the limit,but usually 25-26 is the aperture that fit the title...

Anyway, it's not about objective size but rather about physical dimensions. The Meopta 8x32 is a smaller midsized binocular, even though there are a couple of 32s that are considerably smaller, like the Opticron Traveller.

For my large hands, the Meopta is "compact" and anything smaller would be "mini binoculars" to me. (8x20, 8x25, 10x25 and so on)
Even smaller might be called subminiature binoculars (Nikon Mikron 6x15 for example)

The Fury 6.5x32 is what I would call truly midsized, as are some of the smaller 8x42s/10x42s.
Bigger 42s would be "fullsized" and most models from 45 mm aperture might be called "big binoculars".

//L

 

[jzmtl]

Thanks for the replies. I'm really looking for something that I can stuff in my pocket when not using, hence my original choices are all double hinged. The meostar looks too large for that, even if I could drop 1k on it.

I've read that new Pentax are really hit or miss as far as quality goes (on here actually), so I'm a bit hesitant on getting one, has their QC improved?

 

[ceasar]

I'm not aware of the Pentax 9 x 28 having QC problems. It's an older model dating back to 2008 as the blurb in Eagle Optics notes. I purchased mine when it first came out and it has been used hard and treated indifferently and is still working fine. Most of the complaints about it involve it's FOV and edges and brightness. It is no worse handling glare than many others and maybe better because it's objectives are set deep in the objective tubes. But as I noted above it's a $200.00 binocular and you have to decide what compromises are important to you.

Most important here is trying them out first. I know that the 8 x 28 double hinged Bushnell has many fans but it seems to be hard to find now.

Bob

 

[pompadour]

Jzmtl, some months ago I had more-or-less the same requiremt. as you, for a while. Had focussed on the Bushnell Ultra 10x and the Hawke Sapphire 8x and 10x pockets as • the best optically • at that price range • about the same size and wt. as the Leica, Swaro. and Zeiss pockets, and • waterproof. PS When placing back in the pocket don't fold unless necess. for reasons of space, etc. Just slows the draw. Correction: pl. see below.

 

[typo]

I had a look at a bunch of the low priced compact roofs a while back and on the whole wasn't impressed. I'm not sure of the models now, but I'm pretty sure the ones I found didn't have phase coating and all had fuzzy edges. I much preferred the reverse porros like the Olympus tracker and the Bushnell Elite (Custom). Unfortunately they do need a bigger pocket.

Since then I've noted some pretty favourable comments on the cheaper Hawke compacts. I went to check them out a a show last summer and was totally distracted by their Sapphire ED 8x25. I was very impressed. Chinese made of course, but I thought it gave the alpha compacts a serious run for their money. The US price seems to be around $290 though.

You may have found some of my comments on the Pentax LV 9x28. On the plus side it seems a lot more robust than many double hinged compacts I've tried, but our pair at least is not as sharp as I would like but my wife is quite content. We might have been unlucky. Certainly others seem very happy with theirs.

David

 

[pompadour]

As I'm about to post this I see David has already made this correction. Jzmtl, sorry, the Hawkes are priced close to $300. Found that out just now when I thought of checking the prices again. My price range must have stretched a bit further up than I remembered.

 

[gaman]

How about Hawke Frontier PC Compact 8x25?

It is only $114 at Opticsplanet and get quite favorable review here:

http://opticsthoughts.com/index.php.../141-hawke-frontier-8x25mm-binocular-review12

 

[pompadour]

Gaman, if the question is for me, the Hawke Frontiers were a bit too heavy by my criteria! 300 g / 10.6 oz. The Hawke Sapphires are 241 g / 8.5 oz. The Bushnell Ultra is 230 g / 8.1 oz. This is also the reason I left out the Nikon HG/Premier pocket models from the "alpha" list I mentioned for weight comparison.

 

[jzmtl]

Thanks all, in the end I decided to go with bushnell legend, a bit of risk as there are literally no review on this model other than on retailer websites. It seems to be the best price performance ratio at least on paper.

I'm not in US though so I'm limited by what's available locally and online retailers that doesn't charge an arm plus first born for shipping.

 

[ceasar]

Doesn't Eagle Optics have a Canadian outlet?

Bob

 

[jzmtl]

It looks more like an authorized reseller that also use the same name, and he doesn't have much of a selection.

Anyway got my bushnell legend 10x25 today, so far happy with the size and performance though there are some places I can nitpick. Would post an impression but this is only my 3rd not-walmart-grade bino, so probably not useful to you guys with truckload of $1k+ binos.

 

[gaman]

Hi jzmtl,

Could you please give your opinion on the bushnell? I am really interested to know how it performs. I am looking for compact binoculars, double hinge type. I have been eyeing on Nikon LXL but it is outside my budget.

Currently what I have is a Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD in 10x36 format which I really like the whole package except it does have some flare issue and rather large for cycling.