Greetings from a long absent birder. (About 20 years or so...) I have remained a frequent outdoor visitor, and now with my two little girls getting to the age where they are interested in birds, trees, etc., I have dusted off my field guides, and natural history books (see Mom, my college science degree really will come in handy! ) and am ready to start slowly back into the hobby.
I couldn't afford nice glass when I was "into" the hobby back in the day, and my cheap, heavy, old 10x50 zoom bins are now definitely relegated to "porch view" status at our mountain condo. My only other bins are some 12x24 Pentax UCF's which are nice for backpacking, tossing in the car, or for my girls to play with, but not much else.
Sooo...here I sit, with a minor headache from two days of research on this site and too many others to count. (I tend to overanalyse, to the point of "Paralysis by analysis." )
My wants/needs:
1. 8x42 or similar. Don't really see the need for greater, as my wife will be using them as well, and she has an easier time locating things with less magnification.
2. Waterproof to 100m really isn't necessary. I don't anticipate much heavy activity in inclement weather, though occasional trips to the coast may mean some mist, etc. My bigger concern would be fogging, and I am not sure if gas purged optics are really a necessity.
3. At this time, I really don't see myself out every weekend, only a few times a month at most with my girls. Therefore, I can't see spending top $$ for alpha bins. I would like to keep the cost to $500 or less. (Preferably $200-$400)
4. I have no aversion to porro's, and after reading here regarding their generally better optics for a given price point, generally superior brightness, and 3D viewing, I seem to be leaning that way. Weight isn't really an issue, as I don't see myself out for long stretches at a time with the bins. Sturdiness shouldn't be a big issue (as it relates to porros versus roofs), as I don't see heavy abuse, though it may be more of an issue than I am aware. Feel free to enlighten me.
5. One my many other hobbies is Astrophotography, and for this reason, I tend to lean to apochromatic optics. From my reading, it seems that this is less of an benefit for small aperature bins, but it is a definite benefit for my imaging scopes. Since primary imaging scope at this time has an ED doublet, and I am very pleased with it's performance, I tend to find myself leaning toward an ED bin. However, I am not looking at a bin for astronomy, I just tend to like ED glass.
My current preferences:
1. Swift Audubon 820ED 8.5x44 (great glass, suspect build quality?)
2. Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 ( Excellent reviews, decent price)
3. Wiliam Optics 8x42 Apo (Great price, good performance, now with phase coatings)
4. Minox BD 8x44 BP (Well reviewed, a little more $$, narrower FOV)
4. Swarovski Habicht 10x40 (circa mid 80's-early 90's) My father in law, who has these (plus some 10x42 EL's) is offering to sell them to me. I figure I could get them for less than $500.
Any thoughts? Am I missing some obvious contenders?
I am not sure if I will be able to find all the contenders to look through, but most online vendors have decent return policies.
Thanks for any help/insights you can provide!
Regards,
Gary
I couldn't afford nice glass when I was "into" the hobby back in the day, and my cheap, heavy, old 10x50 zoom bins are now definitely relegated to "porch view" status at our mountain condo. My only other bins are some 12x24 Pentax UCF's which are nice for backpacking, tossing in the car, or for my girls to play with, but not much else.
Sooo...here I sit, with a minor headache from two days of research on this site and too many others to count. (I tend to overanalyse, to the point of "Paralysis by analysis." )
My wants/needs:
1. 8x42 or similar. Don't really see the need for greater, as my wife will be using them as well, and she has an easier time locating things with less magnification.
2. Waterproof to 100m really isn't necessary. I don't anticipate much heavy activity in inclement weather, though occasional trips to the coast may mean some mist, etc. My bigger concern would be fogging, and I am not sure if gas purged optics are really a necessity.
3. At this time, I really don't see myself out every weekend, only a few times a month at most with my girls. Therefore, I can't see spending top $$ for alpha bins. I would like to keep the cost to $500 or less. (Preferably $200-$400)
4. I have no aversion to porro's, and after reading here regarding their generally better optics for a given price point, generally superior brightness, and 3D viewing, I seem to be leaning that way. Weight isn't really an issue, as I don't see myself out for long stretches at a time with the bins. Sturdiness shouldn't be a big issue (as it relates to porros versus roofs), as I don't see heavy abuse, though it may be more of an issue than I am aware. Feel free to enlighten me.
5. One my many other hobbies is Astrophotography, and for this reason, I tend to lean to apochromatic optics. From my reading, it seems that this is less of an benefit for small aperature bins, but it is a definite benefit for my imaging scopes. Since primary imaging scope at this time has an ED doublet, and I am very pleased with it's performance, I tend to find myself leaning toward an ED bin. However, I am not looking at a bin for astronomy, I just tend to like ED glass.
My current preferences:
1. Swift Audubon 820ED 8.5x44 (great glass, suspect build quality?)
2. Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 ( Excellent reviews, decent price)
3. Wiliam Optics 8x42 Apo (Great price, good performance, now with phase coatings)
4. Minox BD 8x44 BP (Well reviewed, a little more $$, narrower FOV)
4. Swarovski Habicht 10x40 (circa mid 80's-early 90's) My father in law, who has these (plus some 10x42 EL's) is offering to sell them to me. I figure I could get them for less than $500.
Any thoughts? Am I missing some obvious contenders?
I am not sure if I will be able to find all the contenders to look through, but most online vendors have decent return policies.
Thanks for any help/insights you can provide!
Regards,
Gary
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