The Search for Excellence
Kimmo,
Thanks for those observations. I’m not bothered by the rb-effect in the SE either (on all three models), because I don’t SEE any rb with them. Panning is fairly smooth. What I do get is “blinking” blackouts while panning fast. I get the same thing when I dart my eyes quickly to the edges with the SEs, but I think those issues are due to the ER (or “spherical aberration of the exit pupil”, from what some optics experts have said, though I have never quite understood what that is).
The full-sized LX/ LX Ls have the most severe rb-effect I’ve seen in any binocular, which is really too bad (for me, anyway, because I see it) since the images are otherwise stunning. I especially like the 10x42 LX, which, although identical in FOV to the 10x42 SE, gives me a noticeably more open view (another puzzle - could be the eyecups work better with my facial features or because the vignette at edges on the SE – I have to tilt the EPs to see the field stop).
I agree about the armoring. I'd be concerned about it peeling off over time, though Nikon has a great warranty and even repairs used bins are very reasonable. The fully integrated smooth “skin” on the LX would have been more to my liking.
What I can’t see from the photos is whether or not the EDG has thumb indents under the barrels. I know a lot of people don’t like thumb indents, but I’ve tried Steve Moore’s 7x30 Swaro and the thumb indents are shallow and wide, and would fit a variety of fingers including those of my large sized hands. The 8x32 LX is a bit hard for me to hold, with its small, round barrels (I have to point my thumbs backward for the best grip-- I also added Bushwacker objective caps to extend the barrels for better comfort and stability).
The addition of tripod mount is a very useful feature, particularly for the 10x model. I could hold the 10x42 LX very steady due to its heavy weight, but I couldn’t hold it up very long before tiring my arms.
I also agree about the diopter adjustment on the EP being more convenient. That’s one thing I didn’t like about Steve’s Swaros, that and the second pinky knob focuser. However, if the depth of field is good, as Cameron said (or reviewer said), the diopter adjustment may not be that big an issue. It was for me with the 10x42 LX, and even more so with my first sample 8x32 LX, which had a focuser that was too “fast.” I’d overshoot the focus, and then have to readjust the focus AND the right diopter, because of my lack of focus accommodation. It drove me nuts, but the 8x32 LX sample I have now has a slower focuser, which suits me better, though I still wish the binocular had more depth of field.
In my heavily wooded backyard, I use the 8x30 E2 the most, because it has the best DOF and widest FOV out of my three top Nikon mid-sized bins (SE, LX, and E2). The LX I use for medium to long distance where its superior contrast helps pick out birds from the trees, and I use the SE for either backyard birding or in the field, because while not waterproof, it is better protected against moisture than the E2, and it's also more robustly built.
In the backyard, the shallower DOF with the 8x32 LX makes distinguishing birds from the background harder except with the most colorful birds.
When light levels drop significantly, I switch to the Zeiss Jena 8x50, which also has good DOF. For a 45 oz. binocular, it feels surprisingly light due to the excellent weight distribution and flat bottom ergonomics (at least for my large hands, users with small hands might have a hard time reaching the low profile focuser).
The rb-effect is somewhat subjective, though apparently it can be objectively measured, as Holger Merlitz demonstrates in this technical article (notice he mentions that the Nikon’s have no “distortion,” which in this context, and IMO, is NOT a good thing, because Nikon doesn’t compensate for the rb-effect or “globe effect” as Merlitz calls it by ADDING some pincushion distortion to make the image when panning more natural).
http://www.holgermerlitz.de/globe.pdf
I also see your point in calling it rb-effect rather than “barrel distortion” since optically, it is rather a lack of distortion (round lenses create round images) even though to the human eye (or to those eyes/brains sensitive to rb), the image through the bins looks distorted (curved) compared to the naked eye view without binoculars.
OTOH, I’ve used binoculars with too much of a good thing (pincushion), which then becomes a bad thing. The Swift 10x42 and 8x44 ED Ultralites are two binoculars that have too much pincushion for my tastes whereas the optics on the 8x42 Ultralite have a more natural view (I’m talking about the original 10x and 8x Ultralites, not the new models, which I haven’t tried).
Since a lot of people apparently don’t see the rb-effect in the LX or see it but quickly adapt to it, I may not get my question answered until I try a Nikon EDG myself. Of course, with a $1,800 price tag, I won’t be taking them home no matter how fantastic they are.
I’ll wait for the Chinese knock-off version or try a Vortex 8x42 Razor (not sure if that’s made in China or Japan, but it has the same open bridge design as the EL and EDG, but sells for about a third of the cost). The first version Razor reportedly had stiff focusers (like the first ELs), but from what the Vortex rep told me, they worked out that problem on the updated version (the only problem is they didn’t change the name or model # so there’s no way to tell which is the revised version).
Anyway, I can’t complain, I have a fine stable of binoculars. But like most optics aficionados, I’m always looking for something better, for excellence in optics, and for me, an "excellent" binocular would have the wide FOV, good DOF, and good edges of my 8x30 E2 combined with the high contrast and intense color depth of the LX in a EL package with ED glass. That's bino nirvana!
The problem is, I’d probably baby the binocular too much if it cost $1,800 or even if I got a great deal for “only” $1,200 as a close out or “blemished” sample. I babied my 10x42 LX L. It was too expensive for me to relax with it. Not that I knock around my other Nikons (or at least not purposely), but I don’t hold my breath while using them either.
Aside from the rb-effect with the LX, most of the Nikon’s I’ve bought have been consistently good in image quality and sharp on-axis and off. The exceptions were the 8x Sporter 1, which had soft images due to a lack of p-coatings, but was otherwise very good, and quite robust for the price, the Nikon Action EX, which had poor edges (my old 8x32 Action WF is sharper on-axis and off), and the Nikon Monarchs, which also have poor edges and the image quality wasn't on par with lesser priced porros, or at least with the sample I tried.
Notice that both of EX and the Monarch were made in China whereas all the other Nikons I’ve owned (about a dozen) were made in Japan.
Yes, you get what you pay for, but sometimes you pay too much for what you get, and the new EDG bins fall in that category for my budget even sight unseen.
Brock