Vortex Vulture HD 8x56 (1 Viewer)

[rdnzl]

Got these today. Vulture HD 8x56. A discontinued model. They still make the 15x56. These are new, old stock. They have nice views, with great details and contrast. I see very little color fringing. The large objectives should be pretty nice in low light situations.
They are a bit on the heavy side, but I have a good neck strap that helps hold them still, and a Uni-Daptor tripod mount that makes on and off the tripod fast and easy.

I was watching mostly crows and squirrels, with a few hummers at my feeder. These provide plenty of detail and a nice bright view. I am alos looking forward to using them for some stargazing. Of course, the high clouds came in this afternoon.

 

[rdnzl]

After a couple days, here are my thoughts. The field of view is just ok, not real wide. But the views within that field, are very sharp, almost all the way to the edge. I think I detect a very slight yellow cast, with makes trees and water colors pop. CA is quite minimal and only visible with very bright backlighting against something like a tree branch. And even so, very minimal.

The focus is really nice. It takes a more than usual movement of the wheel, to go way out of focus, which I like a lot. It has a more of a precise feel to the focusing. Sort of like fine tuning. They are not light, but the way I hold them, they balance nicely, and I can hold them quite still. The exit pupils are pretty large and it's easy for me to eliminate blackouts by adjusting the eyecups all the way out. These would be good for eyeglass wearers.

I bought one of these harnesses for them, and they carry nicely using it.

 

[carjug]

I have the 15 x 56 diamondback. I wish they were the 8x 56. They would be terrific bins then, except for the weight. Better glass wouldn't hurt either.