Why no 9x36? (1 Viewer)

[amears]

More new models from the top 3 brands and still they persist with 8s and 10s only. I try the new models but nothing has come very close to making me upgrade from my 8 year old 8x32 Leicas.

One thing would - instantly. A 9x36 made by any of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski.

Anyone else in my camp on this?

Ps. I guess I'd look pretty seriously at a Nikon too if available

 

[Pileatus]

More new models from the top 3 brands and still they persist with 8s and 10s only. I try the new models but nothing has come very close to making me upgrade from my 8 year old 8x32 Leicas.

One thing would - instantly. A 9x36 made by any of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski.

Anyone else in my camp on this?

Ps. I guess I'd look pretty seriously at a Nikon too if available

Buy a 8.5X42 Swarovision and squint a bit...you might get your 9X.

 

[[email protected]]

More new models from the top 3 brands and still they persist with 8s and 10s only. I try the new models but nothing has come very close to making me upgrade from my 8 year old 8x32 Leicas.

One thing would - instantly. A 9x36 made by any of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski.

Anyone else in my camp on this?

Ps. I guess I'd look pretty seriously at a Nikon too if available

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Visiona...711?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5d559fe8cf

http://www.trophytools.com/product-p/d936.htm

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics2/zenray.pl?page=zenray-zened29x36

 

[perterra]

Lack of vigorous replies is probably and indication of why one hasn't been offered

 

[Boogieshrew]

Buy a 8.5X42 Swarovision and squint a bit...you might get your 9X.

Thats what I ended up doing when I became interested in having more mag than my usual 7x (I don't like 10x due small depth of field but 8.5 time is very acceptable to me).

I do dream of an alpha 7x36 though.

 

[Robert Wallace]

Years ago the British binocular manufacturer Ross produced a 9x35. Peter Conder former Director of the RSPB used them.
I think 9x36 are a useful compromise, relatively light and compact, with an exit pupil of 4mm. I'd be very tempted if an alpha manufacturer made some.

 

[oetzi]

Watch 1:25-1:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaX7i1Q7-Rw

 

[Vespobuteo]

More new models from the top 3 brands and still they persist with 8s and 10s only. I try the new models but nothing has come very close to making me upgrade from my 8 year old 8x32 Leicas.

One thing would - instantly. A 9x36 made by any of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski.

Anyone else in my camp on this?

Ps. I guess I'd look pretty seriously at a Nikon too if available

because they wouldn't sell enough of them…
I think it's simple as that,

vortex had one, but it's now discontinued

 

[DadraFromFrance]

Watch 1:25-1:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaX7i1Q7-Rw

:t::t::t:

 

[Bob A (SD)]

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=91727

Still enjoying my early 80s vintage Leupold 9x35 Gold Ring IF Porros Model #52277 that the factory refurbished for me in 2007

 

[ceasar]

because they wouldn't sell enough of them…
I think it's simple as that,

vortex had one, but it's now discontinued

The Vortex 9x36 was a Diamondback and it was pretty good. I had one and gave it to my son when he left for Graduate School in Boston. Maybe I will borrow it back and look it over again. There was also a 7x36 that came out with the 9x36.

The Diamondback 8x42 is a big seller for Vortex. Diamondbacks are built very tough. They are economically priced, they all have wide FOVs but could be brighter. The 9x36 FOV was 7º if my memory is correct.

When Vortex dropped them they replaced them with an 8x32 and a 10x32.

Bob

 

[amears]

I forgot to say that I've owned two pairs way back when, Kowa porros that we're superb and less good Swift (Albany if I remember rightly).

I also tried 8.5 x 42 Swaros as the nearest fit and while the optics were perfect, the size and ease of handling were awful. I traded them in after a month.

So I would ask why aren't more birders targeting 9 x 36? There's nothing magic about the numbers 8 or 10...

 

[dandare]

There's two Opticron 9x35 models currently on ebay. I've owned a pair of Elite's since 1984 and it's a really nice binocular. I believe it's the predecessor of the Minerva.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-Opti...804?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item46357ceef4

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Opticron-...216?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item46354fd5b0

 

[dandare]

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=91727

Still enjoying my early 80s vintage Leupold 9x35 Gold Ring IF Porros Model #52277 that the factory refurbished for me in 2007

Bob, interestingly, I'm pretty sure that the Opticron Elite 9x35 in my previous post is the CF equivalent of your Leupold 9X35 Gold Ring. With the obvious exception of the focusing method, the specs pretty much match up as do the dimensions and period of manufacture.

 

[amears]

They look remarkably similar to my old Kowas too, again with the exception of the focussing wheel. Opticron - ok, interesting, but they don't stand up to the top 3 I'm afraid...

I have a theory - if one of the top 3 made them, then promoted them aggressively in the birding press (call them the 'The Birder'), then they'd sell thousands.

Had seen the video before. Shit perhaps but I want a wide and deep field, compact size and magnification as far as I can push it to allow all the former. With modern bins being so light-weight, I feel I can push to 9 but don't want to go as far as 10. Similarly, I feel I can go bigger than 32mm but not as far as 42 (I bird in tropical forest quite a lot). The answer is 9x36. Wish they'd make them.

 

[dandare]

They look remarkably similar to my old Kowas too, again with the exception of the focussing wheel. Opticron - ok, interesting, but they don't stand up to the top 3 I'm afraid...

I'm not suggesting that anyone bid/buy them, especially at the asking price for the Elite's, just thought it interesting and unusual that two 9x35 configurations are on ebay at the same time. My recently purchased Opticron SRGA 8x32 porrro cost less than what the seller's asking for those Elite's and are optically better. It would be interesting to see how they would stack up against each other if the Elite's had the benefit of modern multi-coatings though.

 

[Roadbike]

More new models from the top 3 brands and still they persist with 8s and 10s only. I try the new models but nothing has come very close to making me upgrade from my 8 year old 8x32 Leicas.

One thing would - instantly. A 9x36 made by any of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski.

Anyone else in my camp on this?

Ps. I guess I'd look pretty seriously at a Nikon too if available

You can get close with vintage Nikon bins. A few decades back Nikon used 35mm objectives in 9x and 8x as well as the venerable 7x version. I can only guess that the 9x disappeared as birders shifted their interest to higher magnifications like the 10x35. Similarly 6x and 7x were largely replaced by 8x, etc.

 

[karstenkoch]

My guess is that it's 50% a marketing issue. Would a manufacturer sell more binos if they offered 7x and 9x models or 8x and 10x models? Higher is better, right? Personally, if you are going to have two binos, I think 7x and 10x complement each other the best.