Atomic Chicken
Registered with the D.O.E.
Greetings!
Today was one of my many trips to various area optics retailers in search of something new to suck the money out of my wallet!
Inspired by my recent purchase last Saturday of a pair of Rugged Exposure (rebranded Barska) 10X42 waterproof chinese roof prism binoculars (they STILL continue to amaze me with their excellent optical quality and $60 price tag!), I decided to run around and see what else was available in the "cheap" end of the price range that might be half decent. I went to 4 retailers, and after over 5 hours of careful, objective examination of close to 50 low-cost models, I am here to report that absolutely ZERO binoculars I examined came anywhere NEAR the image and build quality of the Rugged Exposure 10x42's. I halfway expected as much, they seemed like just too good a binocular to be true... so after testing I promptly drove to the sporting goods store I purchased my first pair from and purchased a backup pair, their last available unit - the display model.
I also looked at quite a few higher-end binoculars today, including the much coveted (by me!) Leica Duovid 8-12x42. I continue to be amazed by these optics - after hearing so many good things on this forum about them it is nice to be able to verify that they are indeed everything they are cracked up to be. A bit expensive and heavy, but otherwise probably the best attempt yet made by a high-end optics manufacturer to make the best "all around" binoculars for the widest range of uses.
I did an extensive comparison of compact high-power binoculars (10-12x) that weigh under 1lb, including models by Nikon, Zeiss, Swarovski, Bushnell, and half a dozen cheap brands that aren't even worth writing about. Of all the models that fit these specifications, I was most impressed by the image quality of the (now obsolete, but still available) Zeiss Diafun 10x30 and Nikon LX 10x25 models, with the Zeiss Diafun having probably a 5% edge in optical performance including center sharpness and low light performance. The two were equally bright, and had approx. the same levels of CA. I would rank the Zeiss Victory 10x25 compact just slightly below the Nikon LX 10x25, which kind of surprised me because when I purchased my 8x20 compact the Zeiss Victory 8x20 was slightly better. This just shows that at different powers and objective lens sizes, different manufacturers are not necessarily consistent across their entire product line.
Finally, I went to the largest optics dealer in the area (a sporting goods store that specializes in high-end optics brands) and examined several full size 7x to 8x binoculars with 42mm and 50mm objective lenses. I spent approx. 2 hours at this, not intending to purchase any of them but just for my own furthering education regarding what is available in these powers and sizes. Everything was fairly comparable in their respective price ranges, with two exceptions. First off, the Alpen 8x42 seemed inordinately bright and clear considering it's $289 local price, easily equalling the Pentax SP 8x42 at close to twice the price and completely conquering all other 8x42 binoculars under $400. I had never looked at this brand before, always overlooking them in the past because of their low cost and constant sales tags - I always thought "they must be crap to be on sale all the time!". I am happy to report that I was wrong, and that they really are worth a look if you are in search of low-end binoculars that really perform.
The 2nd surprise REALLY caught me by surprise. I noticed that the store was having a closeout sale on Bausch & Lomb optics at up to 50% off, and decided to take a look at a few models. The one that completely blew me away and actually took my breath away was the Bausch & Lomb Discoverer 7x42 (Model #61-0742). I kid you not - I swear upon all that is holy that these binoculars were the best pair I looked through all day. Bright, sharp, pure image and magnificent field of view, PC-3 phase coated, BAK4 prisms, waterproof, nitrogen purged, rainguard lens coating, and an image to kill for. I couldn't believe it! I requested a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's to compare them to, and I'll be dipped in mustard sauce if I could see any difference in image quality. At $279+tax, the cashier couldn't have dragged the money out of my wallet faster if she had mugged me (which I would have gladly allowed, considering her good looks! ).
If anyone has an opportunity to examine a pair of these (now discontinued) binoculars, I can't urge you strongly enough to give them a chance - I'm overjoyed with my pair!
Best wishes,
Bawko
Edit: Corrected spelling mistake "Alpin" to "Alpen". Also corrected local price for the same binocular - I had "$249" listed from memory, but referring to my notes I realized the actual price is $289.
Today was one of my many trips to various area optics retailers in search of something new to suck the money out of my wallet!
Inspired by my recent purchase last Saturday of a pair of Rugged Exposure (rebranded Barska) 10X42 waterproof chinese roof prism binoculars (they STILL continue to amaze me with their excellent optical quality and $60 price tag!), I decided to run around and see what else was available in the "cheap" end of the price range that might be half decent. I went to 4 retailers, and after over 5 hours of careful, objective examination of close to 50 low-cost models, I am here to report that absolutely ZERO binoculars I examined came anywhere NEAR the image and build quality of the Rugged Exposure 10x42's. I halfway expected as much, they seemed like just too good a binocular to be true... so after testing I promptly drove to the sporting goods store I purchased my first pair from and purchased a backup pair, their last available unit - the display model.
I also looked at quite a few higher-end binoculars today, including the much coveted (by me!) Leica Duovid 8-12x42. I continue to be amazed by these optics - after hearing so many good things on this forum about them it is nice to be able to verify that they are indeed everything they are cracked up to be. A bit expensive and heavy, but otherwise probably the best attempt yet made by a high-end optics manufacturer to make the best "all around" binoculars for the widest range of uses.
I did an extensive comparison of compact high-power binoculars (10-12x) that weigh under 1lb, including models by Nikon, Zeiss, Swarovski, Bushnell, and half a dozen cheap brands that aren't even worth writing about. Of all the models that fit these specifications, I was most impressed by the image quality of the (now obsolete, but still available) Zeiss Diafun 10x30 and Nikon LX 10x25 models, with the Zeiss Diafun having probably a 5% edge in optical performance including center sharpness and low light performance. The two were equally bright, and had approx. the same levels of CA. I would rank the Zeiss Victory 10x25 compact just slightly below the Nikon LX 10x25, which kind of surprised me because when I purchased my 8x20 compact the Zeiss Victory 8x20 was slightly better. This just shows that at different powers and objective lens sizes, different manufacturers are not necessarily consistent across their entire product line.
Finally, I went to the largest optics dealer in the area (a sporting goods store that specializes in high-end optics brands) and examined several full size 7x to 8x binoculars with 42mm and 50mm objective lenses. I spent approx. 2 hours at this, not intending to purchase any of them but just for my own furthering education regarding what is available in these powers and sizes. Everything was fairly comparable in their respective price ranges, with two exceptions. First off, the Alpen 8x42 seemed inordinately bright and clear considering it's $289 local price, easily equalling the Pentax SP 8x42 at close to twice the price and completely conquering all other 8x42 binoculars under $400. I had never looked at this brand before, always overlooking them in the past because of their low cost and constant sales tags - I always thought "they must be crap to be on sale all the time!". I am happy to report that I was wrong, and that they really are worth a look if you are in search of low-end binoculars that really perform.
The 2nd surprise REALLY caught me by surprise. I noticed that the store was having a closeout sale on Bausch & Lomb optics at up to 50% off, and decided to take a look at a few models. The one that completely blew me away and actually took my breath away was the Bausch & Lomb Discoverer 7x42 (Model #61-0742). I kid you not - I swear upon all that is holy that these binoculars were the best pair I looked through all day. Bright, sharp, pure image and magnificent field of view, PC-3 phase coated, BAK4 prisms, waterproof, nitrogen purged, rainguard lens coating, and an image to kill for. I couldn't believe it! I requested a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's to compare them to, and I'll be dipped in mustard sauce if I could see any difference in image quality. At $279+tax, the cashier couldn't have dragged the money out of my wallet faster if she had mugged me (which I would have gladly allowed, considering her good looks!
).If anyone has an opportunity to examine a pair of these (now discontinued) binoculars, I can't urge you strongly enough to give them a chance - I'm overjoyed with my pair!
Best wishes,
Bawko
Edit: Corrected spelling mistake "Alpin" to "Alpen". Also corrected local price for the same binocular - I had "$249" listed from memory, but referring to my notes I realized the actual price is $289.
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