After having some real cheapo Nikon binoculars, Sprint III 7x21 binoculars, my wife and I have decided to splurge on his and hers, not necessarily the same.
I wrote in another post about going to Cape May last September and seeking out a wildlife sanctuary there (and there are a few). We went to an Audobon sanctuary and came upon a small visitors center for advice. Inside, in addition to books, maps, t-shirts, etc., you were greeted in the door with a couple of large glass cases of binoculars, ranging in price from just over $100 going all the way up to over $3000. "Wow!", I thought. I had no idea they could be that expensive. And yes, I knew that Zeiss and Leica manufactured some of the finest optical glass. But Swarovski?!?
Anyway, while my wife is getting advice on trails to seek out, I asked someone there about what the sweet spot was in binoculars. Where was the point of diminishing return. Another guy started chiming in, suggesting I should be a $3000 Swarovski pair, justifying it by saying that if I went on 10 vacations, it would essentially cost just $300 per vacation. My reaction that that same $300 buys an economy seat on a jet to Europe. I'm not in the earning strata that would say "Hmm. $300 per vacation for binoculars. THAT'S a deal!"
Which brings us to the present. We were realizing that the Nikon Sprint III bins we have are not really very good. They don't present vivid images, and a pair of early '70s Minolta 8x40 pirro prism binoculars were a huge improvement. But they're bulky, fairly heavy, and not eyeglasses friendly, which I'd like a binocular to be.
My first research had me thinking that 8x42 or 10x42 bins were likely best, and leaning toward 8x42s to reduce shaking and better eye relief.
As going to a shop is not wise these days, I have been bringing in models to try at home and take out, making sure that there are good return policies.
There was a great buy on a discontinued Celestron Granite 7x33. It's fairly light, compact, and boy, does it have a great image, far better than what we had tried up to that point. In another class. Unfortunately, its eye relief isn't the best. Not as good as the Nikon Prostaff 3S or 7S. Should I be looking at an 8x32/33 or an 8x42?
So here are the models I have had in my grips thus far and my thoughts on them. All of them 8x42.
Nikon Prostaff 3S - Lightweight, well-balanced, easy to use, sharp image, certainly better than the Sprint III. Really good eye relief.
Nikon Prostaff 7S - A bit longer and heavier than the 3S. MUCH more colorful image and better in lower light. Slightly narrower field of view. Otherwise, easy to use, quick to lock into the image (as is the 3S). I could probably live with these.
Celestron Nature ED - Not as comfortable as the Prostaff. Bulkier in my hands. Harder to lock into the image. The comfort and ease of use of the Prostaff would win out. Back went the Nature ED bins to the store.
Wingspan Skyview - These have ED glass, but they're not as sharp or crisp as either of the Prostaff. Possibly had a bit more contrast than the Prostaff 7S, but not as bright. Color about as good as the 7S. These are lightweight and compact, but their lack of absolute sharpness compared to the Prostaff aborted any further consideration. Back they went to the store.
Celestron Granite (8x42) - These don't quite feel as good in my hands nor do I lock into the image (with or without glasses) as quickly as the Prostaff. But boy, do these images have POP. They're colorful, bright, and render 3D images that neither of the Prostaff do. I was focusing on a statue in my yard about 20 yds away. Next to it is a miniature Japanese maple, with branches positioned both in the same plane as well as to the rear and forward planes beside the statue. Through the Prostaff 3S and 7S, the statue was rendered rather flat, and the branches all appeared to be on the same plane. Through the Granite, the statue appeared to have a 3-dimentional surface, and you could clearly see, even though no branches overlapped the space of the statue, that there were branches on the same plane as the statue, as well as branches behind and in a plane in front of the statue. Add to that the pop in color and contrast, and it made a really nice binocular to look through. The image had life. In contrast, while the 7S had pretty good color, its image was flat. And the 3S lacked some color. Still, the Prostaff images were both sharp, not lacking in detail.
I haven't been able to go out and do much birding with any of them. I did do a couple of hours walk with the Granite bins. Toward the end of the walk, I was feeling them around my neck. I might try the included harness next time. And it might be a good accessory no matter which bin I end up with.
I was up in Plum Island north of Boston a couple of weeks ago. We spotted a turkey on some land in brush near the shore. The 3S allowed us to see the turkey with more detail. The 7S really popped the color of the head, which was bright pink, the space around the eyes, which was a rich and bright light blue, and iridescence of the black feathers which had this teal green glow. That richness of color wasn't there with the 3S. I tried the Granite 7x33 my wife was trying out. Again, the eye relief isn't great with those, but the image really popped. Surprisingly, though, the color with the 7S was almost as good.
So that sums up my experience thus far.
On their way to me are Athlon Midas UHD, Carson 3D ED, and Nikon Monarch 5 models. The latter two have almost equally good eye relief numbers, with the Carson having somewhat better FOV specs. Carson also makes an 8x32 in the 3D ED line. I might or might not bring those in.
Ease of use, comfort, clarity, good eye relief, and now the attribute of being sort of thrilled seeing something through them (rather than merely looking at something) are important qualities I have discovered. Our budget as risen as we have discovered aspects to binoculars that are really appealing. Still, I have seen enough at this point to tell me that I don't have to spend any more than $300 for each of us to get something really great. (and those Granite 7x33 bins were on sale for $180.).
While I have had time to do all this research given how much extra time I have on my hands right now at home, I have learned much about the science of binoculars in the process. Still learning.
I wrote in another post about going to Cape May last September and seeking out a wildlife sanctuary there (and there are a few). We went to an Audobon sanctuary and came upon a small visitors center for advice. Inside, in addition to books, maps, t-shirts, etc., you were greeted in the door with a couple of large glass cases of binoculars, ranging in price from just over $100 going all the way up to over $3000. "Wow!", I thought. I had no idea they could be that expensive. And yes, I knew that Zeiss and Leica manufactured some of the finest optical glass. But Swarovski?!?
Anyway, while my wife is getting advice on trails to seek out, I asked someone there about what the sweet spot was in binoculars. Where was the point of diminishing return. Another guy started chiming in, suggesting I should be a $3000 Swarovski pair, justifying it by saying that if I went on 10 vacations, it would essentially cost just $300 per vacation. My reaction that that same $300 buys an economy seat on a jet to Europe. I'm not in the earning strata that would say "Hmm. $300 per vacation for binoculars. THAT'S a deal!"
Which brings us to the present. We were realizing that the Nikon Sprint III bins we have are not really very good. They don't present vivid images, and a pair of early '70s Minolta 8x40 pirro prism binoculars were a huge improvement. But they're bulky, fairly heavy, and not eyeglasses friendly, which I'd like a binocular to be.
My first research had me thinking that 8x42 or 10x42 bins were likely best, and leaning toward 8x42s to reduce shaking and better eye relief.
As going to a shop is not wise these days, I have been bringing in models to try at home and take out, making sure that there are good return policies.
There was a great buy on a discontinued Celestron Granite 7x33. It's fairly light, compact, and boy, does it have a great image, far better than what we had tried up to that point. In another class. Unfortunately, its eye relief isn't the best. Not as good as the Nikon Prostaff 3S or 7S. Should I be looking at an 8x32/33 or an 8x42?
So here are the models I have had in my grips thus far and my thoughts on them. All of them 8x42.
Nikon Prostaff 3S - Lightweight, well-balanced, easy to use, sharp image, certainly better than the Sprint III. Really good eye relief.
Nikon Prostaff 7S - A bit longer and heavier than the 3S. MUCH more colorful image and better in lower light. Slightly narrower field of view. Otherwise, easy to use, quick to lock into the image (as is the 3S). I could probably live with these.
Celestron Nature ED - Not as comfortable as the Prostaff. Bulkier in my hands. Harder to lock into the image. The comfort and ease of use of the Prostaff would win out. Back went the Nature ED bins to the store.
Wingspan Skyview - These have ED glass, but they're not as sharp or crisp as either of the Prostaff. Possibly had a bit more contrast than the Prostaff 7S, but not as bright. Color about as good as the 7S. These are lightweight and compact, but their lack of absolute sharpness compared to the Prostaff aborted any further consideration. Back they went to the store.
Celestron Granite (8x42) - These don't quite feel as good in my hands nor do I lock into the image (with or without glasses) as quickly as the Prostaff. But boy, do these images have POP. They're colorful, bright, and render 3D images that neither of the Prostaff do. I was focusing on a statue in my yard about 20 yds away. Next to it is a miniature Japanese maple, with branches positioned both in the same plane as well as to the rear and forward planes beside the statue. Through the Prostaff 3S and 7S, the statue was rendered rather flat, and the branches all appeared to be on the same plane. Through the Granite, the statue appeared to have a 3-dimentional surface, and you could clearly see, even though no branches overlapped the space of the statue, that there were branches on the same plane as the statue, as well as branches behind and in a plane in front of the statue. Add to that the pop in color and contrast, and it made a really nice binocular to look through. The image had life. In contrast, while the 7S had pretty good color, its image was flat. And the 3S lacked some color. Still, the Prostaff images were both sharp, not lacking in detail.
I haven't been able to go out and do much birding with any of them. I did do a couple of hours walk with the Granite bins. Toward the end of the walk, I was feeling them around my neck. I might try the included harness next time. And it might be a good accessory no matter which bin I end up with.
I was up in Plum Island north of Boston a couple of weeks ago. We spotted a turkey on some land in brush near the shore. The 3S allowed us to see the turkey with more detail. The 7S really popped the color of the head, which was bright pink, the space around the eyes, which was a rich and bright light blue, and iridescence of the black feathers which had this teal green glow. That richness of color wasn't there with the 3S. I tried the Granite 7x33 my wife was trying out. Again, the eye relief isn't great with those, but the image really popped. Surprisingly, though, the color with the 7S was almost as good.
So that sums up my experience thus far.
On their way to me are Athlon Midas UHD, Carson 3D ED, and Nikon Monarch 5 models. The latter two have almost equally good eye relief numbers, with the Carson having somewhat better FOV specs. Carson also makes an 8x32 in the 3D ED line. I might or might not bring those in.
Ease of use, comfort, clarity, good eye relief, and now the attribute of being sort of thrilled seeing something through them (rather than merely looking at something) are important qualities I have discovered. Our budget as risen as we have discovered aspects to binoculars that are really appealing. Still, I have seen enough at this point to tell me that I don't have to spend any more than $300 for each of us to get something really great. (and those Granite 7x33 bins were on sale for $180.).
While I have had time to do all this research given how much extra time I have on my hands right now at home, I have learned much about the science of binoculars in the process. Still learning.
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