What are your favorite birding binoculars at three different price points? (1 Viewer)

[ratt]

Good call on the 8x32 BN for someone wanting more binocular to hold onto. Even with the Ultravid, I still like the feel and view of the BN.

After 20 years I still love my 10-32 BN. I often get a look through various other bins that in theory should be upgrades by now. But like the day I bought my old ones from the UK birdfare, spending a few hours going back and forward along the line of glass set out for test views, I always crept back to the 10-32's.

 

[kwikstaart]

Interesting choices. I have never heard of a Bynolyt Tern 10x45. I will have to try that one! Doesn't the weight of 34 oz. and smallish FOV of 7 degrees bother you on the Kowa Genesis 8.4x44? The FOV is a little on the small side compared to the newer alphas like the NL and SF. I agree on your $2000 choices, although the EDG is getting a little long in the tooth and Nikon doesn't support it anymore.

Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 - binoculars review - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Bynolyt Tern 10x45 DCF - binoculars specification - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

The bynolyt is typical Chinese binocular

Interesting choices. I have never heard of a Bynolyt Tern 10x45. I will have to try that one! Doesn't the weight of 34 oz. and smallish FOV of 7 degrees bother you on the Kowa Genesis 8.4x44? The FOV is a little on the small side compared to the newer alphas like the NL and SF. I agree on your $2000 choices, although the EDG is getting a little long in the tooth and Nikon doesn't support it anymore.

Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 - binoculars review - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Bynolyt Tern 10x45 DCF - binoculars specification - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Bynolyt brands Chinese models in Europe and have a big range of models with excellent warranty (like Eden).

Since a few years I prefer brands which show minimal intrest in hunting (after I bought the Swarovski) and Kowa is by far the brand closest to the alpha's then if not a real alpha. The somewhat smaller FOV is no problem for me as the center is spectacular.

Also the price of the NL Pure's is too high. The EDG for me is still the best focusser ever. And I think that a bit romantic about the past

Not to start a topic but I really don't understand that for most birders the so called top quality of the german/austrian brands outweigh their support to hunting.

 

[dries1]

Buying a bino from company as a preference which shows a minimal interest in hunting is to me a bit odd, what do you have against the hunting sector. Without that market many would go belly up.

 

[[email protected]]

Good call on the 8x32 BN for someone wanting more binocular to hold onto. Even with the Ultravid, I still like the feel and view of the BN.

Thanks! A lot of people like the Leica Trinovid 8x32 BN. It is such a classic shape and built so well! Here is a new one for $1599.00!

Leica Trinovid 8x32 BN Binoculars | eBay

It looks like it was bought and put away and never used, other than when it went on display for sale. All papers included as shown. Serial # starts with 166.

www.ebay.com

 

[[email protected]]

Not buying a bino from company which shows a minimal interest in hunting is to me a bit odd, what do you have against the hunting sector. Without that market many would go belly up.

Very true. Way more binoculars are sold for hunting than birding.

 

[[email protected]]

The bynolyt is typical Chinese binocular

Bynolyt brands Chinese models in Europe and have a big range of models with excellent warranty (like Eden).

Since a few years I prefer brands which show minimal intrest in hunting (after I bought the Swarovski) and Kowa is by far the brand closest to the alpha's then if not a real alpha. The somewhat smaller FOV is no problem for me as the center is spectacular.

Also the price of the NL Pure's is too high. The EDG for me is still the best focusser ever. And I think that a bit romantic about the past

Not to start a topic but I really don't understand that for most birders the so called top quality of the german/austrian brands outweigh their support to hunting.

I want to try the big Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 again sometime. I seem to remember trying it awhile ago, and I thought the on-axis view was spectacular, but I also felt the FOV was a little small compared to the newer NL's and SF's. Kowa uses superb glass in their top binoculars!

 

[kwikstaart]

Buying a bino from company as a preference which shows a minimal interest in hunting is to me a bit odd, what do you have against the hunting sector. Without that market many would go belly up.

I think you can reason for yourself what one can have against the hunting sector. Just curious: what's the problem if they do belly up?

 

[dries1]

I can't answer for you.

 

[Conndomat]

Very true. Way more binoculars are sold for hunting than birding.

maybe not more for long... Many hunters sell their binoculars here because they are switching to night vision devices or thermal imaging cameras, technology is becoming more and more popular in the hunting scene.

Andreas

 

[kwikstaart]

I can't answer for you

Okay, as I said that's probably worth a new thread but you stated "without that market many would belly up".

Why would that be a problem?

 

[Trinovid]

Thanks! A lot of people like the Leica Trinovid 8x32 BN. It is such a classic shape and built so well! Here is a new one for $1599.00!

I like the BN's too, but that's more than I paid for the Ultravid HD+.

 

[Mono]

If you want to discuss hunting start another thread.
Thanks

 

[[email protected]]

I like the BN's too, but that's more than I paid for the Ultravid HD+.

I think that guy is WAY overpriced on that Leica BN. You can get a good one for around $700 if you look around.

 

[[email protected]]

The bynolyt is typical Chinese binocular

Bynolyt brands Chinese models in Europe and have a big range of models with excellent warranty (like Eden).

Since a few years I prefer brands which show minimal intrest in hunting (after I bought the Swarovski) and Kowa is by far the brand closest to the alpha's then if not a real alpha. The somewhat smaller FOV is no problem for me as the center is spectacular.

Also the price of the NL Pure's is too high. The EDG for me is still the best focusser ever. And I think that a bit romantic about the past

Not to start a topic but I really don't understand that for most birders the so called top quality of the german/austrian brands outweigh their support to hunting.

The EDG is still a solid $2000 choice for a lot of people because they were a superb binocular. If Nikon had made a few small improvements in them, none of the big three would have been able to touch them. The EDG did have a fantastic focuser. Somebody said they opened an EDG up once and the focuser was all grease!

 

[[email protected]]

After 20 years I still love my 10-32 BN. I often get a look through various other bins that in theory should be upgrades by now. But like the day I bought my old ones from the UK birdfare, spending a few hours going back and forward along the line of glass set out for test views, I always crept back to the 10-32's.

The Leica Trinovid BN 8x32 and 10x32 have a beautiful saturated colorful view that is just not found on many other binoculars. I almost think it is better in ways than the newer Leica UVHD's.

 

[forent]

After 20 years I still love my 10-32 BN. I often get a look through various other bins that in theory should be upgrades by now. But like the day I bought my old ones from the UK birdfare, spending a few hours going back and forward along the line of glass set out for test views, I always crept back to the 10-32's.

Same with me for the same reasons, but in my case it's a green Trinovid 8x42 BA that I bought back in 1993. I possesed half a dozen other binoculars in the mean time and tested many more but nothing else gave me the same pleasure, so I kept only this 8x42 BA as my main bino, complemented with a new Trinovid 10x25 BCA.

 

[Trinovid]

I think that guy is WAY overpriced on that Leica BN. You can get a good one for around $700 if you look around.

You should have edited that just a little bit, because everyone here KNOWS the guy is way overpriced and just hoping for someone to accidentally buy them. Again, if someone is willing to take their time on making the purchase, Leica BN can be had for less than $500

 

[[email protected]]

Same with me for the same reasons, but in my case it's a green Trinovid 8x42 BA that I bought back in 1993. I possesed half a dozen other binoculars in the mean time and tested many more but nothing else gave me the same pleasure, so I kept only this 8x42 BA as my main bino, complemented with a new Trinovid 10x25 BCA.

How do you like your Trinovid 10x25 BCA? That is a less popular format than the 8x25 compacts most people buy. Is it finicky, and can you rest the eye cups on your eye sockets? Have you ever tried any other 10x25's like the Zeiss Victory, Swarovski CL-P or Leica Ultravid?

 

[[email protected]]

You should have edited that just a little bit, because everyone here KNOWS the guy is way overpriced and just hoping for someone to accidentally buy them. Again, if someone is willing to take their time on making the purchase, Leica BN can be had for less than $500

I don't know if you can anymore. You used to be able to get a nice one for around $500, but they seem to be like the Nikon 8x32 SE and keep getting rarer and rarer every day. I kind of wish I would have kept the ones I had because they are a true classic.

 

[forent]

How do you like your Trinovid 10x25 BCA? That is a less popular format than the 8x25 compacts most people buy. Is it finicky, and can you rest the eye cups on your eye sockets? Have you ever tried any other 10x25's like the Zeiss Victory, Swarovski CL-P or Leica Ultravid?

Maybe off-topic, but you as the thread opener asked, hence I dare to answer:

I like it very much - otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.

Why a Trinovid 10x25? In the name of "simplify your life" I have boiled down my optical equipment to 1 bridge camera, 1 scope and 2 binos. Period! I don't want to possess commodities anymore that I don't use sufficiently and I want to stay away from the all too common buy-and-sell cycle. The Trinovid 8x42 BA is non-negotiable but sometimes too bulky therefore I need an additional compact "EDC" bino. Moreover, at times I'd like to have more magnification than 8x, besides 10x25s usually have longer barrels than 8x20s that fit my large hands better. Therefore a 10x25 delivers the higher value added to me.
In the past I already owned a Trinovid 10x25 BC, then a Nikon 10x25 HGL and later an Ultravid 10x25 BR. (I also tried a discontinued Zeiss 10x25 but it did not fit my eyes.) I had no problem holding them steady, got used to the small exit pupil and the modest field of view. The Leica push-pull eyecups are a perfect match to my eyes as well as to my glasses - full field of view, no blackouts. Although the Ultravids are waterproof and might provide a smidge more contrast than the Trinovids I prefer the latter: the dioptric correction - very important to me - does not restrict the range of the main diopter (like in the Ultravid), the price is decidedly lower und last not least I like the appearance and feel of its classic design that has for good reason remained essentially unchanged since 1975.