Unbelievable! I thought his latest and greatest were the Swaro porro bins?? But that was probably two weeks ago
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
What's your favourite bins of all time..... and why? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Rg548
- Start date
Ha! I may have (probably did) missed it!!!!Unbelievable! I thought his latest and greatest were the Swaro porro bins?? But that was probably two weeks ago
The Habicht's are still my favorite porro. I still enjoy using roofs for their differences. The NL's were a nice glass, but they had too much glare for me. I think the new Meostar B1.1 Plus is a great value and real close to the alpha binoculars for 1/2 the money. They are a solid step up from the big cluster of $1K binoculars like the Conquest HD. They seem to have that extra "pop" of an alpha without the alpha price tag. I don't know about you, but when I get used to an alpha view, it is hard to go back to a $1K binocular. I just notice something is missing. I really like the improvements they made in the ergonomics. They are heavy, but they are compact and fit your hands nicely. They only have an 8 degree FOV, so it is not huge like the NL, but for me, they show less glare.
Last edited:
I thought the Habichts were your all time favourites? Not just your favourites porros??
The Habicht's are one of my favorites in the sizes that are available, but they are not available in every format, and sometimes I like an 8x42, 10x42 and 15x56 formats for the bigger exit pupil and longer distance viewing, and then I have to go to a roof. I usually have one roof prism of higher magnification or bigger aperture for long distance viewing or low light.
dorubird
The unskilled mechanic blames his tools!
Zeiss SF 10x42 it is my favourite binocular of all time because:1 90% of FOV is razor sharp
2 the image is immersive with a very well outlined black field stop
3 has a large AFOV and easy to look at the edges
4 has a Long EyeRelief
5 it stabilizes in the hands extremely well for a 10x bino
6 The focuser is the best from what I've come across, even better than famous Nikon models focuser
Exactly all these 6 points together, without any exception, we will find them together very rarely in other binoculars
Last edited:
You know of course that you can get a 10x40 Habicht?
I want to buy those just because of that photo😀
Not being able to afford alpha's, I've also never looked through one, because the itch when going back to my secondhand subalpha's would be too bad...
I'm happiest with my Meopta Meostar 7x42; the stable view, the held on the chunky brick, the sharpness, depth of view are just terrific.
Probably the Papilio II 6,5 comes second because of its close focus; opens up a new world of life!
Conquest 8x32 is next, great build and focus speed, very good optics and nice design, together with Meostar 10x42 HD, that's a whopper on all fronts, awesome.
I've shortly had a Trinnie BN 8x32 (was too expensive with internal hairs and dust while dealer said it just had been serviced by Leica...yeah right, so had to return it) and that view was so soft, round, surreal... So I know I'd be hooked to any alpha if I tried it. And as I can and will never be able to afford one, I'm not gonna tempt myself...
I'm happiest with my Meopta Meostar 7x42; the stable view, the held on the chunky brick, the sharpness, depth of view are just terrific.
Probably the Papilio II 6,5 comes second because of its close focus; opens up a new world of life!
Conquest 8x32 is next, great build and focus speed, very good optics and nice design, together with Meostar 10x42 HD, that's a whopper on all fronts, awesome.
I've shortly had a Trinnie BN 8x32 (was too expensive with internal hairs and dust while dealer said it just had been serviced by Leica...yeah right, so had to return it) and that view was so soft, round, surreal... So I know I'd be hooked to any alpha if I tried it. And as I can and will never be able to afford one, I'm not gonna tempt myself...
Get another one. The 8x32 BN was my second set of binoculars and I'll never let them go. Absolute classic for lots of reasons, but also an affordable one. I've got three other Ultravids, but they don't get used as much as the BN does. (well, other than the pocket 8x20 which is always with me...)
SeldomPerched
Well-known member
The answer I'm coming up with actually surprises me a bit, but thinking of what I used for my best day out observing, first birding and then looking at general views in and across a valley — and plenty of times since, I'm going for the discontinued Zeiss FL 8x32.
I was expecting to choose a 7x42 (FL again or Leica UVHD Plus) which tick slightly more performance boxes and run neck and neck with each other for my enjoyment and ease of view, but the little FL 8x32 sneaks in front for favourite enjoyable experiences. It's what I actually take a lot of the time for its portability and not getting in the way when out for hours at a time, often for walks with friends etc with casual, off-chance viewing in mind.
Another bonus is how well the 8x32 holds up at and after dusk. Hardly behind those 7x42s when not needing the absolute max in light gathering.
Personally I also really like the green colour. My green FL is a Simon King special edition and for aesthetics it goes well with its brown cordura carry case. Being a bino tart I have a black one too, from Troubadour sometime pre-pandemic. Both examples have superb optics and are great close up. I'll take the older spec as against the bigger modern designs like SF or NL equivalents for the nice trade-off in terms of compactness and portability and the light but robust design with still a great field of view, focuser and tough eyecups.
Tom
I was expecting to choose a 7x42 (FL again or Leica UVHD Plus) which tick slightly more performance boxes and run neck and neck with each other for my enjoyment and ease of view, but the little FL 8x32 sneaks in front for favourite enjoyable experiences. It's what I actually take a lot of the time for its portability and not getting in the way when out for hours at a time, often for walks with friends etc with casual, off-chance viewing in mind.
Another bonus is how well the 8x32 holds up at and after dusk. Hardly behind those 7x42s when not needing the absolute max in light gathering.
Personally I also really like the green colour. My green FL is a Simon King special edition and for aesthetics it goes well with its brown cordura carry case. Being a bino tart I have a black one too, from Troubadour sometime pre-pandemic. Both examples have superb optics and are great close up. I'll take the older spec as against the bigger modern designs like SF or NL equivalents for the nice trade-off in terms of compactness and portability and the light but robust design with still a great field of view, focuser and tough eyecups.
Tom
Last edited:
SeldomPerched
Well-known member
Having read a bit about Meopta from other users on here, I'd say you already have alphas in both your Meoptas. Nice collection you have there, Ries
I've found Meostars to be the equal of Alphas, if flat field, or very wide field is NOT a consideration.
On pure optical quality, it matches them.
Just my thoughts.
I wouldn't change mine for NL's that I had the good fortune to view for a while.
I had the Habicht 10x40, and it is a very good binocular, but any more I prefer 8x for the steadier view. When I use 10x or above, I use an IS binocular.
I would consider both the Meopta Meostar 7x42 and 10x42 HD an alpha, or very close. For the money, they are as close to an alpha as you are going to get.
Last edited:
Thotmosis
Well-known member
I envy you. A good Zeiss FL 10x32 and 8x56 in green are the only two binoculars i want in my stable, after that i'm all set for the rest of my life.
Ok, maybe also a Habicht 7x42 GA.
SeldomPerched
Well-known member
I have always liked green bins. The S K green FL came my way second hand at London Wetlands Centre about six months after Troubadour sold me his black one. Any other colour and I'd have been perfectly happy to stick with 'just' the black one. Apparently the green ones can show discoloration over time compared with the areas covered by objective caps and attachment bands, which might be why mine came with that one accessory missing. I don't use those covers on small bins anyway.
(FL 10x32 there's another great bin you mention! And the 8x56 but in the end it was too much for me to handle.)
(FL 10x32 there's another great bin you mention! And the 8x56 but in the end it was too much for me to handle.)
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with redundancy
I always use objective caps because i hike a lot.
My Zeiss 15x60 is big but i can still handle it quite well for short periods. The Zeiss FL's became collectors items i guess because they are expensive, like 1300,- euro for a FL 10x56. If in good quality i think they are worth it.
I always use objective caps because i hike a lot.
My Zeiss 15x60 is big but i can still handle it quite well for short periods. The Zeiss FL's became collectors items i guess because they are expensive, like 1300,- euro for a FL 10x56. If in good quality i think they are worth it.
Yeah, FL's awesome, and such great build quality.Nothing wrong with redundancy
I always use objective caps because i hike a lot.
My Zeiss 15x60 is big but i can still handle it quite well for short periods. The Zeiss FL's became collectors items i guess because they are expensive, like 1300,- euro for a FL 10x56. If in good quality i think they are worth it.
I found them too big, so they ended up staying in my house.
But I did love that Abbe bright clear view.
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Most of the time my big Zeiss sits on a tripod in my house but i take it out in the garden to watch raptors as well. Nothing beats a 15x to look a vulture or raven in the eye
Last time when i went for a three hour walk with it i got bursitis in my elbow. I have to start weightlifting again.
Last time when i went for a three hour walk with it i got bursitis in my elbow. I have to start weightlifting again.