justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
I owned a pair of 10x25 Bushnell Legend Ultra HD's for quite a while. They have remarkably good optics and play like a much more expensive binocular. Something to consider.
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Binocular pocket of good quality? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wachipilotes
- Start date
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Wachi,
Rule one: try before you buy.
Rule two: best sellers break down more than low sellers, so more negative feedbacks. Law of quantity.
Rule three: smaller means carrying comfort, bigger means viewing comfort.
Merry Christmas.
Jan
Rule one: try before you buy.
Rule two: best sellers break down more than low sellers, so more negative feedbacks. Law of quantity.
Rule three: smaller means carrying comfort, bigger means viewing comfort.
Merry Christmas.
Jan
oldfortyfive
Well-known member
You're spot on....
tenex
reality-based
Thanks Gunnar and Raven, for mentioning the Kowa 8x22 which I wasn't aware of. I'll definitely look into it. Does it have electrostatic mirrors, or silver?
[Edit] ... The Kowa is busy-ugly, has an awkward recessed focus knob that looks like knurled metal (ugh), costs almost as much, is just as big as and actually weighs more than the Zeiss 8x25, while having smaller objectives. I don't really see the point.
[Edit] ... The Kowa is busy-ugly, has an awkward recessed focus knob that looks like knurled metal (ugh), costs almost as much, is just as big as and actually weighs more than the Zeiss 8x25, while having smaller objectives. I don't really see the point.
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PeterPS
Well-Known Member
The OP was interested in pocket binoculars. You would need a gigantic pocket for these ATN binoculars.
17% of the reviewers on amazon found the ATN binoculars that you suggested to be terrible, see below. I have read the specs and they are contradictory to say the least (such as a FoV that does not change with the magnification etc.).
https://www.amazon.com/ATN-Binocular-Geotagging-Rangefinder-Gyroscope/product-reviews/B00I6PF6ZA/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar
tenex
reality-based
Note to anyone as confused as I was: the poster has apparently deleted his post (visible on Google cache) about ATN "HD"(!) digital binoculars that you replied to. In fact he's deleted all 4 of his posts. I wonder whether they were all plugging the same product? I wish I found "flawless quality" so affordable myself... 
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Common Raven
Well-known member
Incidentally the Jan/Feb issue of Bird Watcher's Digest compared pocket binoculars. Tops in their high-end category were the Zeiss Victory and Swarovski CL's (tied), mid-priced Zeiss Terra ED Pocket, and low-end Vanguard Orros...
Here is the link to the article in Bird Watcher's Digest.
https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/downloads/pocketoptics2018.php
WJC
Well-known member
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
They have pills for this...
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
I've found BWD and other large site / organization reviews of optics always seem to rank them based on cost - most expensive always best - which isn't really true in the real world, in my experience at least.
Your probably correct. That is an interesting observation. Cost does correlate with performance but there are many binoculars that perform betong their price point. The Nikon 8x30 EII comes to mind.
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
I would have thought you would mention Tract and Maven too.
It is just an observation that I think a lot of members would agree with. Swarovski has a very good binocular in every size range. It makes sense that they would with their high price point and reputation.
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Tract and Maven definitely perform way above their price point. Probably the two best roof binoculars for value. It is hard for a roof to compete with a good porro for value if all you care about is optics though.
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wachipilotes
Well-known member
And a pocket bino no double hinge ; and no alpha ; bit with a good mechanical and optic quality?
A 8x20 or 8x21 model? ..a true pocket bino for all activities..
A 8x20 or 8x21 model? ..a true pocket bino for all activities..
I took the opportunity of a layover in London to try out the new 8x30 CL companion against the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25 at Selfridge’s. I wasn’t impressed by the Swarovski. It had marginally larger FOV but wasn’t sharper, despite the lens flattened (the Zeiss has noticeable curvature of field). Also the CL was more predisposed to purple fringing.
Granted, viewing conditions in a busy department store 2 days before Christmas were less than ideal, but some people have been making strong claims about this model that simply do it correlate with my experience. I am not a Swarovski brasher, BTW. My favorite bions are 8.5x42 EL SVs that I packed on my trip as there was astronomy on the program.
It is pretty hard to judge a binocular fully in a department store. What really sets the better ones apart is how they perform under low light and under poor cloudy conditions. The CL performs very well under these conditions in my experience. I wouldn't expect the Swarovski CL to be sharper than the Zeiss Victory Pocket because I have heard the Zeiss is very sharp and Zeiss are very sharp on-axis. I have compared a lot of different binoculars for CA and the CL stacks right up there with the best. If the Zeiss Victory is better at CA it must be very good indeed but with the Zeiss's fluoride glass I would expect it to be good at controlling CA. The best binocular I have ever tested for CA is the Zeiss 8x32 FL with the fluoride glass. I got a good deal on a Zeiss Victory 8x25 which I get in a couple days and I will compare it with the new CL and make some comments. The CL has the aperture advantage but it should be interesting anyway. How did you test for CA in department store? Just curious.
Find a point light source about 20 meters away, focus on it in the center of the frame, then tilt the binoculars a little away until it is at the edge of the FOV and observe, first without refocusing, then with refocusing.
I would indeed be interested in your observations under better conditions.
