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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Help me decide: EL 8.5x42 vs. EL 10x50 (1 Viewer)

Ted
First good luck with your recovery and second, I really, really hope that the 336 hours to which you refer is a typo and should read 36 hours.

Lee

Thanks Lee and Bruce,

I wish, but unfortunately no typo. Have to keep the "gas bubble" against the laser repaired retinal area for 14 days. This ensures the retinas' scar tissue heals properly. BTW, it's tuff keeping my head on my right shoulder as I type this, don't really recommend it... :eek!:. However, my highlight each hour is an allowable "5" minute break from this position!?!

Surgeon did her part...time for me to do Mine! :t:

To OP...sorry for the hijack, but wanted to offer my EL 10X50 SV support! Ergonomics are no SF, but IMHO the view...WOW!! :king:

Ted
 
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Let me start by stating I really like and want an SF, but that Zeiss logo on the front hinge looks really cheap next to the embossed Hawk on the SV.
 
Let me start by stating I really like and want an SF, but that Zeiss logo on the front hinge looks really cheap next to the embossed Hawk on the SV.

Hate to agree to this but its true. Blame the suits in Oberkochen who banned the use of the ClassiC Z logo:-C

Lee
 
Let me start by stating I really like and want an SF, but that Zeiss logo on the front hinge looks really cheap next to the embossed Hawk on the SV.

Do you have anything to say about Leica's red dot while you are at it?

And the same goes for Lee in his post # 23.

;)

Bob
 
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Do you have anything to say about Leica's red dot while you are at it?

And the same goes for Lee in his post # 23.

;)

Bob

Bob you wicked provocateur....... :-O

Actually I love the Leica red dot and the the fact they have kept the old script font and not changed it to something more 'happening' or 'trending'. I am not that fond of of the model name on the flanks of the Noctivid and other models though. But it doesn't look cheap, just naff.

And naturally I still like the blue shield with the semi-circular cut-out at the base of a certain other German brand.

Now on some Meopta models you will find a bronze-looking version of their logo which is based on the overlapping outlines of two side-by-side lenses and this looks very classy. See below

Lee
 

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Bob you wicked provocateur....... :-O

Actually I love the Leica red dot and the the fact they have kept the old script font and not changed it to something more 'happening' or 'trending'. I am not that fond of of the model name on the flanks of the Noctivid and other models though. But it doesn't look cheap, just naff.

And naturally I still like the blue shield with the semi-circular cut-out at the base of a certain other German brand.

Now on some Meopta models you will find a bronze-looking version of their logo which is based on the overlapping outlines of two side-by-side lenses and this looks very classy. See below

Lee

Is that star on the side of the barrel on those meopta's? Mine says HD.
 
Ted,

All the best in the recuperation and recovery, my brother in law went through similar issues with his eye surgery. The time will pass before you know it.

Well I went to Cabelas today and tried out a few premium glass outside.

SLC 15X56
EL 10X50
EL 12X50
Euro(meopta) 12X50

Initial impressions

the 15X56 is a very light glass, I was surprised on how light it felt and how easy it feels to view, however it would be on a tripod most of the time. Nice glass, really nice glass.

The 10X50 Els were nice, but I already have a 10X50.

I was impressed with the EL 12X50, very nice glass.

The real kicker, the Euro 12X50 Meopta to me was just as good,
Meopta is putting out some really nice optics.

Now I have to view a Meopta 15X56, and if it performs as well as the 12X50 did, it will be a keeper.

Andy W.
 
Is that star on the side of the barrel on those meopta's? Mine says HD.

Sam you must have the 10x42s which have fluoride-doped lenses and are the only B1 models to be called HD as a result.

The star on my 7x42 is presumably the star in MeoStar.

Lee
 
..... Ergonomics are no SF, but IMHO the view...WOW!! :king:

Ted

Thank goodness for that! Chuck's photo (post#12) shows very well why. When you line the bins up at the eyepiece end (well der - that's how we use them) you can see the pronounced forward positioning of the focuser on the SF. This forward positioning of the hands contributes as much as anything to the perceived lightness of the SF. Feels unnatural to me though and I much prefer the x50 SV (right up there for ergos, and only a bit and a half behind the king :king: Zen-Ray ED3 :) . I find the extra barrel diameter of the 10x50SV welcome and for me provides a rock steady hold (surprisingly so - better than an 8x42 SF for me despite the weight).

I agree with those posting about the nice quasi 3D effect of the 10x50SV, but as the S-P prism system is in-line, can't quite see where an extra 9mm width at the objective end comes from? as someone posted .....:cat:
Perhaps resident binocular stockist Chuck could get out a tape measure and check for us :-O

Had I seen this thread earlier, I might have suggested the OP try an 8X32SV as a compliment to their 12x bin .....

P.S. Good luck with the recovery Ted - our eyesight is a very precious thing.



Chosun :gh:
 
Sam you must have the 10x42s which have fluoride-doped lenses and are the only B1 models to be called HD as a result.

The star on my 7x42 is presumably the star in MeoStar.

Lee

12x50's. A wonderful glass. Sadly going on sale soon in the classifieds to help finance the EL's.
 
Had I seen this thread earlier, I might have suggested the OP try an 8X32SV as a compliment to their 12x bin .....


Chosun :gh:

I tried everything. I was looking for a binocular to do it all. The 10x50 EL it is. The 8x32 is wonderful btw, anyone with one is lucky!
 
I tried everything. I was looking for a binocular to do it all. The 10x50 EL it is. The 8x32 is wonderful btw, anyone with one is lucky!

I'll bet the 10x50 is a beautiful binocular. I had a Swaro 8x50 for awhile and it was really nice right into dark. Too heavy for me so I sold it to my friend who watches Owls and she totally digs it.
 
Bob you wicked provocateur....... :-O

Actually I love the Leica red dot and the the fact they have kept the old script font and not changed it to something more 'happening' or 'trending'. I am not that fond of of the model name on the flanks of the Noctivid and other models though. But it doesn't look cheap, just naff.

And naturally I still like the blue shield with the semi-circular cut-out at the base of a certain other German brand.

Now on some Meopta models you will find a bronze-looking version of their logo which is based on the overlapping outlines of two side-by-side lenses and this looks very classy. See below

Lee

The Leica logo resembles the Coca-Cola logo from another era. Doesn't bother me, but that's what it reminds me of. When I was a kid, whether you drank soda pop or not, you saw a lot of Coca Cola advertising. I didn't see a Leica logo until I saw one in a camera shop sometime in the 1970s.

The silver on black text on the side of a Leica tube looks like it comes off of a Dymo Labelmaker, the device that allowed you to print labels by embossing a piece of plastic tape backed with adhesive. Very much a technology of the 50's and 60's.

The red dot beats the Dymo Labelmaker style text, imho.

The Zeiss logo looks like a small blue lapel pin on a black suit. Dark blue over black is pretty understated and corporate.

Funny thing about any of these graphics is that you can't see hide nor hair of them when you look through the binocular!
 

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The Leica logo resembles the Coca-Cola logo from another era. Doesn't bother me, but that's what it reminds me of. When I was a kid, whether you drank soda pop or not, you saw a lot of Coca Cola advertising. I didn't see a Leica logo until I saw one in a camera shop sometime in the 1970s.

The silver on black text on the side of a Leica tube looks like it comes off of a Dymo Labelmaker, the device that allowed you to print labels by embossing a piece of plastic tape backed with adhesive. Very much a technology of the 50's and 60's.

The red dot beats the Dymo Labelmaker style text, imho.

The Zeiss logo looks like a small blue lapel pin on a black suit. Dark blue over black is pretty understated and corporate.

Funny thing about any of these graphics is that you can't see hide nor hair of them when you look through the binocular!

I quite like the CocaCola logo but am not keen on the subscript 'Taste the Feeling'. Not that Leica's 'see the plasticity' is any better but at least they don't put that on the bino. Funnily enough I have a blue Zeiss pin badge and have occasionally worn it over a dark suit.

And when binos become digital no doubt we will get adverts and logos floating across the field of view and possibly even alerts from Bird Forum telling us to clear out our personal message in-boxes :-O

Lee
 
And when binos become digital no doubt we will get adverts and logos floating across the field of view and possibly even alerts from Bird Forum telling us to clear out our personal message in-boxes :-O

Lee

Its too close to possible isn't it? The IS aspect of powered optics is alluring, but it does open that door to 'enabling' the encroachment of software driven 3rd party access even further into one's birding endeavors. The phone and camera have already crossed that threshold.

-Bill
 
Its too close to possible isn't it? The IS aspect of powered optics is alluring, but it does open that door to 'enabling' the encroachment of software driven 3rd party access even further into one's birding endeavors. The phone and camera have already crossed that threshold.

-Bill

Exactly and when we are on a remote coast on a Scottish island watching Otters do what Otters do, the last thing we want to see is a request from our gas supplier asking us for a meter reading or a reminder from from our car supplier that a service is due in one month's time or, even worse, a breaking news flash that President Trump has fired someone or one of our politicians has resigned.

One of the main reasons we go to such places is to escape from this kind of media flatulence.

Lee
 
Its too close to possible isn't it? The IS aspect of powered optics is alluring, but it does open that door to 'enabling' the encroachment of software driven 3rd party access even further into one's birding endeavors. The phone and camera have already crossed that threshold.

-Bill

Leica is one of very few firms that still manufacturers - in small batches - fully mechanical cameras, such as the 35mm MP (as opposed to the digital M-P). As with binoculars not even a battery is needed if you can meter instinctively or have a hand-held meter. Nikon still make the F6 as well...

Tom
 
I still on occasion use my Nikonos II and III cameras for daytime photographs, no battery just my sekonic light meter.

Andy w.
 
I still on occasion use my Nikonos II and III cameras for daytime photographs, no battery just my sekonic light meter.

Andy w.

Andy,

Nikonos-V on my desk as I type with the 35/2.5 lens. (Sounds like I'm typing with the lens - ha ha.)

Great as a bad weather camera. Used to take it on cross country runs to get muddy shots for the school magazine! Also had clearance to use it in a local swimming pool for sports shots but they didn't tell the other users so had a few problems later! Would post a photo of the Nikonos but haven't worked that one out yet and people will get twitchy about this being a bird forum. It's really an optics forum... ;-)
 
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