I wasn't going to buy these for a few months but, couldn't resist, I've had them for almost a week and have been using them daily. I'm sure some of you can relate :t:
I've had the Sightron bs ii 8x32 and Opticron Oregon 4 8x32 to compare them to. In normal daylight the brightness is the same. Dawn/dusk still about the same, Hawkes start to fall behind here by a negligible amount, hardly worth mentioning. Only when it is approaching dark does the difference truly start to become noticeable. Even then it's a small difference. Out of the three the Sightrons were best in very low light. I was very curious about the brightness difference among these three, for me at least they are close enough it is a non issue. I rarely use bins at near dark.
Sharpness/resolution - The Hawkes nudge the Oregons out here by a very small margin and both are sharper then my Sightrons by a small margin. During casual viewing the difference really isn't noticeable but when I zeroed in on signs right at the limit of viewing I could tell a difference.
The Hawkes have really nice clarity, slightly better then but very similar to the Sightrons and both are better then the Oregons. Maybe its glare or internal reflection but in many situations the Oregons had what I would describe as a very very slightly fogged view when compared to the Hawkes. This 'glare'? was the single biggest difference between the three optically. Possibly due to the lack of phase correction? It is the only one of the three that lack it.
The field of view is a little narrower with the Hawkes and its noticeable but not objectionable. While their size and weight are wonderful from a convenience standpoint I found their light weight to be a hindrance to holding them still during viewing. I did find that a little objectionable but I've gotten better at it I guess, it's not quite as bad as it was at first. I have not found the exit pupil to be finicky at all. Isn't hard at all for my eyes to find the entire FOV. The hinges on the barrels of the Hawkes are a little loose for my taste. They sometimes move when I don't want them to. Is there a way to tighten these? Not bad enough to be a big deal but I would tighten them if I could.
While overall I slightly prefer the general use of the 8x32's because of ergonomics and FOV I do believe I'll keep the Hawkes becasue of their convenience, not to mention their beautiful view
I've had the Sightron bs ii 8x32 and Opticron Oregon 4 8x32 to compare them to. In normal daylight the brightness is the same. Dawn/dusk still about the same, Hawkes start to fall behind here by a negligible amount, hardly worth mentioning. Only when it is approaching dark does the difference truly start to become noticeable. Even then it's a small difference. Out of the three the Sightrons were best in very low light. I was very curious about the brightness difference among these three, for me at least they are close enough it is a non issue. I rarely use bins at near dark.
Sharpness/resolution - The Hawkes nudge the Oregons out here by a very small margin and both are sharper then my Sightrons by a small margin. During casual viewing the difference really isn't noticeable but when I zeroed in on signs right at the limit of viewing I could tell a difference.
The Hawkes have really nice clarity, slightly better then but very similar to the Sightrons and both are better then the Oregons. Maybe its glare or internal reflection but in many situations the Oregons had what I would describe as a very very slightly fogged view when compared to the Hawkes. This 'glare'? was the single biggest difference between the three optically. Possibly due to the lack of phase correction? It is the only one of the three that lack it.
The field of view is a little narrower with the Hawkes and its noticeable but not objectionable. While their size and weight are wonderful from a convenience standpoint I found their light weight to be a hindrance to holding them still during viewing. I did find that a little objectionable but I've gotten better at it I guess, it's not quite as bad as it was at first. I have not found the exit pupil to be finicky at all. Isn't hard at all for my eyes to find the entire FOV. The hinges on the barrels of the Hawkes are a little loose for my taste. They sometimes move when I don't want them to. Is there a way to tighten these? Not bad enough to be a big deal but I would tighten them if I could.
While overall I slightly prefer the general use of the 8x32's because of ergonomics and FOV I do believe I'll keep the Hawkes becasue of their convenience, not to mention their beautiful view