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New Bins - 8.5 x 42 or 8 x 32 (1 Viewer)

TimF

TimF

Member
I am going to buy some new bins and have narrowed my choice down to Swaro 8.5 x 42 and 8 x 32 EL's.

(Looked at Leica's, Nikon and Zeiss also)

Obviously I have tried em both several times already but just can't decide on the slightly sharper and brighter 8.5 x 42 or lighter more compact 8 x 32.

Without living with these bins for a while it is so difficult to tell if lightness and compactness will outweigh brightness and sharpness!

Currently I have a cheap pair of porro prism's which weigh about half way between the two!

Any experience/feedback from seasoned birders welcomed.

I am a spectacle wearer and will use these bins for local walks without taking my s/hand opticron HR 66 scope (Which I still intend to take out on proper reserve base birding days out with the new bins)

Many Thanks



Tim

Thanks
 
I personally would go for the 8.5x42 as they are still very light and the extra brightness will come in handy I'm sure. Will you really benefit from saving a few grammes? I wouldn't have thought you would notice 200 grammes (or whatever the difference is) and if you do then you need to go the gym more often :)

E
(Leica owner)
 
If I was in the market for a pair of 8/8.5/42's I would probably go for the Swarovski's. But only because they are much lighter than the Leica's. I have however got several reservations about the build quality of the former. I know several people who have had bits drop off!!

Mark (also Leica owner)
 
I had a similar choice between 8x42 and 8x32 Nikon Venturuers. The Nikons weigh quite a bit more than the Swaros, so the difference was more dramatic. I chose the lighter pair (I actually owned the 8x42s and sold them) and have never regretted it. I never think that there isn't enough light. Now that isn't true with my Swaro scope at 60x - I always crank back on the power to get more light!
 
I would choose the 8.5x42 without hesitation. The 8x32 will be nice binoculars but slightly soft and not quite as bright as the larger ones. If you get the smaller ones and are like me then you will always have the feeling that you are missing something. The difference in sharpness is such that you might miss features and hence miss an id.

As others have said, the 8.5x42 do not feel heavy and they are very comfortable to hold.

The question you have to ask is do you REALLY need to sacrifice performance for smaller size and a little bit less weight? If you will keep them round your neck all day as part of your job, then the answer might be yes. Similarly if you will always use them with a scope, then maybe the small ones will do, as you can use the scope for checking details.

Of course if you have the money then buy both (cf Bill Oddie who has mid-sized and full sized bins, but then he was probably given them by Leica to encourage him blabber on about how fabulous Leica are).

BTW I should point out that I have never used the Swarovski 8x32 in the field so I am assuming that their sharpness is comparable to the Leica 8x32 BN and Nikon 8x32 HG.
 
I would also recommend the 8.5x42s - all the EL's are very light weight and the extra brightness will be worth a little weight. I use 8x42s (Leica's) and my wife uses 8x32s the difference is noticable in poor light conditions the 42s are much brighter.

It is worth looking about at secondhand optics as you may well be able to pick up a pair of 8.5x42 EL's and make quite a saving (there seem to be a fair few pairs out there recently).
 
Hi Tim, I have Leica 8x42 BN, my wife has the 8.5x42 ELs. Although I cannot personally see any difference optically the weight difference and the excellent balance of the ELs is superior (which means I steal them whenever I can!) Only you can decide but I would go for the brighter 42s, hope you enjoy whatever you choose
 
I have the Leica 8x32's and I am a spectacle wearer too. Whilst I do like them for their optics I wish I'd gone for the 8x42's as they have that much wider field of view when viewing through the spectacles. Without them viewing is fine, with them is fine too but the field of view is that much narrower. As to whether Leica or Swarovski it's down to personal choice as to shape and design when using them.
 
Hi Tim,
Just noticed your posting and had to comment. We have both the Swarovski EL 8.5x42 and the EL 8x32. My wife has been using the 42s for a while while I used a compact pair of Nikon HD 8x20. Very useable but I fancied a brighter view with good handling (I can only use one hand) so bought the EL 8x32.

Before I had even left the shop I 'lost' my new bins to my wife who had fallen for their light weight and bright image. I am relegated to the EL 8.5x42 :).

Both have their merits:
42s ARE brighter but heavier;
32s are noticably lighter (evident to me in the field), quicker to focus but just lose out on detail as the light fades.

I also am a spectacle wearer and both of them give a comfortable and wide angle of view.

If you are not restricted in the dexterity department, I would recommend the EL 8.5x42 binoculars as having the edge. You will have noticed that there is no cost benefit to choosing the smaller sized 32s. Good luck whatever decision you take, I have not regreted my either of these purchases.

Ralph J
 
Watcha all,

currently using Nikon 8 32s sharper to my eyes than any others, very light if u travel alot and small too. Used zeiss dialyt 7 42s for 13 years (still got em) including 2 years in Indonesia. Not a single problem. Top bins still. V. bright
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Checked out both side by side (again!) and decided that the reduction in brightness and sharpness was so very small.....

- the size and weight of the 8x32 's make them the best choice for me...
So I bought em from Bass & Bligh in Harrogate.

Great service from this local dealer btw - I paid the same price for the 8 x 32's as the best internet price for the 8.5 x 42 (£789) -

£50 saving on best internet price I have seen for these bins - just goes to show - support your local dealer and you can still do very well thankyou!

Looking forward to weekend to get out there and put em to use

All the best

Tim
 
Bass & Bligh is the nearest decent optics dealer to me too even though it is 80 miles away. I had a trip down there to buy my first scope and a decent pair of binoculars.

Very friendly and helpful staff and very knowledgeable too.
 
I have owned a pair of Nikon HG 8X42`s for 14 months, they are sharp have excellent contrast but suffer from a little edge chromatic distortion and the focusing is too coarse they are also very heavy and I find them difficult to view with spectacles, I have just purchased a secondhand but mint condition pair of Leica 8X42BN - What a difference ! The Leica`s are lighter, brighter and the focusing spot on and best of all are easy to use with spectacles. I wish that I had purchased these originally but was swayed by being a Nikon (camera) fan and the glowing endorsements that surrounded the HG`s mainly from American birding sites.
 
I'm surprised that the 8x32 EL's are not as sharp as the 8,5x42, however, have not compared them or read any reports.

My wife birds with 10x42 EL's and I with 8x32 Swarof (not ELs) and I don't notice a significant difference in sharpness in field use. However it key is how they look to you.

The 8x32's EL's are lighter and have a wider field of view I believe. The 8.5x42 EL's have more eye relief. That is the biggest shorcoming of my older swarofs 8x32--I must wear a pair of very small eyeglasses to obtain the full field of view.

If it were not for the eye relief problem I would pick the 8x32's because of their compactness and lighter weight.

Bob
 
I suspect that there is sufficient variation, even within a quality range of binoculars, to account for some of the arguments about which are sharper/brighter. Always try to check out several models of the same bins to ensure you get the best. Secondly if you want a 8.5 binocular don't ignore the porro Audubons 8.5x44 - they're excellent bins and superb value at the moment!
 
TimF said:
Bob

Cheers for the advice - bought the 8x32's - Cracking bins

Tim
Click to expand...

Good birding with them, Tim.
At least you've had some good all round feedback to your initial question. Some sites may have just been all Swaro' praise ;)
Andy
 
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