As I posted on another thread, a hunter friend got some ZR Summit 8X42's after a long history of higher power (10-15X), lesser quality bins, and now rejects the idea that hunters need high power. On one of his recent deer hunting trips with one of his friends, I invited him to leave his Summits home, and take my 8X and 10X ED2's to swap between them. Though he's still very happy with the Summit purchase, he did concede that the ED2's had a slight edge over the Summits, but that obvious conclusion was assumed from the start, we were interested in the A/B comparison of 8 & 10X in the field.
The two hunters made a few conclusions. 1): when the light was less than ideal (most of the time on this trip), 8X was preferred for the brighter, sharper image. 2): Unless there was a handy way to steady the bins like propping them up on a branch (they had no tripod or monopod with them), 8X was preferred, as the extra jitter in the 10X tended to obscure whatever extra detail they might afford. 3): It was quicker and easier to find the prey in those "hey!! what was that over there?!" moments with 8X. 4): For long distance views, 1/2 mile or more, 10X were preferred in all but very low light.
In the end, my friend was still an 8X fan. Despite conceding the shortcomings of the 10X, his friend was less convinced, really liked the larger image, and had a hard time deciding which he preferred, but if pressed, would probably choose the 10X.
So, I'd say that leaves the takeaway conclusion in mid-air, as usual. Ted, I'll predict that sooner or later, you'll have two pairs of bins, one of them a 10X, but for now, your choice of 8X is probably wise. When you're ready, an ED3 might become available, and give you an excuse to buy one. Til then, rest easy, be happy |:d|
marty
