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Sightron "Blue Sky" II 8x32 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter FrankD
- Start date
black crow
Well-known member
I may have been a bit ambitious with the MHG ! :loveme: - strictly optically it's a half step or so behind the honorable mentions - it could do with a bit more sharpness, and a smidgen more brightness, neutrality, and clarity - it's a function of its optical glass specification and price point which hobbled it just a bit. What is a Wow though is the superb ergonomics, and that Nikon have achieved such a wide field, with good ER, and reasonable edge sharpness in such a compact, lightweight package. It helped that there was less CA than I was expecting from reports too.
Encourage her to at least lurk, if not join up - it's a friendly place with some great people here. Perhaps she should read the 'Desiderata' again .... I love it. A beautifully written bit of wisdom for sure
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann
Chosun :gh:
She's read that and others most of her life in an attempt to overcome her deep insecurities. Sometimes when the damage in childhood was very severe it cannot be done. People who had fairly benign childhoods often don't get that. I've known her for many years now and I don't see anything like her even lurking happening. I've tried for some years now. Sometimes you just work with what is.
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
chris6
Well-known member
Price and 'alphas' aside, my own impression was that the 'clarity' arose from:-
Sharpness (resolution), which is also anecdotally well established and, imo...
Contrast (subjectively 'strong' but not sure how this can be measured) and...
Colour (subjectively 'strong')
I thought there was insufficient advantage in 10x over 8x, the downsides of 10x model being reduced DoF and narrower FoV but unfortunately Albinos has not so far tested any 'Sightron Blue Sky', 'Kenko OP DH II' 'Fujifilm/Fujinon' clones, or even Pentax 9x32 BC/AD.
Certainly there are brighter 8x32s and other sizes are available but, in everyday conditions, they were bright enough to give a lively view, with no CA or other obvious distortions. With an adequate FoV, the 8x32 Sightrons are also good build quality, quality control, ease of use, size, and (light) weight, so they solved the problem of choosing binoculars for general use. So much for ED, dielectric prisms, and the latest model of this and that! (argumentative |
|).
Sharpness (resolution), which is also anecdotally well established and, imo...
Contrast (subjectively 'strong' but not sure how this can be measured) and...
Colour (subjectively 'strong')
I thought there was insufficient advantage in 10x over 8x, the downsides of 10x model being reduced DoF and narrower FoV but unfortunately Albinos has not so far tested any 'Sightron Blue Sky', 'Kenko OP DH II' 'Fujifilm/Fujinon' clones, or even Pentax 9x32 BC/AD.
Certainly there are brighter 8x32s and other sizes are available but, in everyday conditions, they were bright enough to give a lively view, with no CA or other obvious distortions. With an adequate FoV, the 8x32 Sightrons are also good build quality, quality control, ease of use, size, and (light) weight, so they solved the problem of choosing binoculars for general use. So much for ED, dielectric prisms, and the latest model of this and that! (argumentative |
|).
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chris6
Well-known member
Yes agree it looks the same, went to https://www.sigsauer.com/store/electro-optics/binoculars.html but did not find 8x45, have you tried them?
chris6
Well-known member
Andy, there is an interesting range apart from 8x32, and guess you referred to https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/617229-sig-sauer-zulu-9/ where Kamakura Japan is mentioned. I have seen a review of a Sig Sauer 8x32 somewhere else, but that did not find much that was exceptional. The current Sig specs are the same but have not seen one, and suppose the review might not have been a Sightron clone model?
chris6
Well-known member
On my little collection, instead of bothering with the straps I have tied the rainguards and objective covers to the strap rings with a single loop of 2mm braided nylon cord: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-5-Met...var=630186926553&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
As others have done, a strip of Self Adhesive Foam Tape Closed Cell 20mm x 3mm was used on the inside of the front half of the rainguard, to keep it in place, then trimmed to match its edge: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5m-Black...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
On the two 8x32 clones, to set the effective eye relief with glasses, O Rings ID 33mm X W 3.0mm were fitted behind the eyepiece covers to keep them at the first stop position, but 10x32 did not need them: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/219-METR...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
As others have done, a strip of Self Adhesive Foam Tape Closed Cell 20mm x 3mm was used on the inside of the front half of the rainguard, to keep it in place, then trimmed to match its edge: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5m-Black...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
On the two 8x32 clones, to set the effective eye relief with glasses, O Rings ID 33mm X W 3.0mm were fitted behind the eyepiece covers to keep them at the first stop position, but 10x32 did not need them: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/219-METR...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
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Sorry I'm late to this party. I have the Maven 9x45 not 11x and it did have a big wow factor for me when I first got it. The only two binoculars that did this for me were a Fujinon 7x50 and the Maven 9x45. The Fuji has been my reference 7x50 for years.
I have only done brief side-by-side comparisons of the Maven with Leica Noctivid 10x42 and Zeiss SF and Conquest 8x42. I preferred the Maven to the Conquest, and I thought the SF was better in that the field was flatter and perhaps marginally wider, but I wasn't convinced I preferred them. The Noctivid was excellent, but sufficiently different in the view and feel that I thought it would take more time to figure out how they would work for me. The bottom line was that I didn't jump at the chance to trade in my Mavens.
Alan
P.S. I'm still a big fan for the Sightron 8x32 and enjoy using it. I love the ergonomics and the on-axis sharpness, it is simply very easy to look through. My only major criticism is that it has an odd glare issue issue when there is something very bright several fields of view outside the image at a particular angle. I have only rarely noticed this in very brightly backlit conditions during the day, where the image gets a bit washed out. I was able to diagnose it at night because there was a streetlamp in just the wrong place one night while looking out over a dark ocean at star clusters.
chris6
Well-known member
Quite agree that Sightron images get washed out in that way. I guess that it is a fairly common issue, perhaps related to the clarity which Chosun Juan has explained. However at the moment I have nothing to compare directly with Sightron. I understand how other models may well be better because I particularly noticed that Meopta HD 12x50 seemed really good in that respect, but am waiting for that beauty to come back after refurbishment of loose centre hinges and focus play.
Thought I was not impressed by Sightron 10x but have now confirmed that its sharpness definitely helps to reveal details e.g. I could see the markings and bars on a sparrow at 150yds with 10x, but not so well with 8x. As you said, Sightron is easy, and now consider that the 10x version is not so far behind. It seems just that adjustment for correct IPD and effective ER, as well as focus, are a bit more critical than they are for 8x.
I arrived at Meopta HD 12x50 when several 10x50's had proved, as imagined in retrospect, to have insufficient sharpness to give them the expected advantage at distance. So, when the Meoptas come back (as yet 'only' 6 weeks!) the comparison will be telling for that too. If the Sighton 10x32 should get close, to me this will show that because of Sightron's sharpness the top 10x50 and nearly 1kg may generally be not be needed, any more than top 8x32 at 500gms, provided that the light is right.
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Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Chris, that's not entirely a correct understanding of what I was saying. 'Clarity' and 'Glare performance' are two separate things.
'Clarity' is that quality of the view that seems 'transparent' and is usually associated with Porro or other 100% internal reflection prisms such as A-K etc. S-P prisms (the best with dielectric coatings giving ~98 - ~99% transmission) lose enough of the spectra at various wavelengths to ever so slightly compromise 'clarity'. Even something with such a well put together view as a Swarovski SV loses just a fraction in the 'clarity' stakes compared to a Porro, A-K etc. The best S-P prism bin that I have seen in terms of getting close to 'clarity' would be the Zeiss SF - though it has other issues such as slightly skewed colour cast to my eyes which prevent it having complete 'clarity', along with ever so slightly perceptible dielectric coatings losses.
It is entirely possible for a bin with great 'clarity' such as my former Swift Audubon 8.5x44 ED to have woeful 'veiling glare' performance ! Have the sun in the right spot and Wow! Have it in the wrong spot (anywhere within ~30° of the sun [which is pretty poor]) and uggh! almost complete washout - you might as well be looking through your hat for all you can see .....
I haven't followed this Sightron thread at all, so I'm not up on its glare performance. From what I gather it has very nice sharpness (which is one of the requirements of 'clarity' - but nowhere near the only one and not enough to make the grade on its own), but also a readily perceptible yellowish or warmish colour cast (which ruins any small sense of 'clarity'). If the Sightron has veiling glare issues, then of course that will ruin any nice view that it has.
One of the ways I assess glare performance is to just make a simple right angle with your arms (one pointed at a low sun) and then just simply halving the angle and noting glare performance as you go. It's pretty easy to identify large fractions - angles of 45°, 22.5°, 30° etc. Note when you start seeing 'crescent glare', and when 'veiling glare' starts, or completely washes out the view. Either that or carry a protractor with you.
I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL AT ANGLES TO THE SUN OF CLOSER THAN 22.5° - I 'd suggest that if your bin has no glare issues by 15° that you give the exercise away as that it Outstanding and well and truly good enough. It's a very good characteristic (ultimate value, and the progression) of your bin to know - that way, in the heat of the moment following a rare sighting, you will already have programmed into your brain early warning signs of an impending harmful full sun view - and can avert in time. KEEP SAFE. :t:
Hope that helps 'clarify' things.
Chosun :gh:
chris6
Well-known member
Right, that does indeed help clarify things || and I can now look at assessing glare performance in that way. So far I have only occasionally glimpsed hints of 'crescent glare' and 'veiling glare' has not 'completely washed out the view'.
On another positive note, to me with Sightron white looks very white, the reds look red, and the sky looks blue so I am especially happy with colour balance (although my main adviser says I'm colour blind!). In addition to solid colour, the edges are somehow well defined with a nice 3-D effect. Crisp and clean-looking but not exaggerated. In a protracted hunt and because of the same features, Pentax DCF ED 8x32 had stayed on until the sharper Sightrons arrived, while many others had looked a bit lifeless or been a bit clumsy and had to go.
I am usually out in good weather so nothing about them is annoying and I can enjoy using them, as I had done with the Pentax.
| and I can now look at assessing glare performance in that way. So far I have only occasionally glimpsed hints of 'crescent glare' and 'veiling glare' has not 'completely washed out the view'. On another positive note, to me with Sightron white looks very white, the reds look red, and the sky looks blue so I am especially happy with colour balance (although my main adviser says I'm colour blind!). In addition to solid colour, the edges are somehow well defined with a nice 3-D effect. Crisp and clean-looking but not exaggerated. In a protracted hunt and because of the same features, Pentax DCF ED 8x32 had stayed on until the sharper Sightrons arrived, while many others had looked a bit lifeless or been a bit clumsy and had to go.
I am usually out in good weather so nothing about them is annoying and I can enjoy using them, as I had done with the Pentax.
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chris6
Well-known member
Chosun, Many thanks for that, and for the safety warning. This evening at 7pm with the sun down here, I could consistently see those bright reflected crescents from 15-20 degrees, without trees and leaves in sunlight becoming washed out, so that seems pretty ok. In the past in Oz I found it harder to use binoculars, no doubt partly down to alcohol and jet lag, but maybe also the intense light.
Nixterdemus
Well-known member
If you turned the day's date around from 12 to 21 it would mark the seventh year of Frank's thread.
Lest I forget in me auld age, early onset dementia/malaise/doldrums etc. etc,
Happy Premature Birthday Thread Frank!
Lest I forget in me auld age, early onset dementia/malaise/doldrums etc. etc,
Happy Premature Birthday Thread Frank!
