Should I go 7x (1 Viewer)

O_Nut, sorry not been reading Bf. too closely the last few days - which bin d'you mean by this: "... just got up to 8.3 degrees fov with sharper optics....much more comfortable now ..." Thanks.

My personal search for 7x or 8x has left a few binoculars as "spares". I've got round to sorting out which might to be sold. These include my 7x36 Excursion EX.
My wife (who is more concerned about the weight and size of her binoculars) tried them and claimed them as her own. She left her 8x32 to replace them. When trying them out in woodland, she was very impressed by the ease with which she could find and focus on subjects.

(My own search has pretty much concluded with a used 7x42BN)

My three penneth.... I use Zeiss 7x42FL for walking around and Swaro EL 10x42 from hides and the like.

With the 7x FLs particularly I often do let my eyes wander round the large field whilst holding the bins still. So yes good definition at the edges is helpful.

bentleyg said:

My three penneth.... I use Zeiss 7x42FL for walking around and Swaro EL 10x42 from hides and the like.

With the 7x FLs particularly I often do let my eyes wander round the large field whilst holding the bins still. So yes good definition at the edges is helpful.

Click to expand...

I have a 7x42FL. I also use it in that manner. It doesn't have a "flat field" but it is still sharp very close to the edges of it's very wide 450'@1000 yards FOV.

Bob

ceasar said:

I have a 7x42FL. I also use it in that manner. It doesn't have a "flat field" but it is still sharp very close to the edges of it's very wide 450'@1000 yards FOV.

Bob

Click to expand...

The reason why it is probably my favorite bin of all time....and the apparent brightness...and the CA control...and the.....

Isn't 450ft @ 100 yds 8.5 degrees?
The 11's I have are all very sharp in the 8.5 piece.

I'll bet :
--those who find 8.5 'wide' want it sharp all the way,
--and those who find 11 or even 13 degrees 'wide' expect 8.5 degrees sharp as well.

That's the cherry in the apple and the orange.

Oddly enough, 8.4 degrees is the field width my favorite 6x30.

OPTIC_NUT said:

Isn't 450ft @ 100 yds 8.5 degrees?
The 11's I have are all very sharp in the 8.5 piece.

I'll bet :
--those who find 8.5 'wide' want it sharp all the way,
--and those who find 11 or even 13 degrees 'wide' expect 8.5 degrees sharp as well.

That's the cherry in the apple and the orange.

Oddly enough, 8.4 degrees is the field width my favorite 6x30.

Click to expand...

The Fuji 6x30 FMTR-SX had an 8.5* FOV, and it was sharp almost to the edge. Finest view I've seen through binoculars and that includes the SE and EII, but the IF EPs made it rather limited for birding and the ergonomics were not comfortable for my hands, it was basically two giant prism housings stuck together with a centerpost, with vestigial barrels and two EPs.

I had two Celestron Nova bins with EWA FsOV - 10x50 (8*) and 7x50 (10*). The sweet spot on the 10x50 was very generous for such a wide FOV, 70%+ with gradual fall off toward the edges. The 7x50 had steeper field curvature at the edges, but it had 2 extra degrees. it also had more pincushion. When I panned in the woods, the trees would appear to move around me. I half expected them to throw an apple at me! The Novas were much more comfortable to hold than the Fuji, but the 10mm ER combined with extra large diameter EP made it a challenge to get the bridge of my nose between the eyecups.

Both Novas were very nice to use for stargazing, particularly the 10x50 since I have bright skies. But for day use, the heavy weight combined with a good deal of flare made them undesirable. If I could have afforded it, I would have kept the 10x50 just for local stargazing and the 7x50s for those rare occasions when I get to a dark site. But since I'm more of an daytime observer these days, I had to let them go to someone who would make more use of them. I have no room for a binocular museum. If they had FMCs and better baffling, I would have kept the 10x50s, because an 80* AFOV is a real eye opener.

Brock

When I panned in the woods, the trees would appear to move around me.
I half expected them to throw an apple at me!

Click to expand...

Heh, I know the feeling. Like being in the forest in the Wizard of Oz.
I like a little curvature. More and it causes nauseau on panning.
Totally flat and it's like running along wallboard.

8-deg is huge for a 10x50.

I have one pair of 6x30s I really like, WUEST, 8.4 deg. Ofuna really knows the
mechanical and build, and the field is fine. Most 6x30s relax my eyes but are wearing on
the cortex...you have to concentrate to pluck details out. Not quite enough power.

The hordes of fantastic 11-deg 7x35s need winnowing. Most weren't great until
the focuser was rebuilt a little. Binolux and the Binolux-clones from KMart are great.
The KMart ones are the same but 20-30 years younger. Their Siam Cats are the best
optically but did not last well.

Some newer 8x30s. Needed rework to work, 3 out of 4 of them. Strange.
Love but can't recommend, unless you're a fixit. 8.2 deg and 8.4, at 8 power.
Sharp to 95%.

I find myself turning into two people:
8.2-.5 degree super-sharp and 10-11deg wide+edge-fade. The edge fade
is a lot more pleasant than the chop-off....but that's for extra-ws. That's
why the RKE/10-deg/7x are so great for scanning, the edge isn't cutting.

Too much in den. Must move museum. Poor public...I have little museum
blurbs on the tags. I must change from the 'cat-lady' of binocs to the
'ASPCA pound guy' of binocs.