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Binoculars!!! (1 Viewer)

Neil G.

Neil G.

Well-known member
I was wondering the other day what makes a person tick when it comes to a pair of binoculars.
From a personal standpoint,i want a pair of binoculars that i enjoy looking at nature through,ones that gives me an image that is pleasing to the eye with decent detail.I own a pair of Steiner wildlife pro....not the highest end pair i know but they are fairly small,for me they are easier to hold than roof prisms and they give an image that make them a joy to use.
I read articles,and this applies to camera equipment too,where people seem to get tied up in knots about purple fringing,chromatic abberations,distortion etc,etc.......does anybody actually enjoy the subject they are watching anymore?
On a walk a while ago i was given the chance to look through a pair of swarowski top end binoculars.......about a grands worth,they were nice binoculars but they wouldn't give me any more enjoyment than my Steiners,in fact,my Steiners give a more three dimensional image than the high end pair which seemed to my eye a bit flat.
It makes me wonder if psychology plays a part in choosing binoculars,people believe the more they pay the better their birding experience will be when in reality they are thinking more about the technical aspects than the subject.
This was just a thought because when i look at nature through my "cheapo's", i'm lost in the moment of viewing my subject and i'm totally unaware of any insignificant technical shortfalls my bino's may have.
This is just a personal thought........i may be insane.8-P
 
Neil G. said:
......... and i'm totally unaware of any insignificant technical shortfalls my bino's may have.
This is just a personal thought........i may be insane.8-P
Click to expand...

I think there lies the issue. Some appreciate the difference that the highest technical excellence makes to their enjoyment of bird and nature watching, but clearly other's do not. Congratulations! You just saved yourself a lot of money.:t:

David
 
I do enjoy the view of any subject more when it is more comfortable, clearer, brighter, and of course brought closer. But yes, the improvements you get become increasingly less noticeable and more expensive above maybe £4-500.
 
Hi Neil,

If you know how many binoculars you own you don't have enough!o:D

Get a few more!

Bob
 
Last edited:
my "cheapo's", i'm lost in the moment of viewing my subject and i'm totally unaware of any insignificant technical shortfalls my bino's may have.
This is just a personal thought........i may be insane.8-P[/QUOTE]


Yes, I think it's personal to each of us. I wouldn't swap my high end Swaros for all the tea in China. Each time I look through them I want to go 'Wow' at the image and I don't regret a penny of what I spent on them. They'll be the last binoculars I own though :t:

Sandra
 
I agree Sandra, I wouldn't swap My Swaro SLC's but the next favourite I own is a £89 Leupold BX-1 Yosemite 6X30, it gives me a nice 3 dimensional bright view, very easy on eye placement with my glasses and is nice and steady on my frequent trips on the ferry from Dover to France.
 
Neil G. said:
I was wondering the other day what makes a person tick when it comes to a pair of binoculars.
From a personal standpoint,i want a pair of binoculars that i enjoy looking at nature through,ones that gives me an image that is pleasing to the eye with decent detail.I own a pair of Steiner wildlife pro....not the highest end pair i know but they are fairly small,for me they are easier to hold than roof prisms and they give an image that make them a joy to use.
I read articles,and this applies to camera equipment too,where people seem to get tied up in knots about purple fringing,chromatic abberations,distortion etc,etc.......does anybody actually enjoy the subject they are watching anymore?
On a walk a while ago i was given the chance to look through a pair of swarowski top end binoculars.......about a grands worth,they were nice binoculars but they wouldn't give me any more enjoyment than my Steiners,in fact,my Steiners give a more three dimensional image than the high end pair which seemed to my eye a bit flat.
It makes me wonder if psychology plays a part in choosing binoculars,people believe the more they pay the better their birding experience will be when in reality they are thinking more about the technical aspects than the subject.
This was just a thought because when i look at nature through my "cheapo's", i'm lost in the moment of viewing my subject and i'm totally unaware of any insignificant technical shortfalls my bino's may have.
This is just a personal thought........i may be insane.8-P
Click to expand...

This is well said. It also marks you as relatively sane ;). Far too many people who post a lot frankly get to the point of obsession over binoculars, or computers, cameras, smartphones...you name it. Go looking for faults and you will find them. Once you train yourself to find them you will find them all the quicker. Pretty soon you are chasing your tail and spending more money than necessary. Marketers know this and use human psychology to their advantage. Their job is to convince us that buying their stuff is really our idea, and they are good at it.

A recurring question is "how does this one compare to that one?" The answer is really there is probably not enough difference to matter, unless you want it to matter. For example I'd bet nobody (well maybe some, but scarce few regular users) can readily separate a Leica Ultravid HD from the HD+ with any degree of statistical significance. That is unless they know which one is which when they pick them up. Psychology and perceptions play a larger role in optical satisfaction than the actual optics, unless dealing with really poor quality, or vast differences in quality.

You touch on a point I've long held, just get a decent binocular, and just go use it.
 
Last edited:
Pileatus,

I was just being funny.

I agree with Steve regarding the HD and HD+, and not everyone has two tripods and the time to sit there and be a nitnoid trying to make sure that the new one has to be better.

Personally most of my glass are older but in good shape, I was able to save $$$ but not sacrificing performance and quality. For me there is no need to get the latest and greatest. In the last 5-6 years, the SF, Noctivid and the SLC HD in 56 objective are the only significant new designs from the premium glass makers, IMHO.

Andy W.



Andy W.
 
Steve C said:
This is well said. It also marks you as relatively sane ;). Far too many people who post a lot frankly get to the point of obsession over binoculars, or computers, cameras, smartphones...you name it. Go looking for faults and you will find them. Once you train yourself to find them you will find them all the quicker. Pretty soon you are chasing your tail and spending more money than necessary. Marketers know this and use human psychology to their advantage. Their job is to convince us that buying their stuff is really our idea, and they are good at it.

A recurring question is "how does this one compare to that one?" The answer is really there is probably not enough difference to matter, unless you want it to matter. For example I'd bet nobody (well maybe some, but scarce few regular users) can readily separate a Leica Ultravid HD from the HD+ with any degree of statistical significance. That is unless they know which one is which when they pick them up. Psychology and perceptions play a larger role in optical satisfaction than the actual optics, unless dealing with really poor quality, or vast differences in quality.

You touch on a point I've long held, just get a decent binocular, and just go use it.
Click to expand...

Agree to some extent with everything posted on this thread, but do have a slightly different overall take. All the testing, comparing, and discussion on the forum of this model is better than that model, etc., has really increased my appreciation and enjoyment for both the quality of alphas and the very real bang for the buck factor in the $200 to $400 range. Also, it helps to inform users that different binocular brands and formats perform better than others in different situations.

This weekend I extensively compared a number of my alphas and others. Though the day I found for the first time to my surprise after several years of using all following that the Nikon EDG 10x32 delivered by far the most enjoyable image for me, beating out SW SV 10x32, 8.5x42, Leica 10x50 UV HD + and Zeiss 10x32 FL T*. The clear second place winner for most enjoyable image was the Celestron Granite 7x33 recently purchased new for $200. Without my extensive back and forth study and comparisons on and off tripods, and keeping in mind much of what is discussed here and elsewhere I might never have noticed either distinct and surprising preference.

In a former life a friend gave me two good tips regarding collecting antique oriental carpets which I think apply to enjoying binoculars:

"30 seconds spent looking at a carpet is 30 seconds wasted", and ;

"Buy the ones that make your heart beat faster".
 
Great post above.......i think it describes what i am trying yo say.......don't be influenced by the technical jargon that is written down on paper and you may be surprised by the binoculars that give you the most
enjoyment,even if they are a cheaper model.Again,great post.
 
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