Optical Differences - Ultra HD 42mm vs. 36 mm (1 Viewer)

My wife has a pair of Bushnell's 10x36 Ultra HD, and I have been seriously underwhelmed with the performance of the binocular - small sweetspot, very finicky too-fast focus, muted colours and poor-ish brightness. Worst of all is chronic stray-light intrusion, especially in overcast conditions - it just doesn't go away!

Now, I have tried a few 8x42 Ultra HD's and have noticed right off that the AR coatings are very different - green in the 36's and magenta / purple in the 42's. In viewing, the 42's look brighter [ignoring the aperture difference, concentrating on ''apparent brightness''] in all conditions, with better colour rendition and far less stray light problems. The 36's make whites look slightly gray / brown while the 42's make whites yellowish.

I wonder why the lens treatments for these two classes appear so different, and why the optical performance also seems to differ so much. I would have expected the 42's and 36's to be more alike than different, with the design carried over from one to the other, with obvious changes for smaller objectives and prisms.

Anyone here experienced the same sort of differences between the two classes? And, any ideas as to why the lens coatings would be so different? Did Bushnell change the AR coatings after 2011 - the year we got the 10x36? Is our 10x36 a dud or in keeping with what others have found?

Thanks!

PS - I should add that both the 42's and 36's have serious QA problems, with wonky focuseres, egg-shell dioptre rings and floppy hinges - so, in that, they are the same...;]

Can you take a pic of the exit pupils with the bin held up against the bright but overcast sky? If not, does the stray light issue mitigate if you extend a shield over the objective lens? Even just cupping your palm over the barrel should make a difference.

RJM said:

Can you take a pic of the exit pupils with the bin held up against the bright but overcast sky? If not, does the stray light issue mitigate if you extend a shield over the objective lens? Even just cupping your palm over the barrel should make a difference.

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I have checked it out, it is a reflection off a baffle which is not blackened - rather more gray. Shielding does mute it but not entirely mitigate. The stray light intrudes well into the FOV in most situations.

james holdsworth said:

..Anyone here experienced the same sort of differences between the two classes?...

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Yes, I am very impressed with the 8x42 but am not a fan of the 8x36 or 10x36. I stopped looking at the x36 models after my first few experiences. I haven't paid attention to the coatings, but I haven't noticed that they've changed in the 8x42, which all seem to have a warm (orange) bias.

--AP

I noticed the 8x42 to be brighter and more neutral colors and the 8x36 to give off a red hue, so much so that I had to sell them it drove me nuts.

What a let down

Our local Outdoor store, Sail was clearing out their Ultra HD 8 X 36's last weekend with a very attractive discounted price.

I had just picked up a pair of Zeiss Conquest HD 8 X 42's to compare the view against them (not really fair) and the differences were truly astounding.

I then compared them to the Ultra HD 8 X 42's, and again the difference was huge.

I was never a fan Ultra HD's, but the view of the 36's were truly awful.

The 8 X 42 Elite is a wonderful bino.