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Which sub-Alpha 10x42s? (1 Viewer)

John Cantelo

John Cantelo

Well-known member
After years using x8 binoculars (30/32/42mm) I'm giving serious consideration to getting a pair of 10x42s since, when borrowing a friend's pair, I found them better for sea-watching, raptor & wader watching, etc than my x8s. Finances allowing, I'm looking to spend between £600 - £1000 this summer. The latter figure’s a bit of a stretch so I can’t go any higher and, if there’s a really exceptional instrument under £600 I’d consider it. Bear in mind that, being in the UK, various American brands are not easily available except perhaps the GPO Passion HD 10x42 (which, for Brits at least, must have the naffest name of any bins). Would the Vortex Razor 10x50 (or similar) be worth considering?

I've drawn up a mental shortlist but am interested to see if people come up with the same models.
 
I was recently in the same situation and spent some time looking at sub 10x42, in short the zeiss conquest hd came top of the list..very bright and contrasty with reasuring build quality and mechanics etc.

Matt
 
It would be very hard to go past the Nikon Monarch HG 10x42.
Fantastic ergonomics, wide field, bright, great build quality and feel, and nice light weight.
If I could improve just one thing it would be for it to be a bit sharper to my eyes. I much prefer it to the Zeiss Conquest HD.

I would suggest getting a pair in your hands and up to your eyes. Compare the sharpness against the Zeiss SF 10x42, and the Conquest HD 10x42.

One important tip which is never mentioned around here. Trial the bin out at your regular and intended birding distances. ie. if you are likely to come across birds at ~10m, and then quickly have to refocus at say ~100m or more, then see how the bin is to rapidly lift to your eyes, how quick it is to line up (and how much margin of error is in that), how quickly and well does it snap into focus, and how quick and accurate is it to refocus at the greater distance. Observe for short times - and for long times .... does the steadiness change noticeably ?

As far as the 10x50 Vortex Razor HD goes - it is light for a 50mm. At ~800grams it is approximately the weight of a Swaro x42, but some ~140grams (~20%) heavier than the 10x42MHG. The Fov is also a bit light-on at 315ft vs 360ft for the MHG.


Good luck !




Chosun :gh:
 
I would wait a month and see what novelties the brands bring on the IWA.
I would offer:
Meopta Meostar, Kahles, Trinovid HD, Conquest HD, Kowa Genesis.

Jan
 
So far the only surprise (to me) suggestion is the Meopta MeoStar B1.1 10x42. Having checked online seems none of the stockists in my area (SE England) or where I'm likely to be in this year (East Anglia) appear to stock them and I'd much prefer avoiding buying them online.

The field of view and weight of the Vortex Razor 10x50, although a consideration, isn't a deal-breaker for me. Does the larger OG bring make much difference in performance (vs the 10x42 & more pricey instruments).
 
if you shop around you can get the new Vortex Razor UHD 10x42's for about $1250.00. You will not beat them for the price. The 8x42 Vortex Razor UHD beat the Zeiss SF and Leica Noctivid and almost tied the Swarovski EL 8.5x42 in a recent Audubon review. They have AK prism's which make a big difference in brightness and contrast over an SP. I have compared them closely to my Nikon 8x42 EDG's and Zeiss 8x42 FL's and they are slightly better in optics being very bright, extremely sharp on-axis and having excellent contrast. They are alpha level for 1/2 the price.

https://www.audubon.org/news/category-top-line
https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...www.bestbinocularsreviews.co...Review-255.htm
https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...tps://www.binomania.it/vortex-razor-uhd-8x42/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJxwCas0Hvc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU5pcfMwOQ8
https://vortexoptics.com/razor-uhd-10x42-binocular.html
 

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I think folks have covered the standard recommendations here. For me the Conquest HD and Monarch HG are the most appealing of the lot, for reasons mentioned. The Meostar and Kowa are certainly excellent as well. The Opticron DBA VHD+ is at the low end of your range and certainly a very capable bin. If you are going to be inspecting bins personally you should find it in stock readily and it definitely warrants a comparison before deciding to spend more.

I personally would choose the Monarch HG of the lot, for the combination of weight, FOV, contrast, and ergonomics. A couple of the others might be a hair sharper in the center but the MHG’s can’t be faulted for lack of resolution in my opinion, and no other bin in the class competes with it in terms of weight and FOV. But of course those are my priorities/opinions.
 
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[email protected] said:
if you shop around you can get the new Vortex Razor UHD 10x42's for about $1250.00. You will not beat them for the price. The 8x42 Vortex Razor UHD beat the Zeiss SF and Leica Noctivid and almost tied the Swarovski EL 8.5x42 in a recent Audubon review. They have AK prism's which make a big difference in brightness and contrast over an SP. I have compared them closely to my Nikon 8x42 EDG's and Zeiss 8x42 FL's and they are slightly better in optics being very bright, extremely sharp on-axis and having excellent contrast. They are alpha level for 1/2 the price.
Click to expand...

I had picked up that these were quality instruments and everything else being equal like the idea of bins with AK prisms (my only experience of which certainly had me searching for superlatives). However, everything isn't equal - at 32oz they're much heftier than I'd like. Even so, were they available in the UK for $1250 (= c£960) then I'd consider them. However, as so often, the price here is substantially greater than in the USA and even after searching around they seem to retail at £1500+ (= $1950) - if you can get them several dealers seem only to stock the 8x42.
 
Thanks for your responses. I looked at the much-vaunted GPO Passion 10x42 at the UK Bird Fair in the summer but preferred the Nikon 10x42 better ergonomics, better FOV and, to my eye, a better image. Then, for various reasons other financial commitments soaked up the cash (OK I admit it, a birding trip to Oz ..... and shortly one to Japan). Getting new x10 bins were on the back burner until I saw the 10x42 Trinovids last Thursday (at Titchwell RSPB reserve) - they were superb & made me reflect on the matter further. At the moment the front runners are Nikon Monarch HG (positives - nice ergonomics, excellent FoV & good image, negatives lacking the "field cred" status of Leica/Zeiss), Leica Trinovids (positives - nice ergonomics, excellent image & one would hope the service that comes with a 'big name', any negatives?), Zeiss Conquest - these were the bins that kicked off my interest (positives as per the leicas, negatives, didn't sit so well in my hands) and Vortex Razor (as per the Monarchs). It's interesting that these were the models that several here recommend ...
 
John Cantelo said:
Getting new x10 bins were on the back burner until I saw the 10x42 Trinovids last Thursday (at Titchwell RSPB reserve) - they were superb & made me reflect on the matter further.
Click to expand...

Did you happen to try the RSPB 10x42 HD's? Below your budget but still a fine binocular without the cachet of the others on your list though.
 
If the Trinovid HD made such an impression, I'm curious why you didn't just get those? Below £800 seems like a great price.
 
If you are open to used kit, there are some excellent bargains out there such as a Nikon HG or Leica Ultravid. Both offer a substantially reduced outlay for top glass, and with the money saved, you could afford a birding trip (or at least some flights!).
BTW, are you the same John who kindly let me and some friends enjoy Lesser Kestrel's from your balcony about 8 years ago?
 
Mark9473 said:
If the Trinovid HD made such an impression, I'm curious why you didn't just get those? Below £800 seems like a great price.
Click to expand...

I didn't get them because I like to see all contenders before deciding and my current cash flow situation means I won't be able to do so until later in the year.
 
dwatsonbirder said:
If you are open to used kit, there are some excellent bargains out there such as a Nikon HG[was/URL] or [URL="https://www.facebook.com/CleySpyShop/photos/a.298757056886726/2633285273433881/?type=3&theater"]Leica Ultravid. Both offer a substantially reduced outlay for top glass, and with the money saved, you could afford a birding trip (or at least some flights!).
BTW, are you the same John who kindly let me and some friends enjoy Lesser Kestrel's from your balcony about 8 years ago?
Click to expand...

I've always been wary of buying secondhand optics to be honest but I suppose I could be tempted by a good deal. Since I have hosted many birders on my terrace to show them Lesser Kestrels then it very probably was me, certainly so if it was in Alcala de los Gazules.
 
[email protected] said:
if you shop around you can get the new Vortex Razor UHD 10x42's for about $1250.00. You will not beat them for the price. The 8x42 Vortex Razor UHD beat the Zeiss SF and Leica Noctivid and almost tied the Swarovski EL 8.5x42 in a recent Audubon review. They have AK prism's which make a big difference in brightness and contrast over an SP. I have compared them closely to my Nikon 8x42 EDG's and Zeiss 8x42 FL's and they are slightly better in optics being very bright, extremely sharp on-axis and having excellent contrast. They are alpha level for 1/2 the price.

https://www.audubon.org/news/category-top-line
https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...www.bestbinocularsreviews.co...Review-255.htm
https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...tps://www.binomania.it/vortex-razor-uhd-8x42/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJxwCas0Hvc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU5pcfMwOQ8
https://vortexoptics.com/razor-uhd-10x42-binocular.html
Click to expand...


merry-go-round
 
[QUOTE Bear in mind that, being in the UK, various American brands are not easily available except perhaps the GPO Passion HD 10x42 (which, for Brits at least, must have the naffest name of any bins).
[/QUOTE]

It may have the naffest name of any bins, but the GPO Passion HD 10 x 42 is a marvelous binocular, and an absolute joy to use in the field. After having the opportunity to try it out, I was truly impressed and ended up selling my 10 x 42 Meopta Meostar in order to justify the acquisition. The GPO excels for me on all levels - optics, ergonomics, focus speed and control and an elusive quality of just feeling right.
 
chartwell, I appreciate your thoughts on the GPO and how it stacks up against the Meostar HD, as I own and really like the Meostar. Everything except the ergos really. If the GPO is indeed that good I may have to have a look. Question: Would you classify the focus mechanism as a fast one, slow one, in between???? Thanks very much.
 
jgraider said:
chartwell, I appreciate your thoughts on the GPO and how it stacks up against the Meostar HD, as I own and really like the Meostar. Everything except the ergos really. If the GPO is indeed that good I may have to have a look. Question: Would you classify the focus mechanism as a fast one, slow one, in between???? Thanks very much.
Click to expand...

jraider - I actually liked my Meostar a lot, especially the optics and build quality, but always thought it was too heavy and found the diopter adjustment awkward when sharing the binocular with others. The focus mechanism on the GPO seems to be essentially the same speed as the Meostar but feels smoother and more precise, and as a consequence may seem faster but probably isn't. I thought the optics on the Meostar were excellent but found the GPO yielded brighter colors and a marginally (but noticeably) sharper and crisper image. I have seen commentary that the GPO exhibits greater chromatic aberration than the Swarovski Swarovision 10 x 42 but, if so, it has never been noticeable or bothersome to me.
 
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