Habicht 10x40 for birding (1 Viewer)

arran · Sep 16, 2015

Hi all ,

I recently acquired a habicht 10x40 leather edition with the latest coatings.
For me it was like a new world opening.Fantastic optical performance on all the parameters I like : sharpness , high light transmission,...
Also the ergonomics pleases me a lot , and is not seen as negative points compared to my other bins (leica UV and swaros from my wife)
But !
After a half year enjoying the optics of this bin , I was recently wondering if this habicht is the right birding glass!
For me personally : no
Why ? the focus drive , though quick enough for general observation , is not fast enough for a keen and agile birder like me! Getting , colder , the focusser gets even a bit stiffer.The grip on the focusdrive also is not of a kind to create direct momentum either.
For the rest nothing but positive about this great tool.
Till now , no negative impact of rain on the bin

Hermann · Sep 16, 2015

arran said:
I recently acquired a habicht 10x40 leather edition with the latest coatings. For me it was like a new world opening. Fantastic optical performance on all the parameters I like : sharpness , high light transmission,...

I totally agree. There aren't in my opinion many binoculars that are optically as good as the Habicht - and it's a lot less weight than for instance the Zeiss 10x42 HT that also has an excellent optical performance. Or the SV 10x50 which is also really good.

arran said:
But !
After a half year enjoying the optics of this bin , I was recently wondering if this habicht is the right birding glass!
For me personally : no
Why ? the focus drive , though quick enough for general observation , is not fast enough for a keen and agile birder like me! Getting , colder , the focusser gets even a bit stiffer.The grip on the focusdrive also is not of a kind to create direct momentum either.

Once again, I totally agree. Alright, the focus will get a bit less stiff with use, but for a 10x binocular it's definitely too stiff if you want to use the pair for birding. It may work in wide, open spaces, but not in woodland or at migration hotspots at the coast. I also gave to 10x40 a try, and it just didn't work.

The 7x42 that I'm using a lot works better in die field, because of the lower magnification. BUT the field of view is narrow. Very narrow.

Hermann

Maljunulo · Sep 16, 2015

" ...... keen and agile ......."?

Rathaus · Sep 16, 2015

No no no

arran said:
Hi all ,

I recently acquired a habicht 10x40 leather edition with the latest coatings.
For me it was like a new world opening.Fantastic optical performance on all the parameters I like : sharpness , high light transmission,...
Also the ergonomics pleases me a lot , and is not seen as negative points compared to my other bins (leica UV and swaros from my wife)
But !
After a half year enjoying the optics of this bin , I was recently wondering if this habicht is the right birding glass!
For me personally : no
Why ? the focus drive , though quick enough for general observation , is not fast enough for a keen and agile birder like me! Getting , colder , the focusser gets even a bit stiffer.The grip on the focusdrive also is not of a kind to create direct momentum either.
For the rest nothing but positive about this great tool.
Till now , no negative impact of rain on the bin

Do nothing until you've tried this.

Here's what to do...instead of wasting money. No better optics exist imo.

Have you got kids? Pay them five or ten bucks an hour each to fully wind your focuser back and fourth. You'll be giving it a decade or two of use in a day or two. It will end up silky smooth. What's twenty or fifty bucks when you're speaking about thousands to replace these? Do it yourself if you have to until your fingers are raw.

...Someone will probably chime in with 'oh but they won't be water tight anymore'...nonsense. They'll be just fine.

Also, do yourself a big upgrade favour and get rid of the silly little eye cups from the leather model. Order the green GA rubber ones if you have to and screw them straight in. Huge difference.

Good luck,
Rathaus

proudpapa56 · Sep 17, 2015

At very first light, the Habichts are my favorites to look out at the bird feeders. Great in that low light and not much focusing needed.

chill6x6 · Sep 17, 2015

I've always wanted a pair. Truly classic.

Tobias Mennle · Sep 20, 2015

arran said:
Hi all ,

I recently acquired a habicht 10x40 leather edition with the latest coatings.
For me it was like a new world opening.Fantastic optical performance on all the parameters I like : sharpness , high light transmission,...
Also the ergonomics pleases me a lot , and is not seen as negative points compared to my other bins (leica UV and swaros from my wife)
But !
After a half year enjoying the optics of this bin , I was recently wondering if this habicht is the right birding glass!
For me personally : no
Why ? the focus drive , though quick enough for general observation , is not fast enough for a keen and agile birder like me! Getting , colder , the focusser gets even a bit stiffer.The grip on the focusdrive also is not of a kind to create direct momentum either.
For the rest nothing but positive about this great tool.
Till now , no negative impact of rain on the bin

Belgium is not too far from Austria, so they should be back in about two or three weeks, and I´m sure the customer service will lower the friction. They did a lovely job with mine. Maybe an opportunity to ask for green eyecups, too...

Theo98 · Sep 21, 2015

Hermann said:
There aren't in my opinion many binoculars that are optically as good as the Habicht - and it's a lot less weight than...the SV 10x50 which is also really good.
Hermann

How would the Habicht 10x40 stand up Optically to the 10x50SV...I know, loaded question?

Ted

brocknroller · Sep 22, 2015

arran said:
Hi all ,

I recently acquired a habicht 10x40 leather edition with the latest coatings.
For me it was like a new world opening.Fantastic optical performance on all the parameters I like : sharpness , high light transmission,...
Also the ergonomics pleases me a lot , and is not seen as negative points compared to my other bins (leica UV and swaros from my wife)
But !
After a half year enjoying the optics of this bin , I was recently wondering if this habicht is the right birding glass!
For me personally : no
Why ? the focus drive , though quick enough for general observation , is not fast enough for a keen and agile birder like me! Getting , colder , the focusser gets even a bit stiffer.The grip on the focusdrive also is not of a kind to create direct momentum either.
For the rest nothing but positive about this great tool.
Till now , no negative impact of rain on the bin

I guess it's a testimony of how great the optics and ergonomics must be if it took you six months for figure out the focus isn't fast enough for birding!

If it's a fast focuser you're looking for and 10x's your poison, you need look no further and spend no more money than $400 on a Zeiss 10x42 Terra ED. Fastest focuser west of the Pecos. Beats the Vette Z06 in 0-60 with only 3/4 of a turn from close focus to infinity. Like Sherry in Jr. High, the 42 TED's focuser was too fast for me, but it might suit you. The CA control in the 8x42 is very good, haven't tried the 10x42.

Being a porro fan, I'd stick with the Habicht and just look at slow birds like Beaky Buzzard.

Brock

brocknroller · Sep 23, 2015

Here's a comment on the CA in the 10x42 TED; it apparently does not control CA as well as the 8x42 model:

Zeiss 10x42 Terra ED

A happy medium in terms of focuser speed is the 10x42 SLC-HD, not too fast, not too slow, the "Baby Bear" of focusers. It also controls CA very well. Tried to induce it but couldn't. However, it will cost you about $700 more than the Habichts, not worth it unless you intend to drag them through the mud, the blood and the beer.

<B>

Rathaus · Sep 23, 2015

brocknroller said:
I guess it's a testimony of how great the optics and ergonomics must be if it took you six months for figure out the focus isn't fast enough for birding!

If it's a fast focuser you're looking for and 10x's your poison, you need look no further and spend no more money than $400 on a Zeiss 10x42 Terra ED. Fastest focuser west of the Pecos. Beats the Vette Z06 in 0-60 with only 3/4 of a turn from close focus to infinity. Like Sherry in Jr. High, the 42 TED's focuser was too fast for me, but it might suit you. The CA control in the 8x42 is very good, haven't tried the 10x42.

Being a porro fan, I'd stick with the Habicht and just look at slow birds like Beaky Buzzard.

Brock

All this guff about stiff focusers makes me wonder how weak and tender the fingers of some birdwatchers are. When my 25kg kid uses the same instrument with ease it makes me wonder.

brocknroller · Sep 24, 2015

Rathaus said:
All this guff about stiff focusers makes me wonder how weak and tender the fingers of some birdwatchers are. When my 25kg kid uses the same instrument with ease it makes me wonder.

Yeah, but can he do this?

Rathaus · Sep 25, 2015

brocknroller said:
Yeah, but can he do this?

yes! How can you know this?

Hermann · Sep 26, 2015

Rathaus said:
All this guff about stiff focusers makes me wonder how weak and tender the fingers of some birdwatchers are. When my 25kg kid uses the same instrument with ease it makes me wonder.

Well, actually this comment makes me wonder how much birding at migration hotspots you do. Not a lot, I'd say. Because in such situations you simply don't have any time at all. It's often a split second that decides whether you get an ID or not. And for that kind of birding the stiff focuser of the Habicht is pretty bad. That's where the focusers of the internal focusing roofs with their wide focusing wheels reign supreme. You're simply a lot faster on the bird. The 7x42 with its large depth of field isn't too bad, but the 10x40 doesn't work very well.

Herrmann

arran · Sep 26, 2015

Hermann said:
Well, actually this comment makes me wonder how much birding at migration hotspots you do. Not a lot, I'd say. Because in such situations you simply don't have any time at all. It's often a split second that decides whether you get an ID or not. And for that kind of birding the stiff focuser of the Habicht is pretty bad. That's where the focusers of the internal focusing roofs with their wide focusing wheels reign supreme. You're simply a lot faster on the bird. The 7x42 with its large depth of field isn't too bad, but the 10x40 doesn't work very well.

Herrmann

Fully agree
I just put my habicht 10x40 in the cupboard when birding,though I must agree it has one of the finest optics in my collection

Habicht 10x40 for birding (1 Viewer)

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Where'd you go, stay put!

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