SeldomPerched
Well-known member
I feel a bit late to this, despite having been one of those chivvying round dealers and those in the know regarding a potential new SF 32mm since just after the 42mm came out....
I thought Steve's point was principally that you shouldn't ruin your enjoyment of birding by constantly thinking that there's a better binocular out there, and that i agree with completely; however, there is a reliance by the industry that there will be sufficient punters who feel that way to keep the wheels a-turnin'. I just had a deja vu, and think i've said this somewhere on BF before.
The question i think i ask myself these days is whether my binoculars have actively prevented anything - has glare, or CA, or poor transmission actually worked against what i set out that morning to do, or prevented an i.d.
When i was a kid, i used to go off on a bike with my cousin's navy-issue marine bins round my neck, bruising my chest as they swung about.
The FL 8x32 is now my 'main' bin and i consider myself a bit of a Fat Baron by also having a Nikon Eii, a Pocket and a Vanguard EDII 8x42. Riches indeed!
I'm really keen to look through a 8x32 SF, but don't think i'll be chewing myself up if i don't actually buy one, or enjoy the FL any less as a result.
One builds a relationship with a binocular over a period of time, and through a range of experiences you've shared together and the danger of becoming a 'binocular butterfly' becomes less as that relationship develops.
Nice post; reminds me of much the same, playing about with an old German pair of binoculars and them bumping on the chest as you mention, till sadly I lost them - something I still beat myself up over as they weren't mine and they had history. Very salutary last sentence too!
Tom