pduxon said:May I ask if the Swaro's, Leica's & Zeiss of this world are really worth that sort of money? Wasn't it Mr Oddie who said that to a certain extent the difference between a £150 pair and a £650 pair is "snob value". Wonder how that ties with the adverts?
Are they going to improve my birding that much? I would have thought that £500 spent on birding holidays would be better VFM.
I'm also reminded that when I was listening to a demo off a hifi setup that I found out cost £5k (no I didn't consider buying it!!) I much preferred stuff costing under half that.
Leif said:Captain: The Nikon 8x32 HG has noticeably more eye relief then the Leica 8x32 and to my eyes they are a bit brighter. The Leica also has noticeable linear distortion at the field edges. It is put there to favour astronomers but annoys us birders. (I can't remember the explanation for this. Maybe someone else can.) It does have the advantage of removing the funfair effect you see when panning with glasses such as the Nikon.
I too briefly tried the 8x32 EL's today @ Ace Optics (I was buying a new toy) and I was very impressed. Compact, excellent eye relief, a wide field and good colour correction. I presume they are as sharp but no more so than the others. I don't know if Joe Public will judge them superior to the likes of Leica and Nikon but I do. Ace Optics claimed they had sold 'some'. I don't doubt that the money is out there. All those dentists and neurologists have to spend their hard earned lolly somehow.