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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Why 8x32 are replacing 8x42 (2 Viewers)

Maybe it is the age of the personnel/observer with the glass that determines the aperture.

Andy W.

I'll say Carol was the youngest and then me then the rest. I'm thinking most just don't realize the optic ability of a nice 32mm.
 
I'll say Carol was the youngest and then me then the rest. I'm thinking most just don't realize the optic ability of a nice 32mm.

Looking back at my own attitude towards 30/32s, say 15-20 years ago, and I kind of regarded them almost as toys rather than 'real' binos. Eventually I bought an FL 8x32 as a 'stand-by' in case something happened to my 'real' bino which at the time was FL 8x42. It was a slap across the face to find out how competent a 32mm can be and now I thoroughly enjoy the format.

Lee
 
Your right! No RB like the SV, sharper edges than the FL, better CA control than the SV, better glare control than the SV and a smoother focus than either mom(SV 8x32) or dad(FL 8x32).

Dennis:

I will agree with you here, Nikon has always done things right, they have
been around for over 100 years.

The premier camera company has high standards, so you see that in all of the offerings.

The binoculars always strive to meet certain things, user friendly, great optics and great fit and finish.

Jerry
 
Dennis:

I will agree with you here, Nikon has always done things right, they have
been around for over 100 years.

The premier camera company has high standards, so you see that in all of the offerings.

The binoculars always strive to meet certain things, user friendly, great optics and great fit and finish.

Jerry

I have to agree, even being a Canon (camera) guy for the past 20 years, Nikon is usually tops. Even their "budget" binoculars are better than most and if someone told me I had to spend a day birding with a pair of Pro Staff 7's I wouldn't be mad. And at the same time they make glass that will compete with any brand. That's pretty extraordinary. Does any other company have the range that Nikon has and still maintain quality throughout their range?
 
Eronald,

It is absolutely scientifically impossible for a binocular to deliver any more light to the retina of your eye than you would see directly. As well as the magnification and field of view influencing our perception, binocular designers play psycological games with the, colour spectrum and contrast so you might think you do, but invariably the total light level will be less than seeing directly.

I bright conditions when the pupil of your eye is just 2mm a 8x16 would deliver the same target luminance as an 8x56 providing other physical parameters like the transmission spectrum were the same.

Hope that's clear. ;)

David

That is not true. I have used 7x50 binoculars out on the ocean at night to find harbor entrances and could see objects with them that were impossible to see without them. Part of it was the 7x magnification but the 50mm objective lenses were also concentrating the light on the exit pupil of 7mm size which is where the "twilight" factor comes into play.

Nikon states that their Monarch 7 8x42 binos will transmit twice as much light as their Monarch 7 8x30 binos. So apples to apples the larger objectives provide more light to the viewer. Better optical coatings are not going to provide a doubling of the light transmission.

Going to a Ultravid 8x32 over Bushnell 8x42 or 7x50 is not going to provide as much light to the viewer. The Ultravid's may provide better color fidelity and greater perceived contrast but that is a different matter.

What has changed over the years is the availability of high quality compact and pocket size binoculars. In many cases users of these will still have other binoculars that are medium or large size ones with 42mm or larger objectives.

For me having a good spotting scope also means that I can get away with a lesser binocular than if I had to rely on the binoculars alone.
 
That is not true. I have used 7x50 binoculars out on the ocean at night to find harbor entrances and could see objects with them that were impossible to see without them. Part of it was the 7x magnification but the 50mm objective lenses were also concentrating the light on the exit pupil of 7mm size which is where the "twilight" factor comes into play...

You were benefiting from the magnification and probably the masking off of the overall naked eye view in being able to see more detail. The light from those objectives was spread over a larger area of your retina. If the coatings of that 7x50 bin were good, the brightness would have been excellent, but it was lower per unit area than in your naked eye view.

--AP
 
Elkhornsun,

Alexis is quite right. It is quite impossible for passive optics, like binoculars to concentrate or amplify light. The increased magnification increases both apparent acuity and contrast threshold improving target visibility.

The Twilight Factor is derived from the work of two Zeiss scientists, Köhler and Leinhos, published in 1955. They studied binocular performance in low light as determined by apparent visual acuity. The simplified formula only applies to quite an narrow span of target luminance (which roughly equates to moonlight) and doesn't allow for a limiting exit pupil.

David
 
So have the 8X32s replaced the 8X42s? It would be nice to see some actual sales numbers here in the US and in Europe, however if we include more than the famous four brands, that would be a headache.

Andy W.
 
So have the 8X32s replaced the 8X42s? It would be nice to see some actual sales numbers here in the US and in Europe, however if we include more than the famous four brands, that would be a headache.

Andy W.

The 42mm models outsell the 32 size in large numbers, the advantages
of the 42 make it the best size for all around. It has been that way for many years.

Lots of love here for 32, and I can agree, choices are great.

Jerry
 
I wonder if that is because hunters buy more binoculars than birders and I would say by far the most popular size binoculars hunter's use is 10x42. At my Cabella's 95% of the binoculars they have are 10x42's. I would say 10x42's are the most popular format overall.
 
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Choices were very limited for me last summer when I was looking to try and buy a mid-size 8x at a local B&M. Tons of options for 8x42 and even more for 10x42. The 30mm Nikon Monarch 7 and Swarovski Companion CL were my only mid tier options. The Leica UV+ 8x32 were also available locally, but a little more cash than I was looking to spend.
 
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