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

7X42 format. (1 Viewer)

Conndomat said:
Hi Mike,

Looking at the windows simply means the maximum possible AFOV.

Unfortunately, my English is not enough to describe complex optical properties of binoculars. Here I just do not have the subtleties of the English language!
I would be afraid to cause confusion here, I would try, so I can not explain complex things.
The link from "[email protected] but should help, I hope it...;)

Andreas
Click to expand...

Thank you Andreas, this is helpful. By the way, your English is quite good and much better than my German.

Mike
 
I've been on holiday for a few days and took two pairs of 40 year old Nikon 9x30 DC.F, 15.3 oz. 6.7* field of view as car bins that I wouldn't worry about. Fitted easily in my pockets and glove compartment and they were great for looking at the top of a cathedral stainglass window; but quickly became annoying and tedious to use for prolonged birding, especially in forest, both for locating and following.
Never again.

I think for general all round use, good 10x e.g. my 10X44 Steiner Discovery take some beating, but of course, only if you don't mind the weight.
I've never bought an 8x and probably never will.

What will I take next time? 7x42 in my coat pocket (leica will fit just) and higher magnification if the terrain warrants.
For in the car, my inpro 9x63 are chunky but why not; they're not going to be carried, and a used mint pair are now only £80.

Still on the learning curve here...the 9x30 seem perfect lying around the place for bird feeders, sat discreetly on a window sill, shelf or table with focus pre-set
 
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I've been using Zeiss Dialyt 7x42 for 25 years as my day to day binocular for field survey, WeBS counts, seawatching etc. and wouldn't want anything else. That said, I did recently acquire a Zeiss Dialyt 8x56 and absolutely love it, they are my go-to binocular for seawatching and skywatching from the window now. The light gathering is superb over the x42, but the field of view a little narrow, but in general the 7x42 will be my main binocular until I keel over in the field and get eaten by Ravens.
 
A quality 7x42 is a real pleasure to use for all the reasons mentioned above (stability and ease of view being the most important to me). I do however prefer my birds to look a bit bigger in the binoculars most of the time, and thus use 8x much more than 7x. But my observing distances are normally 500m or more. In forested environments and at closer distances a good 7x would be great.
 
Hi,

I recently found a well used Leitz 7x42 BA (the old slender one, not the brick labelled Leica) at a very good price. Given the fact that I kinda like my old soviet 7x50 porros except for size and weight and despite the fairly constricted fov, I decided to give it a try and I have to say, even with the older coatings and no phase coating (the pair is from 1981), it's a treat - sharp enough over most of the 8 deg field, warm tone, very easy view and you don't really have to focus most of the time...

The question remains - will Leica ever reissue the classic models - I might get weak with the 7x35...

Joachim
 
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I too "converted" to the 7x cult some time ago, after using the 7x35 Nikon Action EX (if not for the sheer weight and bulk, I'd say this is a terrific pair of binoculars). Then I went on my search for another flavours, and finally gave in on a Zeiss Victory FL 7x42. I have had a 8x32 FL in the past, but the 7x42 FL are a revelation. They just add that stunning brightness to everything already said (wide FOV, incredible depth of field, steadiness and ease of view). If not for the size and weight, they'd be the perfect binocular for me. Pity the 7x32 format didn't catch on. I have the 7x33 Celestron Granite, they have their merits, but simply can't compare.
So, another vote for the 7x format.
 
yarrellii said:
I too "converted" to the 7x cult some time ago, after using the 7x35 Nikon Action EX ....Then I went on my search for another flavours, and finally gave in on a Zeiss Victory FL 7x42. I have had a 8x32 FL in the past, but the 7x42 FL are a revelation. They just add that stunning brightness to everything already said (wide FOV, incredible depth of field, steadiness and ease of view). If not for the size and weight, they'd be the perfect binocular for me. Pity the 7x32 format didn't catch on. I have the 7x33 Celestron Granite, they have their merits, but simply can't compare.
So, another vote for the 7x format.
Click to expand...

I'll add yet another vote for the 7x42 based on all the positive comments in your post and in this thread. Would also recommend anyone looking try the focus mechanism of the various models if possible to find the one which works best for them to take full advantage of the DOF, (donning my flak jacket even now in anticipation) for example to help keep a bird in erratic flight at varying ranges in perfect focus the whole time. Much easier for me with a 7 than an 8. Some people can maybe do that just as well with an 8.

I have the 7x33 Celestrons as well and while they are not as good as Leica UVHD+ or Nikon EDG 7x42, they are so much lighter and more compact I agree with you they do make me wish one of the alphas would make a 7x32, 33 or 35 roof. Not going to happen I know.

Mike
 
mwhogue said:
they do make me wish one of the alphas would make a 7x32, 33 or 35 roof. Not going to happen I know.
Click to expand...
Such a pity. Actually, while the view through something like the 7x42 FL is simply stunning, I feel I'd be happy with something "lesser", such a Nikon EII 7x35. That image quality is more than enough to make me happy. I know it doesn't exist, but there was a 7x35 E, in fact its last iteration even got the latest coatings, the (C) version. Unfortunately the FOV (7,3º) was quite narrow and it didn't live to become an EII. I have a 12x40 E (C) and the image quality is impressive too (it didn't make it to the EII version either). Daydreaming of a 450 USD/EUR 7x35 Nikon EII with nearly 9º of FOV. I'd be happy with that. Oh, well, I forgot one important thing: a waterproof 7x35 9º EII ;)
 
To many people are wrapped up in FOV and AFOV numbers

Try a super wide 7x binoculars. It might knock your socks off! I know it did for me. It’s very hard to switch back to higher magnification binoculars after doing so. The additional image information you see, outweighs the slightly bigger image scale you get in higher magnification
 
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yarrellii said:
Daydreaming of a 450 USD/EUR 7x35 Nikon EII with nearly 9º of FOV. I'd be happy with that. Oh, well, I forgot one important thing: a waterproof 7x35 9º EII ;)
Click to expand...

You might try the 7x35 Nikon Action Express - 9.3 deg true field and specified as submersible under 1m for 5m - so it should probably be good in rain...
Not quite an E II in build quality though and also not very light.

Or wait for Leicas 7x35, should it ever see the light of day... 8.5 deg, hopefully as good mechanically as the old Leitz ones, super light at 550g, but only splash proof and more like 1250€...

Joachim
 
The Sightmark Solitude was said to be a Zen Ray repeat.

I had that ZR 7x36. The lenses were very interesting. The view seemed wide to me. Almost like it was playing with the edge of my eyes. If you move you eye to look at the edge, it seemed to not give the pleasing view you saw out of the edge of your eyes. I mean that it was designed to present itself to your edge eyeball view. I thought it was an advanced design. (maybe I am just a dreamer...)

Amazon Link for Sightmark Solitude 7x36.
 
I will add my thoughts to this discussion, and first off is the older Nikon Action 7x35 9.3 Wide Field.
This would be a very nice choice in the bargain range, they are found often on the famous auction
site. I think this is the best choice for those wanting to try a 7 power binocular for the first time.

There are others worth mentioning, the Swarovski 7x42 Habicht porro, a very special view out of this binocular. Probably the brightest and sharpest of all 7x42 binoculars.
The Zeiss 7x42 BGAT is also a classic wide field binocular and offers a great view.

Jerry
 
Highway Dog said:
The Sightmark Solitude was said to be a Zen Ray repeat.

I had that ZR 7x36. The lenses were very interesting. The view seemed wide to me. Almost like it was playing with the edge of my eyes. If you move you eye to look at the edge, it seemed to not give the pleasing view you saw out of the edge of your eyes. I mean that it was designed to present itself to your edge eyeball view. I thought it was an advanced design. (maybe I am just a dreamer...)

Amazon Link for Sightmark Solitude 7x36.
Click to expand...

Hello Highway Dog,

I still have the 7x36 Zen-Ray. After I purchased it, I thought that I had been suckered by the rather enthusiastic reception it had on this Forum. I felt that its edges were too soft, that its FOV was just a little too great. I also had a problem finding its fit and finish to be slipshod..

I have owned that Austrian 7x42 Porro, but I thought that the FOV was too narrow for a pleasant view. It also has a habit of its folddown eye cups popping up suddenly. The 7x42 BGAT ClassiC is very agreeable in all optical aspects, except close focussing, but it is big. I believe that the Zeiss 7x42 FL may have solved the size problem, using FL glass to depress chromatic aberrations on a shorter binocular.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 
jring said:
You might try the 7x35 Nikon Action Express - 9.3 deg true field and specified as submersible under 1m for 5m - so it should probably be good in rain...
Not quite an E II in build quality though and also not very light.
Click to expand...

I mentioned above that it was precisely the 7x35 AE that "converted" me to the 7x religion ;) So you were spot on in your guess. My only problem with them was the sheer bulk and weight, so I sold them. I think those are some pretty underrated binoculars. I got them for less than 100 € and to this day I'm impressed by the optical quality (or my perception thereof). So, talking about impossible binoculars, I'd be happy with a 7x32 AE around 600 g, or a 7x35 EII, or a 7x32 FL (with Abbe Koenig, to make it even less likely!) around 600 g.

I bought the 7x35 Nikon Aculon, having read that there were some optical improvements and they were smaller and lighter, but to my eyes they were worse than the Action Ex, less bright, and the shorter eye relief meant the eyepieces had a really annoying tendency to fog up, that eventually rendered then unusable for me.
 
It really depends on the situation and the subjects. For small birds 8x or 10x are needed and at least a 30mm objective lens. For use out on the ocean a 7x works well from the deck of a boat and the 50mm objective lenses provide a great deal more light to see objects one needs to avoid.

Entering a harbor entrance at night I use a 7x50 binocular but on land it is a 8x or 10x with 25, 30, 42 diameter objective lenses. According to Nikon their Monarch 7 8x42 provides double the light transmission of their 8x30 model, which is to be expected as the surface area of a 42mm diameter lens is 100% greater than that of a 30mm lens.
 
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