8x42 vs.10x42 (1 Viewer)

wdc said:

I lightly press my hands holding the binoculars against the underside of the brim of my hat while viewing. I find it helps keep the small motions to a minimum. .....
.....

.....

Click to expand...

+1

Canip

I have binoculars with magnifications between 6x and 12x, but my 10x42 is my most used. Part of the reason is because it's balance, weight and ergonomics means it's the steadiest in my hands. It means the magnified amplitude of the shake is no worse than my 8x binos and I get the full 25% increase in detail. It can be a very different story with other models, and clearly others have a rather different experience.

David

Hi Orvany24, The photos you took of the globe made it quite decisive -good work. May I add that IMO when looking with your eyes, on the 10x, the larger view of the object within a presumably larger AFOV could give an impression that the magnification is the same, i.e. relative to the frame of reference. It's a visual/psychological effect similarly to how the same size Moon looks larger when near buildings etc and smaller when overhead in the empty sky.

To anyone who has issues with the weight (of the binos! ), I find a monopod extremely effective. It's light, fast to adjust height single-handedly, collapses to a short stick, doubles up as a hiking/walking stick, good quality at about $15-20 on eBay (clamp and shoe/plate extra), and you can use it with or without a quick-release shoe/plate. With binos I generally don't clip them in, just rest the weight, so zero weight even for large binos, and keep steady. Have fun.