• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

10x50 roof prism, how to buy one? (1 Viewer)

carjug

carjug

Well-known member
Last fall I was warbler watching with a group, and one of the squad had a pair of 10x50's; he let me have a look through them and I fell in love with the bins.
I have a chunk of change saved up, I am willing to spend 500-1000 bucks, but I have had trouble shopping them. The Vortex Viper looks promising, and Nikon doesn't make a set of 50s anymore is all I have gleaned. It seems 10x50s are not marketed toward birders?
I'm confused. Anybody got any input for me?
 
carjug said:
Last fall I was warbler watching with a group, and one of the squad had a pair of 10x50's; he let me have a look through them and I fell in love with the bins.
I have a chunk of change saved up, I am willing to spend 500-1000 bucks, but I have had trouble shopping them. The Vortex Viper looks promising, and Nikon doesn't make a set of 50s anymore is all I have gleaned. It seems 10x50s are not marketed toward birders?
I'm confused. Anybody got any input for me?
Click to expand...

The 10x50 porro prism binocular has been the "standard" handheld bino for astronomy for along time.
They were also favored by some bird folk, including folks interested in raptors. Starting a little less than 20 years ago i started to see roof models in the 10x50 class coming out from the top German brands.
They were i think aimed at the hunting market, but the close focusing was getting shorter, and i started seeing them in the hands of counters at raptor migration sites.
Now it seems almost every brand of roof has at least one 10x50 model.
I am not familiar with 10x50 roofs myself, other than trying out pairs at raptor migration sites.Those were Leicas and Swarovskis, both were very nice.

10x50's are usually considered to be "open country" glasses, given their high magnification, usually over 10 foot close focus, and comparatively narrow field of view. It is also a good idea to make sure you can hold them steady for as long as you need to for your use. Many people find them a bit much in that area.
 
I don't recall the brand, they may have been Eagle? They were rather well made.
The "marketed toward hunters" comment rings a bell, Vortex Viperes are pictured in the hands of a rugged looking fellow in camoflage clothing. I wonder if there are binocular threads in the hunting forums?
I have a pair of Audubon pocket sized bins, and a Nikon Monarch 8x42, both of which are incredible values. I have been spoiled by these products. My wife is starting to birdwatch, so I felt an upgrade of sorts was in order.
 
Last edited:
carjug said:
I don't recall the brand, they may have been Eagle? They were rather well made...
...I have a pair of Audubon pocket sized bins, and a Nikon Monarch 8x42, both of which are incredible values. I have been spoiled by these products. My wife is starting to birdwatch, so I felt an upgrade of sorts was in order.
Click to expand...

The only Eagle Optics roof 10x50 I know of is the Ranger. At best, I think that represents a lateral move from your Monarchs rather than an upgrade. We still don't know exactly why you liked the 10x50 you tried. Was it just the higher magnification or was there something else about it you liked better than your Monarchs?
 
They were black; I really don't know which brand they were, but they seemed to "drink" in the light. We were warbler chasing in woods, so any little bit helped. 10x magnification was great, compared to my 8x.
The only problem was weight, The 50's did seem a bit heavy, but my buddy had a shoulder harness. he had originally bought the bins for chasing butterflies in treetops, but he found they worked very well for warblers. I've got some spare time right now, so I am going to google through the hunting forums and find out what JoeBob and Billy have to say!
 
The larger objective should, theoretically, give you a brighter image but not really in daylight conditions (and in comparison to your 8x42). Maybe the physical weight of them allowed you to hold them steadier?

Interestingly enough I have often found that I enjoy the image from some larger objective binos. At times I have difficulty putting my finger on exactly why that is the case. I would like to chalk it up the physical weight adding to a more stable image but I think there is even a bit more to that. Larger binoculars also seem to "point better"..maybe because of the weight but also I think because they are physically larger...in either length or width (roof vs porro).

Just some things to think about.
 
I usually go birding with a 10x50 roof. It performs like a supersized 8x42, giving a comfortable view without the low light effects that I sometimes find annoying with 4mm exit pupils such as early loss of color, and flickery vignetting as my eye pupils reach 4mm. But, that impression would vary with different eyes and usages in low light. Touching on what FrankD said, the 50mm roof points well, being long and straight, and holds well, being a nice solid handfull.

One way to spend $1000 on a 10x50 roof is to buy a used Leica BN or Swaro SLC (pre "neu"). These weigh 42-44 ounces, but have impressive mechanical and optical precision, and provide well corrected and comfortable wide views. The Leica will focus down to about 11 feet I think. The downside as far as the view is that these older models have silver coated prisms, rather than the recent dielectrics. The difference in brightness (about 6%) and contrast are noticeable, but not significant in the field. There is still very much to like about them.
Ron
 
I have tried a several 10x50 roofs. I started on this on the low money side. The first one that I tried was a Celestron Noble roof. It worked very well. Now my father has it, and prefers it from the several I have given them. Wondering if there is any better, I tried a Leupold Pinnacle. It was good, similar to the Nobles. Then I tried a Meopta 10x50. It was better than the others, especially in the brightness, or the illumination of the view. It was also heavier. From this progression, the best 10x50 could be from Meopta for your price range. I do like approaching things from the cheap. Another person could try a used Celestron Noble to see if they like the platform. It is a good performer. If it is good, then buy the expensive model.
Rob.
 
I did the deal.
Actually my wife did it, she keeps the family credit card. She ordered a Vortex Viper from a local birding store. I will write a review of the bins.
It came down to Nikon vs Vortex. I found a Bird Watchers DIGEST magazine CHART of MID-PRICED BINOCULARS by googleing the all-capital words, then discovered that Nikon and Vortex were the two leaders on the list that I was familiar with. Nikon doesn't seem to make a 50, and the 56 they do make just seems like too much glass to lug around. The boys and girls at WildBirdsUnlimited in Asheville were wiling to order a ViperHD for 650 bucks, and that clinched the deal. So, sight unseen, a new pair of bins is coming my way; and the store personnel get bean money.
One day, I may get a top-of-the-line set, but I dunno if I would ever feel comfortable carrying something around that costs more than three months house payments.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

J
What binoculars are as good as Nikon Superior E?
2 3
Replies
46
Views
4K
Jaywalk
J
yarrellii
Just how good is the 8x32 Opticron Verano BGA VHD? (Comparisons)
2
Replies
24
Views
3K
Upland
U
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars. Part 2 first anniversary
Replies
2
Views
655
Scott98
S
WJC
Roof Prisms Used in Binoculars
2
Replies
22
Views
6K
kimmik
kimmik
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars
Replies
11
Views
2K
tenex
tenex

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top