Have a pair of opticron hr wp 10x42
I am considering a wider FOV pair
Was stuck between
Frontier Ed x 8x42
Sapphire Ed 8x42
Opticron natura/countryman 8x42
Not sure on what else is worth considering,
Upto £350
Thanks
If you need the waterproofing of a roof the Sapphire ED would be a choice based on specifications because I have never tried one. One fellow said the Frontier ED 8x42 was just as good and it is less expensive. Are you paying for the leather case on the Sapphire? I do like the retro leather case. You don't see those anymore. But I prefer the lighter weight 20 oz. of the EII and the wider FOV of 462 feet versus the 26 oz and 426 foot FOV of the Sapphire. I do know it usually takes at least a $1K 8x roof to play with the EII optically.Personally, I'd take the Sapphire ED top hinge 8x42 from your list.
I'm not really persuaded that FoV is the most important parameter, but the the 161m/1000m, 483ft/100yds of the £75 Opticron Adventurer WP T 6.5x32 does have a curious allure.
David
.......
(anyone know the diff between countryman hd+ and hd?)
I wear glasses - the rimless variety - and have zero problem getting the full field of view from my Nikon 8x30 eII. In fact they provide one of the easiest, most relaxed views of all my binoculars - bettered only by my Swarovski SV 8.5x42s.
Thanks all,
Are any of these likely to get near the image I get out of my hr wp?
Particularly the sharpness.
They will be different. The HRWP appeared to have very good resolution to me, but the field curvature and narrow field of view makes the sweet spot seem rather small. It has the slightly warm colour balance of the older Opticrons which can both enhance and soften contrast as the ambient light shifts, particularly around sunset. The earlier Countryman had a little wider view but in some ways similar characteristics. I've not seen the latest HD plus yet but I imagine be significantly more neutral in colour than the HRWP, which to my mind is a good thing, but has it's pros and cons in challenging light conditions.
The wide, flatish views of the Frontier ED, and the US equivalent the ZenRay ED2, got lots of people very excited when they were first launched. Except, like the early Swarovski EL Swarovisions , the view wasn't flat and a minority, including myself found the distortion occasionally unsettling particularly in an urban setting. I think you might describe the colour of this first generation a little anaemic, and the improved coating of the Sapphire ED x43s and ZenRay ED3 went some way to redressing that, though not everyone liked the enhanced colour. The Sapphire ED top hinge x42s appeared a little later, were slightly cheaper and smaller and appeared a little simpler optically, with a bit more field curvature and less distortion.
I could be entirely wrong, but I suspect the Bushnell Legend L and M are the next incarnation of the Sapphire x42 and 43s. I've yet to see their latest revamped range so couldn't say if there is yet another iteration in that series.
I really don't know if the ED-X is related to the Sapphire Top Hinge and/or the Legend L or sourced from somewhere else entirely, but to my eyes, and hands, it seems different. The samples I've tested had very good effective resolutions, but to me the colours seemed rather more muted, possibly due to the poor blackening I mentioned earlier.
David
Thanks all,
Are any of these likely to get near the image I get out of my hr wp?
Particularly the sharpness.
I have the HR-WP 8x42 and every time I think of upgrading I take another look and WOW why bother, they are fantastic at any priceI can speak to this as I own both the 10x42 HR WP and the Nikon EII 8x30. The Nikon EII 8x30 is just as sharp as the HR WP, and it seems to me to be brighter and more transparent even with the smaller objectives. Obviously better glass. The wide FOV is really nice and very easy to get used to. They WILL cost more than 350 pounds.