-
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.
Wider FOV bins (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter hr21
- Start date
Wow, those Opticron porro's you have have a tiny 262 foot FOV. In your price range I would stick with a porro for best the price/performance ratio for your money. If you want a wide FOV I would recommend the Nikon 8x30 EII. It will be optically superior to anything you are considering. Be careful about the 13.8 mm eye relief if you wear glasses. If you are used to a 262 foot FOV the 462 foot FOV of the EII's will blow you away!
Last edited:
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
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
Last edited:
Hr,
The Sapphire ED 8x43 was mostly a coatings upgrade of the Frontier ED. The Top Hinge 8x42 is a bit shorter and lighter. It did have slightly more field curvature than the other two, but worked better for me ergonomically, which may have been due to my narrowish 63mm IPD. Some here prefer the 8x43.
While the ED-X is superficially similar to the Top Hinge I suspect it's genetics are a little different. The colour rendition seems to be somewhere between the Frontier ED and the Sapphire ED, with just a little more field curvature and edge astigmatism, but nothing to bother me on the 8x. However the samples I tried had more glare than I like due to poor internal blackening. Just something to check before you buy. The close focus on the 8x sample I tried was 2.5m. The ER was a quite generous 18mm on the 8x, but the 16.5mm of the 10x might be a bit tight for some with glasses.
Lovely though the Nikon EII is, the ER will be a show stopper for most with glasses. Typically just the distance between the eye and the spectacle lens will be 12mm for most frames. I have one pair that is only 8mm and I managed get the full FoV by pressing the binocular quite firmly against my face. Also keep in mind that the Nikon Warranty is not transferable in the UK and there have been grumbles about their service pricing.
David
PS. Forgot to mention the Countryman. It differs from the Hawkes, being made in Japan and Optcron offer a 30 year warranty. It is simpler optically, having more field curvature than the Hawkes, but the centre is very sharp. It has the most generous ER on that list, but that has a consequence for the FoV as I'm sure you have noted.
The Sapphire ED 8x43 was mostly a coatings upgrade of the Frontier ED. The Top Hinge 8x42 is a bit shorter and lighter. It did have slightly more field curvature than the other two, but worked better for me ergonomically, which may have been due to my narrowish 63mm IPD. Some here prefer the 8x43.
While the ED-X is superficially similar to the Top Hinge I suspect it's genetics are a little different. The colour rendition seems to be somewhere between the Frontier ED and the Sapphire ED, with just a little more field curvature and edge astigmatism, but nothing to bother me on the 8x. However the samples I tried had more glare than I like due to poor internal blackening. Just something to check before you buy. The close focus on the 8x sample I tried was 2.5m. The ER was a quite generous 18mm on the 8x, but the 16.5mm of the 10x might be a bit tight for some with glasses.
Lovely though the Nikon EII is, the ER will be a show stopper for most with glasses. Typically just the distance between the eye and the spectacle lens will be 12mm for most frames. I have one pair that is only 8mm and I managed get the full FoV by pressing the binocular quite firmly against my face. Also keep in mind that the Nikon Warranty is not transferable in the UK and there have been grumbles about their service pricing.
David
PS. Forgot to mention the Countryman. It differs from the Hawkes, being made in Japan and Optcron offer a 30 year warranty. It is simpler optically, having more field curvature than the Hawkes, but the centre is very sharp. It has the most generous ER on that list, but that has a consequence for the FoV as I'm sure you have noted.
Last edited:
I wasn't impressed with the 8x42 Saphire I tried. The sweet spot in focus was way to small and it's not something that normally bothers me. You may have a different experience or appreciate it's other qualities. The price is good for these now.
As you've got a 10x42 why not get a smaller 8x32 or 8x30 or even an 8x25 that you can take anywhere. Opticron Traveller ED BGA 8x32 has a wide field of view and is a good performer. The Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 have a similarly wide fov and are popular, but slightly less eye relief. Then there's the Zeiss Terra 8x25 that also performs well.
Personally I'd get a used/ex display Opticron Verano 8x32 available for £250-300. Works well with glasses, has a massive sweet spot with wide fov and being Japanese made has good build quality with a 30 year warranty.
As you've got a 10x42 why not get a smaller 8x32 or 8x30 or even an 8x25 that you can take anywhere. Opticron Traveller ED BGA 8x32 has a wide field of view and is a good performer. The Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 have a similarly wide fov and are popular, but slightly less eye relief. Then there's the Zeiss Terra 8x25 that also performs well.
Personally I'd get a used/ex display Opticron Verano 8x32 available for £250-300. Works well with glasses, has a massive sweet spot with wide fov and being Japanese made has good build quality with a 30 year warranty.
justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
I tried both the Frontier ED and Sapphire ED and returned them both. Way too much distortion for me. I couldn't look through them comfortably for more than a few seconds. I was very disappointed. The form factor was very good so I was quite disappointed when I saw the image. If the Opticron were made in Japan, I would get those.
Last edited:
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
Thank you David, very helpful advice.
I am considering swapping out the HR WP but have enjoyed their sharpness (which seems to really hone in sometimes) but the FOV is for me limiting at times. I have picked up a scope (mm4+sdlv2) so have that for getting in close.
I have always liked Hawke, but on a recent trip to Cleyspy did find their tone to be rather warm (I prefer neutral) - much warmer than Opticron. However, their QA and customer service seems excellent + their HQ is only 20mins away from me if I need support.
Therefore feel rather stuck on next steps here. I can get Sapphire top hinge 8x42 for £255 or 10x42 for £199 (though lower FOV) or just keep hold of the HR WP and pick up the Opticron WP T 6.5x32 for £70?
Thanks.
You will find quite a range of opinions as to what colour balance constitutes neutral here but my notes for the ED-X were that the blue was good, there was a slight emphasis in the yellow though to the short red wavelengths, but an relatively little deep red.
Just a reminder that Opticron, Hawke, CleySpy and others will be at Pensthorpe near Fakenham this weekend.
David
Just a reminder that Opticron, Hawke, CleySpy and others will be at Pensthorpe near Fakenham this weekend.
David
Last edited:
bonesmalones
Well-known member
I 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.
robert kirk 9765
Idlebirder
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 price
