That would have been nice to have a tripod but when you see a Timber Wolf it is usually such a fleeting glimpse that sometimes you don't have time to set up a tripod but in the winter they use spotters on a tripod and they are able to observe the wolves for long periods from a great distance. This one was very close. Your right the Canon IS would have been nice in that situation. You would have lost a bit of contrast and brightness in the wooded timber but you would have had nice detail with especially the 12x36 IS II. It would have been harder to find him with the smaller FOV though and you could have missed him entirely.
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Leupold Gold Ring HD 8x32 versus SV 8x32 (2 Viewers)
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No problem. The comment was a little childish but none the less I did feel a little proud of his statement.
WJC
Well-known member
But, do you misspell simple words, switch letters, leave two or three words out of a sentence, etc? Growing older, I shouldn't mind looking stupid. However, as my ONLY income comes from writing, these things are cutting deep into my livelihood.
I'll post a three sentence blurb, here, and then return to the post 10 times over the next 3 days to fix any errors . . . which are obviously there. But then, some people who have had a stroke didn't live to tell about it. Thus, I count my blessings. :t:
Bill
WJC
Well-known member
Repair everything from monoculars, endoscopes and surveying gear to periscopes, gunsights, and massive rangefinders, as well as aligning torpedo tubes on nuclear submarines. On the more modern side, night-vision gear to thermal imagers. With sextants, octants, hand-held binoculars, and all telescopic and navigational instruments thrown into the mix.
On the geek side, I designed and manufactured optical elements and wrote about them in various magazines.
Below:
-A photo of former shipmate and employee Cory Suddarth and me at Captains.
-A before and after photo of a 55-year old Zeiss binocular. The owner took the instrument to Clarmont-Nichols Opticians in New York City. They told him to send it to Meischner's in Boston. They told him to sent it to Zeiss in Virginia. They told him to send it to me at Captain's. In these photos you see it THOROUGHLY disassembled, and back together collimated to MILSPEC.
-The last two shots are of me at my Strasbaugh polishing machine, working on the primary mirror for a proprietary Cook-Houghton Telescope and at my desk writing estimates for bino repairs.
Bill
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WJC
Well-known member
--Instrument repair (non-professional) started at age 10.
--First professional instrument repair at age 19.
--Became Navy Opticalman at 24.
--Became civilian surveying instrument tech at 27.
--Started as Optical "Mechanic" and calibration specialist at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at 29.
--Became Navy Reserve Chief Opticalman at 32.
--Started 21-year career in optical sales, repair, & management with Captain's at 36.
--Appointed as Optical Shop Supervisor (Reserve) for SIMA San Diego at 40.
--Started publishing ATM Journal and lecturing at the Annual Telescope/Optics Workshop at 40.
--Started designing professionally at 40.
--Designed the Cook-Houghton Telescope at 41.
--Designed the Baywatch Telescope at 42.
--Became senior Optical Instrument Specialist at Ft. Lewis at 57.
--Became Optical Specialist (Ophthalmic) for Department of Defense at 61.
--Gave first --and only--invited lecture at the 2012 SPIE Conference in San Diego at 61. Finally got the the term "Conditional Alignment" understood and accepted by the international optical community at 61.
As my wife says: "He's eaten up with it!" :cat:
Bill
jaymoynihan
Corvus brachyrhynchos watcher
Due to off-on heavy down pours yesterday, my L 8x32 HD were taken off the self for some field time. I forget how excellent they are. Something seldom mentioned. about them is the close focus, which for my eyes is about 4.5 feet.
BTW
When first marketed they were asking about $1400 for them. Not being an "alpha" brand, being brown and heavy lead to a fast deep price reduction. I got mine brand new at a chain sports-outdoors (read hunting), by whim (tried in store-blown away), when they went closeout, for $399 with case, strap, harness & a boone & crocket notebook (which went to a colleague who hunts). I consider them the foof version of my 8x32 SE.
BTW
When first marketed they were asking about $1400 for them. Not being an "alpha" brand, being brown and heavy lead to a fast deep price reduction. I got mine brand new at a chain sports-outdoors (read hunting), by whim (tried in store-blown away), when they went closeout, for $399 with case, strap, harness & a boone & crocket notebook (which went to a colleague who hunts). I consider them the foof version of my 8x32 SE.
Ontario
Well-known member
Polo
Allbinos ranks the Leupold GR HD 3rd and the Zeiss Conquest HD 8th 3
I owned the 8x42 Leupold GR HD ... it is not an Alpha ... the only Japanese binocular that comes even close is the EDG. (reflected in its price)
I also owned a Zeiss Conquest HD ... it is not an Alpha either ... one of the better 2nd tier offerings.
The Zeiss Conquest HD is a better binocular and can be had (second hand) for roughly the same price.
The street price of the binocular is a pretty good indicator of what you get.
Don't kid yourselves! The notion that the Chinese or Japanese glass at a 1/3 of the cost of its European cousin is as good as a European Alpha is :'D
Allbinos ranks the Leupold GR HD 3rd and the Zeiss Conquest HD 8th 3
I owned the 8x42 Leupold GR HD ... it is not an Alpha ... the only Japanese binocular that comes even close is the EDG. (reflected in its price)
I also owned a Zeiss Conquest HD ... it is not an Alpha either ... one of the better 2nd tier offerings.
The Zeiss Conquest HD is a better binocular and can be had (second hand) for roughly the same price.
The street price of the binocular is a pretty good indicator of what you get.
Don't kid yourselves! The notion that the Chinese or Japanese glass at a 1/3 of the cost of its European cousin is as good as a European Alpha is :'D
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I'm gonna' go ahead and disagree greatly with zzz... as will most of the people who have handled the GR HD. The biggest issue with it was the weight and cost. I owned the 8x32 HD and it was phenomenal glass, easily comparable optically with the 8x32 T*FL and Ultravid HD I examined it against... Mostly gotten rid of because it was several oz heavier than other 8x32s and it had somewhat tricky eye-placement when I used glasses...
Ontario
Well-known member
The sun has set on the Leopold Golden Rings like everything else market demand ultimately sealed their fate and they were quickly discontinued. Meanwhile the Zeiss Conquest HD's are doing great ... sales are strong, demand is high and the reviews from all corners ( across the board ) are very good.
Note:
I'd rate the Leopold Golden Rings some where between the Vortex Vipers and Razors.
I'd pick the Conquests over the Razors without hesitation.
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NDhunter
Experienced observer
I agree 100% with the above, having extensive use of the 8x32 and 10x42 GR HD's. Some people's egos will not let them live in the real world. Off topic I know , but I'm wrapping up 10 days in Namibia as we speak. There are several sets of Swarovski SLC WB, a conquest HD in 8x42, a Leupold Mojave HD 10x42, and my Tract Toric 8x42 here in camp, which are Japanese, and are substantially better than anything else here.
Ontario
Well-known member
I've owned all these binoculars and field tested them side by side outdoors using a 2009 Swarovski EL as the benchmark and none of them met that threshold of an Alpha.
My experience is from actual use and not a somebody's else's review ... again market forces ultimately determine the longevity or success of a product and these binoculars never sold well at MSRP and were heavily discounted after the first year on the market.
The initial consumer interest in this product was based entirely on Leopold's stellar reputation building rifle scopes unfortunately they never lived up to the hype and were discontinued in record time by Leopold due to that reality.
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Ontario
Well-known member
Sorry but I am truly skeptical about that statement the same was said about the Japanese manufacturered ... Bushnell Elites, Leopold Golden Rings and McKinley's, Vortex Razors, Brunton Epochs, Maven's etc. when they were first introduced to the market and it turned out to be nothing more than hype ... not one of them were Alpha class.
Time will tell if the Toric meets that threshold ... the consumer market is seldom wrong.
The fairy tale known as Asian wonder glass o
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Zzz-zzz, you can believe what you want. It matters none to me. Thing is, I'm here, you're no, and I "test" them every day. I have owned or used most high end glass so I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what my eyes see. The Toric is easily the best glass in this camp. You sound more like denco even post.
