• 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.

A Tale of Three 42s (1 Viewer)

Troubador

Moderator
Staff member
Supporter
Many years ago, in the days when UK birders were known as Bird Spotters, and before Twitchers and Twitching emerged, I imagined there would be, one day, a bino that was perfect for me. Note the singular. There would be just one that fitted my hands, whose weight would be bearable all day, whose focus wheel would never need searching for, because it would always be found under my first finger, whose overall shape would just be so comfortable that no other bino would be able to match it. Its optics would be unlike any other and only this one would deliver the images that were pleasing to my eyes.

Life with binos has turned out not to be so simple, but neither has it been an unfulfilled search for perfection. For a start, like many, I have dismissed the concept of the perfect binoculars. Being a balance caught between often conflicting requirements and a set of optical compromises, I have come to see binos as much the same as the people I know. A mix of characteristics and qualities that make them lovable for quite different reasons.

Cleaning out the various places around our house where binoculars are stored in between field trips, I ended up at one point with three on the table that I always thoroughly enjoy using and yet are so different from each other in so many ways. Let’s take a look at them now.

They are Opticron’s Imagic 8x42 BGA VHD, Meopta’s B1 MeoStar 8x42 and the Zeiss SF 8x42. Now before anyone protests at the absence of any 32mm models, let me say right now that I could just as easily have written this about three 32s. It just so happened that it was three 42s on the table that got me indulging in this line of thought.

Just look at them in the photo below. What a disparate bunch they are. The Opticron with parallel sided optical tubes, the Meopta with flared out shoulders like bottles and the Zeiss an open-hinge design with three bridges. And yet they all slip into my hands comfortably.

The texture of their armour is more different than you might imagine from the photo: the Zeiss is silky smooth, the Meopta has a gentle roughness to it while the Opticron has a no-nonsense grip-able surface that stops just short of being called rough. Blindfolded, you could tell these apart from fingertip’s touch on the armour.

Balance-wise, the Zeiss is in a world of its own, but both the Meopta and the Opticron settle down in my hands like the handshake of an old friend. They aren’t a perfect fit like the Zeiss (and actually, neither are the hands of several old friends) but they are welcoming and comfortable.

As for the focus wheels, with all three, when my hand is under the point of balance, my first finger lies on the focus wheel, what could be better? And to my amazement, my thumb finds itself perfectly at home in the indents on the back of the Meoptas.

I am not going to attempt to strip down their optical performance to its bare bones or compare and contrast their specifications, because that isn’t the point of this piece. To my eyes, these three each have a clear and pleasant transparency, so that when partnered with their sweet handling, it is such a pleasure to look through any one of them.

Lee
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3812Red.jpg
    IMG_3812Red.jpg
    128.1 KB · Views: 296
Well said, and a perfect way to end the week (or start the weekend) with thoughts of birding in the a.m. on my mind.

-Bill
 
Nice Lee! Three winners there for sure!

It's actually kind of funny how one(myself) selects a binocular to go birding. I'd say probably more times than not I'm not using my optically "best" binoculars. Other things come into play than absolute optic prowess!
 
Nice Lee! Three winners there for sure!

It's actually kind of funny how one(myself) selects a binocular to go birding. I'd say probably more times than not I'm not using my optically "best" binoculars. Other things come into play than absolute optic prowess!

And Chuck, would you say that even when you do choose your optically "best" binos, you are often choosing them for reasons other than their optics? Or maybe at least as much for the other reasons as the optics?

Lee
 
Lee. If you could keep only one which one would it be?;)

Dennis, its a good question but I don't propose to answer it. This would be to declare a winner, and although I would choose one or another for specific observing tasks, if I am just stepping out of the door, on holiday in the west of Scotland without a particular observing job in mind, and these 3 were on the table, they each have an equal chance of ending up around my neck because I enjoy using them all. From this point of view there is no winner.

Lee
 
Dennis, its a good question but I don't propose to answer it. This would be to declare a winner, and although I would choose one or another for specific observing tasks, if I am just stepping out of the door, on holiday in the west of Scotland without a particular observing job in mind, and these 3 were on the table, they each have an equal chance of ending up around my neck because I enjoy using them all. From this point of view there is no winner.

Lee
Good answer. On Bird Forum we are always pitting different binoculars against each other like it is a competition and there can be only ONE winner like in the Highlander but in reality every binocular has it's own personality with positive and negative attributes that make it unique and enjoyable. I am just like you in that I enjoy the binocular I am using and appreciate it for what it brings to the table in that moment. One day I might feel like a porro for it's bright 3D view or an SV roof for it's ease of view and sharp edges and the next day I might not want to carry much weight so I grab a compact. Really there is no BEST binocular. The BEST binocular is the one you have with you.
 
Last edited:
And Chuck, would you say that even when you do choose your optically "best" binos, you are often choosing them for reasons other than their optics? Or maybe at least as much for the other reasons as the optics?

Lee

Yep! Almost always comes down to focus, weight, ergonomics in no certain order. The only exception is the SV 8.5X42 that gets pick mainly because it is an 8.5X. But it goes un-picked for that same reason sometimes.
 
... From this point of view there is no winner.

Lee

Hello Lee,

Among very well made binoculars, personal preferences are paramount. As you and Chuck write, personal preferences varies for specific needs.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 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.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top