Hi, I am new to this forum and not a birdwatcher. I happened to step in here because I just received an 820ED and noticed a different look from what was advertised, so I started searching for news about it.
It seems my 820ED is the latest model. So here are my first impressions.
Can't compare to other binoculars (apart from an older Nikon 10x25 Sportstar); but the image is stunning, very clear, defined, nice neutral colours, and with a distinctive tri-dimensional effect. Don't know if top expensive roof prism binoculars can be better, but it's hard to think so.
Grip is very nice. In my view, the diopter adjustment could be made better by just having adjustment number marks in order to setup quicker. Oculars are 3-positions twist-up, very large though, I guess they will easily suffer backlighting. The bridge seems OK to me, but again I have no terms for comparison.
The only shortcoming I can see of is the following: the focousing mechanism is not what I would call 'smooth' and its resistance changes irregularly while turning the (comfortably large) ring.
The big plus I can detect comparing to pictures of the older model is in that the rubber armouring, now having separate parts for the cylindrical front "tubes", does not have the protruding junction edge (don't know how to define it better in English) that shows very clearly in the pictures of the former model. Plus, I appreciate the new "plain" look compared to the former gimmicky one. I also guess that dropping the bright badge button, the body is now less visible by your shy viewing subjects.
Ah, it's made in Japan.
Grazie tanto, .g.e.o.!
I've been waiting for someone to take the plunge and buy a pair. Apparently, so has Elaine.
I think the technical term for that "protruding junction edge" you are talking about on the original 820 is a "nose jammmer". I have a high bridged nose (courtesy of my Italian grandparents on my mother's side, who came from Bari) and the protruding nose jammer touched the bridge of my nose so I couldn't get close to the eyepieces, which were so HUGE that it didn't matter anyway since they didn't fit inside my eye sockets.
Swift later cut out the middle of the eyecups and made the eyecups into thin rings. Here's photos of that second generation eyecup:
http://www.allbinos.com/lornetki_image/1360_swift_p2.jpg
You mentioned that the eyecups on the new version were also very large. The whole design reminds me of the B & L Discoverer. The EP size is a concern, so thats something I'll need to try out myself. They look more comfortable than the previous super wide, hard plastic eyecups and the "rings".
I noticed the prism cutoff on the original 820s, I called Swift, which actually let you talk to a technician back then, and he said that's the way they were designed, the prism edge cuts slightly into the exit pupils.
Do you see any prism cutoff in the new version?
The original 820 had a stiff focuser, probably due to the waterproofing. But the "irregularity" in the focuser on your sample reminds me of the Swaro EL I tried, which had some rough spots where the focuser would "stick" and then loosen up past those spots.
Well, Stephen Ingraham, formerly of
Better View Desired, called the 820 Audubon the "Poor Man's EL". Some other bins that had the same problem were the original version 7x36 ED2 and the Leupold 8x42 Cascades porro. So you can get rough focusers at various price points, from alphas to omegas, and in both porros and roofs.
From what the owner of the Leupold told me, who had five samples!, some were better than others, so I'm wondering if your focuser is typical or on the worse end of sample variation. We'll find out when more people get these new 820s in their hands.
I'd like to see the new 820 matched against the new SV EL and see if that still hold true, at the center at least, I"m sure the edges aren't as good since the Audubons don't have field flatteners.
Allbinos measured the 820 to be sharp to about 70% out from center? Does that seem about right?
How quickly does the sharpness fall off after that? Is it gradual or does it go from being sharp to blurry quickly?
Also, did you have a chance to test the chromatic aberration control with a high contrast background (doesn't have to a bird, any target will do)? ED glass should reduce CA to a minimum at the center if the other optical elements are well matched. The ED glass is also supposed to show 15% better contrast and color saturation, according to Swift.
I still have my 820 HR/5 MC Audubon. Works great, very sharp, good edges, in fat, I mainly use it for stargazing, but it lacks the better coatings technology and ED glass of modern bins.
Ciao,
Brock
