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Vortex Diamondback 8x28 or 8x32? (1 Viewer)

Peter Audrain

Consummate Indoorsman
In honesty this question would be directed at a specific Bird Forum member, mfunnell, if I knew how to mark this post for his attention, since he's posted thoughtfully about both these binoculars.

I'm looking for something quite small and light that costs less than $200 (so no Leica Ultravid Compacts) to have with me while walking to and from the train to work. I started out looking at 8x25s, but that part is flexible: above all, I want to enjoy the binoculars I get, and to enjoy always having them with me.

My commute is actually not terrible birding territory at either end. This spring I walked immediately underneath a Red-tailed Hawk sitting calmly and extremely close overhead, on a bough crossing the sidewalk to my building, and felt stupid for not having anything with which to see him better.

In any event, I can't figure out whether, if I were going to make Diamondbacks my commuting binoculars, it would be better to try 8x28s or 8x32s. They seem surprisingly close to one another both in size and weight, except with the 8x32s having the shockingly wide field of view.

But I think—though I'm not sure—that mfunnell, who seems to have already gone through exactly this exercise, ended up liking the 8x28s much better than the 8x32s? And perhaps the 8x28s are just that extra bit smaller that makes all the difference?

Anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts you have, especially about this direct Diamondback-to-Diamondback comparison.
 
A word of warning. Check the eye relief first if you can.

I bought a Vortex 8x28 Diamondback several years ago. Its eye cups were too short for its eye relief even when they were extended and I had to hold it away from my eyes to use it. I gave it to my son who wears glasses and he was able to use it with the eye cups extended.

That problem should have been corrected by now.

Bob
 
Thanks, Ceasar. While I have you on the line, how did you feel about their compactness, and what they’d be like to have with you every day in your bag?
 
It seems as if the eye relief has gone from a quoted 19.3 mm to 18 mm between the ‘classic’ and current Diamondbacks, the close focus has improved—and the field of view has contracted, from 6.9° to 6.2°. The weight’s the same.
 
Aieee! In my impatience, I've just given in and ordered the Diamondback 8x28s from Amazon (so that they're drop-dead easy to return).

I'll let you know what I think of them once they arrive, probably late next week.

I'd still love to hear other people's impressions of them, and the pros and cons of using and carrying them compared to the Diamondback 8x32s.
 
Thanks, Ceasar. While I have you on the line, how did you feel about their compactness, and what they’d be like to have with you every day in your bag?

The 8x28s are slightly smaller than 8x30 binoculars and fit easily in a jacket pocket. They have a single hinge and do not fold up as small as double hinged 10x25 binoculars do and will not fit in most flannel shirt pockets.

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-binocular-8x28

Bob

PS: My Diamondback 8x28 was an early version of the Diamondbacks which have gone through about 3 different versions since they came out. I still have my original version of the 8x42 and it looks very much different from the current version.
 
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I really just hope these will tuck neatly into my briefcase-style bag alongside laptop and papers. Maximum physical compactness isn't as important as lightness. I'm excited to see what they're like.

I've ordered the 'A Pocket Naturalist Guide' folding mini-guides for New Jersey and New York birds to tuck into the bag, too, as part of my commuter's birding kit. So I should be ready for anything!
 
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