william j clive
Well-known member
After changing to roof prisms in 1990, and until a couple of years ago, always an 8x30 man, I have always had a hankering for a really good 8x30/32 porro. So working on the basis that a) I am not getting any younger, and b) I cant take it with me, I have taken a leaf out of Leif's book and taken the plunge.
Bought a pristine used Nikon 8x32 SE for a quarter of the price I paid for my Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's. These are seriously good optics. Straight comparison in very dull and dreary conditions today revealed similar resolution and very little difference in brightness. They also have a similar field of view and excellent depth of field. The focussing on the Nikon is extremely fast compared to the Swaro. This is where I think the Nikon's will prove useful, when seeking small passerines in deep vegetation, the Swaro's will be good on estuaries etc. and whenever it rains!
Surprisingly, I am impressed with the handling of the Nikon. The curved prism housing allows my shovel like hands to completely enfold them and they disappear! My little finger wraps around the objective tube and they are comfortable in the hand.
For anyone who wants top of the range performance on a budget I can thoroughly recommend these bins. I had been considering part exchanging my big EL's for the 8x32 EL, now I dont need to. For a very good review of the Nikon see Leif's write up in the review section.
Clive
Bought a pristine used Nikon 8x32 SE for a quarter of the price I paid for my Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's. These are seriously good optics. Straight comparison in very dull and dreary conditions today revealed similar resolution and very little difference in brightness. They also have a similar field of view and excellent depth of field. The focussing on the Nikon is extremely fast compared to the Swaro. This is where I think the Nikon's will prove useful, when seeking small passerines in deep vegetation, the Swaro's will be good on estuaries etc. and whenever it rains!
Surprisingly, I am impressed with the handling of the Nikon. The curved prism housing allows my shovel like hands to completely enfold them and they disappear! My little finger wraps around the objective tube and they are comfortable in the hand.
For anyone who wants top of the range performance on a budget I can thoroughly recommend these bins. I had been considering part exchanging my big EL's for the 8x32 EL, now I dont need to. For a very good review of the Nikon see Leif's write up in the review section.
Clive
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