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Looking for a special 8x32 (1 Viewer)

black crow

Well-known member
Are there any women posting in this forum? My friend Donna who could use this forum more than anyone I know wouldn't post here on a bet. Are we that scary?

Anyway she's looking to buy a top end 8x32 and we've got it down to the Swarovski EL which I own and the Zeiss FL which we have not seen. The Leica unfortunately is out because it doesn't have enough eye relief. Too bad because I'm very impressed by the Ultravids. Anyways I was wondering if there are any others out there that would compete at the same level as the Swaro and Zeiss?

Two things, she has VERY close set eyes and so an IPD of 56 or less is essential and she needs at least 16mm eye relief and preferably 18 or more.
 
Are there any women posting in this forum? My friend Donna who could use this forum more than anyone I know wouldn't post here on a bet. Are we that scary?

Anyway she's looking to buy a top end 8x32 and we've got it down to the Swarovski EL which I own and the Zeiss FL which we have not seen. The Leica unfortunately is out because it doesn't have enough eye relief. Too bad because I'm very impressed by the Ultravids. Anyways I was wondering if there are any others out there that would compete at the same level as the Swaro and Zeiss?

Two things, she has VERY close set eyes and so an IPD of 56 or less is essential and she needs at least 16mm eye relief and preferably 18 or more.

BC,

How does she get along with your EL's (54mm IPD, 20mm ER)?
 
They work fine. No problems. Likely a good bet for her. However I'm hoping to find something else she'd be interested in because I like looking at new binoculars.:t: I've been curious about such optics as Maven and maybe Meopta who claim to compete with the top alpha glass.
 
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Are there any women posting in this forum?
Several/many.

Are we that scary?
Now which of us does she know personally...

Would you like to suggest the new Zeiss Victory 8x25? There are a couple threads on it here.

When she decides please give us a medium-term (few weeks) report on how she finds it. Yesterday I spent some time explaining (on the phone) binocular choices to a petite lady who also needs one she can wield easily. (It was a pleasure because she is super nice, and also I needed to fawn a bit because she edits a nature/conservation magazine and my article is overdue.) The final suggestion/s, at $1500 or less, need to be given only in a few months.

PS. A lady who is/was chairperson or director of Swarovski Optik was much involved with/consulted on the ergonomics side in designing your 8x32. Here by ergonomics I include--I don't know if that is correct--its optics, more exactly, ease of viewing.
 
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BC,

Thanks for being honest about the opportunity to view new glass through your friend, quite astute really.


Adhoc,

Now that was good humor.


Andy W.
 
Well she's seen the ELs and likes them but there may be something better out there. While I think a lot of the ELs myself, not everyone else reaches that conclusion. A great man (Moshe Feldenkrais) once said,"If you have many ideas, you will have good ideas". The same is true of choices in this case. If she has several to choose from it's more likely she'll be satisfied with what she ends up with. I do a lot of research on her behalf and my payment is I get to look at the binoculars I would likely never buy or see myself. I've told her straight out that's the deal and she's totally fine with it. One of her favorite things to do is to put four or 6 good binoculars on a table outside and we look at them and talk about which are best and why. It's quite an experience for a simple farm boy from Michigan.3:)
 
Well she's seen the ELs and likes them but there may be something better out there. While I think a lot of the ELs myself, not everyone else reaches that conclusion. A great man (Moshe Feldenkrais) once said,"If you have many ideas, you will have good ideas". The same is true of choices in this case. If she has several to choose from it's more likely she'll be satisfied with what she ends up with. I do a lot of research on her behalf and my payment is I get to look at the binoculars I would likely never buy or see myself. I've told her straight out that's the deal and she's totally fine with it. One of her favorite things to do is to put four or 6 good binoculars on a table outside and we look at them and talk about which are best and why. It's quite an experience for a simple farm boy from Michigan.3:)

Be careful...
https://www.google.com/search?q=If+...ny+ideas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1
 
Hi,

regarding women, there are a few but not so many... the toy department seems to be more for the boys, unfortunately.

Regarding 8x32 - I would certainly try Nikon EDG and Zeiss FL along with the Swaro. Paraphrasing Holger Merlitz' test of 8x32 bins some years ago: EDG is optically best and has 18.5mm ER. It is also large and heavy for a 8x32. The FL is right behind the EDG optically and has 15.5mm ER and is very small and light. The EL came in third optically and has 15mm ER.

https://translate.google.com/transl...ttp://www.holgermerlitz.de/8x32/test8x32.html

Joachim
 
...Regarding 8x32 - I would certainly try Nikon EDG and Zeiss FL along with the Swaro. Paraphrasing Holger Merlitz' test of 8x32 bins some years ago: EDG is optically best and has 18.5mm ER. It is also large and heavy for a 8x32. The FL is right behind the EDG optically and has 15.5mm ER and is very small and light. The EL came in third optically and has 15mm ER...
Frankly, I suspect the EL SV are unlikely to be matched by anything, but I agree that EDG and FL are the other two 8x32 worth trying if you want to be thorough. That said, the EDG is a model that will not have support going forward, and it is heavy and bulky for an 8x32 which kind of defeats the purpose. The FL is small and has the merit of 52 mm minimum IPD, but it suffers from off-axis astigmatism and requires precise eye placement.

...The EL came in third optically and has 15mm ER...
That's the original EL, not the EL SV. Actually, I quite like the original EL, and I think its optical quality (esp. sharpness) improved noticeably over the model's production.

--AP
 
I have no problem lining up my pupils on the FL, easy for my features. IMO the EDG is sublime and Nikon to me is the best at flat field design.

Andy W.
 
I have never tried an EDG but I find my FL8x32 easy to use, compact and it comfortably accommodates my narrow IPD.

Lee
 
I have never tried an EDG but I find my FL8x32 easy to use, compact and it comfortably accommodates my narrow IPD.

Lee

She is leaning in this direction right now. I think it would be an excellent choice even beyond the fact that I'm dying to compare it to my EL. ;)
 
Another 8X32.... :smoke: HAHA

FL 8X32....I've had one for a couple of years. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Of course great design and build quality. I wear glasses as you probably know. ER is OK for me...but right at the edge. As mentioned here I believe eye placement is the key for a perfect view with these binoculars. I achieve this about half the time. No such issue with the SV 8x32. Went birding this weekend with my brother. I gave him the FL 8X32s....to keep. He uses contacts and doesn't have the same issue I do. He loved them.

Conquest HD 8X32..... Far and awake my second favorite 8X32. I really like them. Image quality is very nice. Focus is nice. ER is just right for me. Eye cup design leaves a little to be desired. Mine took a while to break in if you will. Now they work as they should. Price doesn't really break the bank either.

Swarovski CL 8X30 Companion(previous model).... Never would have even tried these if going with some comments here on BF. I rejected them from the get-go. I had the opportunity to try them at Time and Optics at Magee Marsh. I thought they were really nice. I bought the Conquest HD that day....but knew the little 8X30s were nice little binoculars. So I got a deal on some on Ebay.... I think they are great! ER is fine...focus is great....I like them!
 
I have a huge soft spot for Conquest HD 8x32 and find it hard not to pick them up every time I want to take a 32 out. But for entirely different reasons Meopta's MeoStar B1 8x32 is right up there with it. These two and Kowa's Genesis 8x33 would need some headache and heartache to separate on my list of favourites. If absolute optical quality is needed then I go with the FL and although I wear spectacles I have never found eye position tricky although my FL32 is a late model with the rounded eyecup rim as opposed to the older flat-topped eyecups and this could make a difference to some folks.

Lee
 
...If absolute optical quality is needed then I go with the FL and although I wear spectacles I have never found eye position tricky although my FL32 is a late model with the rounded eyecup rim as opposed to the older flat-topped eyecups and this could make a difference to some folks...

I do like the rounded eyecups better and switched mine to them, but I still find the FL a very finicky bin. I think it is inherent to its optical design that to get the super high resolution low-CA flat view of which it is capable, the eyes have to be very precisely centered, or else astigmatism robs it of greatness (very slightly reduced resolution and contrast). Consequently, for me it handles more like an 8x20 than what I'd hope for an 8x32, where, for example, IPD must be set exactly right, which means it must be adjusted for different distances. I've tried a lot of 8x32 FL units and they are all this way, not just my unit. Despite these issues, I end up using the 8x32 FL a lot, just as I am comfortable enough with compensating for their sensitivities to use finicky 8x20 bins. Still, it's nice to be able to relax with my full-sized bins for most routine birding. I may be more sensitive to these quirks of the 8x32 FL than other users because I push them to their limits of close and distant focus when I am butterflying+birding, and I like to look around the FOV by rotating my eyes.

--AP
 
I like to look around the FOV by rotating my eyes.

--AP

One of these days Alexis you will do yourself a mischief with this kind of behaviour :eek!:

Seriously for a moment at least, we clearly have different experiences with FL 32. Myself, I have never given eye placement or critical IPD setting a thought since I bought my example in 2012. My IPD is quite narrow at 58.5 which might be a bit more comfortable for close distances than yours.

Lee
 
I have a huge soft spot for Conquest HD 8x32 and find it hard not to pick them up every time I want to take a 32 out. But for entirely different reasons Meopta's MeoStar B1 8x32 is right up there with it. These two and Kowa's Genesis 8x33 would need some headache and heartache to separate on my list of favourites. If absolute optical quality is needed then I go with the FL and although I wear spectacles I have never found eye position tricky although my FL32 is a late model with the rounded eyecup rim as opposed to the older flat-topped eyecups and this could make a difference to some folks.

Lee

She sold me her Genesis because they didn't work for her. I find them one of the easiest of all my bins to look though. I think she took your advice and ordered a FL. Hopefully it's not as hard to look through as some are saying now. But who knows what will work for her. I cannot figure out what she sees in binoculars. It's far beyond my abilities to figure anything out in that respect. I just throw out some ideas and hope one sticks.
 
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