BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="CLRobles" data-source="post: 1624113" data-attributes="member: 76360">Ning,     I know this is a old thread but I thought I throw my two cents in here seeing as I own all three and use them all quite a bit.First, I have always found the most remarkable thing about the SE line up (other than the optical excellence) is its ergonomics. All three are very comfortable to hold because of the prism design. The SE's prism has that perfect "fit in the palm" feel. The 8's by virtue of it size are the easiest but the 10's and 12's to me are really pretty close to them. Yes the larger objectives do give a more forward balance point but to me they are still near perfect. If you put the 10x on the SE tripod adapter without the top clamp on they balance perfectly and do not tip forward. The 12x will want to barely lean forward on the same unclamped adapter. When I use the 10's they feel perfect in hand (just like the 8's) and are very easy for me to hold without shake for loooooong periods of time. The 12's I just shift my palms very slightly forward to where they are finding the new center balance point then they too are a very easy hold.... BUT!!!!! I do agree that 12's are not a easy hold for long periods. I can definitely hand hold the 12x SE's but they are much more comfortable off a tripod or with someway to brace or support your arms if your going to be there for more than several minutes.  Secondly, Optically speaking I think the 8x32 gives the biggest WOW factor and I am always thrilled to look through them but they are not the SE's that I use most. It really depends on what you are going to use them for.... If daytime birding is the only pursuit then yes stay with the 8x32's. What a thrill ride they are! If you are a mixed bag person like myself then the 10x42's are a clear victor in some critical areas like low light resolution and magnification. The 8x32's will give out well before the 10x42's when glassing in low light situations. I usually find myself out from well before sun up to well after sundown. I'm usually looking for game but I tend to wander, when scouting, in the afternoon and turn to birding then back to game at dusk and then become a star gazer after it gets black out. With such a variety the 10x clearly outshines the 8x and is a worthy addition to your collection if you also find you bin viewing as varied.Thirdly, I know you didn't ask but I have to throw this in. There has been much consternation as to the weather proofing of the SE binocular. Some have chosen a far optically inferior bin to the SE because of the fear of damaging their bin in weather. This I can understand but I have experience to the contrary. I have used my 8's and 10's in the rain and cold quite a bit this year so far and they have been great. I am purposely using the 10x's this year over my Swaro EL's and Leica BRF's to see if they will fail! I have had the 10's out in the rain at least a dozen times and the snow once and the outcome was as anticlimactic as expected. They performed flawlessly :t:Hope this was of some help.....</blockquote>

Verification