I currently have a pair of older Hawk frontier ED's 10x32 and in truth, other than the LONG focus from close to infinity, I love the things. BUT, my daughter is graduating and wants a trip to Alaska for her graduation present. I'm mainly a wildlife photographer (www.flickr.com/centavo) so my "big money" goes into camera lenses. There will be four of us on the trip to Alaska and one pair of bins isn't going to cut it. I want to stick to the 32/33mm size due to weight (my Canon L lenses get heavy quick). I'm looking at the $800-$1000 range (Leica Triv,, Zeiss Conquest, Meostar, Nikon HG's, etc.) Close focus is important because I do some close photography as well. I do wear glasses. Just looking for some opinions from folks who own some of the aforementioned....Any help would be appreciated.
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10x32 Bin Recommendations.. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jasonptx
- Start date
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
Are you stuck on 10x ? I know that, in general, a broader selection exists in an 8x32 format that are more user friendly to glasses wearers.
I'm leaning that way. I had an 8x and I found myself using the 10x much more..
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
Looks like Zeiss Conquest, Leica Trinovid 10x32 are tied with 16mm as eye relief. Might work ok with glasses but dicey.
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
Zackly
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
thats an important 2 mm
eitanaltman
Well-known member
The biggest variables are going to be ergonomics and the usability with glasses, both of which are highly personal.
As noted above, it seems every millimeter counts for folks with glasses, and 10x30/32 by nature tends to be on the shorter end vs other models. Complicating the situation is that the listed specs are nowhere close to apples-to-apples across brands, as some quote from the lens and others give a more honest “usable” figure factoring in the recess of the lens below the rim of the eyecup.
So you’re almost certainly going to have to try for yourself to find out for sure if it works for you.
That said, I second the Meostar recommendation. Since you’re in TX it’s a good bet there’s a Cabela’s / Bass Pro somewhere that should have the EuroHD available to try in person (it is a rebadged / rebranded Meostar). It has good eye relief, great build quality, excellent optics with a wide FOV and good glare control (will be helpful in AK!).
Also the Meopta is a bit smaller and lighter than the Zeiss and Leica, both of which are on the heavy side for 32’s (630-640g range). The only big criticism you hear of the Meostar is the small eyecups, but this is a non-issue for eyeglass wearers or occasional casual users like handing it to a family member for a minute.
But the best thing you can do is go try some of them. Hopefully in TX there’s enough sports optics options that you could get your hands on a few of these. Worst case, a good dealer like Optics4Birding or CameralandNY will probably be fine with you ordering two pairs that you’ve singled out as finalists and returning the “loser”.
Also consider the Kowa Genesis, which I found to be slightly better than the Conquest.
Final option is a used alpha. The Nikon EDG and Zeiss FL 10x32 are both stupendous. I spent a lot of time with 10x32 over the past year trying to decide if it was for me, and these two were a clear step above the $1k types mentioned so far. They are just very hard to find, but there’s a Zeiss FL 10x32 on eBay right now and I would bet money it will be the perfect forever 10x32 binocular for you, although it will likely end up in the $1200ish range based on what I’ve seen. Having owned the Genesis 10x33, EDG 10x32, Conquest HD 10x32, and the Zeiss, I think the extra bit of spend is worth it (and if you don’t like it the FL will be easy to resell). The EDG is also incredible but it’s quite a bit larger and heavier than the Zeiss.
As noted above, it seems every millimeter counts for folks with glasses, and 10x30/32 by nature tends to be on the shorter end vs other models. Complicating the situation is that the listed specs are nowhere close to apples-to-apples across brands, as some quote from the lens and others give a more honest “usable” figure factoring in the recess of the lens below the rim of the eyecup.
So you’re almost certainly going to have to try for yourself to find out for sure if it works for you.
That said, I second the Meostar recommendation. Since you’re in TX it’s a good bet there’s a Cabela’s / Bass Pro somewhere that should have the EuroHD available to try in person (it is a rebadged / rebranded Meostar). It has good eye relief, great build quality, excellent optics with a wide FOV and good glare control (will be helpful in AK!).
Also the Meopta is a bit smaller and lighter than the Zeiss and Leica, both of which are on the heavy side for 32’s (630-640g range). The only big criticism you hear of the Meostar is the small eyecups, but this is a non-issue for eyeglass wearers or occasional casual users like handing it to a family member for a minute.
But the best thing you can do is go try some of them. Hopefully in TX there’s enough sports optics options that you could get your hands on a few of these. Worst case, a good dealer like Optics4Birding or CameralandNY will probably be fine with you ordering two pairs that you’ve singled out as finalists and returning the “loser”.
Also consider the Kowa Genesis, which I found to be slightly better than the Conquest.
Final option is a used alpha. The Nikon EDG and Zeiss FL 10x32 are both stupendous. I spent a lot of time with 10x32 over the past year trying to decide if it was for me, and these two were a clear step above the $1k types mentioned so far. They are just very hard to find, but there’s a Zeiss FL 10x32 on eBay right now and I would bet money it will be the perfect forever 10x32 binocular for you, although it will likely end up in the $1200ish range based on what I’ve seen. Having owned the Genesis 10x33, EDG 10x32, Conquest HD 10x32, and the Zeiss, I think the extra bit of spend is worth it (and if you don’t like it the FL will be easy to resell). The EDG is also incredible but it’s quite a bit larger and heavier than the Zeiss.
PeterPS
Well-Known Member
Of course every opinion is subjective. That said here are my favorite 10x32's: FL, EDG, and SV, with the FL being by far my most preferred 10x32. I should note though that I have not tried the more recent SF and NL, but from my experience with the corresponding 42mm models I am pretty sure I won't prefer them to the FL.
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
The 8x33 Genesis is on open box deal at CamerlandNY. $809.99 I've looked through them POW! (But I dont wear glasses)
Conndomat
United States of Europe
Hi,
As far as I know, the Meopta is only 15mm. Pupillary distance?!
The Zeiss FL has even less, and so does the Genesis.
I have been using the Conquest 10x32 for several years, I wear farsighted glasses and the view fits with the Conquest, ideally try it out yourself.
Just my 2 Cents...
Andreas
As far as I know, the Meopta is only 15mm. Pupillary distance?!
The Zeiss FL has even less, and so does the Genesis.
I have been using the Conquest 10x32 for several years, I wear farsighted glasses and the view fits with the Conquest, ideally try it out yourself.
Just my 2 Cents...
Andreas
Thanks all for the replies. Based on your recommendation(s), I called and talked to Doug (camerlandny) and after discussion, I went with the Kowa Genesis 8x33. He seemed to think very highly of them. I can use bins with my glasses off and it works fine but it's just a pain to take them on and off. I'm reading good things on the Kowa Genesis so fingers crossed...Thanks all!
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
keep us posted!
Will do. I may do a red-neck review on them
dries1
Member
By the way, great pics, still going through them.Will do. I may do a red-neck review on them
Andy W.
Thanks..now that I'm retired, I can devote more time to that..
eitanaltman
Well-known member
You will not be disappointed, assuming the eye relief cuts it for you... the Genesis are pretty amazing, and deadly sharp within the center sweet zone. The near complete lack of chromatic aberration and very bright, neutral color is really something, the microcontrast and clarity will be a clear step up from the Hawke.
You're going to discover that a premium 8x will show more detail in real world, handheld use than a decent 10x of the same aperture. The massive increase in field of view and greater depth of field -- combined with significantly better optics and a larger exit pupil -- is going to be far more pleasurable for scanning the sea, landscapes, glaciers, etc.
You're going to discover that a premium 8x will show more detail in real world, handheld use than a decent 10x of the same aperture. The massive increase in field of view and greater depth of field -- combined with significantly better optics and a larger exit pupil -- is going to be far more pleasurable for scanning the sea, landscapes, glaciers, etc.
Thanks, good to hear....Thats what kinda swayed me away from the 10X after talking to a few folks and I trust Doug to point me in the right direction.
Rob from Texas
Well-known member
Don't give up on the glasses either, with the eye cups down, they may still work!
