I'd like to choose between Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 or Bushnell Elite 8x42.
- I birdwatch
- I always wear glasses (unfotunately)
- I want a solid bino as I bring it during trekkings and so on
I've read a few threads but I still have no clear idea (I'm even considering some Minox/ Nikon / Kowa)
thanx for any answer.....
Andrea
Andrea,
Can't give you impressions on those two bins, but some general observations about ER and uses eyeglasses with bins.
I used to wear glasses while using my bins so I was always looking for high eye relief binoculars.
What I quickly found out is that the listed ER and the usable ER for glasses are often two different things.
Just for starts, you can knock off 3mm for the lens recession, less than that and you might hit the lenses with your glasses if the glass lenses are highly curved.
With twist up eycups, you have to add another 2 or 3mm, because in most bins, they sit above the EP housing.
So now you can subtract 5-6mm from the listed ER.
Bins that list 17mm ER could actually be 12 or 11mm. I've seen this. Case in point, the Orion Vista 8x42 (similar to Vixen 8x42 and probably made by Vixen).
The listed ER for the bin is 18mm and here's what the sales blurb says: "Ample eye relief and roll-back rubber eyecups ensure comfortable viewing with or without eyeglasses." NOT.
The usable ER is only 11mm, which would only work for you if you had bulging eyes like this:
http://www.daily-tangents.com/Store/Things/images/eyegore.jpg
Another thing I learned is that asking other eyeglass wearers if a particular bin has enough ER for them might not apply to you.
I have deep-set eyes (same facial features and hair but less wrinkles than my cousin Sam):
http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2007/11/28/previews/Sam%20Elliott-SPX-016102.jpg
Add to that 5-6mm set back for the lenses and twist up eyecups another 3mm for deep set eyes, and now I'm down 8 or 9 mm ER.
Then you have to consider how far back you can set your eyeglasses on your face and the thickness of the eyeglass lenses.
For me, all those factors add up to be so much that I have yet to look through a bin with eyeglasses (even with my thin polycarbonate glasses that set flat on my forehead) and see the entire FOV.
Even a bin with a
usable 20mm ER would not allow me see the entire FOV. So I don't use eyeglasses with bins anymore. The diopter helps correct my myopia, but the astigmatism is still a problem in low light. In bright light, the smaller entrance pupils lessens the defect.
Anyway, some food for thought, and that's no Bologna.
Brock