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A little bit of help with choosing binoculars (1 Viewer)

STi_maXim

Member
Hello! I want to buy a binocular for daytime views and some astro views.
I allready have a Nikon Action EX 10x50 but i want something smaller with good optical quality and a magnification of at least 10x.

I have found the following binoculars but now it's very hard for me to decide mainly because i cannot test any of them.

So my short list is:

Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42
Leica Trinovid HD 10x42
Nikon HG L 10x42 DCF
Nikon Monarch HG 10x42
Meopta Meostar B1 12x50 HD

All of them are roughly the same price on eBay.

I was leaning toward Leica simply because i liked the way they look.

Can you plese help me with some advice?

Thank You,
Daniel Simion.
 
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Hi,

first of all, welcome to birdforum!

The first question to ask is whether you are going to wear glasses while using your bins - in that case my advice would be to avoid the Leica as their eye-relief of 15mm will be problematic for most users with glasses. The others have 17mm (Monarch HG, 18mm Conquest and 19mm HG-L.

If you are going to abuse your bins - the Conquest would be ideal - search for the torture test video on youtube...

I personally would probably choose the Monarch HG as it has a very wide field and field flattening - it will not be sharp to the very edge like some alpha options (Swaro EL, Zeiss SF, Nikon EDG) or my old SE 10x42 porros, but markedly better than the other options mentioned.

Joachim
 
Hello! Thank you! I don't use glasses and i don't abuse my binoculars. I've seen that video on youtube and i can say for sure that those are some well built binoculars. I had looked through a pair of Conquest 10x42 HD and to me they seemed to have a little bit of chromatic aberration problem, but other than that they were ok.
 
Of your choices I have tried most and I like the Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 the best. Nice and small and light and they have excellent optics with a big FOV and they are very bright. You have to move up to an alpha like the Zeiss SF or Nikon EDG to beat them.
 
I've not seen the Meopta but among the others I would also pick the Monarch HG, as I value field of view and small size. My second choice would be the Conquest HD, which might arguably be a touch sharper, though I prefer the better FOV, contrast, and ergonomics of the Nikon. I am not personally a fan of the Trinovid (eye relief problems and I don't love the view). I have not used the Nikon HG/Premier bins much but they impress me as very good but heavy. Certainly though I don't think there is a poor choice in that list and others will have differing opinions!
 
Hi,

as I didn't see the Meopta 12x50 when I first read it - or was it added later, I would strongly recommend to not buy a pair with higher magnification than 10x for handheld use while birding. At least not until you had the possibility to try one for an hour or so to check if you can really hold it steady for prolonged times - most people can not. Finding birds in the smaller field of view is also interesting...

If the main use is for a stroll though the night sky in a reclining chair, things might be a bit different, but you'll probably not like the smaller field, weight and the lack of stability during the day... better use a dedicated astro porro with IF for that...

Or you can try to have your cake and eat it too - have you thought about the Canon IS series? The old 15x50 might fit the budget and is very usable handheld and optically no slouch - apart from the smaller true field of course. And it's just a little bit heavier than the Meopta...

Joachim
 
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Thank you all for replying! I have found a Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 brand new and at a decent price, but the seller said to me that is not in stock and that he has something even better, the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44 XD, but a little bit more expensive.

Any experiencies with this binocular? I have read the scopeviews review but I wanted to know how do they compare with other premium brands.

Thank you,
Daniel Simion.
 
I had a Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 XD and it was an excellent binocular. The CA control was second to none and it was very sharp on-axis so I would imagine the Kowa 10.5 x44 XD would be very good also. Allbino's rate's the 8.5x44 1st place in the 8.5x45 category. The reviews on B&H are also very good and it has a 354 foot FOV which is big for a 10x so if you get it for a good price I would go for it. It would probably be better than the Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 but keep in mind it weigh's 33oz. so if your alright with that it could be your binocular. They are MIJ which is good and here is also a Scopeviews Review. Roger Vine say's the Kowa 10.5x44 XD doesn't have much eye relief having only about 13mm so that could be a deal breaker if you wear eye glasses. He also mention's that there were some kidney bean blackout's also.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._10_10_5x44_Genesis_XD44_Binocular.html/specs
https://www.allbinos.com/848-Kowa_Genesis_8.5x44-binoculars_specifications.html
http://scopeviews.co.uk/Kowa105x44.htm
 
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Thank you all for replying! I have found a Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 brand new and at a decent price, but the seller said to me that is not in stock and that he has something even better, the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44 XD, but a little bit more expensive.

Any experiencies with this binocular? I have read the scopeviews review but I wanted to know how do they compare with other premium brands.

Thank you,
Daniel Simion.

Daniel,

I have the 10.5x44, it is a great binocular. I have never looked through a Conquest but the Genesis is almost as good, if not just as good, as Leica HD+, SW SV, Zeiss FL and Nikon EDG. Performance against harsh light is as good or better than EDG. They are heavy but the weight helps me hold them steady. Let us know how it goes.

Mike
 
The Kowa is about the same weight as the leica UV 10X50/SV 10X50, with low ER, that has been the reason for the lack of popularity. I would go with the Nikon EDG over it if I had the opportunity.

Andy W.
 
The Kowa is about the same weight as the leica UV 10X50/SV 10X50, with low ER, that has been the reason for the lack of popularity. I would go with the Nikon EDG over it if I had the opportunity.

Andy W.

Hi,

well I don't think the EDG is in budget...

Joachim
 
No, no, the Nikon EDG is waaay out of my budget. My absolute maximum budget is 1400 Euro or 1500 USD. I must buy my bino from Europe, otherwise I'm paying custom taxes.

I've found a brand new Zeiss Victory T* FL 10x42 at 1300 euro, but it's not from my country(Romania), it's from Bulgaria and the communication with this seller is very difficult.
 
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Yes, but i've read the Allbinos review on them and I don't like that pretty low light transmission of 84.5%. For a binocular that sells at that price, that's pretty low.
 
If you are looking for high transmission the FL would be a good option. There is another 10X42 FL on the Bay from Australia, but the asking price may be too high plus there is shipping costs. The Nikon HG Monarch 10X42 is within budget, I have the 8X42 and it is an excellent glass, I would assume the 10X42 is as well.
Good luck with the communication issue.

Andy W.
 
The Kowa Genesis or Monarch HG would be my pick. The Kowa has the best contrast and control of CA and the Monarch HG has a small form factor and wide FoV. I've got a Conquest HD now and although it is a very good pair of binoculars, I don't think it really excels over the others in any particular area. The HD Meostar is very good and also probably a little better than the Conquest to my eyes.
 
Yes, but i've read the Allbinos review on them and I don't like that pretty low light transmission of 84.5%. For a binocular that sells at that price, that's pretty low.

Pretty sure ANY current Meostar B.1 will have a transmission of >88%. Certainly not a second class binocular and a GREAT choice when one can't spend alpha $$.
 
No, no, the Nikon EDG is waaay out of my budget. My absolute maximum budget is 1400 Euro or 1500 USD. I must buy my bino from Europe, otherwise I'm paying custom taxes.

I've found a brand new Zeiss Victory T* FL 10x42 at 1300 euro, but it's not from my country(Romania), it's from Bulgaria and the communication with this seller is very difficult.

Hi,

for 1400€ a Swaro SLC is also a good option - very solid performance and the best service to be had - that is, if eye relief is not an issue - its 16mm are not super long...

Joachim, who would probably still go for the Monarch HG - the lure of the wide field...
 
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I've spend a part of my budget on a APM 10x50 for astronomy and I'm left with 1000Euro for a binocular with 10x magnification and a 40-42mm aperture for daylight views and low light.

So i am looking for something with a good light transmission, and i want to mention that I don't wear glasses.

In my search I've stumbled upon a Swarovski Habicht 10x40W and it seems to be what I am looking for.

I've read some reviews, but the results form two very distinct camps, meaning that some people love it and some hate it.

Some owners around here? Is it worth the price compared to Nikon Monarch HG and HGL, Leica Trinovid HD, Conquest HD? They are around the same price and it's confusing. :D

I want to mention again that I cannot find these nowhere in my country to actually test them and to choose based on that.

Thank you!
 
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