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Message: <blockquote data-quote="typo" data-source="post: 3563108" data-attributes="member: 83808">Phlasm,I think you might have a fairly common misunderstanding about the nature of binocular brightness. You will often see statements that an 8x42 with a 5.25mm exit pupil is brighter than an 8x30 with it's 3.75mm exit pupil, but for a large majority of the time it will make absolutly no difference of the level of light entering your eye. However, at some point, usually after sunset when the pupil of your eye dilates beyond 3.75mm the 8x42 will then have an advantage. Birders usually say there then might be 15 or 20 minutes longer viewing advantage.The actual area of a 5.25mm EP is 96% bigger than 3.75mm, so will be potentially 96% brighter when your pupils dilate to 5.25mm or more. The difference in transmission between the Habicht and a good mid priced roof would be usually less than 5% these days and would scarcely make any practical difference on it's own, and trivial compared to the exit pupil, but differences in colour balance can also make one model seem brighter than another. That is quite a different consideration.RathausFor what it's worth I've tried the Habicht several times over the years on the Swarovski stands at UK birding shows. I don't know if it was several different samples, or the same demo sample rolled out many times, but each time I'd put it second best to the ELSV 8x32 on discernable detail. I'd put both ahead of most, if not all, samples of the ELSV 8.5x42 I also tried at the same time. Might just be sample variation of course.David</blockquote>

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