Vanguard Endeavors-how do they work for you?
Since we're on this topic, I'll chime in with my recent experience with Endeavors.
I bought two. 8x32 EDII and 10x42 EDII. With rebates the 8x32s were $200, net, and the 10x42s were $300, net.
The 8x32s are very good generally, show very little CA, have good contrast and are pretty sharp. The focus on my first pair of these was rubbery and had stiction issues, like the O-rings were dry. These were exchanged and the replacements were fine with the exception of a bit of play transitioning direction when focusing. Not great but also not too objectionable. Eye relief is a bit too long for me (w/o glasses) but that's pretty typical these days and I deal with it. Hinge has just the right amount of tension; stays put but adjusts smoothly. Eye cups are multi position and stay put as well with good resistance.
Overall a superb value IMO.
The 10x42s were, frankly, brilliant in all aspects except CA. Very comfortable viewing with great contrast and sharpness. Perfect focus action, smooth and moderately damped. Eye relief was bingo perfect for me w/o glasses. Build quality seems excellent and they even balance and hold well for 42mm bins.
They were returned however.
Primary reason was the CA. I'm usually not too fussy about this, but unfortunately it reared it's ugly head way too often with these bins. Not bad down the middle mind you, but starting just off axis and getting much worse toward the edge of field. The second, more minor, reason I returned them was I can only use 10 or greater power bins any more with the aid of a mono or tri pod.
Still an amazing value and if not viewing against bright sky deliver an exceptional image.
Thanks Kevin, that's very helpful to potential buyers, I'm sure. Too many reports of CA in the 10x42 ED's is what kept me from ordering those, even with the good deal now with the $80 rebate, and $150 cost after. Yes, some people are not as sensitive to it, and they are lucky for that, or maybe thier usage is not under those conditions mostly. So for them, yes, they are a good bin at a good discount like they are now. But if you see it, it is quite distracting. So, according to your report, even the EDII's didn't improve that much it seems for Chromatic Aberration. That is a real shame, and I would say inexcusable for a manufacturer (or rebranding company) to ignore, especially the second time around. I think that is an indicator of their business model, and I won't support it now, hearing this about the next generation EDII Vanguard Endeavors having the same problem. It's a shame; they have something good there, except for that one major flaw. Maybe it is not cost effective to fix, but that still leaves us with a product that delivers less than adequate performance for a lot of users, because of it.
Right, nothing is perfect in this world of ours, but we have to pick and choose what works for us or doesn't. I really would love to hear from people that these work for, without any notice of a problem. I wonder under what conditions that they do work well. Maybe low light-which my original ED 8x42's seemed to have a great view there, though it wasn't a scientific observation at all. Just a gut feeling that they were working very well in those lighting conditions. But I did see a little CA on occasion too, but I wouldn't say it was so intrusive I couldn't use them. Maybe that is the point-if it works for you, without great distraction, then it works for you! The only way to know, is to try for yourself though. That's why buying from a known seller with a return policy is so necessary.
It does seem a particularly a hard product to get right in engineering and production; the binocular. Mechanical problems seem to be the norm, where more sophisticated items that are more electronic in nature work better without the glitches sometimes than their mechanical relatives. Like any camera today vs the mechanical ones of times past, which would go out of adjustment over time, and need an overhaul to make them right again. Mechanical shutters were not very reliable, without regular service it would seem. I did work for a camera shop in the repair dept for a little while, and saw a lot of repairs at the tail end of the film cameras, which was my niche playing with and using them, and learning how to repair some of them as well.
That is just another life and binocular use story with the Endeavors, and one not everyone can relate to, nor embrace, naturally. It's just my story, even though it's just highlights of my experiences with the Vanguard Endeavor ED 8x42 and hoping the 10x would be better in that regard, or just work so well for other situations to let it slide for CA. But I do think they should have gotten it together for the EDII at least, and corrected that significant problem and moved on to a better product for all.
I imagine the economy and cost of doing business today got in the way of ideals, and we were left with the results. Not great, but good enough for some of us possibly? I'd like to hear that from some users, if it is true. Oh well, enough rambling-time for a nap!
