I'll put the coating questions first. At the bottom is the link to the Bushnells in question. The specs state that they're fully multicoated and phase coated, but don't mention anything about the prism mirror coating. When I called Bushnell to ask, the rep I spoke to said that they didn't have any mirror coating. This was surprising to me because everything I've read of the Bushnells has stated them to be quite good optically (even compared to alphas) and I was under the impression that any good Schmidt-Pechan roof prism nowadays has at least an aluminum mirror coating. Am I wrong?
Secondly (and less importantly) the website says the Bushnells have an "ultra wide band" coating. Does anyone know what this means?
As for the comparison- although people have posted a few individual impressions of these bins, I was wondering if there was anyone here with experience with both who could compare the two. I'm looking at purchasing one or the other and nearby stores don't carry them. For others' reference, I'll put some specs and links and such below.
They're very similar looking bins, I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same Chinese factory, but there are some small differences in their specs. They both have good reviews. The Alpens have more reviews, there are only a few for the Bushnells. In the US they both can be found for $120-$140, so pricing can be treated as equivalent.
Glass- both ED
Lens coatings- both phase, both FMC, Bushnell has a "rainguard" that the Alpen specs don't mention
Prism coatings- Alpen is silver mirror, Bushnell doesn't specify theirs (possibly because it doesn't have one?)
Weight- Alpen specs say 8.5, Bushnell specs say 8.1
https://www.alpenoptics.com/bino-wings.html
http://www.bushnell.com/all-products/binoculars/legend-ultra-hd/10x-25mm
Thanks in advance for any help!
Secondly (and less importantly) the website says the Bushnells have an "ultra wide band" coating. Does anyone know what this means?
As for the comparison- although people have posted a few individual impressions of these bins, I was wondering if there was anyone here with experience with both who could compare the two. I'm looking at purchasing one or the other and nearby stores don't carry them. For others' reference, I'll put some specs and links and such below.
They're very similar looking bins, I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same Chinese factory, but there are some small differences in their specs. They both have good reviews. The Alpens have more reviews, there are only a few for the Bushnells. In the US they both can be found for $120-$140, so pricing can be treated as equivalent.
Glass- both ED
Lens coatings- both phase, both FMC, Bushnell has a "rainguard" that the Alpen specs don't mention
Prism coatings- Alpen is silver mirror, Bushnell doesn't specify theirs (possibly because it doesn't have one?)
Weight- Alpen specs say 8.5, Bushnell specs say 8.1
https://www.alpenoptics.com/bino-wings.html
http://www.bushnell.com/all-products/binoculars/legend-ultra-hd/10x-25mm
Thanks in advance for any help!
