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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sbpeugh" data-source="post: 1748019" data-attributes="member: 84010">Howdy Howdy folks!So, I am fixing to buy binoculars of a lifetime.  Well, maybe not for a lifetime, but at least for the next few years until I get a job as an engineer and start making some real cash.As a rightful engineer consumer does, I have spent several hours reading, researching, and comparing specs between almost all of the higher quality binocular brands.  Also, I have stuck my face to as many pairs as I can just to get a feel for the differences in optical quality, how much more light a 56mm objective lens gathers than a 42 or 32, and what a 15mm eye relief is to a 20mm eye relief.Here are my basic requirements and use:  I'm an outdoorsman of all trades, rugged on all of my gear, and enjoy climbing whatever I see to have the satisfaction of summiting.  I ride a motorcycle so the binoculars will be transported in my hard case, experience high vibration for hours at a time.  I wear glasses, so eye relief is critical.  Typical use cases for the binoculars will be long distance glassing, across ranges, in valleys, from valleys to summits, hunting, city spotting, and some astronomy.  I am looking for something absolutely stellar, at a students price.  I am looking up into the $1400 range, not sure I want to make the jump for the Swarovision.Wish my glasses, I have noticed that binoculars with less than 17mm of eye relief just don't cut it, I must move my face around the eye piece to see the boundaries of the image through the binoculars.  I have also noticed that between the same model of binoculars, the 8 power do about the same thing; albeit greater eye relief, I still must fish around the eyepiece to see the entire image.  The 10 power, with a smaller field of view and less eye relief (typically) I can stick up to my face, fill my FOV with the image through the binocular, and be quite satisfied with the picture.  So, I have basically narrowed my selection down to 3 pairs, the Nikon Premier 10x42, Swarovision 10x42, and the Minox HG 10x52.  I have looked through all but the latter, and that is what I'm hoping for the most support.  Both the Nikon and Swaro seem to have very good eye relief (18.5 and 20 respectively) adequate FOV, nice focus, and great crispness and clarity.  Yes, I could tell the glass in the Swaros were just a smidge better, things were a bit more crisp and defined, but I don't think the difference was worth $1500.  The close focus on the Nikon didn't compare to the Swaros, but if I'm needing binocs for something between 5-9feet, well, I'll squint with my bare eyes haha. So, I am really leaning towards the Nikon Premier, getting 85% of the swarovision quality at less than half the cost.  However, Minox makes these HG 10x52, which are the same weight as the former (28oz), 19.5mm eye relief, 306ft@1000yds, close distance at 11.5ft.  But, I just can't find anyone here in southern Arizona who has a pair in stock to view them!  HAS ANYONE USED THE MINOX HG 10X52 TO COMPARE??  They are priced between the Nikon and Swaro around $1500, but I just don't know how the optics in these things are.  Specs are one thing, but optical quality is such a qualitative evaluation that can not be judged with numbers or papers.  So, If anyone could offer me advice if it's worth a few hundred dollar jump for another 10mm of objective that offers similar or better quality than the Nikon Premier, please chime in.  I am basically looking for something with >18mm eye relief, 10 power, <30Oz, hella good quality, bomb proof "drop and replace" warranty policy, that is nice to use.  I am very very impressed with the new ELs, I think the Premiers will suffice JUST FINE (I think if someone blindly gave me the Nikons and ELs in focus, I could not tell a difference) but would like opinions on the 10x52HG.  Cheers and thanks</blockquote>

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