I thought of placing this in the Swarovski sub-forum, but I think it actually relates to common issues with binoculars, and not a particular brand.
After experiencing “the revelation” of sharpness and brightness with a 7x42 Zeiss Victory FL, I finally gave in and got myself a 8x30 w Habicht, having read that sharpness is one of its strengths. 8x30/32 is my favourite format and I love porros. I have an 8x30 EII which I adore, but its lack of water (or should I say weather) proofness is a real concern. I live in a very wet environment, so I’ve already have the EII all fogged up internally: not nice. So I got the Habicht.
I’ve been using the 8x30 W Habicht extensively over the last weeks and every praise I read about it is certainly right: so, so, so, so sharp and bright that it becomes really addictive, somehow like having a superpower in your eyesight, so to speak. But, as has already been said many times in the forum, the ease of view of the EII is (to my eyes anyway) far superior. And here comes my question/rambling: Can there be such a thing as “too much sharpness”?
Let me explain. I’m aware that DOF is related the format: say, 7x35 will have a different DOF than 10x42, and (correct me if I’m wrong), the DOF of two 8x30 binoculars will be mainly determined by the fact that both are 8x30, not by the work of the manufacturer in terms of glass, coatings, etc. (I might be mistaken here). However, the “perceived” DOF of the Habicht is way bigger (well, deeper) than the EII. It seems that there is less need to refocus, because everything is in focus. Actually, I have read that the focus wheel on the Habicht is very stiff, and this is true, but I don't find it particularly annoying given the fact that I simply have to play with the focus way less than with the EII (in a way, the 8x30 Habicht remind me of the DOF of the 7x binoculars I’ve used).
And here comes the “weird” feeling: I am under the (absolutely and very personal) impression that, because of the great DOF (to my eyes related to the sharpness of the binos), I tend to focus less, so my eyes end up doing a lot of accommodation to get everything in focus (and they do, and the result is mindblowingly sharp and bright), maybe the same way your eyes have to work using a IF binocular. The result is that, at the end of the day, my eyes feel much more tired than if I was using the 8x30 EII: death by sharpness, I call it. Hence the question whether too much sharpness can lead to unease and tiredness.
Excuse me for the longish post, I hope it makes sense, and do let me know your thoughts on “death by sharpness” (I would not like to make this another Habicht vs EII thread, but rather a debate on optical properties and subjective impressions).
After experiencing “the revelation” of sharpness and brightness with a 7x42 Zeiss Victory FL, I finally gave in and got myself a 8x30 w Habicht, having read that sharpness is one of its strengths. 8x30/32 is my favourite format and I love porros. I have an 8x30 EII which I adore, but its lack of water (or should I say weather) proofness is a real concern. I live in a very wet environment, so I’ve already have the EII all fogged up internally: not nice. So I got the Habicht.
I’ve been using the 8x30 W Habicht extensively over the last weeks and every praise I read about it is certainly right: so, so, so, so sharp and bright that it becomes really addictive, somehow like having a superpower in your eyesight, so to speak. But, as has already been said many times in the forum, the ease of view of the EII is (to my eyes anyway) far superior. And here comes my question/rambling: Can there be such a thing as “too much sharpness”?
Let me explain. I’m aware that DOF is related the format: say, 7x35 will have a different DOF than 10x42, and (correct me if I’m wrong), the DOF of two 8x30 binoculars will be mainly determined by the fact that both are 8x30, not by the work of the manufacturer in terms of glass, coatings, etc. (I might be mistaken here). However, the “perceived” DOF of the Habicht is way bigger (well, deeper) than the EII. It seems that there is less need to refocus, because everything is in focus. Actually, I have read that the focus wheel on the Habicht is very stiff, and this is true, but I don't find it particularly annoying given the fact that I simply have to play with the focus way less than with the EII (in a way, the 8x30 Habicht remind me of the DOF of the 7x binoculars I’ve used).
And here comes the “weird” feeling: I am under the (absolutely and very personal) impression that, because of the great DOF (to my eyes related to the sharpness of the binos), I tend to focus less, so my eyes end up doing a lot of accommodation to get everything in focus (and they do, and the result is mindblowingly sharp and bright), maybe the same way your eyes have to work using a IF binocular. The result is that, at the end of the day, my eyes feel much more tired than if I was using the 8x30 EII: death by sharpness, I call it. Hence the question whether too much sharpness can lead to unease and tiredness.
Excuse me for the longish post, I hope it makes sense, and do let me know your thoughts on “death by sharpness” (I would not like to make this another Habicht vs EII thread, but rather a debate on optical properties and subjective impressions).
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