Death Of The Alpha? (1 Viewer)

[[email protected]]

Yes, when you eventually showed up.

Yes in conjunction with umpteen other nations including Russia that suffered 20M dead.

And for all our more balanced US friends: apologies for my response to Dennis's flippant posting. WWII wouldn't have had the result it did without the intervention of the USA, Dennis just seems to forget there were others involved.

Lee

I know you Brits helped out. You would have never kicked Hitler's butt without Patton's help though.

 

[Torview]

Don`t know about the Alpha but how is this thread still alive ?

 

[[email protected]]

Yes, that's it.

Zeiss and Leica are a total disaster - so sad!

Thank you, Dennis - finally somebody expressed what all of us were thinking all the time.

I have had about 100 different binoculars of different makes from different countries. So here is my consumer review on the problems I have had with different binoculars from different countries. Ranked from best to worst.

1) Japan (0 problems)
2) Austria (4 problems)
3) Germany (5 problems)
4) China (8 problems)

So you can see why I like Japanese binoculars based on real world actual experience.

 

[Canip]

I have had about 100 different binoculars of different makes from different countries. So here is my consumer review on the problems I have had with different binoculars from different countries. Ranked from best to worst.

1) Japan (0 problems)
2) Austria (4 problems)
3) Germany (5 problems)
4) China (8 problems)

So you can see why I like Japanese binoculars based on real world actual experience.

Okay, I give in, you just beat me, Dennis !!
How could any one argue against such an extensive consumer review?

 

[[email protected]]

Okay, I give in, you just beat me, Dennis !!
How could any one argue against such an extensive consumer review?

Nothing beats good old fashioned EXPERIENCE!:t:

 

[paddy7]

And Dennis is going to build a wall - a big, beautiful wall - between USA and Austria - and guess what folks? The Austrians are going to pay for it! Believe me, they're going to pay for it.....

 

[NDhunter]

Is Trump's first name Dennis?

Jan:

Not sure about your question, but your mailbox is full.

Could you clear some room ?

Jerry

 

[KC Foggin]

Guys, this is a bins thread not a political thread nor an automobile thread.

 

[Larry Lade]

This is BirdForum. We dialogue concerning birds, wildlife, conservation and other related subjects ... and not politics

 

[stephen b]

This is BirdForum. We dialogue concerning birds, wildlife, conservation and other related subjects ... and not politics

And thank goodness for that!

I know I have had my fill of dealing with the political discussion. I do have my opinions, but get sick of discussing them. Especially with family- so certainly do not need to discuss with the WWW family.

 

[[email protected]]

Here is a good review on the Tract Toric. I have yet to find a bad review on them.

Reviewed by Keith Poole November 18, 2016

I have looked for a good pair of binoculars for a long time that I did not need to spend thousands of dollars on and I came across these tract binoculars. I did some research and compared them to all the high priced binoculars and tract either beat them or was equal to them. So I contacted John to talk about them and he couldn’t be any nicer. He convinced me to buy a set and man I couldn’t be any happier. These binoculars are unbelievable. The glass is second to none in low light or middle of the day. Don’t waste your time and money looking any more these are the binoculars for you. I can’t wait to try out their scopes.

 

[BruceH]

Here is a good review on the Tract Toric. I have yet to find a bad review on them.

Reviewed by Keith Poole November 18, 2016

I have looked for a good pair of binoculars for a long time that I did not need to spend thousands of dollars on and I came across these tract binoculars. I did some research and compared them to all the high priced binoculars and tract either beat them or was equal to them. So I contacted John to talk about them and he couldn’t be any nicer. He convinced me to buy a set and man I couldn’t be any happier. These binoculars are unbelievable. The glass is second to none in low light or middle of the day. Don’t waste your time and money looking any more these are the binoculars for you. I can’t wait to try out their scopes.

Dennis ..... What is the background of the reviewer that makes it noteworthy to single out this review and to post it in bold letters? Is there something special here?

 

[Palantas]

I'm pretty sure this is apolitical...

I just saw this thread, talking about how micro arrays could replace optical glass altogether. I’m not an engineer, so I don’t know if these would be any good for binoculars, but let’s say that they are. Let’s say in a decade, you could get a pair of binoculars with near-perfect optics for a couple hundred dollars. Alphas are done, naturally. Or maybe not.

I think there’s a parallel to be drawn here with the watch industry in the early 80s, when quartz timekeeping became inexpensive. Why pay way more for a mechanical watch that is less accurate? One would expect lever escapements to go the way of the dinosaur...but that didn't happen. Much of the Swiss watch industry went under, but it didn’t vanish altogether. Rolex had some hard times, but they survived. Somebody bought Breitling. Other companies fell under conglomerate umbrellas. Today, these companies are alive and well. How come? A Submariner cost $7k. A durable electronic watch that keeps better time and has much greater functionality runs less than a tenth of that. But lots of people buy Rolexes (or Pateks, Jaegers, or Panerais, or Breitlings). High-end mechanical watches are objects d’art, and despite being functionally inferior to technological alternatives, command outrageous prices.

People will pay for “the finest"--that's 'finest,' not 'best'--even if that perceived value is of an artistic nature and entirely subjective. I think if anything, the alphas that will continue on. It’s mid-range binoculars and scopes that might be replaced by some sort of unforeseen technological alternative. Traditional glass bins will join fountain pens, straight razors, automatic watches, (insert your own peculiar interests here), and all the other items, that once functional, became artsy luxury items.

 

[NDhunter]

I'm pretty sure this is apolitical...

I just saw this thread in the Zeiss forum, talking about how micro arrays could replace optical glass altogether. I’m not an engineer, so I don’t know if these would be any good for binoculars, but let’s say that they are. Let’s say in a decade, you could get a pair of binoculars with near-perfect optics for a couple hundred dollars. Alphas are done, naturally. Or maybe not.

I think there’s a parallel to be drawn here with the watch industry in the early 80s, when quartz timekeeping became inexpensive. Why pay way more for a mechanical watch that is less accurate? One would expect lever escapements to go the way of the dinosaur...but that didn't happen. Much of the Swiss watch industry went under, but it didn’t vanish altogether. Rolex had some hard times, but they survived. Somebody bought Breitling. Other companies fell under conglomerate umbrellas. Today, these companies are alive and well.

How come? A Submariner cost $7k. A durable electronic watch that keeps better time and has much greater functionality runs less than a tenth of that. But lots of people buy Rolexes (or Pateks, Jaegers, or Panerais, or Breitlings). High-end mechanical watches are objects d’art, and despite being functionally inferior to technological alternatives, command outrageous prices.

People will pay for “the finest,” even if that perceived value is of an artistic nature and entirely subjective. I think if anything, the alphas that will continue on. It’s mid-range binoculars and scopes that might be replaced by some sort of unforeseen technological alternative. Traditional glass bins will join fountain pens, straight razors, automatic watches, (insert your own peculiar interests here), and all the other items, that once functional, became artsy luxury items.

Welcome to the Birdforum, and I agree with your post. You have made
a great comparison, and watches are a good example.

Rolex watches, for example, start at around $5K. They are very busy and
sell at a large number.

Jerry

 

[[email protected]]

Dennis ..... What is the background of the reviewer that makes it noteworthy to single out this review and to post it in bold letters? Is there something special here?

My point in posting these reviews on the Tract is that there is a similar theme in all of them which is the point of this thread. The point is that a great majority of the people writing feedback on the Tract are saying how close they are to alpha level binoculars and that is exactly my point. That is what really impressed me when I first tried them and compelled me to start a thread on them. They were the first medium priced binoculars that I tried that really are giving the big three a run for their money so to say. I have tried many sub-alpha level binoculars in the past but not until now could I say that about any of them. Because of how close these binoculars are to alphas's for way less money I really feel alpha's are going to lose a lot of market share to them and some brands like Leica and Nikon will get out of the alpha binocular market. Here is the main point in that review.

"I did some research and compared them to all the high priced binoculars and Tract either beat them or was equal to them. "

 

[gunut]

the trouble is the alpha of today is already a throw away.....send it in for most internal repairs and they trash it and send you a new one.....this was not the way with the true alphas of 40 or more years ago.....they were all easily disassembled and repaired by knowledgeable technicians........

 

[[email protected]]

I'm pretty sure this is apolitical...

I just saw this thread, talking about how micro arrays could replace optical glass altogether. I’m not an engineer, so I don’t know if these would be any good for binoculars, but let’s say that they are. Let’s say in a decade, you could get a pair of binoculars with near-perfect optics for a couple hundred dollars. Alphas are done, naturally. Or maybe not.

I think there’s a parallel to be drawn here with the watch industry in the early 80s, when quartz timekeeping became inexpensive. Why pay way more for a mechanical watch that is less accurate? One would expect lever escapements to go the way of the dinosaur...but that didn't happen. Much of the Swiss watch industry went under, but it didn’t vanish altogether. Rolex had some hard times, but they survived. Somebody bought Breitling. Other companies fell under conglomerate umbrellas. Today, these companies are alive and well. How come? A Submariner cost $7k. A durable electronic watch that keeps better time and has much greater functionality runs less than a tenth of that. But lots of people buy Rolexes (or Pateks, Jaegers, or Panerais, or Breitlings). High-end mechanical watches are objects d’art, and despite being functionally inferior to technological alternatives, command outrageous prices.

People will pay for “the finest"--that's 'finest,' not 'best'--even if that perceived value is of an artistic nature and entirely subjective. I think if anything, the alphas that will continue on. It’s mid-range binoculars and scopes that might be replaced by some sort of unforeseen technological alternative. Traditional glass bins will join fountain pens, straight razors, automatic watches, (insert your own peculiar interests here), and all the other items, that once functional, became artsy luxury items.

Watches are entirely different than binoculars. People buy watches like a Rolex for status. It is a way to show people you have money. If you have money some people want other people to know you have money so they buy things that other people know are expensive like expensive sport's cars, mansions and Rolexes. Wearing a $7K Rolex on your wrist will certainly get people attention say in a car dealership and in a dark alleyway it may get undesired attention. With expensive watches there is also the intrinsic fascination of the mechanical artistry that it takes to hand build one also. For some people an alpha binocular might be a status symbol but for the greatest majority of people if you offer a binocular like the Tract for 1/3 the price that performs as well as the Swarovski SV or Zeiss SF they will buy the Tract. If you offered a micro array binocular for $200 that killed a Zeiss SF most people will buy the micro array binocular I guarantee you. Your talking apples and oranges.

 

[[email protected]]

the trouble is the alpha of today is already a throw away.....send it in for most internal repairs and they trash it and send you a new one.....this was not the way with the true alphas of 40 or more years ago.....they were all easily disassembled and repaired by knowledgeable technicians........

Exactly! The alpha's are getting just like the Tract's and Maven's in that respect. The advantages of paying more for an alpha are getting smaller and smaller.

 

[NDhunter]

the trouble is the alpha of today is already a throw away.....send it in for most internal repairs and they trash it and send you a new one.....this was not the way with the true alphas of 40 or more years ago.....they were all easily disassembled and repaired by knowledgeable technicians........

Nut:

I disagree with your assumptions, you are sadly mistaken, and it is not
good for you to post false information.

If you have examples of your personal experience, post it..........

Jerry

 

[Palantas]

Watches are entirely different than binoculars.

Why?