Death Of The Alpha? (1 Viewer)

[Pinewood]

I won't tolerate a single bad word about Brussels Sprouts. They are among the Alphas of green vegetables, along with Asparagus and Rocket Leaves. Oddly, in my youth I hated them, which shows I've flipped and flopped on my Greens too.

Hello Sancho,

In this part of the [former] colonies, rocket is usually called by its Italian name, "Arugla." Folks on this side of the pond also have trouble with aubergines and corgettes, which are called, respectively, eggplants and zucchini.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

[Torview]

Quit putting words in my mouth. I own alphas, I own a Tract. I never said the view was the same, I said you couldn't see things through one that you could not see equally as well with the other. I never claimed the images identical.

|8.|

I'll turn it around as well. The Toric handles stray light and glare in a far superior manner than the 8x32 SV does. No contest, and it is probably the best I have ever seen at any price in doing so.

Pretty much any bin shows less glare than the 32mm SV.

 

[Hermann]

Pretty much any bin shows less glare than the 32mm SV.

Did you try the Habicht 8x30 yet?

It's even worse.

Hermann

 

[summer-blue]

Wearable display is fast approaching from behind. Within 20 years, they come from barely usable to kind of OK view, thanks to higher resolution camera, better near eye display and faster chips. Sure, now they can't compete with a simple binoculars. But with optics progress slower and slower towards the ceiling (which is 10 times closer to what your eyes see for a 10x binoculars), and digital imaging's much higher ceiling and faster progress, it won't be long before binoculars obsolete functionally.

But Alphas won't die, they'll just put diamonds on it and call it a fashion.

 

[Pileatus]

|8.|

Pretty much any bin shows less glare than the 32mm SV.

I don't know about that. I meet an awful lot of long-time birders happily using the 8X32 SV. My wife loves hers and has zero complaints. Then again, she never reads BF posts so what does she know. :t::t:

 

[Theo98]

I don't know about that. I meet an awful lot of long-time birders happily using the 8X32 SV. My wife loves hers and has zero complaints. Then again, she never reads BF posts so what does she know. :t::t:

Sounds like My Household! :t:

Ted

 

[Iceberg slim]

Fortunately my NVs are still performing, thought they would of decreased in ability by now, along with the other alphas....Cos after all this is the 'Death of Alphas' thread, so i'm awaiting for them to succumb...:-O

 

[[email protected]]

That's it in a nutshell Lee, plain and simple. I will stick with this though, people who think they can see "things" through a Swaro SV (etc......) that they cannot see equally as well with a Meopta Meostar HD, Conquest HD, Toric Hd, Razor HD, Kowa Genesis, etc are kidding themselves.

That is exactly my point. I just don't see enough difference in an alpha to justify their cost. Having the "Best" means nothing to me if it brings no increase in performance.

 

[[email protected]]

JG

I love my SFs and HTs to bits but since I love Conquest HD, Meopta MeoStar and Kowa Genesis too, you may well be right.

However there are a couple of things that help SF and HT to stand clear of these (better value) models: HT's light transmission and SF's field of view. Other folks might equally mention Swaro's flat field or Leica's warmth of view. How much value any one of us puts on these is a personal one.

Lee

The Maven B.2 9x45 with a 93% light transmission with it's big AK prism is within a hair's breath of the HT light transmission. I would bet most people could not tell the difference in brightness if they didn't know what they were looking through.

 

[[email protected]]

rich people will always pay for alphas because they can....and some will buy them because rich people buy them??...so they will always be around...but don't look for any major optical improvements in the foreseeable future.....

There is always stuff just for rich people because it is out of the price range for the normal person. It is nice that the average person can now afford optics that are on par with the alpha's but still within their financial reach.

 

[[email protected]]

Well, I'm not going to pretend to know what "regular" folks think. Going by what I know for an absolute fact is that you will not see things through "alpha" glass that you cannot see equally as well as those mentioned. The reason I mentioned those is because I've had alphas and these side by side, on tripods, in the field for days on end. My SV's have been tested against my Toric's and my buddy's Conquest HD, SLC WB, and Zeiss classic for over 33 days since November 5 this year. That's why I said what I've said, as myself and at least 12 other people who have been present can attest to it.

For probably 90% of the "regular" folks, alphas are a waste of money.

"For probably 90% of the "regular" folks, alphas are a waste of money."

The point of the whole thread in a nutshell.

 

[[email protected]]

My answer is also a big NO. Eventually something interesting has sprouted out of this thread.....

That was GOOD ONE Pesto! I never knew you to be that humorous.:-O

 

[[email protected]]

Till 10 years ago, my answer would have been Heck NO. However, I can now enjoy Garden Fresh BS, seared in a pan of cayenne chile pepper fused olive oil, fresh roasted garlic and iron skillet basted sweet onions in real butter, all lightly covered in freshly grated Romano\Parmesan cheese and shared with a full bodied red wine...Yummy! :king:

Ted

What time is dinner? I will be over. God, you do have good food down in Louisiana.

 

[[email protected]]

I also have a Meopta B1 and SV, I also have tripod mounted them side by side, me, I`d turn it around, I see things in the Meopta I don`t see in the SV, its what I don`t see that makes the SV clearly superior.

Anybody who thinks they are the same, well congrats, you just saved yourself a heap of money.

A Meopta B1 is nowhere near a Tract Toric 8x42 or Maven B.2. I never met a Meopta I liked and I have tried many. The Tract or Maven kills the SV in glare control, lack of RB leading to better panning, smoother focus and comfort. That is why I sold my SV.

 

[Theo98]

What time is dinner? I will be over. God, you do have good food down in Louisiana.

We sure do...dinner at 6pm sharp...You bring the Red Wine (no Mogan David, please)...I'll be serving these "Alpha Veggies"! :-O :t: B

Ted

 

[Alexis Powell]

That's it in a nutshell Lee, plain and simple. I will stick with this though, people who think they can see "things" through a Swaro SV (etc......) that they cannot see equally as well with a Meopta Meostar HD, Conquest HD, Toric Hd, Razor HD, Kowa Genesis, etc are kidding themselves.

That is exactly my point. I just don't see enough difference in an alpha to justify their cost. Having the "Best" means nothing to me if it brings no increase in performance.

Hmm...I'm wondering if maybe y'all are lacking birds and stuff to look at. I tolerate lesser bins when I don't have much to look at. That aside, I'll also point out that raw optical ability in the center of the view is just a starting point for measuring binocular performance. I've been satisfied with that ability of most decent bins since the days of the e.g. Swift 8.5x44 Audubon, Zeiss 7x42 BGATP, Nikon 8x32 SE, and original Swarovski 8.5x42 EL. But I see more birds, butterflies and other things through the latest and greatest (e.g. Swarovski 8.5x42 EL SV) because the latest alphas are closer to perfection as the complete package (ergonomics, sweet spot size, FOV, smooth focus in cold, close focus, hydro/lipophobic coatings), than those older models, or than any of the current non-alphas that I know of.

--AP

 

[Alexis Powell]

A Meopta B1 is nowhere near a Tract Toric 8x42 or Maven B.2. I never met a Meopta I liked and I have tried many. The Tract or Maven kills the SV in glare control, lack of RB leading to better panning, smoother focus and comfort. That is why I sold my SV.

Can't speak to your old 8x32 SV. I think you ought to try a recent production 8.5x42 EL SV.

--AP

 

[jgraider]

Can't speak to your old 8x32 SV. I think you ought to try a recent production 8.5x42 EL SV.

--AP

I did just that, the field pro 8x32 SV. Toric blew it away in the glare control contest. Not even close. Took the Toric to Africa, sent the SV back to Natchez.

 

[[email protected]]

Can't speak to your old 8x32 SV. I think you ought to try a recent production 8.5x42 EL SV.

--AP

I had a 8.5x42 EL SV. I liked the 8x32 SV better. That was a couple of years back but have they REALLY made that many changes?

 

[jgraider]

Hmm...I'm wondering if maybe y'all are lacking birds and stuff to look at. I tolerate lesser bins when I don't have much to look at.

--AP

You're guessing, and wasting your time with that assumption. I've spent 34 days now since November 5th out " in the bush", watching birds, varmints, big game, and misc other stuff. Probably 5 hours per day each of those 34 days. Never a dull moment.