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Message: <blockquote data-quote="OwenM" data-source="post: 1287062" data-attributes="member: 63408">Got the 8x32 DCF ED yesterday, but have not had much time with them. Conditions have been ideal for viewing today, which is actually not a good thing for bringing out the differences. My initial impressions are:-they handle a little differently, in spite of being almost identical. The weight feels a bit more centered. I believe they actually have a bit more eye relief, too, as I don't press them into my eyes quite as much as the SPs for comfortable viewing.-they do have better contrast between colors, and colors are "deeper" or more saturated.-they do suppress glare better in some ways(more on that later, after I've tried a few things). The best way I can describe this is that with say, foliage in bright sunlight, the SP looks like a monitor or tv that has had the brightness turned up a little too high, causing the view to look a little washed out in comparison to that of the ED.-CA is suppressed, but not eliminated. It is much less noticeable in the 8x SP than the 12.5x SP. Still, with the 8x SP, a distant ridgeline typically shows a small band of color when viewed off-axis. As if the edges had been gently highlight in greenish yellow or violet depending on the angle, with a small band of color just above the treeline. With the 8x ED there is a barely visible fringe of color just at the treeline. -Finally, there is a bit of difference in focusing. I'm not sure if this is a matter of the focuser's mechanics or the optics. They do seem to snap into focus better than the SP, with which I frequently overcompensate by a hair and nudge the focus back. With the ED it seems more immediately obvious when optimum focus has been reached. Again, this is a small difference, but another one that adds to ease of use, and viewing comfort.The ED does give a more relaxed view with the impression of greater depth. The difference in CA is not enough to matter to me, since I have to try to see it with the SP to begin with. Perhaps related, though, it that resolution does seem better, with things like markings on birds, discolored spots on leaves, and distant mailbox numbers being a bit easier to discern. I guess the real question is whether the ED glass and different coatings are worth the price difference. At this point I can't give an opinion on that(for the price I paid, sure, but at the normal selling price, with a $300-450 premium, I'm decidedly less sure). Once I've used these bins side by side under more varied and challenging conditions, perhaps I'll see a more pronounced difference....or perhaps not. Remains to be seen.I'll probably start a thread dedicated to this comparison in the general binoculars forum after I've had a little more time with them.</blockquote>

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