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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kevin Purcell" data-source="post: 1303666" data-attributes="member: 68323">Some reasons, IMHO:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Easier to use by novices for locating targets especially moving targets. Related to FOV.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reduced shake in normal handheld use. Very useful for either younger people or older people who are finding even x8 too much of a pain.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reduced shake especially on a moving vehicle or a boat hence the WW1 and WW2 standards being 6x and 7x and this persists in the military (e.g. current US Army M-22 is 7x50 porro and the M-24 is 7x28 roof prism). Everyone who intends to go on a pelagic trip should have a low mag (< 8x) bin. Even birding from ferries can be helped by a x6 or x7.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Larger exit pupil for a more relaxed view. Easier to line up with the eye's entrace pupil. Less fiddly especially when wearing eyeglasses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Larger exit pupil for more light. This is not needed for most people in the USA because twilight is so short but if you are looking for birds in especially at northern latitudes in twilight in winter (e.g Canada and Northern Europe) this can help.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Habitat . This goes with wider FOV but I often find in woodland or similar habitats (including urban and parks/gardens) where you are "close to the action" a bin with less than x8 can be useful.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reduced aberrations. Reducing the magnification often improves the image too by reducing aberrations. The converse is also true compare any bin that comes in x8 and x10 and see the difference ... thing what it would look like in x6.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wider field of view. This used to be more important a decade or more ago. We're seen more bins with wide FOVs at 8x but especially with roofs but 8 degree fields seem to bring more stray light issues.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">More eye relief. Another more historical reason but a lower magnification require a longer focal length eyepiece and you can design those with longer ER.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Historical reasons (e.g. "A 7x35 was good enough for my Dad ...") but they were mostly associated with FOV at the time.</li> </ul>I'd love to see more smaller objective lower magnification bins to keep the size of the object pupil up. This would make smaller, lighter bins that are no so fiddley to line up with the eye (especially if you wear eyeglasses). e.g. 7x28, 6x28, 6x24. They've all been made in the past even the 6x24 was a standard German military glass (from WW1, I believe but used in WW2 too).But a problem with moving to these smaller magnifications is "shopping by numbers". Bigger is better. It's the American Way. So they sell less well because people "know they need the magnification".BTW, I keep seeing Steiner imply that their 8x30 is the M-22 but not according to the people at army.mil (though their temp spec is amusing ... -400F to 1580F ... that's liquid nitrogen fogging the bins <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> ). I see their Steiner 8x30 has the US Army M-22 reticle and is in service with Special Forces sniper/observers but not the general Army. They also make a 6x30.<a href="http://peosoldier.army.mil/factsheets/SW_CSW_M25.pdf" target="_blank">http://peosoldier.army.mil/factsheets/SW_CSW_M25.pdf</a><a href="http://www.steiner-binoculars.com/binoculars/law/481.html" target="_blank">http://www.steiner-binoculars.com/binoculars/law/481.html</a></blockquote>

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