ED x non-ED - color saturation. (1 Viewer)

[Anderlfs]

Hi all! It seems to me that the best recommendations for birding from a compact ROOF are with ED lenses. Reading some subjective reviews, It seems that these ED lenses provide more saturated colors and it makes sense to recommend them for birding, as they should provide better evaluation of small details in the species. Am I right?

I ask this because I'm looking for a cheaper mid-size 8x32 binocular to put in my backpack and use not only for birding, but hiking, architecture and whatever is in front of me. I selected 3 models that meet personal needs, such as eye relief and lower chromatic aberration:

GPO Passion ED 8x32 - The most expensive, heavier at 520 grams - eye relief 16mm - appears to have more precise and durable construction. I've encountered a couple of complaints about the Trailseeker's (ED verison) material disintegrating over time, so I'm willing to pay a little more and carry a little more weight to have something durable.
Celestron Trailseeker ED 8x32 - A bit lighter at 499 grams, lower eye relief 15.6mm, found only one complaint about purple fringing due to higher color saturation.
Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 - Cheaper & lighter at 453 grams, which is good - same eye relief 15.6mm, but It seems to be sufficient. Many comments about negligible chromatic aberration despite not being ED. It seems to have less saturation than the others. Can this be translated into more natural colors and therefore might be better for viewing architecture?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tenex]

Welcome to Birdforum. ED objectives primarily correct longitudinal chromatic aberration, resulting in a sharper image esp. at higher magnification. The "CA" usually seen and complained of is lateral, mostly due to eyepiece design, and has nothing to do with "saturation". Lens coatings are more responsible for contrast and color, often a trade-off with low light performance.

The GPO has some admirers here, Celestrons do not. Opticron (e.g. Verano) is a lower-priced brand more often recommended. Or Nikon M7.

 

[Binocollector]

I don't like "saturated" colors, I like natural colors. Best would be, if a bino shows the same colors I see with my eyes. In that aspect, the Fuji HC 8x42 is the best bino I looked through so far. But the GPO has many fans on this forum. I never looked through one, so I cannot say.
The only more expensive Celestron I looked through was the "Regal", which was not bad. But somehow it didn't really 'click' for me.

Regal ED 8x42 Roof Prism Binoculars | Celestron

www.celestron.com

I also own the porro 8x32 Celestron "Ultima" (not to be confused with the vintage "Ultima"-models) which is technically the same bino as the Opticron Adventurer T WP. Those are also quite good for the price. The Ultima in 8x32 did cost 60€ on Amazon and for that type of money, I really can't complain. It is definitely better than a Nikon Action EX when it comes to the optics, maybe not as bullet-proof when it comes to the armor.

 

[Anderlfs]

hmm.. I didn’t realize It could be the coating. That’s because I saw in a bin description: “The chemical makeup of its ED glass compresses the distance between each colour plane of focus, which results in higher colour saturation..” Thank you for the suggestions too, I considered some of them but discarded for my needs due to eye relief (M7), size/weight (Fujinon HC & Porro prisms)

 

[Antonello66]

Hi, I sold the Leica Trinovid HD 8x42 because of the chromatic aberrations it had. Now I have an Oberwerk Sport ED 8x42, wide field and almost no aberrations. Natural colors, great binoculars.

 

[tenex]

hmm.. I didn’t realize It could be the coating. That’s because I saw in a bin description: “The chemical makeup of its ED glass compresses the distance between each colour plane of focus, which results in higher colour saturation..”

ED glass brings the different colors of light closer to the same focus, but I think most people would notice general crispness of the image more than color purity. When you see different color characteristics, that's a function of coatings and the resulting transmission curve, which wavelengths pass better than others. What you think of as "saturation" is usually called contrast; high contrast can be pretty but isn't ideal in twilight, forests... (Also for architecture one would prefer a model with low rectilinear distortion, aka pincushioning -- bending of straight lines near the field edge.)

This forum has many threads on sub-$500 bins etc, which may suggest other possibilities to you. But in the end there's no substitute for trying a few models yourself.

 

[Maljunulo]

ED refers to dispersion, not transmission.

 

[WJC]

Hi, I sold the Leica Trinovid HD 8x42 because of the chromatic aberrations it had. Now I have an Oberwerk Sport ED 8x42, wide field and almost no aberrations. Natural colors, great binoculars.

If you can quantify "almost no aberrations," it would be a good thing. Do you know what Seidel Aberrations are? And how they interact with each other.

 

[Antonello66]

I was referring to chromatic aberration.