Paultricounty
Well-known member
Maybe he has a job or a career. 🤣✌🏼Did you win the lottery?
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EDG 7/8/10 x42 still in production? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ukorim
- Start date
Brock
EDIT...
If the compressed image caused by field flatteners doesn't bother you in the 7x42, it probably wouldn't in the 8x42 EDG, but if you have the 7x42, the 8x42 would be redundant since the view is nearly the same, though the apparent field of view in the 8x42 is wider, even more open than the simple formula would indicate due to the degree of pincushion.
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Bentley,
I'm no expert but Here's hoping you can get a good view from the 7x42 with a bit more adjustment or a better copy so you can compare directly for yourself. FWIW, in my experience the 7x42 EDG II has a very calm, relaxing, stress free image. I have not tried the 8x42 or 10x42 but love the combination of EDG 7x42 and 10x32.
I agree with Brock the AFOV of the 7x42 EDG is lower than either the HD+ or Zeiss FL but that's not a bother for me in view of its overall performance. Especially, the synergistic combination of the EDG focus function with the 7x DOF has been a revelation for me.
Mike
Conndomat
United States of Europe
Actually, it makes more sense that way!
Focus left sharply (punctiform), blur the right one as much as possible with the diopter compensation so that a small disc is created.
The binoculars about 15-20 cm. keep away from the eyes, then slowly move towards the eyes, the sharp star (left) should now be centered in the small disk (right).
The problem with the method, some people suffer and have a slight strabismus without it being noticeable, then the method doesn't work.
Andreas
Brock - thanks for all these suggestions and info. I agree about the massive size and weight of the 56mm and limited added value of the 8x56 during the day. I like smaller ones to carry around looking for birds, I'm actually starting to think the 35mm E's may be my primary birders this season, the 19-21 ounce weight is appreciated. I do club trips which are walking for 3 hours and the 42's are too much weight to carry on the neck the whole time.
I've enjoyed many big binos at night over the years for astronomy, up to 80mm's. My current big pair are 10x56 and when I do get them on birds the extra aperture is amazing. But I'm not a grave digger, I've got tons of orthopedic issues from years of sports abuse, my joints can't cope with heavy loads for long.
I'm becoming a huge fan of the 35mm E's. Someone has just graciously passed on their mint 7x35 E-C's to me which is super exciting! They're awesome, although I will be keeping my 7x35 E's because the 80's ones were 2 ounces lighter which I like. I'm happy with a low-50's AFOV so they seem near perfect to me. I think my "stereo" feeling with the 12x40's was actually caused by them being way out of collimation, they're off being serviced now. The 7x35 EC's focuser is very stiff, I may have to shell out money for them to be re-greased as well.
That's too bad about about James' 7x42 EDG, if they feel like something is wrong, it probably is. They should be more comfortable than the 8x and 10x, not less, I would try another pair if possible. Miscollimation is hard to discern during daytime, I agree with using a bright star at night to test them. And bring another pair of collimated binos to compare. You can quickly see the star image isn't merging if collimation is off.
Bright stars are the best way to get the diopter setting right for me too, I'm never sure it's quite right until I test on a bright star, closing one eye at a time. If it's off, it causes all sorts of problems. Usually I'm right in the middle on zero, but I needed one tick to the left on one of the old E's. Unti I corrected it, it seemed like they had poor edge definition.
brocknroller
porromaniac
Sorry to hear the 7x EDG arrived out of collimation. Not as common with roofs as porros. If bought new, I wonder how it got past Nikon's QC?
If you are still looking for a high quality 7x42, the Leica 7x42 UV HD gives similar color rendition and image "sparkle" as the EDG, but with better depth perception.
Brock
brocknroller
porromaniac
He's already got the 7x42UVHD so hopefully we'll be getting his impressions on the comparison soon. I'd suspect any alignment issue is from the shipping guys playing soccer (football) with the box, not from the factory. But who knows.
I think for most people a wide-angle 8x will suffice and 7x is not needed, but it's fun to have. For me the viewing comfort is nice because my 8x is the SF, which are difficult with eye placement.
Yesterday my dogs and I were treated to an amazing display on Deer Island as two young bald eagles jousted and played right over our heads. They were locking talons and doing full 360's together in mid-air. I was so close I could hear the talons clicking together and the little grunting noises they made. I had the 8x42 SF's with me, I must say the EDG 7x42 are vastly better at tracking raptors in the air. The SF's black-out and kidney bean with the slightest movement of your eye off center, which is inevitable looking upwards at a moving target. I love their sharpness and the ergonomic grip on them, but the eye placement is a big handicap.
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brocknroller
porromaniac
You should write to Zeiss about the eye placement problem with the SF. Or better yet, start a website like Better View Desired, and maybe Zeiss will hire you to keep your mouth shut.
Yes, while watching raptors it's best to have a wide field of view and forgiving eye placement,so you can move the bins without image blackouts.
Amazing that you got to watch two Blad Eagles locking talons and tumbling in the air. I've only seen that in nature programs on TV. I have seen tame Bald Eagles and a Golden Eagle at the Shaver's Creek Enviornmental Center Raptor Center, but I've only seen Bald Eagles twice in the wild, once close up as I hid behind a nearby shed when the female came down to grab a fish the attendant left out for her at a local fishery. She and her mate had a huge nest in a tree up on the hill, which I also observed.
Bald Eagles were a rare in Pennsylvania, but many have migrated East and now they are more plentiful, thanks to conservation measures and stiff penalties for hunting them.
I wonder if what you saw was a courtship ritual or territorial fighting? There's an interesting case where the two eagles talons couldn't unlock and they went right down to the ground. They weren't harmed but humans had to unlock their talons!
Did you read Tobias' 3-way shootout among the 7x42 EDG, 7x42 UV HD and 7x42 FL?
Having had the 8x42 EDG II, I know exactly what Tobias meant about the "2-D view" through the 7x42 EDG II.
Having used porros exclusively growing up before p-coatings and dieletric coatings made roofs the more popular choice, I like as much 3-D representation as possible in binoculars (including roofs) to preserve the look of the natural environment.
I was out earlier with my Fujinon 6x30 FMTR-SX, which gives the best 3-D represenation of any pair of binoculars I've tried. It's also very sharp, and the EBC coatings, while a step behind Nikon's latest on my referene standard 100th Anniversary Edition 8x30 E2, were not far off.
Despite being 6x vs 8x, the Fuji didn't seem to give up much detail compared to the E2, and the FOV is close (8.5* vs. 8.8*). If the Fuji had center focus instead of IF EPs, and a better close focus, it would be my main birding bin.
Brock
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So, chaps, having very briefly compared the 7x side by side with the 8x yesterday morning, I've pulled the plug on the 7x and I'm simply returning them for a refund. I actually preferred the characteristics of the 8x by some margin, they felt more in sync with their optics and focus movement. The 7x just didn't hit me between the eyes in the same way the 7x42 UVHD+ did when I first looked through them. Even now they make me giggle sometimes, they are THAT much fun to use. So, with much thanks for your advice and encouragement (and anticipation of a comparison), I'm sorry to say I just couldn't see myself using them sufficiently to justify ownership.
James
James
Maybe, I was shocked at the lack of cushioning around the box when it arrived. Probably the most poorly packed binoculars I've ever received via post/courier. The box was wrapped in a length of relatively thin corrugated cardboard and stuffed into a simple plastic mail bag. I've used the retailer several times before and their packaging has always been fine, but this was borderline outrageously inadequate. The only packaging poorer than this was for a pair of used Leica’s I bought on that auction site. The guy had rummaged through his dustbin and stuffed any old bits of cardboard from food packaging that he could find, around the binoculars. There was yoghurt packaging, beef grillsteak packaging, baked beans packaging, tinned beer packaging, laundry powder box, fruit juice carton, etc., and all with a coating of little bits of food residue. I could actually smell 'dustbin' as I opened them. Anyway, despite being advertised as being 'like new', which cosmetically they were, the focus movement was knackered and the diopter adjuster +2 diopters out. Back they went, using all of the waste the seller had sent me from his dustbins, to which I added a choice selection of rubbish from my own dustbin, for his delectation. 😇
James - that's terrible about the packaging, one of the bino-repair guys told me boxes must be packed to withstand a fall from waist height to the ground. That's standard operating procedure for the sorting machines and conveyor belts. So if the box isn't packed well, they're probably out of alignment. I've had people empty out their scrap/recycling bins for packaging before too, but not as bad as your dustbin deal
If I was keeping the 7x Leica's I'd probably stick with them and 8x EDG also, it's fun to have the different designs. I'm not giving up my 8x SF's. They work pretty well if I keep the eyecups in the precisely correct spot, which means unscrewing them a turn and marking with tape, I think they had drifted off a bit last time. I did call Zeiss and asked them for higher eyeguards, like they eventually made for Conquest. Maybe I'll try putting the EDG bat-wing eyeguards on top to extend the height.
Brock, I've read Tobias' 3-way contest, it's interesting to read about his preference for 3D depth, I try to look for that, I like it but I'm not feeling it as much as you guys. That's cool you have the 6x30 Fuji, it sounds like a legendary bino. I like the old exit pupil size system. I am realizing the 7x35E's are going to be one of my all-time favorites. I like the larger aperture and exit pupil over the 8x30's, and the 35mm E's only weight 19 ounces. The E-C's have slightly better contrast and sharpness, but the difference is small and 10% more weight. I think I'll use the E's more during the day.
PS, I was wondering the same thing about the eagles, if it was a territorial thing, or a friendly thing, or sibling play. I suspect territorial, I had seen one of them several times in the past week, then the new one showed up, and he/she had a big wing feather missing too. This spot on the river often has multiple eagles during the winter though, I've seen crazy stuff before. My record is seeing 12 at once from the island, during an especially cold winter.
Viewing opportunities are probably better in PA these days, they are moving in from the coasts. I was shocked to see one in my hometown in CT at Christmas, on a lake, they have only come back to that area in the last few years. 18 miles from the coast. They're my favorite bird by far - my birding is like 50% eagles, 50% everything else. They are like a huge pre-historic creature, like a flying dinosaur. Special thrill every time I see one!
If I was keeping the 7x Leica's I'd probably stick with them and 8x EDG also, it's fun to have the different designs. I'm not giving up my 8x SF's. They work pretty well if I keep the eyecups in the precisely correct spot, which means unscrewing them a turn and marking with tape, I think they had drifted off a bit last time. I did call Zeiss and asked them for higher eyeguards, like they eventually made for Conquest. Maybe I'll try putting the EDG bat-wing eyeguards on top to extend the height.
Brock, I've read Tobias' 3-way contest, it's interesting to read about his preference for 3D depth, I try to look for that, I like it but I'm not feeling it as much as you guys.
That's cool you have the 6x30 Fuji, it sounds like a legendary bino. I like the old exit pupil size system. I am realizing the 7x35E's are going to be one of my all-time favorites. I like the larger aperture and exit pupil over the 8x30's, and the 35mm E's only weight 19 ounces. The E-C's have slightly better contrast and sharpness, but the difference is small and 10% more weight. I think I'll use the E's more during the day.PS, I was wondering the same thing about the eagles, if it was a territorial thing, or a friendly thing, or sibling play. I suspect territorial, I had seen one of them several times in the past week, then the new one showed up, and he/she had a big wing feather missing too. This spot on the river often has multiple eagles during the winter though, I've seen crazy stuff before. My record is seeing 12 at once from the island, during an especially cold winter.
Viewing opportunities are probably better in PA these days, they are moving in from the coasts. I was shocked to see one in my hometown in CT at Christmas, on a lake, they have only come back to that area in the last few years. 18 miles from the coast. They're my favorite bird by far - my birding is like 50% eagles, 50% everything else. They are like a huge pre-historic creature, like a flying dinosaur. Special thrill every time I see one!
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William Lewis
Wishing birdwatching paid the bills.
The import duty from Japan is not insignificant, my e2's were about £50 duty. I'm not sure if it goes up with the value of the purchase but would be surprised if it didn't. The deals Uttings have on the edg's are very good.
Will
brocknroller
porromaniac
Good "war story." Here's mine, which has a twist. Worst packing job I ever got was from a popular eBay seller of old porros, lozack-g, who I bought a Swift 804 FMC 8.5x44 Audubon from. It arrived without a case loose in a box that had three of those large bubbles. Nothing else!
Naturally, it was out of collimation. At first I couldn't merge the images but neural plastiticy being what it is, I eventually was able to cross my eyes and merge the images. The view was magnificent. I compared it to my Nikon 8x42 EDG, and the resolution was at least as good if not a tad better. Kojack is a poor communicator, answering my PMs on eBay with a few words, not an entire sentence, which made it hard to figure out what he was saying. Finally, he agreed to take them back and refund me the cost minus the return shipping.
I bought a second pair of 804 FMC Audubons. It was in collimation. Even though it was FMC, the coatings weren't as neutral as the first pair,, but had a slight green cast like the MC version, which was most noticeable on cloudy days. The first sample was bright and neutral regardless of the light level. The first sample had a higher serial number than the second, so I'm guessing that the first sample had upgraded FM coatings that were on the first 820 Audubons, which I bought as soon as they came out. Great view, great ergos but the eyecups were not "designed for human faces." Horrible. If you have a face like a bulldog, the eyecups might work for you but not if you have deep-set eyes or a high bridge nose. Now I wish I had kept the first sample, sent them to Corey to collimate properly, and I'd still have them. I'd never be able to recoup my cost, but I probably wouldn't sell them.
Maybe we should start a thread titled "The One(s) that Got Away."
Brock
brocknroller
porromaniac
Not everybody appeciates 3-D views like porro lovers. I'd like to buy an APM 6x30 porro if they have them in stock. I'm hoping the 6x30 will provide the "Better View Desired" of the Fuji 6x30 but with center focus and a closer focus. A lot of ask from a low cost Chinese-made porro, I realize, but after reading the reviews about the APM and reading rave reviews of the OB SE, I'm not as sinopticphobic as I was before (though I'm still presbyopic)James - that's terrible about the packaging, one of the bino-repair guys told me boxes must be packed to withstand a fall from waist height to the ground. That's standard operating procedure for the sorting machines and conveyor belts. So if the box isn't packed well, they're probably out of alignment. I've had people empty out their scrap/recycling bins for packaging before too, but not as bad as your dustbin deal
If I was keeping the 7x Leica's I'd probably stick with them and 8x EDG also, it's fun to have the different designs. I'm not giving up my 8x SF's. They work pretty well if I keep the eyecups in the precisely correct spot, which means unscrewing them a turn and marking with tape, I think they had drifted off a bit last time. I did call Zeiss and asked them for higher eyeguards, like they eventually made for Conquest. Maybe I'll try putting the EDG bat-wing eyeguards on top to extend the height.
Brock, I've read Tobias' 3-way contest, it's interesting to read about his preference for 3D depth, I try to look for that, I like it but I'm not feeling it as much as you guys.
PS, I was wondering the same thing about the eagles, if it was a territorial thing, or a friendly thing, or sibling play. I suspect territorial, I had seen one of them several times in the past week, then the new one showed up, and he/she had a big wing feather missing too. This spot on the river often has multiple eagles during the winter though, I've seen crazy stuff before. My record is seeing 12 at once from the island, during an especially cold winter.
Viewing opportunities are probably better in PA these days, they are moving in from the coasts. I was shocked to see one in my hometown in CT at Christmas, on a lake, they have only come back to that area in the last few years. 18 miles from the coast. They're my favorite bird by far - my birding is like 50% eagles, 50% everything else. They are like a huge pre-historic creature, like a flying dinosaur. Special thrill every time I see one!
By E-C did you mean FMC version of the 7x35 E? Or Eric Clapton?
The horned eyecups from the EDG will definitely set your eyes back from the SF's EPs, but you might have to sacrifice some FOV since the side walls are long and thick. I couldn't use them, because the views through the 8x42 EDG became tunnelesque. An alternative solution might be to use Field Optics Research sunshields, which set your eyes back a few mms rather than an inch.
I envy you seeing so many Bald Eagles! I'm sure there are many more here than there were the last time I went looking for them. There were only three nesting pairs n 1983, which was a few yeas before I moved here. Now there are more than 300 nesting pairs now around the state, with the largest concentration around the Susquehanna River, which is northwest of where I live.
The last Bald Eagles I saw nesting and flying in the air were at Bald Eagle State Park, which was close to where I used to live. The park wasn't named after the bird, but for a local Indian Chief, who was named after the bird before Bald Eagles were nearly hunted into extinction. The last time I went up to the state park, the discovery of an eagle's nest in the park was a big deal, and people came from all around to see it. I also saw a juvenile Bald Eagle through a Zeiss Diascope that day. Wasn't an easy ID since I never saw a juvenile before, and its head wasn't white, but in all other aspects, it resembled an eagle, or the Rodan of red-talied hawks.
I did see a giant-sized red-tailed hawk once, I initially thought it was a Bald Eagle flying in the air (or a light aircraft). It was during the second of two years we had the lowest temps recorded her, and the squirrels, which I fed plentiful in the fall, went into semi-hibernation, so hawks were going after small birds. The giantess, who I named Goliatha, came flying down in my wooded backyard, saw me as I was going to feed the birds, and slammed into the hedgerow, and then flew off. I couldn't belileve the huge wing span on it! It appeared to be about 5 ft across. Big Red was huge, with about a 4 ft. wingspan, but Goliatha was longer and wider, and when she was flying around, Big Red, our Woodycrest winter resident, would disappear. Goliatha flew around the area that winter, but I never saw her after that, just Big Red. Pickin's were slim, so I fed Big Red raw poultry that winter and have videos of her coming down to eat her "chickie." She let me come within 20 feet of her. I've got a lot of good photos of her, too.
I saw this smaller hawk across the street a couple days ago eyeing the birds who had been eating at my neighbor's bird feeder. The birds were hiding deep in the large hedges, so she gave up after about 5 minutes and flew away.
Except for this hawk, a female Belted Kingfisher (rufus band), about 30 turkey vultures (which I see circling every day between 4 and 5 p.m. before they perch in the pine trees behind my neighbor's yard for the night), and a few black vultures, about 20 geese and 50 ducks (which stay year round in or near the streams a couple blocks away), I haven't seen any new species here than where I used to live (which was more woodsy, in fact, it was named Woodycrest), just the usual songbird roundup. So, I'm planning some trips to nature trails in the area, when sping is finally sprung, which isn't yet, since we have a winter weather advisory for tonight, but so far, it looks like another dusting.
Brock
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I think he's in Utah, USA, so no fees. When I checked, Kyoie Osaka had a better price than any I could find In Europe. The exchange rates go up and down. It would be nice to not have a language barrier, but Kyoei's manager does communicate well in English.
Yes Brock, 7x35EC Eric Clapton, it's a signature model
Wow, I do not keep up to date on birds around the East Coast, it sounds like bald eagles are settling in everywhere. Pennsylvania's got some nice land and rivers, pictures of the Susquehanna look beautiful. I think the eagles are fair game to turn up anywhere there's a lake or river these days. Maybe your giant red-tail will come back. They seem to appear out of nowhere. I've got a medium-size one that stops by my back yard around lunchtime, to check the yard for rabbits & mice. I need to get better at owls, I think they're out there most nights too.
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William Lewis
Wishing birdwatching paid the bills.
Bit far for the royal mail then. Apologies, I should have checked.
Good read Brock this made me chuckle -
Will
Good read Brock this made me chuckle -
Will
I'm already there, believe me.
They are already one of my favourites, for their qualities, for sure. For me, I would choose them ahead of anything 8x currently offered by Zeiss or Swarovski. Whether I can really say the same for Leica, is more open to question, but in time there's every chance I'll come to the same conclusion as you. For now, I'm in awe of their control of light in difficult conditions, their ease of view and their natural rendition of colour. They present a very calm and controlled image, always. But, is that what I always want? I'm not sure...
Now, if I didn't wear glasses, the world of porros would open up to me, which could potentially turn all my perceptions/conclusions about binoculars I've tried, tested and owned, on their head.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
I recently bought a Kowa Prominar 7x35 from this guy Lozack-g. He has a he has a lot of bins on his store and doesnt give much of a description, then if you ask questions he has short gruff answers, kind of like Dennis 🤪. It was packed good but the short description didn’t match the binoculars, it was very dirty (take note Brock) and it was out of collimation. I considered returning it, but overall it was a good piece so I sent it out for service and it’s already on its the way back, so we’ll see how it performs.
Brock , Swift doesn’t seem to have the best consistency with with coating labeling. On the Audubons 804R models I have found that there they might have labeled something FM or FMC but they are re the same coatings. It appears the body labeling and specific optics coating don’t always align. I have two FMC version that have two different coating colors as well as the same on two FM versions. Bill Cook or Elkcub know a lot more about this than me. Here are two of the same Audubon 804R/HR5 MC models, see the completely different coatings. Each renders a different image feel.
