Frontier ED-X 10x42 Glare? (1 Viewer)

[has530]

I briefly owned the 8x32 frontier ed-x and it had terrible problems with glare. I loved the view (in very specific circumstances where I was able to suppress the glare) and the focus wheel was precise, light, and buttery. I now am looking for a 10x42 I can get along with (so far the vanguard endeavor ED ii and tract toric have been eliminated) and am looking at giving the frontier ed-x another try. Has anyone used the 10x42 (and 8x32) and can comment on the glare suppression? I could also go up to the APO but do not really care about field flatteners so it may not be worth it for me.

 

[Ivydwg]

Hi. I've got the 10x42 ED-X and I am afraid I find that the glare control is very poor.

Apart from that, excellent binocular.

 

[has530]

Hi. I've got the 10x42 ED-X and I am afraid I find that the glare control is very poor.

Apart from that, excellent binocular.

Thank you for your reply. That is what I was afraid of. I loved everything about the 8x32 except I could not live with the semi-permanent half washed out FOV. Looking down the barrels I could see minimal baffling, few apertures, and an unblackened prism housing. Doesn't make sense to spend so much money on excellent optics and put such little effort into stray light control.

 

[Ivydwg]

Thank you for your reply. That is what I was afraid of. I loved everything about the 8x32 except I could not live with the semi-permanent half washed out FOV. Looking down the barrels I could see minimal baffling, few apertures, and an unblackened prism housing. Doesn't make sense to spend so much money on excellent optics and put such little effort into stray light control.

I know, it's a pity. I mainly find glare an issue in the Hawke's nearer dusk and/or high contrast light conditions, particularly in the winter. Unfortunately the image is poor as you suggest.

I don't know whether other users have an issue, guess it depends on what time of day you prefer to go birding.

 

[cytherian]

Anyone else here with Hawke Frontier ED-X binoculars (8x32, 8x42, 10x42) and experiencing bothersome glare under bright light conditions? If so, what's the nature of the glare and about what angle from the sun?

 

[Ivydwg]

My ED-X 10x42 are my car bins now. Interesting enough, I had them out near to dusk at a local nature reserve yesterday. It was fully overcast. But still that frustrating milky wash mostly occurring as half a halo in the lower/middle part of the image.

From memory it is not simply bright light conditions that cause this glare in my bins, but more so the conditions being contrasty such near dusk or a stormy summers day. Also in the winter when the sun is low on the horizon.

There are some very knowledgeable people on here who would be able to say why this happens, fairly sure I have also read threads on it in the past. Due to insufficient baffling/blackening in the bins but unsure of the specific environmental conditions.

 

[Canip]

Anyone else here with Hawke Frontier ED-X binoculars (8x32, 8x42, 10x42) and experiencing bothersome glare under bright light conditions? If so, what's the nature of the glare and about what angle from the sun?

I find glare quite well suppressed in my ED X 8x42; so no complaints from my side. I have never seen the "milky wash" lvydwg is writing about.
Canip

 

[lilcrazy2]

Anyone else here with Hawke Frontier ED-X binoculars (8x32, 8x42, 10x42) and experiencing bothersome glare under bright light conditions? If so, what's the nature of the glare and about what angle from the sun?

I have the Frontier ED-X in 10x32 and like Canip, I find glare very well suppressed. Perhaps a slight change in IPD setting and/or eye cup height might alleviate some of the problem. Who knows. we are all different.

 

[cytherian]

I find glare quite well suppressed in my ED X 8x42; so no complaints from my side. I have never seen the "milky wash" lvydwg is writing about.
Canip

Given the tremendous differences in reports about the ED-X handling glare, I have to wonder... if it's a hit-or-miss case due to manufacturing differences. I mean, to experience a milky veiled glare in cloudy conditions? That wouldn't be acceptable for me and I'd want to return them. My entry-level Travelite Nikons don't have this problem, neither do my Made-in-Japan era Simmons binos.

 

[Ivydwg]

Given the tremendous differences in reports about the ED-X handling glare, I have to wonder... if it's a hit-or-miss case due to manufacturing differences. I mean, to experience a milky veiled glare in cloudy conditions? That wouldn't be acceptable for me and I'd want to return them. My entry-level Travelite Nikons don't have this problem, neither do my Made-in-Japan era Simmons binos.

Given the tremendous differences in reports about the ED-X handling glare, I have to wonder... if it's a hit-or-miss case due to manufacturing differences. I mean, to experience a milky veiled glare in cloudy conditions? That wouldn't be acceptable for me and I'd want to return them. My entry-level Travelite Nikons don't have this problem, neither do my Made-in-Japan era Simmons binos.

My ED-X can be pretty much unusable in very contrasty conditions particularly in the winter, due to the glare. But to be clear I only generally find this to be an issue at dusk or dawn, not so much during the day.

There has been a few ED-X owners on this forum who have had similar issues.

I ended up buying a pair of FLs - in comparison I found occasional glare at dusk or dawn but it was so slight it was hardly noticeable.

I still think the ED-X are a great binocular for the price, I still use them fairly regularly for certain applications.