Dear fellow birders,
I am having a hard time deciding which pair of binoculars to get next.
My background: I enjoy occasional, but frequent birdwatching. I seldom go out exclusively for birdwatching (I may do so once a month or so) but whenever I go out for whatever reason (e.g. with the dog, for a short trip with the family) I take my bins with me. That's why I prefer the 8x32 configuration, as it seems to be the best compromise for me between "big enough for a decent viewing experience" and "small enough to actually take them with me". I have a Carson 3D 8x32 (the non-ED version) already and I have been quite satisfied with it for a long time. However, one thing that bothers me more and more is the lack of edge sharpness, especially - weirdly enough - to the inner areas of the two barrels. It starts at around 50 to 60 % already and the drop in resolution is quite dramatic. The last time this almost drove me nuts was when I was panning a bunch of shorebirds during my last vacation and single birds seemed sharp for my left eye and blurred for my right eye. At first I thought I might invest in a pair of 10x42 binoculars for the precious occasions of dedicated bird watching activities but then I realized I will probably be better off with a pair of binoculars that replace my Carsons because I have many more opportunities to enjoy the fruit of my investment.
My budget is 300 € and this is my shortlist (with very similar overall ratings from allbinos and BBR, although not every model has been reviewed by both), along with all the pros and cons that keep me awake:
Vanguard Endeavor ED II 8x32
www.vanguardworld.com
Pros:
Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Pros:
Opticron Explorer WA ED-R 8x32
Pros:
- Checks many boxes (wide FOV, dielectric coating, compact and lightweight, long eye relief, decent accessories)
Cons:
Bresser Pirsch ED 8x34
www.bresser.de
Pros:
I could, of course, order them all in some random order and keep the one that I liked the best, but for sustainability reasons I would like to narrow the list down to maybe two binoculars first.
Can anybody perhaps nudge me into one direction or the other, ideally based on personal experience? Any help, hint or hunch would be much aprreciated.
Greetings
Frank
I am having a hard time deciding which pair of binoculars to get next.
My background: I enjoy occasional, but frequent birdwatching. I seldom go out exclusively for birdwatching (I may do so once a month or so) but whenever I go out for whatever reason (e.g. with the dog, for a short trip with the family) I take my bins with me. That's why I prefer the 8x32 configuration, as it seems to be the best compromise for me between "big enough for a decent viewing experience" and "small enough to actually take them with me". I have a Carson 3D 8x32 (the non-ED version) already and I have been quite satisfied with it for a long time. However, one thing that bothers me more and more is the lack of edge sharpness, especially - weirdly enough - to the inner areas of the two barrels. It starts at around 50 to 60 % already and the drop in resolution is quite dramatic. The last time this almost drove me nuts was when I was panning a bunch of shorebirds during my last vacation and single birds seemed sharp for my left eye and blurred for my right eye. At first I thought I might invest in a pair of 10x42 binoculars for the precious occasions of dedicated bird watching activities but then I realized I will probably be better off with a pair of binoculars that replace my Carsons because I have many more opportunities to enjoy the fruit of my investment.
My budget is 300 € and this is my shortlist (with very similar overall ratings from allbinos and BBR, although not every model has been reviewed by both), along with all the pros and cons that keep me awake:
Vanguard Endeavor ED II 8x32
ENDEAVOR ED II 8X32 Waterproof/Fogproof Binocular with Lifetime Warranty
The 8x32 Endeavor ED II Binocular features Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass and phase-corrected BaK4 roof prisms. Lifetime Warranty and Waterproof Binoculars.
www.vanguardworld.com
- Attractive on a gut level, partly due to the open bridge design, partly because the 10x42 I tested recently felt good and solid
- Good image quality according to most reviews, especially edge sharpness
- build quality (Magnesium housing, metal focus wheel)
- Lack of QA and risk of getting a faulty pair (according to some voices)
- Eyecups are a bit of a pain (from my own experience with the 10x42)
- The 10x42 seemed to be less sharp than my Carson 3D, especially for distant objects
- Transmission only medium (according to allbinos), possibly due to lack of dielectric prism coating
Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Pros:
- Wide, impressive FOV
- Good optical performance in general
- Good QA, constant quality
- Compact and lightweight
- Eye relief of only 15.1 mm might not be enough for me as somebody who has to wear glasses (Astigmatism)
- Picky with eye alignment
- Rubber armour might have slack, might feel sticky and seems to be wearing off comparatively easily/early
- Little attention to accessories (cheap rainguards, short neck strap, strapless velcro bag)
Opticron Explorer WA ED-R 8x32
- Checks many boxes (wide FOV, dielectric coating, compact and lightweight, long eye relief, decent accessories)
Cons:
- Not many reviews available, unsure how it compares to the others
- Near focus "only" 2.5 meters
- Comparatively expensive here in Germany, as it seems, only one official reseller in Germany, so no competition
Bresser Pirsch ED 8x34
Bresser | BRESSER Pirsch ED 8x34 Binoculars Phase Coating | Expand Your Horizon
Expand Your Horizon! Buy ✚Bresser directly from manufacturer! ✓Competence in Optics since 1957! ☎Excellent Service ★Price-Performance Winner ᐅCategory: Rangefinders > Sport Optics > Cameras > Spotting Scopes > Night Vision > Binoculars > High Class
www.bresser.de
- Good optical performance overall
- Elegant design
- Lifetime warranty
- Generic "Made-in-China" look (Bresser Pirsch = Carson RD = Bynolyt Voyager = Praktica Pioneer = Barska Air View?)
- Seems to have some problems with glare (bad QA?)
- Accessories seem impressive at first, but bag does not seems to be very useful (too small to accommodate neck strap, tips over easily)
- Near focus only 3.5 m (although BBR says it is actually 2.15 m)
- Narrowest FOV in the list (122 m at 1000 m)
I could, of course, order them all in some random order and keep the one that I liked the best, but for sustainability reasons I would like to narrow the list down to maybe two binoculars first.
Can anybody perhaps nudge me into one direction or the other, ideally based on personal experience? Any help, hint or hunch would be much aprreciated.
Greetings
Frank
