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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CliveP" data-source="post: 1812868" data-attributes="member: 85835">10x42 HDHi Guys and Venusians of courseJust reg'd and wanted to blather on a bit about these Bushnell 10x42 HD which I purchased untried thanks mainly to info provided by the enthusiasts on this forum so thanks to all for that.First I am amazed that in the US these things only cost something like $200. Here I paid £300 and that was the cheapest available.For these prices people now have access to truly wonderful optics which do seem much better value than the Alfa brands (my other recent purchase was the el 8x32 traveller and I like both).Bought the el 1st but then missed not having a 10x (sold my old Opticron DBA) and could not afford to much so got the Bushnell 10x42 and these fill the gap perfectly. Of course in the US you seem to have access to a lot of other great alternatives such as the Zen Ray etc.I had bought a pair of 10x36 Frontier and they were so soft off centre I found them unusable through eye strain although no complaints about the centre 30% but I didn't like the build or size and the tripod screw broke off within about 2 mins of taking them out of the box and the focus wheel was terrible. The HD focus wheel on my pair is pretty awful also. Has slack and is lumpy stiff in several places. Think its rubbing off the rubber housing. I was offered a replacement but I could not be bothered with all the posting and deliveries again and besides they do achieve actual focus very well even down to macro so I decided that I would have it looked at if I ever needed to send them in for anything else and I was wary of changing them for a pair with some other problem.The Bushnell 10x42HD are not as bright as the el nor as easy to use as the 8x but I have to say that when I have taken them out with me (in good light) I have really thouroughly enjoyed using them and therefore I rate them very highly.  They actually remind me a bit of some Zeiss 8x32 that I used to own as regards the ED lens effect -which I missed after I sold the Zeiss- of course not just as bright but nonetheless very clear such that in certain light you get that feeling of no glass between your eye and what you are viewing which is really great.For middle to long distance they are great with hardly any focusing needed. The colour is very saturated and muddier compared to the el (the el can seem paler)but it certainly is not bad. I think if the HD were brighter at the expense of a little saturation then they would be pretty much absolutley perfect.As far as value is concerned I think the HD beat the el quite easily and I only paid 3+ times the price for my el over the HD.I am very happy with both my new binoculars and I think they complement each other very well. I guess I am surprised that the HD even approaches the enjoyment of the el but it is my opinion that they indeed do although I wouldn't get carried away and say that they are better than the el. BTW the el has PF off centre and also softness off centre but its all pretty well controlled and I think they are a classic design which I fully intend to keep indefinitely. The crystal brightness is definitely the high point. I was watching some goldfinches sheltering behind a tree during a sideways snow storm (from the comfort of my bedroom) and I couldn't believe the beautiful clarity. Didn't have the HD then but I'm pretty sure they could not have matched that.I have some older 8x32 Bushnell Legend and they still work perfectly well but I am glad to see binocular tech improving and to have upgraded my bin selection to some of these more recent products.The other thing about the HD which I absolutely love is that they are actually no bigger than the el except for the objectives of course and they are also no heavier such that I don't even notice I am wearing them.I tried the Swarovision 10x42 and I thought they were to large, heavy and not well balanced so I would never consider buying them which is good since I have no spare money but I really do look forward to a Swarovision 10x32 some day.Now that I think might just be the absolute perfect binocular for me.Maybe Bushnell or someone someday will produce something approaching that at a fraction of the price. Judging by these 10x42 HD I really now believe that that could/will actually happen?Time for a nice cup of tea after all this talking. On the downside I hope we aren't destroying the planet to much with producing all these new ED bins. Always a quandry.Keep up the good work folks.I hope this was perhaps useful for people considering some of these bins.</blockquote>

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