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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ronh" data-source="post: 3333808" data-attributes="member: 55514">Tobias,Thank you for the effort, fun though it must have been.  This is exactly the way I would compare my 8x 42 and 30mm binoculars, optically.  My 42 is a Zeiss FL, closely comparable, I reckon, to the latest thang from Leica.  My 30 however is the dramatically different Fujinon FMTR-SX (whose humongous prisms pretty much take field illumination out, although nobody has mentioned it, as a possible suspect in the mysterious perceived brightness effect). Of course I can't certify the transmissions of these two of mine.  Advertising aside, the Zeiss may simply be more transmissive.  Your comparison, however, is about as good an "all other things being equal" between 32 an 42 as possible. I have tested my 42 FL boosted by 7x, and know it to have a little astigmatism in one barrel, which although only limiting the resolution to the very good low 3-arcsec range, is apparently noticeable.  I have not tested the Fujinon, but would guess that it doesn't have such an error, cripes, you ought to see this thing.  So I'd guess that your, as well as my, sharpness difference may just be a tolerance/defect thing. But although less than perfect optical adjustment doesn't stop Zeiss, it is NOT what Leica is known for...Individual unit adjustment tolerance/defects can make or break sharpness, but the brightness thing is puzzling. Could there be something here that even we don't understand?  Tolerance/defects in coatings?  I hope that along with his transmission measurements, Gis will give his subjective impressions of brightness.Ron</blockquote>

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