New Binocular Questions (1 Viewer)

[Richard D]

I have never had the pleasure to try a Habicht 8x30 porro and wish I could . I would like to say that I feel that the Nikon E2 8x30 has to be the best bang for your buck . For approximately $600ca ($455us) you can buy a brand new 8x30E2 . The Habicht is approximately $1200ca , twice as much as the E2 .

Interesting - much less of a difference over here £579 (Nikon) £779 (Swaro)

 

[Rufus1401]

I have two pairs of binos. A Soviet 7x50 Zomz and a 16x70 Fujinon FMT SX. Both are fabulous binoculars and I wouldn’t part with either. The difference in magnification is obvious. Just to note, I use the 16x70 by hand as well as tripod without issue.

 

[wdc]

To further muddy the waters I would suggest getting a scope if you're curious about magnification. And with a scope, I'd say that the lower mag powers... 20-35X, I find to be the most useful in practice. 25x compared to 7, 8, or 10 handheld is a significant, useful shift, allowing one to spot and ID critters that are small and far off in many situations. Common mag. limitations are the atmospheric disturbances to be found in the daytime, the darkening of the image once the exit pupil of the eyepiece shrinks below your own (you'll see this with zoom eyepieces), as well as the resolution of the scope itself. And with a scope, comes the issue of the stable support, the tripod. So, there's research to do on your part if you go down that road.

I would also recommend that you explore IS binoculars if you want handheld over 10x magnification. The difference between 8 and 10x is purely aesthetic in my opinion. I prefer 10 when feasible, but 8 is just fine as well.

Enjoy the journey.

-Bill

 

[Maljunulo]

There will always be a bird that is too far away, no matter what optics you are using.

 

[yarrellii]

There will always be a bird that is too far away, no matter what optics you are using.

This is so good. Accurate, short and sweet. This sentence would make a great signature here in BF

 

[wdc]

This is so good. Accurate, short and sweet. This sentence would make a great signature here in BF

Yes! That quote resonates well beyond the forum...