Hi All,
Not really a birder but my dad needs a new pair of Bino's for general use and he will be travelling to the US next month and will bring back a pair and I have come to the conclusion that these are the 2 best models without going close to $1K or more Bino's. I keep reading that the SP's are excellent and the Vipers are new and also excellent and according to one blogger I read (who might not be completely unbiased as they seem to work for Vortex) the Vipers are brighter and have slighly more field of view and a flatter field curvature (luckily being a an amateur photographer (who uses a Pentax K10 by the way ) I know all about these technical terms such as CA, field curvature, etc). The Pentax I believe has the edge in sharpness, resolution and contrast however and I know that Pentax glass is good as I have excellent lenses for my camera.
My question is: is field curvature so important with a Bino wont you almost always center your subject with a bino (unlike taking a photograph) and is the difference notiecable and also just how much brighter are the Viper's if at all?
Generally which are considered superior optically? They both seem excellent and the SP's have a great reputation so its a tough choice. Any input appreciated.
Not really a birder but my dad needs a new pair of Bino's for general use and he will be travelling to the US next month and will bring back a pair and I have come to the conclusion that these are the 2 best models without going close to $1K or more Bino's. I keep reading that the SP's are excellent and the Vipers are new and also excellent and according to one blogger I read (who might not be completely unbiased as they seem to work for Vortex) the Vipers are brighter and have slighly more field of view and a flatter field curvature (luckily being a an amateur photographer (who uses a Pentax K10 by the way ) I know all about these technical terms such as CA, field curvature, etc). The Pentax I believe has the edge in sharpness, resolution and contrast however and I know that Pentax glass is good as I have excellent lenses for my camera.
My question is: is field curvature so important with a Bino wont you almost always center your subject with a bino (unlike taking a photograph) and is the difference notiecable and also just how much brighter are the Viper's if at all?
Generally which are considered superior optically? They both seem excellent and the SP's have a great reputation so its a tough choice. Any input appreciated.
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