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Porro or Roof ? Your choice. (5 Viewers)

Whatever the arguments about 3D effect and ergonomic it's important to remember that porros typically have fewer optical surfaces over which light can be reflected and lost or (worse still) bounced back to create haze. Porro prisms rely on total internal reflection in their prisms so don't require the passing light at different angles on semi-silvered surfaces that require phase-correction coatings and other such hi-tech wizardry (like some roof designs). For very simple physical reasons they should be brighter. I have a second hand pair of Zeiss Dialyt's and I miss the cheapo porros (Bushnell 8x42 natureviews, less than 100 quid!) I had before them which were optically superior in every regard, massive field of view, pin sharp and mega bright. I don't think this discussion should be about individual models but it goes to show that pound for pound porros are better. The Fujinon 7x50s porros are reputed to have a light transmission of 95%, I think this is the highest of any production binoculars. I would like to see a return to a porro based market and suspect that manufacturers feel they can justify higher prices for more complex designs so most of them don't push the boundaries with the inately superior porro design fo fear of undercutting themselves.
 
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Having said this if you want a decent pair of reasonably priced binoculars porros are the way forward.

Agreed.

Think of it this way - practically every Telescope is porroprism design because light transmission is even more at a premium at high magnification.

It's not so much the light transmission, it's more the problem of making high quality roof prisms that work well with high magnifications. That's much easier with porro prisms. Still, many of the modern top scopes use roof prisms - and they're very good indeed, but at a price.

Fujinon 7x50s porros are reputed to have a staggering 95% light transmission, unfortunately they don't have a central focussing wheel. I have also heard that Nikon SE binoculars are another top spec porro.

The transmission quoted for the Fujinon isn't quite true, it's quite a bit lower. The binocular with the highest transmission is, however, apparently the Habicht 8x30 and the Habicht 7x42 - both porros. Look for Gijs van Ginkel's posts, he published quite a lot of transmission data here.

The Nikon SE is a much-loved binocular on this forum - but it's definitely not waterproof. It's transmission is also apparently a bit lower than that of the best roofs.

Hermann
 
All things being equal, optics, build, weather protection, what would your preference be?
And a brief description why?

Definitely a roof prism. Mainly, because all things are not equal. Even if they were, the sheer ergonomics of the roof would prove to be far more enticing. Roof prisms are easier to seal and nitrogen-purge and are far lighter in weight. Good luck!

All the best,
Mike Freiberg
 
Definitely a roof prism. Mainly, because all things are not equal. Even if they were, the sheer ergonomics of the roof would prove to be far more enticing. Roof prisms are easier to seal and nitrogen-purge and are far lighter in weight. Good luck!

All the best,
Mike Freiberg
I knew I should have thrown my 8X32 SE away long ago.

PS
In case you forgot, the 8X32 SE is an above average Nikon porro.
 
Hey everyone,

As we all know the SE stands out as a spectacular glass. Outside of that, the roof prisms on the Nikon line offer far better optical quality. With Nikon, the best glass is the EDG and SE. The EDG having far superior Depth of Focus and Field of View. Depth of Focus does cause a slight softening of the image given the engineering behind the glass. This makes the SE a touch sharper. However, I believe durability and waterproofness are extremely important. I would go roof for those reasons.

All the best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon Birding Market Specialist
 
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