Porros or Roof Prisms -- survey (1 Viewer)

[elkcub]

I'm about 99% No.1, but I do keep a cheapie (7Dayshop.com) pair of roofs in the van.

Mine are also the Swift 8.5 X 44 820ED.

Oh, another 820ED user. Same questions to you.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[John P]

Oh, another 820ED user. Same questions to you.

Thanks,
Ed

Sorry elkcub, can't help with that, I only have the one pair of Swifts, but I do love them and prefer them to all more expensive bins I've looked at.

 

[54rogan43]

a 5 i use Zeiss Dialyt 10x40B Roofs, have done for 15 years First Class.

 

[Joanne.Mead]

It's porro's for me!

Two weeks ago, I attended the Lee Valley Bird Fair. I bought a pair of Opticron roof prisms, but when I used them 'for real', there was horrible colour fringing. They went back.

I went to the Minox stand and tested an equivalent pair - still some colour fringing, but better controlled.

Tried the Minox 10x44 porro prism - perfect. Minimal colour fringing, they sit nicely in the hand, are waterproof to 5m and argon filled. Eye relief suits me perfectly. I would have needed to spend more to get the same optical quality in a roof prism model.

Result; one very happy customer!

Jo

 

[elkcub]

Sorry elkcub, can't help with that, I only have the one pair of Swifts, but I do love them and prefer them to all more expensive bins I've looked at.

It sounds like you made a great choice.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[samuel walker]

I'm a 3 I would like to use the lighter Celestrons 10x42 roofs I bought all year long but late Fall and Winter demand my 10x50 Nikons. My wife got me the Nikons so she should see me with them for part of the year. Image is everything.
Sam

 

[Tero]

I find it hard to summarize the results. Obviously there are all types here, 1-5. There seem to be a number of members that fell in love with just one model, and have stuck with it for some time. Of course, all will think of replacing their bins some day, and hope to match the old model with some very similar new model.

 

[Swissboy]

....I still own a pair of porro Kowa 7x50s that I very rarely use. They date back to my teens which means they must be about 45+ years old. Will have to compare them with my new 8x42 FLs one of these evenings, to see what they are worth for darkish conditions. ....

Well, I did not even have to try a comparison under darkish conditions. Even in plain daylight I had to realize that those old 7x50s are no longer what they used to be. The view is milky due to a kind of coating on the prisms if I judge it correctly. So there goes another porro that has never been water- and dustproof, of course.

Anyone here who'd recommend a good 7x50 porro? Is there something similar to the much praised Nikon 8x32 SE?

 

[Pinewood]

Robert,

I cannot recommend any 7x50 but there are three top of the line choices with different specs:

Fujinon Polaris 7x50 FMT-SX individual focus, varieties with rubber armour, compass, graticle, etc. This is a big binocular, weighs about 1400 gms. An optical tech told be it could be kept in a full bathtub. He also cautioned that the rubber skin version might peel but that does not affect the watertight integrity.
Nikon 7x50 Prostar, which was brought to my attention by another optical tech, but I know nothing about it.
Zeiss 7x50 Individual Focus, a little narrower, one meter less at 1 km., FOV than the Fujinon FMT-SX and like the FMT-SX, it is labelled as waterproof. It weighs 1200 gms.
The Fujinon is known to have a flat field, but it does have a number of disturbing distortions in terrestial use. For astronomy and marine use, where straight lines are rarely seen, this is of no consequence.

At least two of these three are individual focus, which is not very good for bird watching but IF Porros can be made waterproof. You have to try these and others to make your decision.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

 

[orbitaljump]

Im a 2.....virtual 1.

 

[mcdowella]

Sorry I haven't been back to answer questions on the 820ED, and I can't be very helpful now. I haven't been keen on birdwatching long enough to be able to compare it with experience of its predecessors.

 

[John Fleet]

4 for me

 

[ensis]

Anyone here who'd recommend a good 7x50 porro? Is there something similar to the much praised Nikon 8x32 SE?

See:

http://www.holgermerlitz.de/nikon8x32.html

ensis

 

[divingblue]

3

I guess I don't know how to attach a voting type of thread. So you can just answer by number which type you are. You can explain your preferences.

1. I use porros only.
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms
3. I use them equally.
4. I use mainly roof prisms, but sometimes porros.
5. I use only roof prisms.

I personally am currently 4, but close to 3, really.

3.....

 

[Tero]

An interesting point came up in another thread. Many people started out with porros. They are typically 7x or 8x, say 8x40. Many of those are fine, but a few always are sold that are out of collimation. When those users moves up to the next level, it was often roof prisms. They usually are close to collimated. The users then never looked back and examined the porros at the high end, just moved on to even better roof prisms.

The porros I use are good every day bins, and I use them a lot when driving around, looking at birds before I actually park. Mine happen to be OK with glasses. I looked at some Swift Audubons, 8,5x porros, and they were very nice, better than my roof prisms. But since they did not work with my glasses on, I did not buy them.

Porro models in the over $250 category seem to be fewer than roof prisms, so little things like eye cups become a problem for many buyers who admit the optics are great.

 

[elkcub]

An interesting point came up in another thread. Many people started out with porros. They are typically 7x or 8x, say 8x40. Many of those are fine, but a few always are sold that are out of collimation. When those users moves up to the next level, it was often roof prisms. They usually are close to collimated. The users then never looked back and examined the porros at the high end, just moved on to even better roof prisms.

The porros I use are good every day bins, and I use them a lot when driving around, looking at birds before I actually park. Mine happen to be OK with glasses. I looked at some Swift Audubons, 8,5x porros, and they were very nice, better than my roof prisms. But since they did not work with my glasses on, I did not buy them.

Porro models in the over $250 category seem to be fewer than roof prisms, so little things like eye cups become a problem for many buyers who admit the optics are great.

Tero,

I think you're on to something. There are, however, several new waterproof porros with retractable eyecups that work quite well at a modest cost. The Swift 820 for one, and Orion Savannahs for another. I've tried them both and like each in its own way. Swift and Orion also have waterproof roof models that would satisfy many/most discriminating birders.

The future will increasingly be a down hill battle with the big four fighting to justify their ever-increasing costs ... IMO.

http://orion.binoculars.com/products/Orion_Savannah_Porro_8x42_Waterproof_Binoculars_37024.html

Ed

 

[FrankD]

I think you're on to something. There are, however, several new waterproof porros with retractable eyecups that work quite well at a modest cost. The Swift 820 for one, and Orion Savannahs for another. I've tried them both and like each in its own way. Swift and Orion also have waterproof roof models that would satisfy many/most discriminating birders.

Throw the Nikon Action EX and new Leupold Cascade porros into that mix as well. I have tried the former and would really have little problem using them as a full time glass if money was an issue.

 

[Swissboy]

Robert,

I cannot recommend any 7x50 but there are three top of the line choices with different specs:

Fujinon Polaris 7x50 FMT-SX individual focus, varieties with rubber armour, compass, graticle, etc. This is a big binocular, weighs about 1400 gms. An optical tech told be it could be kept in a full bathtub. He also cautioned that the rubber skin version might peel but that does not affect the watertight integrity.
Nikon 7x50 Prostar, which was brought to my attention by another optical tech, but I know nothing about it.
Zeiss 7x50 Individual Focus, a little narrower, one meter less at 1 km., FOV than the Fujinon FMT-SX and like the FMT-SX, it is labelled as waterproof. It weighs 1200 gms.
The Fujinon is known to have a flat field, but it does have a number of disturbing distortions in terrestial use. For astronomy and marine use, where straight lines are rarely seen, this is of no consequence.

At least two of these three are individual focus, which is not very good for bird watching but IF Porros can be made waterproof. You have to try these and others to make your decision.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

7x50 just does not seem to be in fashion anymore these days. I'd definitely need a model with center focus, though.

 

[Pinewood]

7x50 just does not seem to be in fashion anymore these days. I'd definitely need a model with center focus, though.

Robert,
I recently noted that Meopta is making a 7x50 roof prism glass with central focussing.

A PM will follow.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewoo

 

[ksbird/foxranch]

1. I use porros only. for bins over 69mm objectives
2. I use mainly porros, also some roof prisms - bins w/34mm-69mm objectives
3. I use them equally. for bins 25mm-33mm objectives
5. I use only roof prisms. for bins w/24mm or smaller objectives