Progress Report 10x42
Just a brief update on a few points (some that others have raised), as I haven't been able to measure, or test the 10x42's out in bright light yet, or for any length of time.
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Hinge movement: Perfect - tension is just right to adjust, and hold position.
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Diopter: There
is a mark (slightly more prominent indent) at the centre position. Movement is smooth and nicely tensioned. Holds position. I haven't spent a great deal of time fine tuning or adjusting, but the view is nice right out of the box.
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Blackouts: None - not an issue. Please note, I wear glasses, and eyecups are permanently in the all the way down position.
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ER: In the ballpark sufficient (better than 8x43 ED3) - eyes are largely free to roam around the field. The large oculars are inconsequential for me, but for those folk viewing
au naturel (eyeballwise!) the eyecups twist up a total of 8mm. The actual ER is meant to be 19.6mm maximum, but I haven't measured yet to confirm this.
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FOV: nice flat field as far to the edges as I might want. No RB to speak of (there isn't a straight line within 100 miles of here anyway!)
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Focus: Nicely tensioned and smooth - yes, in both directions! No slop initially - now seems to have loosened a bit to negligible levels. Speed is appropriate for a 10x (you tend to do a lot of focusing with a 10x following the changing dof, so this is nice - I certainly wouldn't want it any slower). Direction is CCW to infinity - bummer!
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Sharpness: - initial thoughts are fine (as good as ED3), or better than? - an area I would like to delve into more thoroughly, along with dof, when I get some R&R! (Note: passes DVD cover test! and flames of fire seem faithfully warm in tone....)
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Colour rendition: Very neutral. Undecided whether it is slightly warmer than ED3 yet in the conditions I have briefly viewed, or whether it's just young age-related lower brightness in the 10x. Colour saturation is excellent - better than the ED3, and I don't think you would want any more.
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CA: I don't know if the originally slated APO triplet survived the mid-gestation design overhaul or not?, but there seems a slight improvement so far over the ED3 (widely recognised to have excellent control in the centre sweet spot). I would say I'm quite sensitive to CA, and I eventually started seeing a bit in the ED3. The limited conditions I have viewed the Prime HD do not allow a sufficient basis for a comprehensive opinion yet, but the outlook is good.
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Glare: The long lunch yesterday was longer than first planned! B
Consequently, I only had a couple of hours before sunset to roadtest. A by-product of this was some opportunity to check out some glary situations. Viewing towards the western setting sun (just above the tree tops), the ED3 was not able to get within 45* (starting) ~30* (substantial crescents present) of the sun, when viewing ducks at about 80m. The Prime HD performed very well, getting to 22.5* before any effects became noticeable. The main glare I have noticed so far is with reflections off my glasses when lighting is behind me, which results in match-head sized mini orbs at about the 7:30 position. Putting the HD through further paces is required, but so far it handles glare very well.
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Brightness: Unable to assess properly so far due to being limited by the 4.2mm EP of the 10x, restricting the light my younger eyes are capable of receiving, in the soft afternoon light conditions I've been able to get out in so far. They are not as bright as the 8x43 ED3's in these conditions, and I would like to get them out at midday as spring approaches to check them out then.
Dennis: I'd like to get your take on brightness of the Prime in comparison to the 10x42 SV, FL, and HT, EDG, and Meostar HD. How would you comparitively rank the brightness of each on a 100 scale? Were the conditions you viewed at the time sufficiently bright not to have EP restrictions come into play for your pupils?
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Rubber armouring: A big step up. Very classy. Nice colour, and the texture and firmness of the rubber is spot on for a very secure grip.
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Weight: As I only have the strength of a 3 year old girl in my right arm after coming off second best in a blue with gravity - not my favourite aspect, only being of any real benefit when holding in strong winds.
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Ergonomics: Not a happy marriage for
my large hands - even with thumbs outside the centre under each opposing barrel, my fingers are all at sixes and sevens trying to find some real eatate to securely grip. This inconvenience is further compounded by a smaller focus knob size which makes my preferred two finger push-pull operation quite crowded. All in all, not as natural a grip for me as an open hinge design (haven't tried the high 'H' bar style yet - but it looks more promising than closed bridge), but the balance longitudinally is quite nice, so I may be able to work something out. The strap lugs are in the same position as the ED3, but with the smaller focus knob, would better suit me if moved back toward the eyepiece 1/2 a cm (as far as they can go). This bin is dimensionally smaller than ED3 (save the slightly fatter barrels at the ocular end), and I think would suit those with normal, even smaller hands quite well.
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Quality: More precisely built than the ED3. A note for those that like a 'solid' feel: weight does not= quality! I'd like to check in bright daylight for internal finish (and those pesky dust specs!) - maybe I'll get a chance this w/e, although the weather prediction is not good, so measuring will have to wait a whiles yet.
Chosun :gh: