I'm trying to understand the tradeoffs between quality glass of 10x and lesser quality of 12x for identifying a dog breed 1.5 miles away in full daylight. I just want to understand the concepts.
Let me give you a real life scenario: On my deck on the hill. 1.6 miles away is a popular beach. I see two people walking and what I think is a dog. Can't tell whether the people are male or female, or what kind of dog it is. This is through a Chinese made Olympus 10x42 EXWP I. I say Chinese made b/c it does not seem to perform anything like the Japan made EXWP I of 13 years ago that got very good reviews. For the sake of argument let's just say my current binos resolve in betwen a Vortex Diamondback and Viper, or maybe even Monarch 5.
Assume tripod use, so shaking isn't an issue.
Also assume it is middle of the day and not a low light situation.
Also assume my target is fully within the center 20% of the FOV.
Let me use what I think is a fair comparison by keeping exit pupil somewhat equivalent:
Vortex Razor 10x42 (Japan made or China made)
vs. Vortex Diamondback 12x50
Or if you prefer:
Nikon Monarch 7 10x42
vs. Nikon Monarch 5 12x50
-or- vs. Monarch 3 12x50
-or- vs. Action EX 16x50
or if you prefer:
Maven B1 10x42
Maven C3 12x50
Will the 10x superior optics have a better chance of telling me what kind of dog is on that beach than the 12x lower quality optics, or 16x even lower quality optics? Or is the glass difference so small that magnification will trump a higher quality glass?
Let me give you a real life scenario: On my deck on the hill. 1.6 miles away is a popular beach. I see two people walking and what I think is a dog. Can't tell whether the people are male or female, or what kind of dog it is. This is through a Chinese made Olympus 10x42 EXWP I. I say Chinese made b/c it does not seem to perform anything like the Japan made EXWP I of 13 years ago that got very good reviews. For the sake of argument let's just say my current binos resolve in betwen a Vortex Diamondback and Viper, or maybe even Monarch 5.
Assume tripod use, so shaking isn't an issue.
Also assume it is middle of the day and not a low light situation.
Also assume my target is fully within the center 20% of the FOV.
Let me use what I think is a fair comparison by keeping exit pupil somewhat equivalent:
Vortex Razor 10x42 (Japan made or China made)
vs. Vortex Diamondback 12x50
Or if you prefer:
Nikon Monarch 7 10x42
vs. Nikon Monarch 5 12x50
-or- vs. Monarch 3 12x50
-or- vs. Action EX 16x50
or if you prefer:
Maven B1 10x42
Maven C3 12x50
Will the 10x superior optics have a better chance of telling me what kind of dog is on that beach than the 12x lower quality optics, or 16x even lower quality optics? Or is the glass difference so small that magnification will trump a higher quality glass?
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