Sheepwatcher
Well-known member

My primary binoculars over the last 20 years have been Zeiss 10x42s, first FL and now SF, and I've been very happy with them for dedicated birding activities. I recently got a wonderful deal on a pair of EL 8x32s as part of a quest to have a smaller, lighter pair of bins that I can keep with me all the time while I'm out working on the farm. Carrying the 8x32s in a pouch on my hip has been revelatory -- I barely notice they're there, and I've seen many birds I would otherwise have missed (today an indigo bunting and scarlet tanager at eye level in a flowering apple tree in the same binocular field!). I'm really enjoying the little ELs, but I do find myself missing the higher magnification I'm accustomed to. So here's the question: does 10x with a smaller objective work in a satisfying way, and which specific models might be good ones to try out? My concerns are the smaller exit pupil making for fiddly viewing and a lighter binocular being hard to hold steady at 10x. I'm ok if the answer is that physics is against me, but I'd love to hear of small 10x bins that have worked well for folks. My criteria are that the binoculars should be no bigger than the EL 8x32; weight is a little less of a concern than size; and I don't wear glasses while looking through binoculars. These will be used daily for birding and farm work (primarily spying on my sheep), so they won't be treated like objet d'art.
Thanks very much!
Milton
NH, USA
Thanks very much!
Milton
NH, USA