Hello,
I'm looking at some small 8x30-style binocular, a good one optically speaking., Even if they are a bit old.
I have two in mind:
- Nikon 8x30 EII and Nikon 8x32 HG-L
Two Nikons, yes, old, yes ... but are they still worth a look?
I don't wear glasses when observing, and I don't like being black out or kidney bean ...
I would be delighted to hear your opinion
Thank you.
Pluton.
Hello Pluton,
I was happy that New Horizons was able to take photos of your home world. Looks cold...brrrr...
First, I wanted to clarify that the Nikon 8x30 E2 is not really old (Bob's term "classic" would be a better term) because they are still in production AFAIK , and they were redesigned from the original E, which is old. I own two 8x30 E2s, a 2015 black body and a 2017 grey body 100th Anniversary edition.
While the 8x32 LX's (HG)'s coatings and design were advanced for its time (I owned two, not the "L" in that configuration, but I had a 10x42 LXL), and it would still hold up well except for the amount of CA it shows, but Nikon's latest and greatest coatings would blow it away, particularly the 2017 E2, which has the best coatings I've ever seen. There are no reflections off the objectives, due to the high flat transmission coatings, so it's very bright and the contrast is exceptional like my Nikon EDG, and the coatings also reduce glare.
The field flatteners in the LX work well (better than in its successor, the 8x30 HG, I'm told. I haven't tried the HG only the 8x30 7, which has very fuzzy edges). I did see some astigmatism at the top of the field with both samples I had. Despite this and the more than average chromatic aberration, I'd probably still have them if they had fit my hands better.
The 8x32 LX(L) did not fit my large hands well. The curved housing on top for the strap lugs forced my hands to extend beyond the barrels, making light reflect off my palms and into the binocualrs. There was no place to rest my thumbs. So, I had to hold the LX by pushing from the sides, which gave me cramps in my palms. Somewhere on my computers I have a photo of my hands wrapped around the LX, showing how my index finger overshot the focuser by half a finger. The 8x30 E2 has plenty of real estate to support the binoculars from underneath and around the barrels due to it's open bridge design and enough width such that my index finger falls naturally on the focuser. My friend Steve (mooreorless) has smaller hands, and the LX fit him like a glove.
Even the "L" model is noticeably heavier than the E2. It's also bulkier than the 8x30 HG that replaced it.
As to the focusers, the large focuser on the LX is more comfortable than the tiny wheel on the E2, but it goes from close focus to infinity in half a turn, which is too fast for my taste. It took me a while to master how to keep from overshooting my target. The fast focuser combined with the field flatteners also gave a compressed preception of depth, which I found made it harder to pick our birds from the background. But a lot of birders like fast focusers, so you may actually find this an asset. I prefer the slower focuser of the E2.
If you don't need WP binoculars and look at butterflies, the 8x30 E2 is among the best birding binoculars you can buy. They are no longer sold in the US, so you have to buy them from Japan, and they are more expensive than the used to be plus the $40 to $50 international shipping charge (fortunately, no custom's tax).
If you do want WPing and a good close focus, and you have deep enough pockets to afford an 8x30 HG, it has better ergonomics, better coatings, and ED glass. But if you don't, and CA isn't that bothersome to you, and you find the ergonomics and fast focuer suitable, the LXL/HG-L can still good for birding and can be bought for a decent price on eBay.
