What are your favorite birding binoculars at three different price points? (1 Viewer)

[Dennis Mau]

What are your favorite birding binoculars at three different price points? With all the new binoculars, especially the alphas that have been introduced, I was just curious what everybody is carrying now. The three price points are $500, $1000 and $2000 and over or alphas. Give a first and a second choice at each price point. This will also help me decide what binocular I should try next. I will start it off with my choices.

$500 Price Point
1) Nikon E2 8x30
2) Vortex Viper HD 8x42

$1000 Price Point
1) Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
2) Nikon Monarch HG 8x42

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL 10x32
2) Zeiss SF 8x32

 

[dries1]

"noisy"?
I just have one question, what glass do you currently use, and what glass have you kept for over a year.

 

[edwincjones]

$500 point-two for

Pentax Papillio
Kowa 6.5x32

edj

 

[gr8fuldoug]

$500 Price Point
1) Athlon Cronus G2 10x42 UHD
2) Kowa BD II's
3) GPO Passion ED's

$1000 Price Point
1) Kowa Genesis
2) GPO Passion HD's
3) Zeiss Conquest HD's

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL Pure's
2) Leica Noctivid
3) Zeiss Victory SF's

 

[birdsandstars]

What are your favorite birding binoculars at three different price points? With all the new binoculars, especially the alphas that have been introduced, I was just curious what everybody is carrying now. The three price points are $500, $1000 and $2000 and over or alphas. Give a first and a second choice at each price point. This will also help me decide what binocular I should try next. I will start it off with my choices.

$500 Price Point
1) Nikon E2 8x30
2) Vortex Viper HD 8x42

$1000 Price Point
1) Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
2) Nikon Monarch HG 8x42

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL 10x32
2) Zeiss SF 8x32

for a $250 price point have you tried the apm 6x30? They fit well in my hands and I find them to be surprisingly sharp and bright for both birding and the night sky.

 

[Dennis Mau]

$500 Price Point
1) Athlon Cronus G2 10x42 UHD
2) Kowa BD II's
3) GPO Passion ED's

$1000 Price Point
1) Kowa Genesis
2) GPO Passion HD's
3) Zeiss Conquest HD's

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL Pure's
2) Leica Noctivid
3) Zeiss Victory SF's

Doug. I agree with most of your picks. Nice to have the links. What Kowa BD II did you like the best? GPO is one of the few binoculars I have never tried, but I hear a lot of good things about them. I am going to have to try them. Thanks!

 

[dries1]

Looking for the sales, see if there are any bites.

 

[Dennis Mau]

for a $250 price point have you tried the apm 6x30? They fit well in my hands and I find them to be surprisingly sharp and bright for both birding and the night sky.

I have tried the 8x30 ED at Orion, which I think are similar in design to the APM 6x30. I will have to try the 6x30's. 6x30 can be a nice format, especially in a porro. Have you ever compared them to a Nikon E2 8x30?

Orion Store Site - System Error

www.telescope.com

 

[pat mitchel]

denco;
I apologize for hijacking thread momentarily. What are your opinions on the orion 8x30 ED. They don't have any reviews on the telescopes.com website from buyers. Pat

 

[Dennis Mau]

denco;
I apologize for hijacking thread momentarily. What are your opinions on the orion 8x30 ED. They don't have any reviews on the telescopes.com website from buyers. Pat

I thought they were pretty good for their price point of $200, but I found the FOV a little narrow after becoming accustomed to the huge FOV of the Nikon E2 8x30.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Doug. I agree with most of your picks. Nice to have the links. What Kowa BD II did you like the best? GPO is one of the few binoculars I have never tried, but I hear a lot of good things about them. I am going to have to try them. Thanks!

The Kowa have an insanely wide FOV. Optically they are right there with the GPO but that FOV makes them nicer, to me at least

 

[birdsandstars]

I have tried the 8x30 ED at Orion, which I think are similar in design to the APM 6x30. I will have to try the 6x30's. 6x30 can be a nice format, especially in a porro. Have you ever compared them to a Nikon E2 8x30?

Orion Store Site - System Error

www.telescope.com

no but I did compare them to my 8x32 se which has a similar afov and was surprised at how well they held up.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Looking for the sales, see if there are any bit

no but I did compare them to my 8x32 se which has a similar afov and was surprised at how well they held up.

The APM 6x30 must be very good then if they can hold up to the Nikon 8x32 SE which is one of the best porros around.

 

[mwhogue]

What are your favorite birding binoculars at three different price points? With all the new binoculars, especially the alphas that have been introduced, I was just curious what everybody is carrying now. The three price points are $500, $1000 and $2000 and over or alphas. Give a first and a second choice at each price point. This will also help me decide what binocular I should try next. I will start it off with my choices.

$500 Price Point
1) Nikon E2 8x30
2) Vortex Viper HD 8x42

$1000 Price Point
1) Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
2) Nikon Monarch HG 8x42

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL 10x32
2) Zeiss SF 8x32

I have only briefly tried SF and NV in shops and not yet even looked through an NL. I have never seen a Zeiss Conquest which seems to have achieved cult status at the $1000 price point. With those caveats:

$500
1) Nikon E II 8x30
2) Kowa 6.5x32

$1000
1) Fujinon 10x50
2) Kowa 10.5x44

$2000+
1) Nikon EDG II 7x42
2) SW pre FP 8.5x42

Mike

 

[wdc]

$500 Price Point
1) Athlon Cronus G2 10x42 UHD
2) Kowa BD II's
3) GPO Passion ED's

$1000 Price Point
1) Kowa Genesis
2) GPO Passion HD's
3) Zeiss Conquest HD's

$2000+ Price Point
1) Swarovski NL Pure's
2) Leica Noctivid
3) Zeiss Victory SF's

.... and how is the eye relief for glasses wearers on some of those models? ;-)

Nice selection, and I'd say the $2,000 category works very well, but going down further, I'd say only (from direct experience) that the Conquest HD have sufficient eye relief for the spectacled set, as well as the Kowa BD II 6.5x32. However the 6.5x32 Kowa has a fairly small sweet spot, for such a 'wide' field of view.

At around the 1,000 price point, I'd add the Nikon MHG 8x30, and 8x42 for those that wear glasses. Even the Leica Trinovid HD works quite well, though the FOV is conservative.

Well below 500, I'd throw in the Leupold Yosemite 6x30, the 8x32 Sightron and the Vanguard ED II 8x42 . All of those work with eyeglasses.

my 2 cents.

-Bill

 

[birdsandstars]

The APM 6x30 must be very good then if they can hold up to the Nikon 8x32 SE which is one of the best porros around.

oops sorry to imply they were equivalent only that I was surprised at how well they held up. In terms of glare control and optical brilliance my nikons rule the roost.

 

[Dennis Mau]

oops sorry to imply they were equivalent only that I was surprised at how well they held up. In terms of glare control and optical brilliance my nikons rule the roost.

I understood, but even holding up to the Nikon SE 8x32 is a feat. APM binoculars in general are very good for the price, and I imagine the little 6x30 porros are very good.

 

[Dennis Mau]

I have only briefly tried SF and NV in shops and not yet even looked through an NL. I have never seen a Zeiss Conquest which seems to have achieved cult status at the $1000 price point. With those caveats:

$500
1) Nikon E II 8x30
2) Kowa 6.5x32

$1000
1) Fujinon 10x50
2) Kowa 10.5x44

$2000+
1) Nikon EDG II 7x42
2) SW pre FP 8.5x42

Mike

I agree on your choices, especially the Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50. They are heavy, and they have individual focus, but they have stunning optics for the price. The 3D is hard to beat with the wide objective spacing. Great astro binoculars!

 

[Dennis Mau]

.... and how is the eye relief for glasses wearers on some of those models? ;-)

Nice selection, and I'd say the $2,000 category works very well, but going down further, I'd say only (from direct experience) that the Conquest HD have sufficient eye relief for the spectacled set, as well as the Kowa BD II 6.5x32. However the 6.5x32 Kowa has a fairly small sweet spot, for such a 'wide' field of view.

At around the 1,000 price point, I'd add the Nikon MHG 8x30, and 8x42 for those that wear glasses. Even the Leica Trinovid HD works quite well, though the FOV is conservative.

Well below 500, I'd throw in the Leupold Yosemite 6x30, the 8x32 Sightron and the Vanguard ED II 8x42 . All of those work with eyeglasses.

my 2 cents.

-Bill

I like your three $500 choices. They are all good binoculars for not a lot of money. I really like the Leica Trinovid HD 8x32, but as you say the FOV is a bit small compared to the competition like MHG. Although I liked the Kowa 6.5x32, I agree the sweet spot was a little on the small side for such a big FOV.

 

[A2GG]

Here are my picks based on only the binoculars I've owned over the years.

$500
1) Nikon Premiere SE 8x32
2) Vortex Viper HD 6x32, 8x32

$1000
1) Swarovski CL 8x30 - 1st gen
2) Nikon Monarch HG 8x30

$2000+
1) Leica Ultravid HD Plus 7x42
2) Zeiss FL 8x32