What binoculars do you think have the most WOW factor! (2 Viewers)

[Star Farmer]

Many people say that the Bushnell Custom 7x26 reverse porro has a big Wow Factor for such a small binocular, and that with its user-friendly format, bright optics and long eye relief it's the only compact that's a serious alternative to a full-size glass.

....What do you all think?

Agree with you and Typo. Quite a gem. That's what I carry in my camera bag.

My only complain is the strap slug position. It's off center so the nocs are in a very slanted position when carried.

My other favorite is the rubber armoured Leitz 8x32BA. It's only 3 oz heavier than the Elite and can also be carried in a coat pocket. It's also good looking. Very good looking.

 

[[email protected]]

Agree with you and Typo. Quite a gem. That's what I carry in my camera bag.

My only complain is the strap slug position. It's off center so the nocs are in a very slanted position when carried.

My other favorite is the rubber armoured Leitz 8x32BA. It's only 3 oz heavier than the Elite and can also be carried in a coat pocket. It's also good looking. Very good looking.

Agree totally on the Leitz 8x32 BA. I have the Leica 8x32 BN's and I like them alot. The older Leitz and Leica's are very nice.

 

[james holdsworth]

The Habicht's are great binoculars optically. How tight was the focus on your 10x40's? I bought some Swarovski 8x30 CL's to replace the Habicht's 8x30 porro I returned to Proudpapa. I think they will be close optically and the focus will be easier to use for birding. I want something in between a compact and a full size 8x32. Weight and size anymore are really important to me. The 17oz. on the CL's sounds good. I enjoy using my 8x20 Trinovids alot anymore. I think I have learned how to deal with a compact. It's so nice not to have to deal with that extra weight.

I thought you already tried a CL in the past, only to return them when they didn't pass your muster?

 

[MPeoples]

What binoculars do you think have the most wow factor? I don't mean which ones you think have the superior optics or which ones work the best for how you bird. I mean which binoculars make you go WOW when you bring them up to your eyes. Simply that. My choices in order from the most WOW to less WOW.

1) Nikon 8x30 EII
2) Nikon 8x32 SE
3) Swarovski 8.5x42 Swarovision
4) Leica Trinovid 8x32 BN
5) Leica Trinovid 8x20 BCA(A lot of WOW for their size!)

I would go with the 8.5x42 & the 12x50 Swarovision, also the Leica 8x50 BN.

 

[[email protected]]

I thought you already tried a CL in the past, only to return them when they didn't pass your muster?

I am liking the lighter and smaller binoculars more lately. The optics on the Swarovski CL's although not quite EL or Swarovision standards due mostly to their smaller FOV are still pretty good and I always did like their size and shape. Never had trouble with the focus on the CL's either so I picked up a new pair for $700.00 on E-bay. They will be a good knockaround and travel binocular. Little lighter and smaller than my Leica 8x32 BN's. I have my SE and EII for serious birding. I really wish I could find a nice small waterproof porro in the 8x28 to 8x30 size that I liked. The Habicht 8x30 is about as close as I have come. There is something about the view through a porro I like. They are just a bright and easy view. Every time I go from a roof to a porro I just go yeah! I am stll going to keep my eye out for a Habicht or some other small porro that isn't so hard to focus.

 

[Torview]

I bought some Swarovski 8x30 CL's to replace the Habicht's 8x30 porro I returned to Proudpapa.

Not up to Swarovski`s usual high standard, IMO.

It`ll be interesting see how long they stay !!

 

[[email protected]]

I would go with the 8.5x42 & the 12x50 Swarovision, also the Leica 8x50 BN.

Your talking definite WOW with those three choices but a little on the heavy side. I bet the big Leica is double WOW.

 

[[email protected]]

Not up to Swarovski`s usual high standard, IMO.

It`ll be interesting see how long they stay !!

For $700.00 they are pretty nice. EL's are going to cost you at least $1300.00 and they are heavier and bigger. We will see how the focus is on these.

 

[MPeoples]

Your talking definite WOW with those three choices but a little on the heavy side. I bet the big Leica is double WOW.

I am into astronomy, so I like bigger bino's.

 

[stephen b]

Many people say that the Bushnell Custom 7x26 reverse porro has a big Wow Factor for such a small binocular, and that with its user-friendly format, bright optics and long eye relief it's the only compact that's a serious alternative to a full-size glass.

Others complain of old-fashioned optics and a small sweet spot, especially at infinity.

I've often considered one as a backup bino, but they don't seem very popular here in Europe.

What do you all think?

Agreed- the B&L/ Bushnell 7x26 Custom Compact is one of the best compacts ever made IMO. I bought my B&L 7x26 CC in 1997 on the recommendation of the local owner of The Wild Bird Center; same fella that steered me towards my 7x30 SLC the year before. This guy knew his binoculars and had quite the selection of all the top brands at fantastic price points as to be a magnet to not only birders, but also hunters because of his prices- and who would bring their wives in to buy backyard birding supplies. Sadly, he sold the store a few years later and it did not survive.

But back to the 7x26 CC- I bought mine just based on John's recommendation of them, well before I knew anything about Steve Ingraham's Better View Desired website and his recommendation and reference standard label of the 7x26 CC:

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/compact-binoculars-bvd.php

But I do agree now with his assessment of the CC being a very good binocular. I have since compared it to other compacts from 2 of the big 3-4 makers of compacts (a Swaro 8x20 and a Leica 8x20) that I bought thinking they must be better than the B&L CC. Well- I ended up not keeping either of them because even though they were lighter and smaller, for me the view was not as relaxed or as pleasing as the 7x26 CC. And that does not even take into account the for me more finicky type handling and eye placement of the two 8x20's when compared to the CC.

Concerning a "Wow" statement,- that is the exact word used many people that have looked through my CC over the years. As in- "Wow, these are really good". And then they usually pull them away from their eyes and then take a look at the binocular as if they are wondering how something that small has that type of view. And these are usually people that have high end full size glass.

The price point of the CC is still very good. I paid I believe $269 for mine back in '97; about what they go for now.

 

[Torview]

For $700.00 they are pretty nice. EL's are going to cost you at least $1300.00 and they are heavier and bigger. We will see how the focus is on these.

There`s nothing wrong with the mechanicals, its just not sharp and contrasty like I expect from Swarovski, to be honest I`v looked through better at half the price.

But thats just my opinion. Best of luck with them.

 

[[email protected]]

There`s nothing wrong with the mechanicals, its just not sharp and contrasty like I expect from Swarovski, to be honest I`v looked through better at half the price.

But thats just my opinion. Best of luck with them.

You always pay a little premium for Swarovski but better is a relative term. It might be better for you but not for me. Kikkert rates them pretty good in fact optically above the Zeiss 8x32 FL and the Habicht 8x30 and I think except for a slightly smaller FOV they are pretty good for a budget Swarovski. Nowhere near the EL or Swarovision but not bad for their size. You can't compare the CL's with the Swarovision's.

http://www.kikkertspesialisten.no/p...0_8x32_binoculars_review_kikkert_test8x30.pdf

 

[[email protected]]

I am into astronomy, so I like bigger bino's.

No doubt. The bigger apertures are what you need for Astronomy. Mounted on a tripod they work quite nice. It's amazing what you can see when you get those big hummers steady on a dark sky. I remember scanning the southern sky in New Zealand at Milford Sound which is a very remote location with some big aperture binoculars and it was just gorgeous.

 

[Star Farmer]

Agree with you and Typo. Quite a gem. That's what I carry in my camera bag.

My only complain is the strap slug position. It's off center so the nocs are in a very slanted position when carried.

My other favorite is the rubber armoured Leitz 8x32BA. It's only 3 oz heavier than the Elite and can also be carried in a coat pocket. It's also good looking. Very good looking.

Just compared these two, indoors with incandescent light. The Elite Custom is sharper, brighter, more contrasty. The Leitz still very good to look at though.

 

[james holdsworth]

Just compared these two, indoors with incandescent light. The Elite Custom is sharper, brighter, more contrasty. The Leitz still very good to look at though.

Epic fail............you didn't do the DVD test.......

 

[brocknroller]

You always pay a little premium for Swarovski but better is a relative term. It might be better for you but not for me. Kikkert rates them pretty good in fact optically above the Zeiss 8x32 FL and the Habicht 8x30 and I think except for a slightly smaller FOV they are pretty good for a budget Swarovski. Nowhere near the EL or Swarovision but not bad for their size. You can't compare the CL's with the Swarovision's.

http://www.kikkertspesialisten.no/p...0_8x32_binoculars_review_kikkert_test8x30.pdf

How quick they forget! The CL Saga Revisted:

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
As I recall, several forum contributors dissed the EL 8x32 when it came out, claiming it had a small sweet spot, wasn't all that sharp, etc. I am sure I remember Leif panning it. Their opinions influenced me, and of course I saw the same problems when I finally got my hands on one. Then one day in 2007 I spent hours in a shop comparing it to other alpha 8x32s. I bought it that day. Obviously we are splitting hairs when we find differences between the SE and the alpha 8x32s, but I wouldn't trade my EL for another 8x30-32.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
All three of these Swarovski's (CL, SLC, EL, SV) probably have the same or similar coatings,glass and optical designs and saying one has better contrast and one has better resolution is BS. They are probably all resolving at the limit of your eyes anyway. The optical engineers at Swarovski are probably laughing at your review knowing they are all the same but yet this guy can see all these differences."

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
I am looking forward to some objective reviews on the CL to see if everybody agrees that they are as poor of a binocular as some reviewers think they are. I think they are getting a bad wrap right from the start and they don't deserve it. Once again I say try them yourself and don't trust all these bad reviews.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
Well the reviews are running about half in favor and half against the new Swarovski CL. One person said they thought the CL was better than the Zeiss FL and then other reviewers thought they were a distant third to the Swarovski EL and SLC. I think I will wait until the objective reviews from Albinos and others come in before I decide to dump the CL's. I haven't been able to pump them very succesfully. If they say there just so-so I will have them on E-bay. I can't stand owning a binocular that get's bad reviews. It's like owning a loser. So watch E-bay carefully you might pick up a CL for cheap. Let's see what should I get for a more compact binocular to complement my SV? It is between the Swarovski 8x32 EL or the Zeiss 8x32 FL. According to Abino's the FL is better especially in CA control but the EL would match my SV with it's green color. What do you think? The EL is dead and the FL is still alive. Hmmm.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
You know me only first tier stuff. No second tier.
I have never lied on Bird Forum. I have told some stretchers but that's it.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
I buy my binoculars on E-bay or Astromart for usually a 40% discount and then when I dump them I sell them for as much as I paid and often times I make a tidy profit. Sometimes $300 to $400 a pair. Albino's or those kind of reviews are more objective than one person's opinion.

Going....going...gone!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-8x30-CL-Companion-Binoculars-Green-58131-/330606454892?pt=Binocular&hash=item4cf9ae286c

And a reprise of the song this flip flop inspired:


The Way We (Almost) Were


Mmm. Mmm.

Memories, in the prism facets of my mind

Low chromatic aberration memories of the way we (almost) were

Scattered hyperboles of my mini-EL didn't work out fine

"Stretches" I kept on repeating about the way we (almost) were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
or have a few bad reviews forced me to rewrite every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again for $849,
tell me would we? Could we?

Memories, may be beautiful and yet,
what's too painful to remember,
we simply choose to forget

So it’s the good reviews I will remember,
whenever I remember
the way we (almost) were.

<B>

 

[[email protected]]

How quick they forget! The CL Saga Revisted:

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
As I recall, several forum contributors dissed the EL 8x32 when it came out, claiming it had a small sweet spot, wasn't all that sharp, etc. I am sure I remember Leif panning it. Their opinions influenced me, and of course I saw the same problems when I finally got my hands on one. Then one day in 2007 I spent hours in a shop comparing it to other alpha 8x32s. I bought it that day. Obviously we are splitting hairs when we find differences between the SE and the alpha 8x32s, but I wouldn't trade my EL for another 8x30-32.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
All three of these Swarovski's (CL, SLC, EL, SV) probably have the same or similar coatings,glass and optical designs and saying one has better contrast and one has better resolution is BS. They are probably all resolving at the limit of your eyes anyway. The optical engineers at Swarovski are probably laughing at your review knowing they are all the same but yet this guy can see all these differences."

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
I am looking forward to some objective reviews on the CL to see if everybody agrees that they are as poor of a binocular as some reviewers think they are. I think they are getting a bad wrap right from the start and they don't deserve it. Once again I say try them yourself and don't trust all these bad reviews.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
Well the reviews are running about half in favor and half against the new Swarovski CL. One person said they thought the CL was better than the Zeiss FL and then other reviewers thought they were a distant third to the Swarovski EL and SLC. I think I will wait until the objective reviews from Albinos and others come in before I decide to dump the CL's. I haven't been able to pump them very succesfully. If they say there just so-so I will have them on E-bay. I can't stand owning a binocular that get's bad reviews. It's like owning a loser. So watch E-bay carefully you might pick up a CL for cheap. Let's see what should I get for a more compact binocular to complement my SV? It is between the Swarovski 8x32 EL or the Zeiss 8x32 FL. According to Abino's the FL is better especially in CA control but the EL would match my SV with it's green color. What do you think? The EL is dead and the FL is still alive. Hmmm.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
You know me only first tier stuff. No second tier.
I have never lied on Bird Forum. I have told some stretchers but that's it.

Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post
I buy my binoculars on E-bay or Astromart for usually a 40% discount and then when I dump them I sell them for as much as I paid and often times I make a tidy profit. Sometimes $300 to $400 a pair. Albino's or those kind of reviews are more objective than one person's opinion.

Going....going...gone!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-8x30-CL-Companion-Binoculars-Green-58131-/330606454892?pt=Binocular&hash=item4cf9ae286c

And a reprise of the song this flip flop inspired:


The Way We (Almost) Were


Mmm. Mmm.

Memories, in the prism facets of my mind

Low chromatic aberration memories of the way we (almost) were

Scattered hyperboles of my mini-EL didn't work out fine

"Stretches" I kept on repeating about the way we (almost) were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
or have a few bad reviews forced me to rewrite every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again for $849,
tell me would we? Could we?

Memories, may be beautiful and yet,
what's too painful to remember,
we simply choose to forget

So it’s the good reviews I will remember,
whenever I remember
the way we (almost) were.

<B>

I didn't say anything that conflicted with the way I feel about the CL's then or now. I did and still think the CL's have excellent resolution and contrast. The big difference between them and their bigger brother EL's is their FOV. I have changed a little in that I will except a slight compromise in optics for a smaller size and more compact binocular. The CL's are no EL or Swarovision optically nor is the Leica 8x20 Trinovid but I still like them because they are easy to carry and handle. They give you 95% of the view for alot less weight and size which I am appreciating more and more lately. I used to hate compacts but I am starting to grab them more and more. Impressive research though Brock right down to the sale of my CL's. I didn't know Ebay kept those records that long. HaHa!

 

[stephen b]

I thought you already tried a CL in the past, only to return them when they didn't pass your muster?

This guy seems like the embodiment of one of my Brother in laws, Father's favorite sayings- "That guy is like a fart in a frying pan".

Even though I have known for years what it basically means in context, I decided to Google it; and this is what I found:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=like a fart in a frying pan

Yep,- that about fits him and his "As Dennis's Bino World Turns"- saga's, sequels etc.

 

[Brigadier]

Typo, Dennis, Star Farmer, stephen b - thanks for your feedback about the Bushnell Custom 7x26. Aside from Dennis's concerns about eye relief, you're all clearly impressed with the little reverse porro.

Star Farmer, were you comparing the Custom with the old (non phase coated) Leitz 8x32 B or the newer (phase coated) Leica 8x32 BA?

I'd be interested to know how the Custom 7x26 compares to a modern, quality 8x30 roof, like the Swaro CL.

 

[Star Farmer]

The Leitz BA is ancient, non phase coated. It might need a little cleaning too.

The little Elite is a gem but no match for the 8x32 FL.


Followup:
Right barrel of Leitz is dusted inside. Test not valid. Epic fail indeed.