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What binoculars do you use most (and why...)? (1 Viewer)

So, what am I missing?... Should I pick up a Nikon E11 or a Habicht and see?
Most definitely yes to your last question. That would set it for you. Maybe you like what you see, maybe you don't.

Especially in such a "personal" thread like this, no one would probably be able to provide with an answer for you, but, as you see, for many people they do provide some very valuable features.

In many cases, designs made several decades ago cater for the needs of some, especially in FOV, something most roofs lag behind even today. Take the EII, it was released in the last century, and provides a FOV that puts many +1000 $/€ to shame. Then the handling may or may not be of your liking, the same way a pair of shoes can mean heaven or hell to you, or the same way you can love hate a manual/automatic gear car.

As for pure performance, when you say "(c) the specs are not much to look at either". Well, to begin with, there is a very simple piece of specification where not even a +2000 $ Swarovski EL can come closer: 3D view, plasticity, simple as that. A 100 $ Nikon porro can provide a much more 3D-like/realistic/plastic view than a +2000 $ Leica, by the simple fact of having its objectives spaced further away, thus creating the stereopsis. I think I wrote about it some days ago, I was comparing two top roofs (Zeiss FL 8x32 vs Leica UVHD 8x32), and then I looked through the EII. Yes, both the Zeiss and the Leica were brighter and sharper... but none could mach the humble EII (at less than 1/4 the price) for "vividness", "realism" in close/middle range, like watching warblers on a hedge or canopy, where the branches simply pop and seem to be seen with 3D glasses, thus making the experience something to behold... talking about specs and performance ;)

But, as can be seen in any thread here in BF, binoculars are just so personal. Some people praise the binocular that other people despise, and some are utterly happy with things many others simply can't tolerate: FOV, weight, CA, RB effect, edge performance, handling, eyecup comfort, you name it. So you just have to try and see if you like it. For me the EII gives amazing views in a compact format with an amazing "ease of view" and with a feel/shape-factor that I love (I know many other people disagree, even very knowledgeable people who know galaxies more than I do about binoculars). As for the Habicht 8x30. Well, those you have to try for yourself to really appreciate. To me they're faulty in many areas, but the sheer sharpness and brightness makes me want to have a pair just for the pleasure of looking through them. Not at birds, but at the world :) I sold mine, but basically because I was looking for a birding 8x30.
 
I have heard a lot from the porro folks....in my 'too' quest for the perfect binocular. But my impression of porro's is that they are (a) slow to focus (and for birding this is important), and (b) not particularly 'travel' ready, and (c) the specs are not much to look at either. So, what am I missing? Now, like just about anyone who has been birding for years, I started with a porro but worked by way to the roofs for any of the reasons I mentioned.

Now Admittedly the view in a porro can be stunning. I look at my old Audobon Porro's from Swift or Bushnell etc and they were pretty solid against my current Zeiss HT. That is a given in my eyes.

But why return to a porro? ....Someone enlighten me.... Should I pick up a Nikon E11 or a Habicht and see? What am I going to see over those that my Swift is not seeing (as I said I am impressed with the view) and why should I shift back to a Porro given my (A,B, C's) above?
I recommend the Nikon 8x30 EII as the best under $500.00 binocular you can buy and I still believe that because it is better than MIC roofs but it's one weak spot is contrast when compared to higher-end roof binoculars. Even with the updated coatings it can't match the alpha roofs for example for contrast and contrast for me anyway is very important and that is the big reason I don't have an EII anymore. Also, the porros are not as good as a good roof for close up viewing because of parallax. They don't converge the image as well and the image on a porro is also smaller in scale compared to a roof. The Habicht is better optically than the Nikon EII with better contrast and it is brighter but it has too many other problems like an overly tight focuser and small eyecups to make it a practical birding binocular.
 
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Nothing wrong with the E2's contrast. Maybe not a 10, but a 9 is still good enough. What counts in real use is if the bins are able to maintain their contrast in difficult light situations (think veiling glare) and in this respect the E2s are remarkably good.

As you will have gathered these are my most used bins :)
 
Swarovski 8.5x42 EL SV late production just prior to FP release (has the perfectly smooth focus that is more commonly found on the FP, but has traditional strap lugs, which I much prefer) followed by Zeiss 8x25 Victory are my most used. Why? I prefer full-sized for their easy view and stabilizing heft, but sometimes I need something smaller for pack size or that doesn't interfere when juggling camera and other equipment around my neck.

--AP
 
When I would use my Nikon 8x30 E2's after using an alpha roof like a Nikon EDG 8x32 or Swarovski EL 8x32 I would just miss that sensational contrast and "pop" that you get with the alpha roof's. The E2's are great for a $500.00 binocular, but they are not an alpha roof.
 
Swarovski 8.5x42 EL SV late production just prior to FP release (has the perfectly smooth focus that is more commonly found on the FP, but has traditional strap lugs, which I much prefer) followed by Zeiss 8x25 Victory are my most used. Why? I prefer full-sized for their easy view and stabilizing heft, but sometimes I need something smaller for pack size or that doesn't interfere when juggling camera and other equipment around my neck.

--AP

You have fine taste, Alexis. The Victory Pocket and 8.5x SV FP were my most used until the Victory Pocket disappeared from my possession and was replaced with the 6.5x Kowa.
The SV FP is my main option for my field surveys and such, but the small binoculars are nice for their ease of use.
I wish the Nikon EII worked better with eye glasses. Optically and mechanically it was superb, just not enough eye relief. I also always worried about the lack of waterproofing.

Unsurprisingly that many of the most used binoculars are smaller ones, but it is rather interesting that a few x50's were mentioned. I've always been a fan of the optics of larger diameter objective lenses, but they seemed more of a niche tool than a most used pair of optics.

Justin
 
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each used daily

8x32FL--It is small, light weight, high quality, and right by the front door when I take the dog out for a walk
or
Kowa 6.5x32-almost as good (for me) , my newest, and near window for bird feeders

edj
 
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I recommend the Nikon 8x30 EII as the best under $500.00 binocular you can buy and I still believe that because it is better than MIC roofs but it's one weak spot is contrast when compared to higher-end roof binoculars. Even with the updated coatings it can't match the alpha roofs for example for contrast and contrast for me anyway is very important and that is the big reason I don't have an EII anymore. Also, the porros are not as good as a good roof for close up viewing because of parallax. They don't converge the image as well and the image on a porro is also smaller in scale compared to a roof. The Habicht is better optically than the Nikon EII with better contrast and it is brighter but it has too many other problems like an overly tight focuser and small eyecups to make it a practical birding binocular.

You still haven't enlightened me Dennis...especially since later on you posted 'When I would use my Nikon 8x30 E2's after using an alpha roof like a Nikon EDG 8x32 or Swarovski EL 8x32 I would just miss that sensational contrast and "pop" that you get with the alpha roof's. The E2's are great for a $500.00 binocular, but they are not an alpha roof."

So you are a bit confusing. Yes for under $500, perhaps...perhaps not. But I never said anything about under $500. I too want a bit of quality and yes, while the E2 might be quality, it lacks contrast and like you, contrast is what makes an image 'pop'. So far no reason what so ever to put in $500 (actually more like $600-700 on Ebay) for a binocular that would also just sit in my closet other than the first time I receive it and check it out. The same holds true for the Swaro Hab.... Just not going there yet.
 
So you are a bit confusing.

This is Dennis' forte, unfortunately; were Dennis not so fickle, his evaluations could actually prove useful given the amount of binoculars he has owned (only Chill6x6 would probably be comparable, but he actually holds onto the bulk of his binoculars and his opinion rarely seems to change).

But just looking at Dennis' most recent comments vs. comments/reviews a few months ago regarding the 8x32 Swarovski EL SV is enough to highlight why I don't take his reviews seriously. Opinions can certainly change, but the rate and magnitude that his opinions shift in mere weeks/months boggles the mind.

Justin
 
Currently using my still-quite-new 12x50's the most, along with 7x42's when going into the forest.


Regarding the Nikon mentioned by others, last Sunday I took my E2 into the garden for the afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed messing about with them, even spilling a bit of prosecco on them, while being only a little irritated by the way the don't quite fall flat on the chest and the slightly hard rubber eyepieces.
Yet really enjoyed using them, the fit in the hand, so light, easy to grab and find birds, a decent vista.
Definitely not regretting buying them in their latest itteration; they are to me a long term investment in that when age/rhuematism/stroke one day makes holding roofs difficult, they will probably become the most used, and the Leicas will be passed down within the family.
 
Leupold Green Ring 6x30 8° (porro) simply b/c I feel comfortable leaving them in the car's center console for extended periods. My go-to, which gets used only slightly less often, is a Swaro CL 30 companion.
 
You have fine taste, Alexis. The Victory Pocket and 8.5x SV FP were my most used until the Victory Pocket disappeared from my possession and was replaced with the 6.5x Kowa.
The SV FP is my main option for my field surveys and such, but the small binoculars are nice for their ease of use.
I wish the Nikon EII worked better with eye glasses. Optically and mechanically it was superb, just not enough eye relief. I also always worried about the lack of waterproofing.

Unsurprisingly that many of the most used binoculars are smaller ones, but it is rather interesting that a few x50's were mentioned. I've always been a fan of the optics of larger diameter objective lenses, but they seemed more of a niche tool than a most used pair of optics.

Justin

Justin:

You are mentioning the Zeiss Victory 8x25 twice here, and now it has disappeared.

Was it stolen or misplaced or ?

Jerry
 
I used to use bins with larger diameter objectives, but weight and probably my inability to make use of the potentially improved low light capability these days drives me to items like my Nikon 10x35 EIIs. I find it easier to hold than the 8x model so the added magnification isn't wasted and as my distant vision is still good fortunately, I don't need glasses so eye relief doesn't come into it. Despite this the 8x32 FLs are my most used.
 
Why used the most?

it is not the best, or the biggest; but the most convenient, easiest to use pair.
The one by the door, by the chair in front of the window, the compact always on your belt,
the one in the car.
A temporary exception is the newest, but that passes with time back to ease of use.

edj
 
I use my Victory Pocket almost exclusively. Because they make zero demands to be taken along, and when needed do show what is there. I am thinking of moving to an alpha x32, but realistically I won't be able to carry them everywhere.

Edmund
 
Lately my Nikon EII 10x35s have been getting a lot of use - they sit by the door to my balcony (along with their sister 8x30s) and I use them to scan the bushland opposite me.

Outside the house my most-used set would be my 8x32FLs.

...Mike
 
Why used the most?

it is not the best, or the biggest; but the most convenient, easiest to use pair.
The one by the door, by the chair in front of the window, the compact always on your belt,
the one in the car.
A temporary exception is the newest, but that passes with time back to ease of use.

edj

Ah, that is why I keep my best bins closest at hand--to make them also the most convenient. It is a practice I recommend to anyone who isn't going to live forever, or, for that matter, to anyone who _is_ going to live forever and who will also have enough money in the future to replace a worn out unit or buy a better bin when available and desired.

--AP
 
Right now, and somewhat reluctantly, I'm spending a lot of time with the 12x50B Nobilem I mentioned in another thread.

There's a lot I dislike about this binocular - it's large, heavy, handles awkwardly (the outsize prisms require a long stretch around them to operate the focus wheel), requires me to remove my glasses in order to see its full field of view (something which cost me a great close-up view of an Eurasian hobby earlier today), and I have to brace my elbows to steady the image a lot of the time when following distant targets. But the birds I'm following have begun ranging so far away that I was losing them too often with my other binoculars. This big lunk is still the best thing I own for following a bird out into the far distance and back again.

NB. my brother is more effective than I am with only his 8.5x42 Fieldpro. But he's younger, with better eyes, and is a better observer - that's even before the issue of optics comes into play. For that type of birding the 12x50B is the only thing I have that keeps me reasonably competitive. I can't deny I would love to try the 12x42 NL with the head rest...
 
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