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Which binocular(s) did you use today? (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter Binocollector
- Start date
And if you could only keep one............
As special as the others are, the 8x20 Ultravid remains one of only two binoculars that I've bought more than one of. The other is my 6x24 Leitz, but the second purchase was to get the upgrades that came with the last iteration, while the tiny Ultravid just feels like my ideal binocular.
not this weekend, but the weekend before, I used the 10x50 for my late afternoon trips and the 10x42 SE midday Sunday. It was a good opportunity to compare the two formats. The SE was as good as ever, definitely outperforming my old companion the 10x40 P* Dialyt although not as well packaged or robust (though made more than well enough for my usage). I'm as happy with it (or more, really, now that I better understand how to handle it and fully appreciate its capabilities) as the day I bought it, back in the Covid year. The "austerity alpha" has met all my expectations and more.
The Docter shares the same magnification with the SE, but is an entirely different beast. It's a dinosaur, utterly different in conception and execution to most of today's birding binoculars. It is heavy, it is bulky, it is cumbersome, all of which are real disadvantages in a lot of the birding I do, and which is why I use the 10x42, with is classic combination of reach and handling, so much. I dislike its handling, which is significantly more awkward than its distant uncle from Oberkochen, and I'm not a great fan of how most porros handle to begin with. Focus action, as with my other Nobilem, is too light for my taste (though precise, I prefer heavy, stiff, requiring deliberate effort to turn), and as with the older Spezial, I'm not sure the bridge assembly could not usefully have been beefed up (!!!). Eye relief is adequate (though no more than that) but after trying it with and without glasses I find myself very much preferring to use it without, which largely negates the advantage of long-ish eye relief.
Where it unquestionably shines, though, is when you look through it. Colour rendition, when first brought to my eyes, has a trace of the trademark Zeiss green/yellow, though my eyes rapidly adapt to it. Sweet spot and field of view are both generous and, though focus and diopter need to be quite carefully tweaked to wring out all its sharpness, once accomplished its ability to discern detail at distance is excellent, such that you almost want to seek out difficult targets to test it. At this time of the year twigs on bare branches far away enough that they look like hairline cracks are a decent test of sharpness. This thing absolutely aces that test. But its greatest advantage over the 10x42 is how it lets your eye relax and do its thing. At the end of the day your eyes are the most marvellous optical devices you can have, and the larger the exit pupil the more freedom the eye has to work as well as it can (to my mind anyway), which is of particular value when conditions are not perfect, when targets are difficult.
I have to admit after its previous owner handed it over to me I had a very serious attack of buyer's remorse. What on earth made me think I needed this 1.3kg beast when I already had an excellent 10x42? But there is a satisfaction in using a well executed 10x50, something extra it offers, that the SE, fine binocular though it is, just can't match. That's what keeps me coming back to mine, even though the old Zeiss West was outclassed in brightness and clarity (the Docter isn't). It's huge, ancient and unfriendly, an evolutionary dead-end - but does its job, optically, very well. If it's a dinosaur, it's a T-rex.
The Docter shares the same magnification with the SE, but is an entirely different beast. It's a dinosaur, utterly different in conception and execution to most of today's birding binoculars. It is heavy, it is bulky, it is cumbersome, all of which are real disadvantages in a lot of the birding I do, and which is why I use the 10x42, with is classic combination of reach and handling, so much. I dislike its handling, which is significantly more awkward than its distant uncle from Oberkochen, and I'm not a great fan of how most porros handle to begin with. Focus action, as with my other Nobilem, is too light for my taste (though precise, I prefer heavy, stiff, requiring deliberate effort to turn), and as with the older Spezial, I'm not sure the bridge assembly could not usefully have been beefed up (!!!). Eye relief is adequate (though no more than that) but after trying it with and without glasses I find myself very much preferring to use it without, which largely negates the advantage of long-ish eye relief.
Where it unquestionably shines, though, is when you look through it. Colour rendition, when first brought to my eyes, has a trace of the trademark Zeiss green/yellow, though my eyes rapidly adapt to it. Sweet spot and field of view are both generous and, though focus and diopter need to be quite carefully tweaked to wring out all its sharpness, once accomplished its ability to discern detail at distance is excellent, such that you almost want to seek out difficult targets to test it. At this time of the year twigs on bare branches far away enough that they look like hairline cracks are a decent test of sharpness. This thing absolutely aces that test. But its greatest advantage over the 10x42 is how it lets your eye relax and do its thing. At the end of the day your eyes are the most marvellous optical devices you can have, and the larger the exit pupil the more freedom the eye has to work as well as it can (to my mind anyway), which is of particular value when conditions are not perfect, when targets are difficult.
I have to admit after its previous owner handed it over to me I had a very serious attack of buyer's remorse. What on earth made me think I needed this 1.3kg beast when I already had an excellent 10x42? But there is a satisfaction in using a well executed 10x50, something extra it offers, that the SE, fine binocular though it is, just can't match. That's what keeps me coming back to mine, even though the old Zeiss West was outclassed in brightness and clarity (the Docter isn't). It's huge, ancient and unfriendly, an evolutionary dead-end - but does its job, optically, very well. If it's a dinosaur, it's a T-rex.
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Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
Today, I needed a travel binocular, I did not go far but I was carrying a lot of stuff, on what proved to be an 8km morning walk. I used my only compact binocular: a Leica 8x20 BC, which I bought used, decades ago.
With it, I saw:
Mallards
Northern shovel[l]ers
Ruddy ducks
Buffleheads
Cooper hawk
Red tail hawk
Kinglet, probably ruby crowned
Downy woodpeckers, małe and female
Black capped chickadees
White breast nuthatches
Blue jays
Tufted titmice
Mourning doves
White throat sparrows
American goldfinches, still in winter plumage
Fox sparrow and
American robins
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Today, I needed a travel binocular, I did not go far but I was carrying a lot of stuff, on what proved to be an 8km morning walk. I used my only compact binocular: a Leica 8x20 BC, which I bought used, decades ago.
With it, I saw:
Mallards
Northern shovel[l]ers
Ruddy ducks
Buffleheads
Cooper hawk
Red tail hawk
Kinglet, probably ruby crowned
Downy woodpeckers, małe and female
Black capped chickadees
White breast nuthatches
Blue jays
Tufted titmice
Mourning doves
White throat sparrows
American goldfinches, still in winter plumage
Fox sparrow and
American robins
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Popeyethesailor
Well-known member
Yesterday, a 10 minutes walk from the office, there turned up a yellow-browed warbler and was lingering around for two days at the same spot. I was happy having my Curio 7x21 with me every day. So I gave it a chance and luckely this little gem did give a show in front of my Curio 7x21!
Harry Stottle
Unknown-Known
Yellow-browed warbler is a great find!
Your Curio eyecups look larger than mine, where did you get them please?
Not the eyecups, but the ocular covers. They are actually the ones delivered with the Leica Ultravid 8x20. I like them a lot. When I put them on the oculars, the bins stay flat on my chest and dangle less. I don't like the original one delivered with the Curio.
Yes, it was my second yellow-browed warbler. Much better views than the first time.
Attachments
Those 8x20s really are a superb travel bino. Bikes, paddleboards etc.... where you really appreciate the tiny dimensions and low weight.
Isthatascratch?
Well-known member
Two 10’s today… different age, design and build but both excellent. Pre-owned but in great condition and less than half the new prices!
Isthatascratch?
Well-known member
Agree and also often with some remaining manufacturer warranty too!
Mike Crawley
Emeritus President at Burnage Rugby Club
My lovely Swarovski 8x32 ELs (bought second hand 2 years ago) at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands in Cheshire plus my 50mm Vortex Crossfire.
112 Avocet, Whooper Swan, Redshank, Spotted Redshank plus a great assortment of other birds
112 Avocet, Whooper Swan, Redshank, Spotted Redshank plus a great assortment of other birds
![IMG_1042[1].JPG](/data/attachments/1581/1581062-b38e162001cf11899dc3a82a7486fd7b.jpg)
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Well-known member
I do like my Kowa too. It is compact and reasonably light for an 8x42. And I think the field is flatter than many comparable binoculars.
But I feel like mine has a tiny bit of backlash in the focus mechanism where each barrel focuses very slightly differently depending on which way you turned the focus wheel to achieve focus.
I'm curious how the v2 compares.
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