I have that bin and you’d be crazy, IMO, to swap an SF for the night owl….my comments below from 2013.
I have the 10x56 Night Owls - bought them to compliment my collection rather than as a daily use bin.
I am very sensitive to CA, and the Night Owls have tons of it, some even in the sweetspot. It is downright distracting on a flying bird, with a bright orange leading edge and bright purple trailing edge.
Sharpness and contrast is OK, but even my P coated 7x42 and 8x30 classics are noticeably sharper and more contrasty. Sweetspot is small and edge degradation quite obvious. Don't believe the hype, as some will try to tell you these bins are still the equal of the FL / HT - they lag behind clearly in many catagories. Certainly, the N.O.'s lack the transparency of newer models.
And [of course] the N.O. is an ergonomic disaster - something like 1500 grams, tiny / stiff focus that is impossible with gloves and tight fitting eyecups that fog in cool weather.
Other than that, it's perfect
Mine sits on the shelf most of the time, although it does seem to increase in value over time [even since I got it last year] so I think of it as a more attractive alternative to yet another boring mutual fund.......
Last edited: Oct 3, 2013
”Many machines on Ix….new machines.” 3rd Stage Guild Navigator
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