I do this as well (with the 8.5x42, it's been a few years since I owned the 8x32s so I can't recall), and I believe Alexis Powell posted something about this awhile ago also.
It really provides a perfect grip and is feels perfectly normal to me.
I also don't know how big of a deal weighting binoculars towards the eyepieces is for most people, I've almost never thought about that as an issue. Weight as whole can be problematic for me, but typically less when the binos are in the hand and more when they are hanging around the neck while bushwhacking for 10+ hours.
Justin
Justin
I have used SF42s in 8x and 10x for years now and heres how the 'eyepiece heavy' balance works for me. It might be different for others.
But first a brief story to illustrate what I am going to say. I was present when the young man who purchases binos for sale at a nearby nature reserve first saw an early grey SF, and realising it was something he hadn't seen before asked to have a look at them. The SFs were put down on the Reserve Reception desk and the young man picked them up. As soon as he lifted the binos up to his chest he stopped and a huge smile was over his face as he looked up and said 'wow aren't they light?'. Now SF8x42 is a bit lighter than an EL but not by a huge amount. What I believe he was experiencing was the weight being closer to the grip of the hand, and this makes the weight feel less. IMHO.
And this is what I have found using the SF42s for years. Lift them up and they don't feel as heavy in the hand as the numbers tell you they should.
Furthermore when lifted up to the eyes, this concentration of weight is shared closely between your hands, especially your thumbs, and your eye sockets or spectacles and less of it is cantilevered out at the far end of the objectives.
To me it makes the bino feel lighter in use and the SF10x is steadier than other 10x binos apart from heavy ones (think MeoStar 42s) which equal it (especially in gusty wind conditions) but this steadiness deteriorates due to arm fatigue the longer I look through them. The SFs stay steady for longer. In fact the real value IMHO comes into play when observing behaviour because I can simply hold the SFs up for longer than, eg my Meoptas. When watching the behaviour of Sea Eagles and Otters it is good to be able to view for longer periods without lowering the arms to rest.
Would this really make anyone choose SF instead of another make and model? Obviously everyone has their own priorities and preferences but I go back to the unprepared and spontaneous reaction of that young man at the nature reserve. Nobody told him about the SF's weight distribution (the unit was a pre-production model) but his smile when he lifted them up said more than any advertising could.
Having tried out SF32s I found that they perform in a similar fashion.
Lee
You will not miss a thing worth reading.
