The case for buying good quality binoculars ...

[Jeff S]

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When hiking, the wife and I would each carry a pair of he 10x25's. I have had the 10x32's for many years and when we acquired a condo up on a nearby lake, I wanted a pair up there to use and got the 10x42. We now have retired and moved to a small town away from Austin. We sold the condo and our home in Austin so hence I have a lot of binocs. We use them every day here as we have a lot of birds deer etc come through our back area.

Thanks, I appreciate the background, but no need to justify purchases. My question was more technically based since I don’t own any and often wonder about the practical advantages of different specs, despite reading many good summary articles. At some point, I just need to handle some, but the problem is that I don’t have one special purpose in mind.

 

Jeff

[Bill W]

Jeff,

The difference between Leica and other binoculars in my opinion is like night and day. I have owned Zeiss, Nikon and some others. When I picked up a pair of Leica, it was game over. The clarity was beyond expectations. And they have only gotten better over the years. I am sure there are some other brands that are just as good but you know as well as I that Leica glass is exceptional and it carries over to their binoculars. While we were on an Alaskan cruise, we were all on the top deck looking at the shore for wildlife. My sister in law asked if she could take a look through my 10x32's and she gasped and how good the view was. She wished she could have a pair shipped to the cruise ship. I have since loaned her the older pair of 10x25's as she likes to keep track of her birds in east Texas. 

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[Jeff S]

Thanks, Bill. I’m sold on the brand. A friend let me look at birds through his Leica scope and my jaw dropped at the clarity and colors.... almost better than real. But they weren’t binoculars, and so I’m still back to the basics of assessing 8x32, 10vs32, 10x42, etc for more general use. I’ve read some fine summaries, but I just need to experiment. So I was curious if you had dedicated applications for each of yours, with any clear pros and cons. I recognize, though, that just like with cameras and lenses, our eyes and handholding capabilities.... and subject matter.... differ.

 

Jeff

[Jeff S]

I meant Leitz, not Leica.

 

Jeff

[Alistairm]

Thanks, Bill. I’m sold on the brand. A friend let me look at birds through his Leica scope and my jaw dropped at the clarity and colors.... almost better than real. But they weren’t binoculars, and so I’m still back to the basics of assessing 8x32, 10vs32, 10x42, etc for more general use. I’ve read some fine summaries, but I just need to experiment. So I was curious if you had dedicated applications for each of yours, with any clear pros and cons. I recognize, though, that just like with cameras and lenses, our eyes and handholding capabilities.... and subject matter.... differ.

Jeff

Jeff, as someone who has spent decades chasing birds all over the place (yes, I'm a twitcher) I've used plenty of bins. Leica and Swarovski (and also Zeiss) all make great bins, so much comes down to personal ergonomic preference. I own and use both Swarovski and Leica in overlapping sizes and prefer the image and ergonomics of Swarovski's binoculars, but happily use either.

 

As you note, magnification and objective size are matters of preference. That said, 8x is usually enough for a good view and is easier to hold steady than 10x. If your eyes are okay (or corrected with glasses), then most of the time an 8x will give as good a view as a 10x with a better field of view.

 

My go to bins are Swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL. They are just about perfect. However, unless you're on a hardcore dedicated birding trip I think 8x32 is a better choice most of the time, because they are MUCH smaller and lighter and in all but very low light will deliver essentially identical image quality. 42mm objectives are starting to become a pretty big bin to carry around.

 

Good bins from Swarovski and Leica will last a lifetime and open the world to you. Definitely handle a few, and be practical about what you will carry, because bins are useless if you leave them at home.. My Swarovski 8x25 get heavy use because they are very compact (small enough for the theatre, or to fit in a ski jacket pocket) but still deliver a brilliant image in almost all use cases.

 

If I could only have one pair, or was buying my first serious pair, I think 8x32 is the best compromise for exceptional image quality and a reasonable size that everyone including kids can comfortably handhold.

[Jeff S]

Thanks, I was guessing that 8x32 might suit me best, but I’ll know better when I get time to experiment.

 

Jeff

[Bill W]

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Jeff,

I guess I have always preferred the 10 power and that is why I have it on all my bino choices. The 10x32 are a great compromise in their size and power. I have had them for over 14 years and they have a lifetime warranty as I believe all Leica binos do. As to why I got the 10x43, I just wanted the extra light that they can gather. They are slightly larger. Here is my current lineup.

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[Jeff S]

Impressive 3 lifetimes!

 

Jeff

[dkCambridgeshire]

I'm currently preparing a meteorite specimens demo as an 'indoor attraction' at a forthcoming public star party (where visitors have the opportunity to observe astro phenomena using astro society members' telescopes). The tiny meteorite specimens include Lunar and Martian rocks (with documented provenances as per http://msg-meteorites.co.uk) which are billions of years old. Specimens can be observed by the public using my stereo and compound microscopes - but additionally, i'll be demonstrating how to use binoculars as 'close focusing instruments' by placing/supporting achromatic close-up lenses in front of the binocular objectives.

 

One binocular in use will be my Leica 8x20 Ultravid - which when coupled up with Leitz Elpro c/u lenses (both single and stacked Elpros of various diopter powers) by holding the Elpro(s) in front of just one of the objectives, and then using it as 'telescope', gives the most crisp and distinct views of the tiny but now magnified, meteorite specimens. I've remounted the specimens in special 'cavity' type, microscope slides.  Illumination will be provided via a small but very bright 'Cree' LED torch (torch supported on a small box via a lump of Blue Tack) 

 

If you have some Leitz Elpro c/u lenses, or similar, e.g. Raynox 150 or 250 achromats, you could be pleasantly surprised by your binocular's close focus capability if you experiment with same and use the bino as a close focus telescope … holding  the binocular in one hand and supporting the c/u lens in front of the bino objective with your other hand. 

 

I have not yet tried the Raynox c/u lenses but the stacked Elpros work best when used reversed i.e. with screw thread at the front when held against the bino objective. 

 

I'm also planning to 'harvest'  micrometeorites from flat roofs using a magnetic sweeper /broom and with the objective of photographing the specimens (when identified as being genuine meteorite specimens). There are a number of YouTube' videos showing how to harvest micrometeorites e.g.:

 

 

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dunk 

Edited March 4, 2018 by dkCambridgeshire