• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

For those who appreciate camera optics, what is your choice in binoculars?

I have fujinon 7x50 surplus binos, which optically are really nice, but they are big.
My pentax 8x30 monocular gets out of the house more.
 

I've found that the full view is limited when wearing glasses.
 
I bought a pair of Minolta 10x40's about 40 years ago. They were one of the first waterproof ones in a prism style and cost about a weeks pay. They work great and I use them almost daily.
If I was buying now I would likely grab a pair of Leica's. Not sure which design. A good pair will be a one-time purchase so the cost might be high but you don't have to rebuy anything.
 
cliveh said:
I often go for walks in the countryside and so a few years ago, I bought some Swarovski SLC 10 X 56 binoculars. I found these excellent, that you can also adjust for your own eyesight. What would others recommend?
Click to expand...

Love my Nikon 8x30 EII porros.

Light, bright, extremely sharp and an exceptional 8.8 Deg angle of view. Given this feature, they're also exceptional for astronomy, and I use them perhaps more at night than during daytime.
 
Last edited:
albireo said:
Love my Nikon 8x30 EII porros.

Light, bright, extremely sharp and an exceptional 8.8 Deg angle of view. Given this feature, they're also exceptional for astronomy, and I use them perhaps more at night than during daytime.
Click to expand...

8x30, not a bit dark for astronomy?
 
A pair of Aldi's.
 
Dali said:
8x30, not a bit dark for astronomy?
Click to expand...

Sadly I live in a Bortle 8 class part of the world...Large exit pupil doesn't make much of a difference. All I can see is planets, a few brighter deep sky objects, binary stars, perhaps some hints of a few globular clusters, and constellation patterns. The wide field of the Nikons is great for those.
 
Last edited:
Generally speaking, BAK-4 prisms, large objective lens diameter and large exit pupil

Decades ago, as an ocean-going sailor I was choosing marine binoculars with compass. In the store I compared Steiner, Fujinon, Bushnell and a highly respected marine supplier store brand, side by side in extended evaluations at a store in a marine setting. I was surprised that the visible benefit to me was not easy to discern, the most expensive was not clearly better (but subtle) than the lesser-priced binoculars all at the top of the line from each manufacturer; the bargain binoculars had non-optical compromises, and those are best evaluated in the hands of the specific buyer, not unlike driving a car is subjective to each driver.

7x50 vs 10x50...7x gathers light in low light better, 10x gives more detail, but with a more shakey image that gathers low light less well. Smaller objective diameter simply gathers low light less well., at the benefit of lighter weight better portability. you decide your preferences and pick your poison.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register