-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
10x50 binoculars
- Thread starter mrjed
- Start date
Old CW4
BANNED
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
- Messages
- 870
10x50s are too much magnification for hand holding by most folks without bracing on a vehicle door, tree, etc. Might be better to spend your bucks on a high quality set with seven or eight power magnification. My seven by fity Nikons will actually 'outview' cheaper binocs of higher power because they are so crisp and clear. Just my $0.02
For the lower to mid-price range market - that's up to about $250, there is this very informative survey by ConsumerSearch.com where they claim to review the reviews - ie: survey the available reviews out there rate them and come to some consensus -
ConsumerSearch.com on Binoculars
It is well worth reading the Full Report sections.
The article posted is dated April/2008 - and I realize that much development has gone in the binoculars market - with the introduction of quality binoculars from China that give astonishing values for money rivaling some of the top end of the market - but we are talking at least $350++ price tags on those.
The ConsumerSearch recommendations are mostly below $250 with a few below $100.... at this end of the market its article and recommendations are still relevant.
I personally like compact binoculars - mainly for the size and portability - but even at home I prefer them for the way they fit the hand and handling
- I own Nikon Travelite V 8x25, the now semi-legendary Nikon Venturer II 8x23 and the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21.
A 6.5x may sound almost disappointingly low magnification - but in the end it's the actual detail/definition one can see that really matters.
Years ago when I only had the Nikon Venturer II 8x23 I went to the archery range with many of my friends who laughed at the dinky compact bino I had and showed me their 10x 12x and even 16x 50 binos - that is until we compared them side-by-side looking at detail - that's when they all discovered that they could read print from much further away with my whimpy dinky Nikons than they could with their behemoths with much higher magnifications.....
The easiest test one can do to see detail is to read a newspaper - keep stepping back until one can just read the newspaper and note the distance - then compare to another pair - all things being equal of equal or better quality - it does make sense that a higher magnification will out read a lower one - but at the lower end of the market and $100 is strictly budget in binos - it can surprise that an 8x or even 6.5x can out read many higher magnifications.
Of course there are many other quality aspects - such as distortion - especially round the edges of the view - for example the recommended Nikon Action 7x35 - has a great wide view - but if one scans or pans the binoculars - the distortion at the edges of the view become very obvious and really disturbs me - so that pair did not suit me despite the very attractive prices.
Other things to look for are color fringing - this is a quite serious flaw that could spoil one's view - fortunately in these days of computer designed and produced lens this is starting to be less of a problem - but only in the better known optical brands - budget end watch out.
Almost there is the color rendition issue too - some tend to give an overall cast to the scene - eg: I have a pair of cheapo "ruby coated" compacts that have cool looking ruby-red coated front lenses - guess what those make everything look blue-ish - yuchhh - then I have another pair of cheapos that makes everything look too yellow-ish - sunny? but nevertheless it was too distracting.
So buyer has to beware at the lower end of the market - but that ConsumerSearch article is worth reading and their recommendations are actually pretty good for the price ranges of under $250.
--
Vincent
http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://unknownvt.multiply.com/photos
ConsumerSearch.com on Binoculars
It is well worth reading the Full Report sections.
The article posted is dated April/2008 - and I realize that much development has gone in the binoculars market - with the introduction of quality binoculars from China that give astonishing values for money rivaling some of the top end of the market - but we are talking at least $350++ price tags on those.
The ConsumerSearch recommendations are mostly below $250 with a few below $100.... at this end of the market its article and recommendations are still relevant.
I personally like compact binoculars - mainly for the size and portability - but even at home I prefer them for the way they fit the hand and handling
- I own Nikon Travelite V 8x25, the now semi-legendary Nikon Venturer II 8x23 and the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21.
A 6.5x may sound almost disappointingly low magnification - but in the end it's the actual detail/definition one can see that really matters.
Years ago when I only had the Nikon Venturer II 8x23 I went to the archery range with many of my friends who laughed at the dinky compact bino I had and showed me their 10x 12x and even 16x 50 binos - that is until we compared them side-by-side looking at detail - that's when they all discovered that they could read print from much further away with my whimpy dinky Nikons than they could with their behemoths with much higher magnifications.....
The easiest test one can do to see detail is to read a newspaper - keep stepping back until one can just read the newspaper and note the distance - then compare to another pair - all things being equal of equal or better quality - it does make sense that a higher magnification will out read a lower one - but at the lower end of the market and $100 is strictly budget in binos - it can surprise that an 8x or even 6.5x can out read many higher magnifications.
Of course there are many other quality aspects - such as distortion - especially round the edges of the view - for example the recommended Nikon Action 7x35 - has a great wide view - but if one scans or pans the binoculars - the distortion at the edges of the view become very obvious and really disturbs me - so that pair did not suit me despite the very attractive prices.
Other things to look for are color fringing - this is a quite serious flaw that could spoil one's view - fortunately in these days of computer designed and produced lens this is starting to be less of a problem - but only in the better known optical brands - budget end watch out.
Almost there is the color rendition issue too - some tend to give an overall cast to the scene - eg: I have a pair of cheapo "ruby coated" compacts that have cool looking ruby-red coated front lenses - guess what those make everything look blue-ish - yuchhh - then I have another pair of cheapos that makes everything look too yellow-ish - sunny? but nevertheless it was too distracting.
So buyer has to beware at the lower end of the market - but that ConsumerSearch article is worth reading and their recommendations are actually pretty good for the price ranges of under $250.
--
Vincent
http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://unknownvt.multiply.com/photos
Unknown VT has made some excellent points. My Nikon 8x42 Monarchs are sharp and clear but run well over your price point. There's a lot of excellent feedback on various gun forums on the Leupold Yosemite 8x30 binos. Amazon has them at a good price and 5 star ratings, well within your budget.
http://www.amazon.com/Leupold-Yosemite-8X30Mm-Binocularnwtf-63285/dp/B001HN5GBW.
Lots of info available, wading through it can be daunting.
http://www.amazon.com/Leupold-Yosemite-8X30Mm-Binocularnwtf-63285/dp/B001HN5GBW.
Lots of info available, wading through it can be daunting.
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 2,469
Not that I think any forum is superior to Bladeforums, but opticstalk.com is an amazing place to learn about anything optics....I check it out regularly when I'm thinking about getting new binoculars or scopes.
A relatively new brand is Zen Ray. There optics are out of this world, and their prices are superb. I would highly recommend that anyone in the market for a good set of binocs at least consider them...and their customer service rivals if not surpasses Leupold IMHO
A relatively new brand is Zen Ray. There optics are out of this world, and their prices are superb. I would highly recommend that anyone in the market for a good set of binocs at least consider them...and their customer service rivals if not surpasses Leupold IMHO
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2009
- Messages
- 130
hands down, get something from vortex. for the money, they cannot be beat, especially since they come with an unconditional lifetime warranty. part of my job is selling binoculars, so i compare different brands every day and i will tell you now that vortex is outstanding. they have a good range of quality and prices. unless your going to spend 2 grand, i honestly dont think you should get anything other than vortex.
www.vortexoptics.com
10x50 is a pretty good size to go with for a lot of activities. but that is only if you dont mind the little extra weight and size that comes along with them. one thing you have to know is that having a 50mm objective lens over a 42mm does not give you a wider field of view, but only more light transmission and a little better clarity. that is a big misconception. going with an 8 power over a 10 gives you a wider field of view and better light transmission with the same size objective lens. also, you can hold them a little steadier, but most people dont have a problem holding a 10 power steady.
there are three models i would recommend that are awesome without breaking the bank. the diamondback (10x42=$229.99) fury (10x42=$299.99) viper (10x42=$549.99).
the diamondback line are affordable for just about anyone looking for a good quality optic without spending too much money (to make the wife happy if anything, haha).
the fury is essentially the same as the diamondback with a couple minor advantages. they are built a little tougher and have silver coated prisms which helps increase light transmission through the prisms. one nice feature is the diopeter (right eye focus) is right under the center focus wheel, so your fingers hardly have to move to quickly adjust your focus.
the vipers are in a league of their own to be honest. they are incredibly lightweight and use a higher quality glass and phase coatings. very durable and easy to look through. they are also slightly more compact than the preceding models. the vipers contain vortex's xd (extra low dispersion) glass lenses which help with light transmission and clarity, especially in low light conditions. they also use they're xr phase coatings to provide maximum light transmission and detail. they have a locking diopeter so once it is set it stays there. one really nice feature are the metal reinforced eyecups. (if you've ever heard anything about the nikon monarchs, it probably had something to do with they eyecups breaking. nothing against nikon, but that was a big problem they had. good thing they're re-designing them.)
a few reasons to buy vortex (these apply to stated models)
The warranty which i have already talked about. (does not matter what happens to the optics, they fix or replace for free).
100% waterproof and fogproof.
Every piece of glass has multiple coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces.
They are purged with argon gas which is higher quality than nitrogen. it gives them a better fogproof rating and also makes them more resistant to shock.
i know this was long, but i hope it helped.
www.vortexoptics.com
10x50 is a pretty good size to go with for a lot of activities. but that is only if you dont mind the little extra weight and size that comes along with them. one thing you have to know is that having a 50mm objective lens over a 42mm does not give you a wider field of view, but only more light transmission and a little better clarity. that is a big misconception. going with an 8 power over a 10 gives you a wider field of view and better light transmission with the same size objective lens. also, you can hold them a little steadier, but most people dont have a problem holding a 10 power steady.
there are three models i would recommend that are awesome without breaking the bank. the diamondback (10x42=$229.99) fury (10x42=$299.99) viper (10x42=$549.99).
the diamondback line are affordable for just about anyone looking for a good quality optic without spending too much money (to make the wife happy if anything, haha).
the fury is essentially the same as the diamondback with a couple minor advantages. they are built a little tougher and have silver coated prisms which helps increase light transmission through the prisms. one nice feature is the diopeter (right eye focus) is right under the center focus wheel, so your fingers hardly have to move to quickly adjust your focus.
the vipers are in a league of their own to be honest. they are incredibly lightweight and use a higher quality glass and phase coatings. very durable and easy to look through. they are also slightly more compact than the preceding models. the vipers contain vortex's xd (extra low dispersion) glass lenses which help with light transmission and clarity, especially in low light conditions. they also use they're xr phase coatings to provide maximum light transmission and detail. they have a locking diopeter so once it is set it stays there. one really nice feature are the metal reinforced eyecups. (if you've ever heard anything about the nikon monarchs, it probably had something to do with they eyecups breaking. nothing against nikon, but that was a big problem they had. good thing they're re-designing them.)
a few reasons to buy vortex (these apply to stated models)
The warranty which i have already talked about. (does not matter what happens to the optics, they fix or replace for free).
100% waterproof and fogproof.
Every piece of glass has multiple coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces.
They are purged with argon gas which is higher quality than nitrogen. it gives them a better fogproof rating and also makes them more resistant to shock.
i know this was long, but i hope it helped.