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Prism types and low light performance. |
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River Runner
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/24/2012 Location: Colorado Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Posted: February/24/2012 at 04:26 |
There is a good article at allbinos.com about porro vs. roof prisms. There is also an article about choosing binoculars for low light performance. I read both these articles and it has changed my thinking about what I'd look for in my next pair of binoculars and what I should have bought last time. I think if everyone read these articles before purchasing binoculars, a lot less roof prisms would be sold and older guys, like me, would stop looking for binoculars with huge objective lenses. If I were looking for value priced binoculars for low light performance, probably the two best binoculars for me would be porros in 8x42 or 10x50.
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Randy
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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Here's one more for your reading enjoyment. |
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Bitterroot Bulls
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: May/07/2009 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 3416 |
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Modern roofs give up little, if anything, in practical performance (including brightness) to porros.
Give me a roof for field use.
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-Matt
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black crow
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/05/2012 Location: Oregon Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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I agree. My porros never make it off my deck. I'm amazed at the quality of roofs that I can buy now for between $200 and $400. It fact it's become down right dangerous for me. I now have 6x, 6.5x,7, 8x.8.5x,and 9x. Someone stop me before I kill again. The thing is they are all excellent bins and I didn't pay over $390 for any of them.
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“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself”
― Henry Miller |
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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"Variety is the spice of life!" I use Porro prism binoculars exclusively and have done so for the past 20+ years. No regrets. I have one 7x, two 8x, two 10x, three 12x, one 15x, two 16x, six 20x, and two 30x. I am currently eyeing a used 8x56 Porro prism bino. I purchased many of them 'used' and I did not pay more than $280 for the most expensive one. I did, however, purchase 1 Leupold Katmai roof prism for my wife. She now prefers to use either the 10x44 Porro or the 10x50 Porro. Stan |
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Bitterroot Bulls
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: May/07/2009 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 3416 |
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Stan,
We will bring you into the modern age, someday.
I do own and love many porros, but it is hard to beat a solid roof in the backcountry.
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-Matt
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black crow
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/05/2012 Location: Oregon Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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I can't imagine 10x50 porro on some the hikes I take. Even a 32mm roof can seem bulky at times.
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“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself”
― Henry Miller |
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black crow
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/05/2012 Location: Oregon Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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And then there's the WP and FP factor. My porro's that are WP have a stiff focuser which is a no no for the type of birding I like to do. Lots of fast action in thick wood and brush.
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“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself”
― Henry Miller |
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Simon Spiers
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/24/2011 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 17 |
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The ultimate prism design for binoculars is the Porro II design, specificity the early Ross models for example had the two prisms cemented together. Some of the Canon IS binoculars.
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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Simon, Love the Canon Image Stabilizer Binoculars. Hate the price. Stan
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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Matt, The modern age offers Porro prism binoculars for a fraction of the price of a new, top-of-the-line, roof prism binocular, and when I shop for 'used' Porro prism binoculars they are even less expensive. If you lived in Great Britian, where Simon S. lives, they have so many vintage Porro prism binoculars that they seem to grow on trees. The fact that good, used, Porros are so inexpensive, today, makes it even harder for me to part with my money on a large aperture roof prism bino. Another thing, roof prism binoculars do not fit well or feel good in my hands. The very best roof prism binocular that I ever held onto was the Swarovski 15x56 SLC, and we all know how inexpensive that one is today. I could have picked up a Bosch & Lomb 10x42 roof prism bino, last week, at the local Thrift Store for $45, but it would have cost me an extra $100, or so, to ship it off and have it collimated. Here's a link to a Docter Aspectem 40x80 ED binocular that I have on my wish list, for only $4,800. I think that this one will qualify nicely for the "modern age". Stan Edited by Bird Watcher - February/24/2012 at 17:09 |
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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Matt,
Well, it looks like the 21st century has finally caught up with me.
Yesterday I ordered the Theron WAPITI 10x42 ED APO HD roof prism binocular.
I could not pass up the special sale they are having this week.
Previously I had owned the Fujinon 7x42 CD roof bino, but I was not satisfied with the overall quality & sold it.
Stan Edited by tahqua - March/06/2012 at 11:25 |
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I prefer Porro prism binoculars especially those made in Japan. (i.e. Minox BD 10x44 BP) 8>)
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Bitterroot Bulls
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: May/07/2009 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 3416 |
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Stan,
Welcome to the club! I knew you would see the light.
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-Matt
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Bird Watcher
Optics Master Joined: August/30/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1523 |
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Matt,
The light at the end of the tunnel was not what I hoped for. I received the Theron Wapiti 10x42 this morning and shipped it back within the hour. Small aperture roof prism binoculars, of this type, do not fit my hands any where near as well as my Porro prism binoculars. Also, the lighter weight of the 10x42 roof is counter-productive for me when it comes to steady hand held views at 10x. They are just too small for me to get a good grip on, perhaps that is why the open-bridge type of roof prism binoculars are popular with certain individuals. Oh well, live & learn. Stan Edited by Bird Watcher - March/08/2012 at 16:08 |
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Bitterroot Bulls
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: May/07/2009 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 3416 |
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Say it isn't so, Stan!
Oh well, somebody has to keep carrying that big, cumbersome, porro torch. |
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-Matt
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ringmaster
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/08/2012 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 7 |
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i love russian night vision binoculars,they are truely the best
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