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Finest 10x42's at any price? |
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m1911
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/05/2016 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 48 |
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Posted: April/20/2017 at 20:46 |
Swarovski, Zeiss, or something else?
I currently own vortex Razor 10x42 binoculars. I love them and will keep them. However, if I wanted a second pair, what are the absolute "best"....in your opinion of course.... I'm sure I couldn't tell any differences.....but want to hear about it anyway. Thanks! |
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oldfortyfive
Optics Apprentice Joined: June/16/2015 Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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Try all the alpha's and see what feels right. You won't be unhappy with any of them. I tend to favor Swaro's due to the better eye relief.
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NDhunter
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/15/2006 Status: Offline Points: 601 |
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Zeiss Victory SF 10x42. I have or have tried most of the alphas. Lots of reviews out there. I've had mine for well over a year. Some nice things are very nice handling and balance. Silky smooth focuser, and the widest FOV in the high end range. Also very bright and great at low light. |
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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I'm saving up for the new Leica Noctovid.
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13182 |
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They are all good and the choice comes down to personal preferences.
Personally, I was most impressed with the Leica Noctivid. ILya |
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Klamath
Optics Master Joined: May/20/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1308 |
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I do not necessarily disagree with anybody who has posted, but to the original question, you will not see any more than a smidgen of improvement over your Razor, which may not be detectable. So spend away and get whichever one suits you best. Just don't think the improvements will actually be worth the 2x price increment. The higher midrange binoculars have gotten to the point where we can buy 97% (that is just my subjective number) of the alpha for one third of the price. Differences of 3-4% are not likely detectable by the human eye.
What is "worth it" will vary a lot, depending a lot on perceptions. You are the only one who can answer that for you. Just be sure to put in a lot of side by side time and see for yourself. A lot of the answer depends on your bank balance. Edited by Klamath - April/21/2017 at 10:26 |
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Steve
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted". William Bruce Cameron |
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Troubador
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/03/2017 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 58 |
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As ILya says they are all terrific bins. I was sorry Swaro downgraded the close focus distance of SLC so that if Swaro fans wanted a decent close focus they have to buy an EL, but if you don't use close focus much (shame on you) then this wouldn't matter.
Noctivid offers a great view, right up there with the best, but falls behind Zeiss's SF on handling. Having used HTs and now SFs I have gotten used to slipping my fingers around the barrels and finding that my first finger falls on the focus wheel immediately. This is neat. At least as important is the feeling of low weight when picking up an SF. And its not because SF is so much lighter than an EL. Its the balance. I was present at a nature reserve in the UK when the guy responsible for purchasing their inventory of binos picked up an SF for the first time. A smile spread across his face as he felt their heft or rather their apparent lack of it. Check out a sectional view of these and you can see why. Most of the glass is near the eyepiece so the weight is either right inside your hand and not down by the objectives or its resting against your head. If you like watching behaviour of birds or animals for extended periods of time (as I do with European Otters) you will appreciate how long you can hold these 10x steady. For me its been a big bonus. And even without considering the length of time I view, I can just hold SF 10x steadier than anything else. This is what works for me: other points of view are available . Lee |
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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I have several pair of Meopta's which I think image wise are very comparable to the Razors. I also have a Zeiss Victory and the difference I see is in low light. I can see elk a good 5+ minutes earlier in the morning than I can with any 3 of my Meopta's one of them being an HD pair. Also my Zeiss have a more pronounced blue tint that makes them seem brighter and more vivid to me. But during normal daylight hours the differences between the HD and the Zeiss are not really noticeable other than that very slight blue tint |
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Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
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Binos, like most things in life, do indeed suffer from the law of diminishing returns. For casual users, that holds even more true.
Where you see a real difference is: 1. Low light 2. Prolonged use If neither of those is a priority, skip the higher price and get something "good enough." If you need either or both, getting something top tier is money well spent. In my humblest of opinions.
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m1911
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/05/2016 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 48 |
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Thanks everyone!
I have to tell you that I really like my Razor 10x42's.... No need for anything else really. I have considered a second Razor in 12x50.....but we shall see. Is anyone surprised that Schmidt & Bender doesn't make Binoculars and Spotting Scopes? Seems like a natural market for them. I've looked at Swaro, Zeiss, and Leica online until I'm blue in the face.....they all look good to me. |
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m1911
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/05/2016 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 48 |
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UPDATE:
So I bought the Razor-HD 10x42's six months ago....the eye-piece ring says MADE IN JAPAN. I like them so I ordered the 12x50 Razor-HD's and received them yesterday. The eye-piece ring says MADE IN CHINA...... I'm sending them back....it's disappointing that Vortex would use China to source their FLAG-SHIP-Highest-End line of anything..... I understand the China source for most of their other offerings.....just NOT RAZOR-HD's.... What makes it worse......say you need warranty service in the future and they replace your MADE IN JAPAN's with MADE IN CHINA's.... If I can find a MADE IN JAPAN set.....in either 12x50 or 10x42....I'll replace them with that. I like them a lot....but when it comes to my hobbies, I prefer MADE IN USA, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, or JAPAN.... |
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13182 |
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Are they in any way inferior to the 10x42 you currently have?
ILya |
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m1911
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/05/2016 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 48 |
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I just received them and haven't spent any quality time with them.
I've already organized their return.
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timberbuck
Optics Apprentice Joined: August/13/2012 Status: Offline Points: 85 |
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Best for my uses/preference is the Zeiss Victory HT
Brightest on the market. (tested and proven). Love the ergos with the large forward mounted focus knob. Like the "classic" style view with a little pincushion distortion on the edge and no field flattening lenses to cause "rolling ball" in the view while panning. Great focus mechanism. Great CA and glare control. I have not looked through a Leica Noctovid yet but have owned or used all the other alpha glass. Honorable mention is the current Swarovski SLC. Other than a less than stellar focus mechanism there is really no need to spend more $. |
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