Old versus new.

[Chaz2b]

A couple of years ago, I sold up my astronomy kit, there was lots of it!  Including all but two of my binos, I had fifteen pairs!

I’ve now got five pairs, two Zeiss DDR 10x50, Pentax 10x50 model 564, Miranda 10x50 which I’ve had for eons, and the Orion Resolux 7x50.

The Orions are the new boys with which I compare all other binos I have by.

The problem I had when I bought the Pentax has been mentioned in another thread, but I fixed that problem and so have been able to compare them with the others, terrestrial viewing only so far, I wish FLO would take their clouds back.

Firstly, the Miranda’s are now too problematic for me to use clearly although the optics are still good, so I’m putting those aside. The first pair of Zeiss I got from work for free and do have a touch of fungi on the one objective, I then purchased a second pair in great shape and I’m enjoying them immensely.

The Pentax are as old as the Zeiss and at first glance seemed comparable, but the Zeiss won out in terms of overall brightness and sharpness. I won’t be giving numbers like FOV as I’m not the person who remembers all that, I’m just giving to you what my eyes see.

Now the Orions, have better optics and nitrogen purged and it shows, the view is crystal clear and sharp to the edges, they have slightly less focal length dioptrics but not a bad thing when terrestrial viewing, they are well protected from the elements which makes them heavier, so are best used supported for any lengthy viewing.

My only real gripe are with the neck straps on the Zeiss, as I don’t like the smell or the feel of the leather around my neck, so I will be replacing those with more modern straps, plus I’m also using them with BinoBandits which are a great boon as there are no eyecups fitted to them.

All in all, there’s a very discernible difference with old versus new, but not that I will sell any of them as they are all still giving great service, except the poor old Miranda’s, they will go to some younger eyes in the family.

chaz

[MercianDabbler]

Interesting that you are getting on well with the CZJ 10x50s. I've had a pair since new but feel they are a bit 'off' now. Mine probably need some TLC. I've googled how to do it but it seems rather a faff compared to other types but it would be nice to have some confidence back in them - at the moment they have become shelf queens.

[Merlin]

It seems unusual that the Miranda’s are described as having good optics. I thought the Miranda’s were cheapo Dixon’s brand. 

The optics in the Miranda’s I looked through were mediocre but serviceable.

[F15Rules]

There's no doubt that some old bins are still optically quite good if they've been looked after well..brands such as Swift (Audobons), Tento (most models) and Pentax/Asahi Pentax and Zeiss (Aus Jena) are worth considering.

But IMHO, modern construction and coatings have left most old 1960s - 1980s bins far behind.

I was reminded of this when I found a modem pair of Vixen Apex Pro 8.5x32 roof prism bins online, used, a couple of years back. I'd never tried a pair of roof prisms, but I was amazed by their performance for such small binos. Wider 7-8degree fov, comfortable ergonomics, great coatings,  bright images, low chromatic aberration levels (they are ordinary achro lenses, but very sharp) and great contrast.

I paid less for the Vixen's in used, but immaculate condition, than the price used prices many of the above older brands go for, often for quite tatty examples, and yet these modern little bins leave many of these oldies standing.

Also, some of the modern (and I hate to say it) Chinese entry level budget bins from the likes of Opticron, Nikon and Olympus are also very good for not too much cash.

Take at look at Steve Tonkins' (Binocular Sky) website at some of his reviews..you can trust that he knows his stuff and what makes a good (and bad) pair of starter bins.

Dave

[PeterW]

We are certainly blessed we can get “pretty good” for not a lot. Many of the old bins have restricted eye relief. However if you like really Wide angle views the old models can have the edge, though the top Modern units are sharper over more of the field. 

There are a good deal of nice 7x35 out h there, neglected size.

Peter

[Chaz2b]

On 04/12/2021 at 17:58, Merlin said:

It seems unusual that the Miranda’s are described as having good optics. I thought the Miranda’s were cheapo Dixon’s brand. 

The optics in the Miranda’s I looked through were mediocre but serviceable.

Yes, good but not brilliant! They’ve serviced me quite well terrestrial viewing wise, but are easily outclassed by the rest.