Clarity & sharpness of view through binoculars.

[Grump Martian]

I have enjoyed using binoculars for astronomy and terrestial viewing for many years. Several years ago I picked up a set of 8 x 40 Opticrom HR binos. When I put them to my eye the view offered was amazingly clear, bright and sharp. A few weeks back I was in an antique shop. I looked throught a set of 8 x 30 Carl Zeiss Jena binos. Again the view was great , brighter than the Opticron set. The price was good. But I came away without them as there were several spots of mold and fungus. Oh I wish that I had bought them. I have the tools to remove the optics to clean.

It's one of life's pleasures looking through a high quality set of binoculars.

It has got me thinking about upgrading from my Bushnell 7 x 50 binos to a quality set that will give me that clear  bright and sharp view. So any binocular connoisseurs out there. I would be grateful if you were to offer  advice, opinions and recommendations. It would be most appreciated.

Edited May 27 by Grump Martian
Added content

[PeterW]

I agree, where to start? The 8x30 evolved into the nikon E2, though many roof prisms offer the same size, like the zeiss conquest or similar. For bigger Astro use an APM 10x50 gives nice wide and sharp views. I like fairly wide apparent fields of view. You won’t find a wide angle 7x50, large exit pupils don’t often come with wide fields. Most reasonably priced modern binoculars should provide great views, the more you pay the more wider and sharper at the edges they tend to get. There were a number of old 7x35 porro prism binos of decades past that had wide views, though the eye relief tended to be a little short. I advise not frequenting CloudyNights or BirdForum as they are very deep rabbit holes and you may end up with rather more than one extra pair!!

Peter

[Captain Scarlet]

Where to start. I guess first question would be do you wear glasses when using binoculars? If so, eye relief is your first eliminator. Forget any bins with eye relief less than about 15mm. Some specifications lie, so check reviews. High end Nikons are very good. PeterW has the EIIs, which I have looked through (lovely) and which themselves evolved into the 8x32 SE, a pair of which I have. Also very good. Their contemporaneous roof-prisms, the HG series are as good (I have a pair of HG 8x32 7.8 degree, superb).

What I think let down that generation of Nikon premium bins was poor eyecups and focusers while not bad were not top notch.

Used versions of any of those will delight you when you look through them.

But I generally recommend Zeiss Conquest HD. Optically superb too, their focusers in particular are really lovely to use. I have the 10x32 and 15x56.

All the above have 18-20mm eye relief, I do wear glasses and have deep-set eyes. I had to get rid of a pair of Leica Ultravid 10x32 I’d got for a song, they were unusable with glasses.

A few stimulated thoughts based on my own collection.

Cheers, Magnus

[melsky]

If you want super crisp detail across 100% of the field of view try a pair of Swarovski’s, I made the mistake of trying them once and couldn’t leave the shop without them.

[ollypenrice]

On 26/06/2024 at 23:27, melsky said:

If you want super crisp detail across 100% of the field of view try a pair of Swarovski’s, I made the mistake of trying them once and couldn’t leave the shop without them.

I know that feeling...

lly

[Emperor!Takahashi!]

Nikon WX. 

https://www.kyoei-osaka.jp/SHOP/nikon-wx-7x50if.html

They're on sale for ¥613,000. Don't let that number scare you, though. That's only £3,012.

[PeterW]

Someone buy them…. They used to be £5-6k. Bargain!! Even the 10x50 aren’t much more. 
 

Peter