In my opinion, the vast majority of Alpha binocular buyers are not the type of people who decadently brag or flaunt their optics,
... and I do agree with what you say. But the exceptions,
like this fine chap, have a way of
standing out from the norm...
So after just a few minutes of use, one can firmly say that an instrument is every bit as good as the alphas and excels in all terrains?
interesting point - how quickly can one tell that (a) one likes a binocular, and (b) how it compares to other binoculars you're familiar with? In my own experience I have normally been able to tell if I liked a binocular quite quickly, but to fully understand its performance has often taken some time.
I remember your (excellent, and appreciated)
comparison between the 10x50 Maven and other 10x50s - how long did that take you?
So SRBC tells us as much about the evolving taste of Chinese consumers as manufacturing capability. It's not all about lower prices for us...
So what are they using these for? In the US, a knurled CCW focuser would read as a hunting bin,
There is probably a lot in that, I think. The SRBC (and indeed other models like the 6.5x32 Moon-Star) seems to have been first offered on the domestic PRC market rather than to Western rebranders and a lot of its design may reflect what that domestic market wants. If the SRBC is anything to go by it looks as though that might be a high level of optical performance with more utilitarian build/fittings. Again, that's not completely new - Soviet binoculars were nowhere near the fit and finish of a Leitz or a Zeiss West but seem to have had pretty decent optics (my own experience of an 8x30 KOMZ seems to back this up).
I've asked PRC members on this forum what they use their binoculars for, as that question interests me too, and the replies I got suggested it often seems to be "the view" rather than for any specific purpose. It's odd to think of so many expensive imported binoculars, including vintage binoculars, being used only to look at massive megacities. But it's their money to spend...
BTW, I'm intrigued by your comment re: knurled CCW focuser being associated with hunting. That doesn't appear to be the case from my view across the Atlantic (mainly from Swarovski and other Euro manufacturers being popular amongst US hunters) but I'd like to hear more, if you would.
I am sure there are a few here who worry about taking such an expensive alpha instrument to certain places or locations in spite of its top-notch optical capabilities.
You are completely wrong amigo! No one here would ever think twice about
hurting the resale value of sorry, I meant scuffing up or damaging their $2,000-$3,500 "glass". Never never ever!