eitanaltman
Well-known member
“Figuring out your need” is a great point. Everyone has different real world needs. I love buying and trying binoculars, but I also don’t like clutter and “waste”, so I try to be disciplined and fight my gear junkie tendencies and ask myself “when will I really use this binocular?”
I had the same point on the other end of the spectrum in the current thread on the Leica UV 8x50. I just can’t imagine a situation where I would grab that instead of the 7x42.
My only “criticism” of the Zeiss 8x25 is that it didn’t fit any real need for me. It was in a sort of no-mans-land where it wasn’t quite comfy enough for “serious birding”, but not quite small enough for “carry anywhere emergency use”. So when I asked myself “when will i REALLY use these?”, the truth was that I would always grab a larger bin if I didn’t need to stuff it away. And they weren’t quite comfy enough for me to use them as a lighter alternative. And I would probably still leave them at home if I needed something truly tiny.
So then I veered towards “small 8x30” which (as you know) is all the rage these days, thinking I would prefer the handling as a light weight backup option. But, now that I have a Traveler 8x32, it really strikes me that these tiny-30 class is not that much more ergonomic than the Zeiss. In addition to the Opticron I’ve owned the M7 8x30, and the Swaro 8x30, they are all just a wee bit too small and slender for me to wrap my mitts around and feel totally comfortable using them for hours. The Opticron sits at home most of the time (although I will probably still keep them since the light weight and 51mm min IPD makes them perfect for my daughters).
So I think the Zeiss is more accurately viewed as a competitor to these tiny-30’s, but with the benefit of being able to fold in half! Perfect for someone who wants a serious optic for occasional use that handles almost like a mid sized bin, but can be stuffed into a belt pouch or roomy jacket pocket when not needed.
I had the same point on the other end of the spectrum in the current thread on the Leica UV 8x50. I just can’t imagine a situation where I would grab that instead of the 7x42.
My only “criticism” of the Zeiss 8x25 is that it didn’t fit any real need for me. It was in a sort of no-mans-land where it wasn’t quite comfy enough for “serious birding”, but not quite small enough for “carry anywhere emergency use”. So when I asked myself “when will i REALLY use these?”, the truth was that I would always grab a larger bin if I didn’t need to stuff it away. And they weren’t quite comfy enough for me to use them as a lighter alternative. And I would probably still leave them at home if I needed something truly tiny.
So then I veered towards “small 8x30” which (as you know) is all the rage these days, thinking I would prefer the handling as a light weight backup option. But, now that I have a Traveler 8x32, it really strikes me that these tiny-30 class is not that much more ergonomic than the Zeiss. In addition to the Opticron I’ve owned the M7 8x30, and the Swaro 8x30, they are all just a wee bit too small and slender for me to wrap my mitts around and feel totally comfortable using them for hours. The Opticron sits at home most of the time (although I will probably still keep them since the light weight and 51mm min IPD makes them perfect for my daughters).
So I think the Zeiss is more accurately viewed as a competitor to these tiny-30’s, but with the benefit of being able to fold in half! Perfect for someone who wants a serious optic for occasional use that handles almost like a mid sized bin, but can be stuffed into a belt pouch or roomy jacket pocket when not needed.