The $500 question.... (1 Viewer)

[chill6x6]

I'm going to purchase a new 8X42.... Probably to be a truck/canoe/cruise binocular. Price?? Let's say $450-$550 or at least pretty close to that. I have a few I'm considering.... Vanguard Endeavor ED II, Nikon Monarch 7, Zeiss Terra ED, and Leupold Mojave BX-3. I guess these are probably the usual suspects. What do you think of these? You have one you think I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[Maljunulo]

If you really don't need a 42mm aperture, take a look at the 30mm Nikon Monarch 7s. (8X and 10X)

You may be surprised.

 

[perterra]

I prefer the handling of the Monarch 5 to the 7 and if I was looking today I would have a hard time getting passed a Zen Ray Prime HD for the price.

 

[jtc]

Try a Vortex Viper. It is well built and has an outstanding warranty. More important, the view is great.

 

[falcondude]

If you keep on checking ebay, you may be lucky enough to score a pair of Zeiss Conquest HD for that price. I agree that the special Birdforum price for PRIME HD is hard to beat for such an awesome glass.

 

[brocknroller]

I've only tried the 30mm M7, and thought that was excellent for the price point. Ditto for the 32mm Terra ED. I was not as impressed with the 8x42 TED, which I found too heavy and the focuser too fast -- 3/4 of turn from cf to infinity. I measured an even smaller focusing radius (1/2 turn).

Once focused, the view through the 8x42 is sharp and bright, but the 8x32 TED is easier for me to focus although the focuser still somewhat fast due to its lower "stiction" (how easy/hard to turn the focuser).

The M7 has a warmer color balance than the more neutral TED. The 8x42 M7 is nearly a whole degree FOV wider than the 8x42 TED.

What I don't like about either Terra is that there's no carrying case included, just a plastic display case, which might look good in your curio cabinet but is useless in the field.

Brock

 

[chill6x6]

If you really don't need a 42mm aperture, take a look at the 30mm Nikon Monarch 7s. (8X and 10X)

You may be surprised.

Probably don't NEED it but I DO want 42mm.. Thanks for the suggestion..

Try a Vortex Viper. It is well built and has an outstanding warranty. More important, the view is great.

I have one of those and I AGREE!

I prefer the handling of the Monarch 5 to the 7 and if I was looking today I would have a hard time getting passed a Zen Ray Prime HD for the price.

I agree that the special Birdforum price for PRIME HD is hard to beat for such an awesome glass.

Thanks for the suggestion…. What's the BF special price? I didn't know anything about that…

I've only tried the 30mm M7, and thought that was excellent for the price point. Ditto for the 32mm Terra ED. I was not as impressed with the 8x42 TED, which I found too heavy and the focuser too fast -- 3/4 of turn from cf to infinity. I measured an even smaller focusing radius (1/2 turn).

Once focused, the view through the 8x42 is sharp and bright, but the 8x32 TED is easier for me to focus although the focuser still somewhat fast due to its lower "stiction" (how easy/hard to turn the focuser).

The M7 has a warmer color balance than the more neutral TED. The 8x42 M7 is nearly a whole degree FOV wider than the 8x42 TED.

What I don't like about either Terra is that there's no carrying case included, just a plastic display case, which might look good in your curio cabinet but is useless in the field.

Brock

Thanks… Zeiss Terra ED no carrying case? Hmmmm.. I think I'll remove it from the consideration.

 

[PeterPS]

Well within your price range: Vixen New Foresta 8x42///Peter.

 

[perterra]

He posted it a couple days back.

We have received a lot of inquiries from customers who want to order our high end ZEN EDx binoculars while we are in the phase of transitioning from ED3 to ZEN ED4. To appreciate the support of our loyal BirdForum members, we have allocated a few pairs of dealer demo PRIME HD binoculars for a private sale event for BirdForum customers. When you order our demo PRIME HD (10x or 8x), please use coupon code BIRDFORUM, which will take additional $100 off the demo price. The quantity is rather limited so we won't be able to issue rain check once they are all sold out.

Note: The demo units were gently handled in indoor environment and come with new sets of accessories. You may notice some cosmetic damage on the box, but nothing on the binoculars itself. They carry the same No-Fault warranty as brand new PRIME HD binoculars.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/demo.html

 

[PhilR.]

A few thoughts......

If you really want a Terra -- Eagle Optics included a case with the 8x32 Terra I ordered. It was in it's own packaging, but included in the shipment w/the binos. Certainly I would not recommend a Terra of any size to someone w/your budget, but thought you might like to know this anyway.

That sale price on the demo Prime is very good. You won't be able to find something whose optics are noticeably better for the price. However, be aware that the Prime is a heavy bino. In fact, I can't at the moment think of a heavier 42mm bino. Won't matter if you plan on using a harness, of course. Because there are very good binos that are much lighter in weight, I don't use a harness. I also won't hang nearly 30 ounces from my neck for a long period of time.

If you want to spend a bit less than your stated budget, you can get a demo Zen-Ray ED3 for under $350. Still a fairly large bino, but it is the best I've seen so far for $350 and under, and competes very well in the $550 and under price range. A great place to get these is camerlandny.com.

Do consider the Vanguard Endeavor EDII (not the original ED) and the new Leupold Mojave ED (not the non-ED Mojave). I've not used an EDII yet, but the original ED is a very good bino for the price. The new EDII seems to perform at the top of it's price range, and would have to be considered by anyone wanting a non-alpha 42mm bino. It weighs a few ounces less than a Prime. I like Vanguard's neckstraps, as they are sized just right for the 42mm binos.

My personal favorite in your price range is the Leupold Mojave HD. Not that it's optically better than a Prime or EDII or ED3, but it has the smallest footprint and the least amount of weight. I really like the handling of the 42mm Mojaves, and everyone who has tried my non-ED version has liked them too. Just be aware that for some reason I have not yet found, Leupolds will occasionally arrive with a rather stiff focus wheel, and they don't always loosen up with use. If you decide to order one, get it from a place that makes it easy to return, just in case yours ends up having an overly-stiff focus wheel.

 

[perterra]

Phil is dead on about heavy. They are all there for sure. I dont notice the weight a lot in use, but it is there.

 

[proudpapa56]

The Opticron Verano BGA HD 8x42 runs $446 in the U.S.

 

[paddy7]

I'd support Phil's suggestion of the Vanguard Endeavor EDII - in terms of edge-to-edge sharpness, colour rendition and flat-field (if you like that) you'd have to spend a lot more to better it.

 

[chill6x6]

Thanks everyone for your responses!

I knew it and you made it even more obvious….there are several great choices in the $500 market for binoculars.

I went with the Vanguard Endeavor ED II 8X42. Reason? Several. Reason one was open-bridge design. This will be my second such binocular the other being the EL SV 10x42. Secondly… I can't deny that the 145 pts for the 10X42 on allbinos.com helped. I don't really see how a binocular that only scores 80% on transmission can score so highly but I'm about to find out. ALSO… the staff at Birdwatching.com gave it the highest available score for mid-priced binoculars for the old Endeavor ED. I figure they have looked thru more binoculars than I have. Without many first-hand reports, one really has little more to go on. LASTLY… FOV, CF, and ER were all average or usually better.

I had a time deciding between the Endeavor ED II and the Zen-Ray Prime HD/Nikon Monarch 7 both of which offer superior FOV. Don't be surprised if one of the two show up here in Athens, AL.

Chuck

 

[perterra]

Excellent choice, you couldnt really go wrong with the ones you were thinking of.

 

[SivaL]

I generally like Porros and will consider the Swift Audubon 820 ED 8.5x44 for $500. I still remember being very impressed with the stunning view when I tested one a couple of years back. None of the Nikon or Pentax bins in the price range could match the 820 ED. Q/C is a big issue with that bin, but if you are lucky to land a good one it will be amazing. I need to go back and compare it to my EII.

 

[paddy7]

Hi Chill -
Good choice i reckon. I've had the EDII about a year and they've performed very well in all seasons and environments. You might find you need a couple of days to get used to the very fast focuser, and if you like your bins under your neck, may have to consider a strap that can be made shorter than the Vanguard issue. Don't worry about the transmission graph - the lower renditions were all in the 'blue' range from what i remember of the Allbinos review, and this contributes to the warmth of the colour of the bins. I've never sat in a bird hide wishing i had more short wavelengths - particularly in heat haze conditions.
It would be good to hear what you think of them after a field test or two....?

 

[justabirdwatcher]

If that was my budget, I'd probably end up with Vortex Vipers

 

[chill6x6]

Hi Chill -
Good choice i reckon. I've had the EDII about a year and they've performed very well in all seasons and environments. You might find you need a couple of days to get used to the very fast focuser, and if you like your bins under your neck, may have to consider a strap that can be made shorter than the Vanguard issue. Don't worry about the transmission graph - the lower renditions were all in the 'blue' range from what i remember of the Allbinos review, and this contributes to the warmth of the colour of the bins. I've never sat in a bird hide wishing i had more short wavelengths - particularly in heat haze conditions.
It would be good to hear what you think of them after a field test or two....?

Thanks for the info! I'm really looking forward to trying them out!

 

[chill6x6]

If that was my budget, I'd probably end up with Vortex Vipers

Well I'll disclose that I HAVE the Vortex Viper HD 8X42 here at the house and have had them a little more than a week! |;| I liked the 8X32s so much it was THE obvious choice. But I wanted the best alternative to compare hence it wasn't in my initial list. All this to do a little comparison or so..

The Vortex Diamondback 8X42s in the picture are my girlfriend's and she has since taken up with the SLC 10X42s...