John M Robinson
Well-known member
To help fund the purchase of some 10x42 Noctovids. I have no idea how what the market is for them. I’m driving down to my local optics shop to put them on consignment right now. Any ideas?
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Thinking of selling my 10x42 SE’s and Ultravids. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter John M Robinson
- Start date
John M Robinson
Well-known member
Thanks, they’re in very good shape, but you kind of need to be an optics nerd to realize how special they are. I put a $600 price on them to see what happens. The clerk believes he can sell the 8x42 Ultravids for $1,500 fairly easily. They still hold their own against ELs and Ultravid HD+s.
Don't do it. You will regret it and never find another.
John M Robinson
Well-known member
Hi Sancho, it’s been a long time since we conversed. I’ve had the 8x32 and 10x42 SEs for over ten years now. I use the 8x32s all the time, though my new 7x35 Retrovids have Kine of taken their place in the field lately. Over the years I hardly ever carry the tens in the field, just too bulky. I occasionally use them in the house looking at the mountains and forest, but even then they mostly sit on a shelf in my closet.
brocknroller
porromaniac
Don't do it. You will regret it and never find another.... (and I speak from experience).
brocknroller
porromaniac
Hi John,
Someone else recently called the 10x42 SE's "bulky" on another thread. I guess with their dog-legged porro prisms, they feel bulkier than conjoined twin roof prisms, particularly compared to the "toy-sized" 7x35 Retrovid.
I found the 10x42 SE perfect for my hands, and after I sold them, I added rubber sun shields on the objective ends of my 8x32 SE, so they felt like the 10x42s. Surprisingly, I could not hold the 10x SE steady like I could the 10X35 E2. So, I ended up using the 10x42 SE more for stargazing where by leaning the weight back on my face and propping up my elbows with pillows on my lawn chair, I could hold it steadier than for daytime use. Then I bought the 12x50 SE, and I already had the 8x32 SE, so 10x became neither here nor there, so I sold it. But the 10x42 was outstanding optically like the 8x and 12x (same EPs).
Do you belong to Cloudy Nights? If not, you can sign up for free like BF. I think the 10x SE might sell faster on CN's Classifieds than BF's and definitely faster than at your local optics store. Those who use binoculars for stargazing on CN almost excluvisely use porros.
Scott mentioned Astromart. For $15, you can join Astromart for a year. After I had trouble selling my LNIB 8x and 10x E2s on BF and CN, I renewed my Amart membership, put up the ads, and sold them both in a couple days.
Good Luck! and let us know how you like the Noctos.
Brock
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If you want to realize the best price for your SE you'll need to sell them where optics nerds will see them - here, Cloudynights, Astromart and I'm sure the contingent here that do lots of buying and selling can recommend you more. Ebay gives you the best coverage, but is also the most hassle with regard to potential returns etc.
PeterPS
Well-Known Member
Hi John,
I owned three SE 8x32 (I was obsessed with getting the latest examples with SNs 550xxx and 551xxx) and one SE 10x42 (also a late example). I did not keep any and I regret my decision: they are still competitive with the best available offerings (porros or roofs), despite the fact that they don't have the wide FOV of the latter. Most important for a bino enthusiast, they have reached the pinnacle of porro models and in my eyes they are beautiful---I should have kept one of my 8x32s just to look at it. Regarding the 8x32 vs 10x42, I found the former to be more versatile for birding than the latter and so I understand your decision to keep the 8x32 but sell the 10x42. Concerning price, a 10x42 recently sold very quickly for about 700$ on CN:
https://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/item/328052-nikon-10x42-se/
I consider 700$ to be a reasonable price for an early example. But if you have a later example you might be able to get 900$ for your 10x42.
Peter
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Yes, any SE's in good shape would likely sell within minutes on Astromart. The $15 is a bargain compared to the fees one must pay to operate on ebay.
I wouldn't worry about selling them. If I'm not using stuff, I like the idea of moving it on to a new owner so someone will use and enjoy them. I just got a new pair of E2 10x35, they're incredible binos IMO. You can always go in that direction if you want 10x porros again.
edwincjones
Well-known member
I sold my Leica Duovid 10+15x50s to B&H photo
Original list $2800
I paid $2250 used
B&H paid me $1000
they listed for $1800 on their used site
low sale price but they were easy to work with
edj
Original list $2800
I paid $2250 used
B&H paid me $1000
they listed for $1800 on their used site
low sale price but they were easy to work with
edj
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John M Robinson
Well-known member
Thanks guys!!! I’m over in Washington State camping, dog training and running my two Golden Retriever’s in field trials. As soon as I get home, I’ll follow your advice and list them with Astromart and Cloudy Nights.
brocknroller
porromaniac
ed,
At 100% profit, they better be easy to deal with!
They bumped up the price to $1,999.95.
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bp
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Hi,
from what we know about your collection (Retrovid 7x35, SE 8x32 and 10x42, UVHD(+ maybe) 8x42 and Noctivid 10x42 incoming), I can kind of understand your idea to sell those two - you have a very good 10x42 incoming and this will make your SE 10x42 collect even more dust than it does now. You probably prefer the Retrovid and SE 8x32 as lighter low mag options to the UVHD 8x42.
I would ask myself what I would do in real foul weather or for a boat trip when lower mags are called for - neither the Retrovid nor the SE are waterproof - otoh who knows how the UVHD will fare... anybody remember the infamous Leica submarine incident?
The SE will become harder to replace over the years... but if you don't use it and don't collect, let it go.
Joachim, who has the SE10x42 as his only and not often used 10x option and was offered to it for a UVHD 10x50 once by its disillusioned owner, who hated the weight and was a bit astonished what an "old porro" could do... I declined and told him where to look for his own pair of SEs...
from what we know about your collection (Retrovid 7x35, SE 8x32 and 10x42, UVHD(+ maybe) 8x42 and Noctivid 10x42 incoming), I can kind of understand your idea to sell those two - you have a very good 10x42 incoming and this will make your SE 10x42 collect even more dust than it does now. You probably prefer the Retrovid and SE 8x32 as lighter low mag options to the UVHD 8x42.
I would ask myself what I would do in real foul weather or for a boat trip when lower mags are called for - neither the Retrovid nor the SE are waterproof - otoh who knows how the UVHD will fare... anybody remember the infamous Leica submarine incident?
The SE will become harder to replace over the years... but if you don't use it and don't collect, let it go.
Joachim, who has the SE10x42 as his only and not often used 10x option and was offered to it for a UVHD 10x50 once by its disillusioned owner, who hated the weight and was a bit astonished what an "old porro" could do... I declined and told him where to look for his own pair of SEs...
