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  1. J

    Venturer LX Manufacture Date

    The Venturer LX is an under-appreciated binocular. I was looking for my first serious binocular in the late 1990s and I first handled the Venturer 8x42 at a bird fair at that time. In June 2000 I tried out the Venturer 8x42 at a Wild Birds Unlimited shop in Dallas, comparing it to Nikon SE...
  2. J

    Swarovski Service Is Superb!

    The warranty at the time my SLC was made may have been transferable, but it was not lifetime. It was for 30 years, as stated in the product manual included in the box. However, the warranty was not valid unless "this warranty/service document has been duly dated, stamped and signed by the...
  3. J

    Swarovski Service Is Superb!

    I was not charged for the work, and I'm not the original owner, so technically it was not under warranty. However, I am a Swarovski customer and they have done other warranty work for me. I do have vintage bins, which I use occasionally for birding. The SLC 7x30 is quite uncommon today, and...
  4. J

    Swarovski Service Is Superb!

    I have an SLC 7x30B, made in 1998. This is the early waterproof model, which like the 8x30 was fitted with simple coated optical glass to seal the objectives. Unlike all the 8x30s I handled, the 7x30, or at least mine, has a butter-smooth focus. I like it for its compactness and easy, if...
  5. J

    Leica Still Tops In My Book...

    Swarovski's SLC was out for several years before the EL, but I don't know how long. In the late 1990s the Trinovid had coatings that rendered a more neutral color cast than the SLC. The 8x30 SLC of around 2000, with updated coatings, is so similar in performance to the 8x32 Trinovid that I found...
  6. J

    Leica Still Tops In My Book...

    I bought my pre-HD Ultravid BR 7x42 in November 2003, shortly after the model was released (for $1199). It is my binocular of choice in winter, because as Mac308 says, the focus mechanism operates exactly the same over a temperature range of more than 100 degrees fahrenheit. (I have used it from...
  7. J

    Swarovski Service

    After 6.5 years of heavy use, my 8x32 EL developed some faint internal haze. SONA asked me to send it in, and they performed "warranty service" on it. I got it back yesterday, and I am sure that the optical performance is better than when I bought it. It never seemed to "snap" into focus, but it...
  8. J

    Olympus OM-D EM-1

    Thanks for the helpful comments on AF in the EM-1 and on the Oly 75-300. On many occasions when shooting BIF with the G3 and 100-300, the camera will not recognize the presence of a bird, and I have to first aim at and focus on some element of the landscape at an appropriate distance and then...
  9. J

    Olympus OM-D EM-1

    I'm not too thrilled to learn of dying 100-300 lenses. I noticed dust inside mine very soon after I started using it, and I have kept it and my D3 in a ziploc freezer bag constantly ever since. Dust accumulation has slowed quite a bit, but it still sucks some in. I guess I have to join the ranks...
  10. J

    Olympus OM-D EM-1

    Thanks, Ron. I'll explore some of the comments in that forum. Do post some BIF shots if/when you have a chance. I have been using G3 with 100-300 for two years. BIF photos have been mixed, but this is a great crossover combo for birds and insects, and I often carry it on long hikes, when the...
  11. J

    Olympus OM-D EM-1

    Ron, The EM-1 looks very interesting to me. I am curious to know how it performs in two areas: 1) photos of birds in flight, and 2) fill-flash in open sunlight Have you had a chance to experiment with either of these functions? Thanks, Jonathan
  12. J

    Nikon 8x30 E II.

    Thanks. I have a black 8x30, and though I haven't seen a report of peeling, I've been hesitant to use it in the field much. I never handled the earlier gray version.
  13. J

    Nikon 8x30 E II.

    Brock, Do we really know that the black armor is peel-proof?
  14. J

    Vintage Binoculars

    Well it is a Zephyr, and it's not a Zephyr. It is the same bin as the Zephyr, but when it was released by B&L they did not apply that name. I have a B&L catalog with a string of code on the back cover suggesting it was printed in November 1937 ("G-19, 2½, XI-37"). The inserted price list states...
  15. J

    Worlds best roof prism versus the world's best porro prism binocular!

    Porros do indeed rule, except when one needs a waterproof/fogproof bin, and then we all have to debate which roof-prism bin to buy. What surprises me is the fact that some qualities of porro bins have existed for many decades. For me, the SE rules over all bins. Period. So I have no argument...
  16. J

    Vote for the most famous BF bino contributor

    Jerry, Sorry for my potty-mouth comment, but it came from frustration. The point of those old quotes from Dennis is simply to illustrate his nuttiness, which we have all come to appreciate. Well, if we don't appreciate it, we do get the Sternlike shock value. Absolutely Dennis does not believe...
  17. J

    Vote for the most famous BF bino contributor

    Yes, those are direct quotes from Dennis.
  18. J

    Vote for the most famous BF bino contributor

    Well frankly Jerry I don't think you know much and I have found most of your posts worthless. I've done the comparing I need to do to in order to form my opinions. I watch BF mostly for amusement these days and keep to myself. Oh, and by the way, refer to my post in Dennis's thread about the SE...
  19. J

    Vote for the most famous BF bino contributor

    Award for the greatest amount of solidly grounded information: Henry Award for the most long-winded and determined: Brock Award for stirring up the most s#%t: Dennis Those who have not been on the forum for long don't truly understand the full implications of Dennis's embrace of the SE as the...
  20. J

    Worlds best roof prism versus the world's best porro prism binocular!

    Dennis, you have finally come to your senses! After twelve years I still consider my SE the greatest bin I have ever owned or used, and that has included Nikon EII 8x30, Swarovski EL, Swarovski Habicht (porro), Leica Ultravid, Zeiss FL, and others. No other bin offers the crystalline, dazzling...
  21. J

    Why does Nikon make the best binoculars in the world?

    Jerry: I can't believe that you caught my post and responded in the 30 seconds it was up. I took it off because I didn't want to be sucked into the vortex to binocular hell. But I saw that even Henry and Brock did momentarily. JB
  22. J

    HGP? For devotees of the SE

    AM=Monday morning, when all EIIs are made, which explains why many are so dim and fuzzy. EDG=Midweek after some caffeine, explaining their stellar performance.
  23. J

    A question about the Nikon Premier 8x32 Roofs

    Except that my EII is new and my SE is old (501xxx), and I'm on Henry's side. Ron, are you the guy who planted all the pot that was found near the Las Conchas burn?
  24. J

    A question about the Nikon Premier 8x32 Roofs

    Brock, I agree that there is more to what we experience than the amount of light that passes through the bins. I'm referring to this comment, which you made above: "That always happens with Henry. Focus on the semantic nitpick, miss the big picture." Henry provided a fairly simple yet dramatic...
  25. J

    A question about the Nikon Premier 8x32 Roofs

    Disagreement over the perceived brightness of two bins whose performance is similar is one thing, but now we are advised to simply dismiss differences in the transmission of light through bins because it amounts to nitpicking? Oh no, I forgot that we threw out transmission and decided that...
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