james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
6 pages of pumping, again…the Groundhog Day of the binocular world.
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16x and steady views. Sig Zulu6 16x42 (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter rdnzl
- Start date
If you contact the owner, I think he can get the HDX 16x42 in a couple of days from his supplier. They are a very nice dealer! Texas friendly!Thanks but need the 16x42
kennykerberos
Member
I have both the Kite APC 16x42 and recently got the Sig Sauer HDX 16x42. My wife and I were fighting over the Kite’s so got the Sig Sauer so we can keep the peace. The image stabilization is just a game changer. Like carrying around a spotting scope you can use with one hand. Just got back from a trip looking at bears, moose, whales…. These are amazing. The Kite’s are heavier and you feel that after a while. But the Kite’s feel like they’re higher build quality. The Sig Sauer are maybe a little better viewing but just a little. I like the two focus modes on the Sig Sauer binos but a couple times reaching to flip it on I lost track of what I was looking at. And the shape of the binos is a bit weird being narrow. No objective lens covers with the Sig Sauer either.
They’re good though. No second guessing on buying either of those brands. I’d lean to the Sig Sauers because of the weight, and also the focus lock thing is kind of cool. My wife gets those and I will use the heavier Kite’s. We both win.
They’re good though. No second guessing on buying either of those brands. I’d lean to the Sig Sauers because of the weight, and also the focus lock thing is kind of cool. My wife gets those and I will use the heavier Kite’s. We both win.
It is kind of hard to design lens covers that work well for such closely spaced lenses. I don't use lens covers any more unless I am really out in the bush, and what a liberating feeling it is not to have to fiddle with lens covers every time you want to use your binoculars. I just keep the binoculars in the case until I need them. The narrow shape of the Sigs and close set objectives is what allows them to be so light, it is just something you have to get used. Interesting, you thought he Sigs were a little better than the Kites.
Very helpful information because there are so few comparisons on these two binoculars. Do you like the two different IS modes on the Sig Sauer HDX? How do they perform for CA control? The HDX are supposed to be slightly better glass than the older Sigs.
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Hermann
Well-known member
Well, there's a certain poster here (I'm sure you can work out who he is ... 😁 ) who buys a lot of binoculars, uses them for a few weeks and extols their great virtues here. And then he sells them.
This has been going on for years.
So would I. Preferably from well-known and experienced users ...
Hermann
"Best binos you can buy right now!
by Jim, from Queensland, Australia, Written on October 16, 2022Big statement, and here’s why. I own many binoculars, including Leica 10x42 and Canon 15x50 IS. If you haven’t looked through high power IS binoculars, you have no idea what you’ve been missing. Sig Zulu 6 have good glass, are compact and lightweight. They have rock stable IS and good FOV. They are better overall than binos costing a thousand dollars or more than these Zulu 6. These will be my go to binos until top makers like Swarovski, Zeiss, or Leica can make something that’s better. Wish they will make a Zulu 6 PRO model with the sharpest ultra ED glass."
kennykerberos
Member
Yes, the two modes on the Sig Sauer HDX are nice. I think it works well. But you do have to use your finger to flip the switch off and on quickly, with a narrow field of view on what you’re looking at. I haven’t noticed CA through the middle of the glass, but that’s a thing I kind of forget about until I do notice it. Yeh, a little better than the Kite’s but very little - and subjective. Again, I’m still using the Kites and my wife has the Sigs. She likes the lighter weight and the smaller size for her hands.
I haven’t compared to Canons or Fujinons. Or older Sigs. But either Kites APC or the Sigs HDX are great. I love them both.
I also take any lens covers off when I‘m using binos as I have lost so many lens covers falling off as I walk along. They’re mostly pointless in my use cases. I’m not scrambling through thorns and rocks. Just walking along trails or sitting watching birds/wildlife.
Me too. I really like the small, compact size and light weight of the Sig's. The Sig Zulu 6 10x30 surprised me how small and light it was when I received it. It is way smaller and lighter than the Canon 10x30 IS II. I really enjoy the Sig's. The 16x42 is especially fun.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
When will you be selling the best IS binoculars you ever used, and which one will be for sale first?😜
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Exactly.
I just got back from Yellowstone National Park and I took the Sig Sauer 16x42 with me. I have taken NL's, EL's, SF's and Noctivids to Yellowstone, but I must say the Sig by far gave me the best views of the wildlife and birds of any binocular I have ever used.
I saw a Sow Cinnamon Black Bear and her two cubs, and it was just like being 10 feet away from them. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a steady 16x view of a Black Bear. The detail was extraordinary! Once you see a steady 16x view of a bird, you have a hard time going back to 8x because you are twice as close. I also spotted a Black Timber Wolf from a mile away that most people had difficulty even seeing with their 8x and 10x binoculars. I also saw Elk, Deer, Buffalo, Antelope and many different species of birds.
The close up view of a Bison almost scared me, it seemed so close and detailed. I could see him rolling his eyes back in his sockets when he was napping. The Sig is superbly sharp on-axis and at the edge, and the view at 16x is almost unreal.
What is really nice about the Sigs is because of the ergonomics, lightweight and IS you can use them one-handed, which I did quite often when I had something else in my other hand.
All you Swarovski fan boys like Paultricounty probably won't like to hear this, but there were a group of people observing the wolf when a fellow from North Carolina that had an NL asked me to look through my Sigs. The minute he put them to his eyes he exclaimed "WOW" these are way better than my Swaros! I can actually see the wolf instead of just a black blob! He then said, I am going to sell these Swaros as soon as I get home and get a pair of those Sigs.
I saw a Sow Cinnamon Black Bear and her two cubs, and it was just like being 10 feet away from them. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a steady 16x view of a Black Bear. The detail was extraordinary! Once you see a steady 16x view of a bird, you have a hard time going back to 8x because you are twice as close. I also spotted a Black Timber Wolf from a mile away that most people had difficulty even seeing with their 8x and 10x binoculars. I also saw Elk, Deer, Buffalo, Antelope and many different species of birds.
The close up view of a Bison almost scared me, it seemed so close and detailed. I could see him rolling his eyes back in his sockets when he was napping. The Sig is superbly sharp on-axis and at the edge, and the view at 16x is almost unreal.
What is really nice about the Sigs is because of the ergonomics, lightweight and IS you can use them one-handed, which I did quite often when I had something else in my other hand.
All you Swarovski fan boys like Paultricounty probably won't like to hear this, but there were a group of people observing the wolf when a fellow from North Carolina that had an NL asked me to look through my Sigs. The minute he put them to his eyes he exclaimed "WOW" these are way better than my Swaros! I can actually see the wolf instead of just a black blob! He then said, I am going to sell these Swaros as soon as I get home and get a pair of those Sigs.
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Paultricounty
Well-known member
How about lions , tigers and bears, oh my. Any goats?
Dennis could you tell us what are some of the negative attributes you’ve encountered with them? How is the CA, edge fall off, glare , panning comfort , brightness and/or lack thereof with the 2.6 exit pupal? 🙏🏼
Paul
Glare is better than the NL 8x32 I had, CA is also better especially on the edge, they are as sharp as an NL on the edge, the panning is surprisingly good for a 16x binocular with IS, and for daytime use even into the evening they are surprisingly bright.
Eye placement is also very comfortable. With an IS binocular, the IS helps keeps the EP centered over your retina, so an IS binocular with an EP of only 2.6 mm is more comfortable than a regular 8x42 binocular with a 5 mm EP.
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