7x binoculars- how many people use them? (1 Viewer)

[Martin Fagg]

Hi all,

I've been following Spyglass's "Survey of your fellow birders instruments...." thread and it has got me wondering.......

I recently got my hands on a pair of 7x myself after months of biding my time. They're Konica Minolta 7x35 Activa porros, bought used from a BF member for £50. When they were available new they cost £120.

I have to say that optically they're nothing special (in centre field they are nice and sharp but at the edges they fall off quite severely) but they do the job just fine and I really like the huge depth of focus and 9.3 degree fov. In woodland especially, where (combined with the 3D porro effect) they make locating moving birds nice and easy. I would be happy with paying £120 for a new pair.
Now I can understand why ZR caused such a stir here with their 7x36s. I would like some 7x42s though so I have something with more light gathering than my 8x42s but there are so few on the market and most of those are right at the top of the price range (i.e. Leica, Swaro, Zeiss & Nikon) which is out of my league.

Anyway, I'm waffling on when all I really wanted to ask (in a similar vein to Spyglass) is-

How many of you use 7x and how many 7x bins have you noticed other people using while you're out and about.

Best wishes
Martin

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Martin,

My Zen-Ray 7x36 ED2 and Swaro 7x42 SLC bins are my most used. I find 7x to simply be much more relaxing to use than anything higher powered. My age might be a factor but regardless 7x (as well as 6.5x and 6x) are my preferred choice.

As for others, 10x and 8x are still what you'll see locally, almost exclusively with hunters.

 

[Steve C]

I tend to use my ZEN ED 7x36 nearly exclusively. There is a two pronged appeal with these for me. First is that there is an outstanding depth of focus. In fact they are better in that regard to my eyes than anything else I have. They are nearly focus free in this regard, mainly requiring some focus tweaking when looking at something close up. I think that in my case this depth of focus and a resultant increased 3-D perception makes it as easy to discern detail as any 8x I have. Like Bob, I find it a very relaxing view. Second, the wide fov is a nice combination to go along with the depth of focus. There may well be a touch of edge fuzzieness that might bother some, but I really am not affected by it.

7x is sort of the odd man out these days, as there is not much aside from the ZEN and Swift Eaglet 7x36 until one hits the Meopta Meostar and upwards in price in other alphas. There are a few more choices in 6-6.5x, but a broader selection is certainly available in 8x and 10x.

 

[Martin Fagg]

Thanks for your replies fellas.

The ZR 7x36 is one bin I'd dearly like to try out but i suspect that e/r isn't big enough for me so I haven't risked wasting the delivery charges.

 

[James Bean]

Zeiss 7x42 BGAT are reckoned by many to be one of the best birding bin's ever: bright, adequate magnification, very sharp, and built to last a thousand years. I still like to use my old Nikon 7x35A porro, which is amazingly sharp despite its age. I don't understand why 7x50 binoculars are no longer popular; 50 years ago they were undeniably brighter than any other models, because of their 7mm exit pupil, but they just faded away; was there a genuine reason for this, or did they merely become 'unfashionable'? The other most popular types were the 8x30 and 10x50 (usually from Zeiss Jena) but these too are now relatively rare, at least as far as new products are concerned. Trendy numbers are now more likely to be 8x32, 8x42/3 or 10x42/3 or, if you can afford them, 8.5x Swaro's...

 

[temmie]

I use Zeiss Victory 7x42 exclusively since two years. Any other binocular would probably have cost me birds, as my main birding was in (tropical) forests.
I am more and more impressed, and don't feel the need to go back to 'tunnel view' for more resolution etc.

 

[Sancho]

Thanks for your replies fellas.

The ZR 7x36 is one bin I'd dearly like to try out but i suspect that e/r isn't big enough for me so I haven't risked wasting the delivery charges.

I had, for a short time, a 1st generation ZR 7x36. I used it one day alongside my SV 8.5x42. I later traded it. To be honest, I really, really liked it, and had I bought a 2nd generation version (with better baffling) first, and then tried it alongside the SV, my credit card may not have taken such a bashing....I reckon I might have been content with the ZR. I wear eye-glasses, and had no problems with the ER. I suppose this depends on the style of your glasses, but I don´t reckon it would be a problem. I really, really liked the 7x, and found that I could keep the image remarkably steady. Edge "fuzziness" didn´t bother me, as the FOV is so wide anyway.

 

[berryns]

I use my Zeiss 7x42 BGAT*P* every week.

 

[Kevin Purcell]

Mark me up as another 7x user.

After using mostly 10x42 SE from last fall and through the winter I've been trying 7x this spring especially in habitats and for tasks were they work best: in woodland and wherever you get close to birds and searching for birds especially the Cooper's Hawks I watch.

I've been using the ZR 7x36 ED2, which seems to have brought the wide angle 7x to many people here, and Zeiss 7x42 FL. Along with a (heavy and only 8.2°) Bushnell Discoverer 7x42 that is now my window sill binocular in the apartment.

I've said it in a few places but I think the ZR 7x36 ED2 is the best of the Chinese ED bins I've used out there especially with the version 2 glare fixes. I use it with glasses and the ER is enough but I don't quite see the whole FOV but I suspect the bits I' missing are were the field curvature is more obvious.

I even found myself on one recent birding walk thinking I'd brought my 8x43 ZR but it only dawned on me late in the walk that these were the 7x36. I really didn't notice the extra 14% magnification. I suspect some of the trade off is the image is smaller but "brighter" (in the sense of light per unit angle) so for me it can make some small color patches "pop" out e.g. Golden-crowned Kinglets crown patch (like a Firecrest) even at 43m or so.

The downside is even if you don't think a 8x shakes more than 7x when you start I have found that if you use 7x exclusively for a while it becomes very noticeable when you go back to an 8x.

The other upside for the 7x36 is that for a "long bin" its about the same size as an average full-size bin and a little bit lighter.

I rather feel that if you own only one bin then an 8x will make most people happy. But if you own two bins then one of them should be a wide angle 7x (and perhaps a 10x for when you are out in the open).

 

[falcondude]

another 7x36 ED2 user

have logged nearly half of my bino hours on 7x36ED with the rest shared between 8x43 ED and 8.5x42 EL.

 

[statestat]

Lucky Seven

I had two 7x, one 7x30 SLC traded off reluctantly and a 7x42 B&L that resides at my moms house now. Both provided deep, easy views but I needed a little more eye relief. In my bird group 15 people, two people use the SLC 7x42 with good results, a few Zeiss 7x40 and the rest use porros. Really want to get a 7x42 SLC but fear by the time I save up enough they may all be gone.

 

[GreatNW]

7x50 Fuji Polaris for 10 years. Sold them recently. Haven't stepped up to anything else yet. So it's the 6x30 Yosemites at the moment.

 

[Martin Fagg]

Well, quite a few of you use 7x and quite a few of you are using 7x as your first choice main bin.

I have to say that the Minolta 7x that I've been using have really turned my head. I really like them. If they stiffen up in the cold come winter time then I'm going to have to get some 7x roofs.
If I can afford them maybe the Meoptas. I really like the 8x32s. The 42s are heavy though. So maybe the ZRs. We shall see..........................
Roll on winter

As I nearly always take a scope with me I could easily use 7x all the time i think.

If only there were more lower priced ones to choose from.

Thanks folks
Martin

 

[Gianni]

I use a Zeiss Dialyt 7x42 BGAT.

 

[Ingle1970]

hello martin

love 7x binoculars, you just cant beat the wide, bright, and eye relaxing views they give you.
at last count i think i have 7 pairs, coincidence of course :-O in various guises.
such as Zeiss 7x42 and 45, Leica 7x42bn etc.
latest aquisitions being Swarovski slc neu and Nikon 7x50sp.

 

[FXM]

I've been using Zeiss 7 x 42 for 20+ years and in my opinion they out perform most bins under certain conditions. For example in Arunachal Pradesh at close range I was able to locate wren-babblers quicker and then watch them for longer periods than a team of excellent birders all using 'top-notch' bins (usually x10) plus they would probably have sharper eyes than me. I've noted similar results many times over the years at close range or in dark areas.

Having said that I also carry a pair of x10 Nikons for long(er) distance birding in more open areas. In AP I went into the field with both pairs and switched depending on the circumstances.

If you go for a high quality x8 you might be getting an excellent compromise but to me you lose out (perhaps just a little) under both sets of circumstances outlined above.

I've not kept in touch with recent developments in bins so I'm keen to hear what others think and maybe someone can point me in a different direction.

Frank

 

[Pinewood]

I've been using Zeiss 7 x 42 ...

Having said that I also carry a pair of x10 ...

Frank

Hello Frank,

We observe along similar lines. I often use a seven power glass and a ten power glass. My seven power could be either the Zeiss 7x42 or the Zen 7x36, along with a 10x32. The two seem to complement each other well.
However, I do use an 8x32, on its own, from time to time, but I think I am better off carrying two binoculars rather than one.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[Martin Fagg]

Are there any mid-priced 7x42 roofs out there? Or decent low price ones for that matter. I can't afford the top guns although I do like the spec and reviews of the Zeiss.
Opticron BGA SE is too narrow fov (7 degrees). I like the 9.3 degrees of my Minoltas. The Meopta 7x42s also have less than 8 degree fov and I don't find the 10x42s (same size & shape) comfortable in my hand, .

Wonder if ZR would consider making a 7x42 along the same lines as the 7x36? Mind you, I read somewhere on here that the ZR 7x36 stiffens in the cold and I want smething for winter use.

Best wishes
Martin

 

[brownpelican1]

I am another 7x birder. My experiences closely mirror Bob A(SD) and Steve C. My birding bins have been evolving over the years and I find myself relying on the Zen Ray 7x36 ED2 about 70% of the time and the Swaro 7x42 SLC the remainder. I, like Steve C, value the wonderful depth of field and wide field of view in the Zen’s. I only reach for the Swaro SLC when I feel I’m going to need the extra bit of brightness they provide. I have found the Zen 7x36 to be the most satisfying compromise in birding binoculars. Now, if they just had another millimeter or so of eye relief they would be getting pretty close to perfect for me.

Regarding Martin’s question about lower priced 7x bins, I also own the Meade Montana 7x42 and I think it’s a fine bin. Not in the same league as the Zen or the Swaro but certainly a bin I could bird with all day and not feel like I was missing anything. I have read that the Montana is a rebadged Bushnell Discoverer.
The Meade has a 419’ FOV, phase coating, and it’s made in Japan. I got mine from the Meade website for $99.00. I just checked and it’s still available at the closeout price. It's certainly a reasonably priced intro to the world of 7x bins.
Tom

 

[ceasar]

When I go to Hawk Mountain or visit the Upper Delaware River area I take my Leica 7 x 42 Trinovid BN and either a Nikon 10 x 42 SE or a 10 x 32 LX L. I find I use the 7 x 42 most because of it's wide field of view and ease and comfort of use. The Trinovid is discontinued and sometimes can be found used at reasonable prices.
Bob