Bushnell 10x42 or Olympus 10x50 ?? (1 Viewer)

[Truffle]

Hi guys and girls, first post here.

I currently use a set of my fathers old 8x40 Swift SP's ?? But i feel i need something with a little extra magnification and a bit better low-light ability.

At the moment i'm torn between either These Bushnell H2O series 10x42

Or these Olympus 10x50 DPS-1

The Bushnell's would technically let in less light than my current binoculars because of the smaller exit pupil, but they have fully multi coated lenses and BaK-4 Prisms. Would this make a major difference??

Or should i go for the Olympus which are only Fully Coated (and i dont know what prism type), but they have a greater exit pupil than my present binoculars (which are also only fully coated).

They are both similarly priced, but the Bushnells come with a number of things i dont need (ie waterproof, shock resistant). I'm not looking to spend much so this is really the limit of my budget. What would you buy, remembering that i'm in the UK so it'll probably be more expensive than in the US :-C

 

[mannukiddo]

Don't know much about the Bushnell but I have the Olympus and I would give it a miss. The prism is BAK7 and the eye relief is woefully inadequate. The edges are pretty poor and the diopter setting keeps changing every time one puts up the binocular for a view. Using it in humid Indian conditions for about 2 years has resulted in a fungus growth inside, even though it has never been used in rain.

 

[chirundu]

Hi there,

I have not tested either binoculars, but feel that in general you are much better off going with higher quality prisms and fully multi-coated lenses than just a larger objective lens size.

I don''t have the figures, but bet that the Bushnell's will provide you with better light transmission anyway.

 

[SPARTACVS]

Can I ask you what you are going to use them?

The H2O might be ok for your need. But if your need is more than once a year, I'll go with something better. Binoculars last a long time. I recently bough a Bushnell legend porro 8x42, I found them to be a good value for the price for casual use (and my tight budget). My advise is that it might be better to buy later and buy something that better fit your needs if necessary. Also, peoples typically have very cheap binoculars (might not be your case as I don't know the swift) and think a greater magnification will resolve the problem. Actually, it might make it worse. 10x magnification normally mean lesser field of view and eye relief. It is also harder to be have a stabilized image. Again it is not the case for everybody. Remember, quality>size>magnification.

 

[shaocaholica]

I just got a pair of the Oly 12x50 DPS-1s and I'm not terribly impressed but I also got them for US$46 shipped. They have a somewhat narrow FOV although I'm a bit spoiled by my Yukon 12x50 Wide Angles. Also the sharpness seems to be lacking, again, comparing to my Yukons. I think its a mediocre bin but ok if you can get it cheap. It seems to be a "me too" OEM rebranded bin that Olympus just spent a little more on the exterior finishing but didn't really step up the optics.

 

[Truffle]

Cheers for the advice guys, after no real recommendation either way i have decided to spend a little more and get These.

Fingers crossed they'll be exactly what i need.