Diamondbacks vs. Viper HD? (1 Viewer)

[gatafrancesca]

I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the Vortex Diamondbacks with the Viper HD.

I'm sure that the Vipers are brighter and have more resolution and detail, but at least here they also cost about 2.7 times more than the Diamonbacks.

I'd be interested in hearing about your experience, if the Diamondbacks are reasonably good in comparison then that would be the best option for me as my budget is tight.

I would buy the 10X42 version but I'm interested in hearing opinions from 8X42 users too.

Thank you!

 

[idaho john]

Francesca...

I have a set of 8x42 Diamondbacks and enjoy using them. At the store where I purchased them, they also carried the Viper series and I compared the diamondback and the viper in 8 power. This was a very limited test so take that for what it is worth

Diamondback

-wider field of view than the viper
-more pronounced softer edges than the viper
-not as bright as the viper
-a bit, and I mean a little bit less clear in the center than the viper

Viper

-a smaller field of view than the diamondback
-soft edges are there but less apparent than the diamondback
-brighter view to my eyes
-the center view is very good, very clear.

Both are great value for the money you spend. To me the diamondback is the binocular that gives the greatest return for your investment. I like the 8x42 Viper HD quite a bit (the 8x32 Viper HD even better), but if I was on a limited budget, the Diamondback would do very well.

I have no idea as to whether this would help you decide or not, but here in Idaho, the Peregrine Fund has supplied Diamondback binoculars via grants to graduate students doing field work on various raptor populations. From the program's subjective point of view, they are very pleased with the Diamondback in particular (value versus cost) and Vortex products in general. At this point, I do not know if this was a grant to the Peregrine Fund or received as a gift, but my contacts are very pleased with their binoculars.

Having said all that, I like the Viper as well and if you can afford it, I wouldn't hesitate to spend up a bit (and don't be afraid to look at some other manufacturers).

Good luck.

John

 

[gatafrancesca]

Thank you John, your comments were very helpful.

 

[eitanaltman]

the Vipers benefits are:

- smaller, lighter, more compact
- better optics - brighter, sharper, better control of color fringing

you have much better coatings, a wider sweet spot, etc. They cost more and it's for a reason, they are of higher quality in nearly every respect.

That said..... they are not THREE times better than the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks already put you at the point of "diminishing returns" in optics, and if the budget is tight you certainly aren't going to be disappointed using them. Even if they aren't as tack sharp, bright or contrasty as the Vipers, they will still provide very nice views and only the nit-pickers will be worried about the soft edges or a bit of color fringing. I think you will be quite happy with them

 

[ceasar]

I've owned an 8 x 42 Diamondback since the year it was introduced. It has been made brighter since then I am told. It doesn't matter since I am very pleased with mine.

I won't reiterate what I have said about them because I have said it a number of times over the last couple of years and it good to see new users saying the same things. Eagle optics website has 32 reviews of them with an average of 5 stars which is a remarkable statistic.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/vortex/vortex-diamondback-8x42-binocular

What ever Vortex did with this binocular they did it right. Sometimes a binocular is more than the sum of it's parts.

I never tried the Viper.

Bob