New Binocular Bargains Thread (6 Viewers)

[greekgeek]

I like the optics on the Nikon Action EX 7x35. In fact, I think I like them better than an E2 8x30 because there is less distortion at the edges, they are brighter, have a bigger FOV and being 7x they are easier to hold steady. BuyDig contacted me and gave me a full refund and said to just keep the binoculars. So I packed them up and sent them off to Nikon for repair of the focuser. We will see how that goes. They will probably just send me a new pair or replace them with a Nikon MHG 8x42.

Say what?? That's incredible, congratulations! I bet Nikon does a nice repair job, or maybe sends a new pair.

I had an issue with an M5, Nikon repaired it and it came back better than when it went it. Perfect focus feel and collimation.

Back to the 7x35, glad to hear you gave them a second look. The optics are surprisingly good. The eyecups are working well and eye relief is excellent.

I am surprised more people have not discovered them yet, maybe they have been upgraded in recent years with little fanfare.

 

[greekgeek]

Once I got them adjusted for my eyes, I was surprised how good they are. I said to myself. These dang things are good! It is amazing how cheaply it is to make a good porro versus how expensive it is to make a good roof. I will let you know what Nikon does with the repair.

That's great. The correct IPD seems to also be critical with wide angle eyepieces like this pair, important to set it just right.

Which reminds me of a standout feature: this model has the IPD scale included. It is very helpful to quickly reset it to the optimal position. I wish other modern binos would bring back this feature.

Considering what the "bottom of the line" can accomplish, I can only imagine that a "top of the line" Porro from Nikon with modern glass and coatings would really shine.

 

[binolover]

I don't think so, I think true field and apparent field are at play here, given the lower magnification of 7x vs 8x. Eye relief on both models is adequate to easily view the entire FOV, even with glasses.

I calculated the AFOV for both, is very close, only 1%. At one percent AFOV people would not notice the difference, so most of the problem of not seeing the whole field of view might come for some people from the oversized eyecups. 7x9.3= 65.1 and 8x8.3 = 66.4
The eye relief means that the user can use the binocs at a different position with a usable field of view, but it doesn’t certifies that will not lose a few percents of the fov.

By this rule might be a huge difference between Docter 8x21 (7.5 FOV) and Curio 7x21 (7.7 FOV). 8x7.5= 60 and 7x7.7= 53.9
So there if a 6% difference in the AFOV which might be noticeable.

Binoculars DOCTER Fernglas 8x21 compact

...

www.astroshop.eu

CL Curio 7X21 - SWAROVSKI OPTIK

www.swarovskioptik.com

 

[greekgeek]

I calculated the AFOV for both, is very close, only 1%. At one percent AFOV people would not notice the difference, so most of the problem of not seeing the whole field of view might come for some people from the oversized eyecups. 7x9.3= 65.1 and 8x8.3 = 66.4
The eye relief means that the user can use the binocs at a different position with a usable field of view, but it doesn’t certifies that will not lose a few percents of the fov.

By this rule might be a huge difference between Docter 8x21 (7.5 FOV) and Curio 7x21 (7.7 FOV). 8x7.5= 60 and 7x7.7= 53.9
So there if a 6% difference in the AFOV which might be noticeable.

Binoculars DOCTER Fernglas 8x21 compact

...

www.astroshop.eu

CL Curio 7X21 - SWAROVSKI OPTIK

www.swarovskioptik.com

Looks very similar for AFOV, thanks! About the only other thing I could think of is if the real vs. Nominal magnification is much different. I just compared this Nikon to a Curio, the FOV is massively wider for the Nikon (as expected), but the image size is also smaller.

If the Curio is a true 7x, then the Nikon must be less than the nominal 7x. Maybe it's closer to 6x, seems to be quite a large difference.

 

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Some prices that I came across that seem lower than usual:

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Alpen Optics Teton 10x42 $299.95

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Athlon Optics Cronus G2 10x42 $399.99

Product Description

Product Description | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

Burris Signature HD 8x42mm $289.99 DEMO

Natchez

www.natchezss.com

Burris Signature HD 8x42mm $315.52

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0735CSBSS/

Bushnell Engage EDX 8x42 $199.00

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079Y7TPPH

Carson 3D Series 8x42mm $227.99 USED LIKE NEW

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091SS2Y8

Hawke Frontier ED X 8x42 $349.99 (They will sell for $319.99 if you ask)

Product Description

Product Description | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

Hawke Frontier ED X 10x32 $269.99 DEMO

Natchez

www.natchezss.com

Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 12x50mm $399.99

Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 12x50mm Roof Shadow Gray Binocular 172675

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www.eurooptic.com

Olympus PRO 8x42 $296.83

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JZ4BWCK

 

[Scott98]

Kyoie Osaka has a special one-time closeout today on Nikon 7x50 SP binoculars. They are not CF and maybe not the best for birding but they are being offered at about 1/3rd the price of the new version of the 7x50SP that has only cosmetic changes over the old one

 

[binolover]

I just compared this Nikon to a Curio, the FOV is massively wider for the Nikon (as expected), but the image size is also smaller.

Magnification is the same but it looks smaller because of the accentuated 3D effect in the large porro compared with the small roof. If would be possible to get a meter or two meters distance between the lens of a large roof binocular, than even large houses would look like doll’s houses and cars like toys.
A large distance between objective lenses makes closer objects to look smaller. Distant objects like stars or moon will look the same size in binoculars of the same magnification, doesn’t matter if is porro or roof because are too far away.

 

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Burris Signature HD 12x50 - $369.75 after 25% coupon
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(I have no idea how this model compares to other 12x50's.)

 

[tenex]

Binoculars DOCTER Fernglas 8x21 compact

...

www.astroshop.eu

Since you mentioned this discontinued Docter, which I thought was quite nice, there's a US shop that still has a few in stock.

Noblex | Docter Optics Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331

Docter Optic Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

 

[Dennis Mau]

Since you mentioned this discontinued Docter, which I thought was quite nice, there's a US shop that still has a few in stock.

Noblex | Docter Optics Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331

Docter Optic Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

The 7.5 degree FOV on the Docter 8x21 is impressive for a pocket binocular, considering the Zeiss Victory only has a 7.4 degree FOV and the Zeiss has a larger FOV than almost any pocket binocular. They are bigger and heavier than the Curio 7x21 or UV 8x20's for sure. I wonder if there is a lot of edge dropoff and the eye cups are long enough for the ER. They are Made in Germany which is always a plus!

 

[tenex]

The Docter isn't as compact as other 20/21mm models (which is after all the point of a "pocket" bin) but this allows it to be exceptionally sturdy, and I suspect the length is also helping its optical performance including the remarkable FOV. I tried the Victory Pocket and then the Docter, only to conclude that pocket bins aren't for me (especially not wearing glasses), as I really should have guessed in the first place. I do consider this an attractive budget alternative to the Zeiss.

 

[Dennis Mau]

The Docter isn't as compact as other 20/21mm models (which is after all the point of a "pocket" bin) but this allows it to be exceptionally sturdy, and I suspect the length is also helping its optical performance including the remarkable FOV. I tried the Victory Pocket and then the Docter, only to conclude that pocket bins aren't for me (especially not wearing glasses), as I really should have guessed in the first place. I do consider this an attractive budget alternative to the Zeiss.

Pocket binoculars are a poor value unless you absolutely NEED a pocketable binocular. I have a Kowa YF II 6x30 that outperforms all the pocket binoculars including the Curio 7x21 and the Zeiss 8x25 for $100. It is the big 5mm EP that makes it much brighter and the eye placement much more comfortable than any pocket binoculars including the alphas. A 5mm EP beats a 3mm EP any day of the week. It is just a matter of physics.

The higher transmission of the Curio 7x21 can't make up for the aperture difference of the Kowa YF II 6x30 with the bigger 30mm aperture pulling in more than twice the light of the tiny 21mm aperture of the Curio. You pay a big price in comfort, performance and value if you have to have a binocular that fit's in your pocket. I don't usually need a binocular that fits in my pocket so pocket binoculars aren't my cup of tea either.

 

[binolover]

there's a US shop that still has a few in stock

This one seems to be another brand Noblex.

I was looking to the European stores. The version made for Kite is 480 euros:

Acheter Kite Optics prismatique 8x21 en ligne Collibri

Dans Telescopiomania vous pouvez acheter en ligne Kite Optics Prismatic 8x21 Collibri le meilleur prix et avec les meilleures garanties. Visitez notre boutique en ligne, nous offrons des conseils personnalisés.

www.telescopiomania.fr

The Docter one is 420 euros Noblex Docter Compact 8×21 - Bino Expert

The Noblex version looks like a Docter with a sticker on it to hide the Docter name.
If the Noblex version is ordered from US to Europe it will add VAT and because there is value over 150 euros the customs will be added too. With all these taxes might be as expensive as buying the Docter from Europe.

Do they care if is a product of Germany bought from US? Isn’t it hard to prove?

 

[fazalmajid]

This one seems to be another brand Noblex.

Noblex bought Docter.

Do they care if is a product of Germany bought from US? Isn’t it hard to prove?

A product exported from the EU to the US wouldn’t have had VAT applied, so that’s why they are applying it when it is imported back. If it had been originally purchased in the EU or transferred as part of a move (Transfer of Residence form TOR1), then no VAT or customs would be assessed.

 

[Dennis Mau]

A new Zeiss 10x40 SFL for $1000 with no tax on Astromart. It also includes a universal forehead rest, which looks interesting. That is a very good deal. Act fast because it will be gone.

https://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/item/400069-zeiss-sfl-10x40/

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/935321-forehead-rest-for-my-zeiss/

 

[binolover]

If it had been originally purchased in the EU or transferred as part of a move (Transfer of Residence form TOR1), then no VAT or customs would be assessed.

Transfer of Residence form TOR1, definitely is not when buying something online from US with delivery to Europe. VAT will ne definitely applied, some countries will apply it for everything above 30 euros, some for everything over 10 euros, with VAT is not the same rule for all EU.
But for anything bought online from outside EU with value over 150 euros in all countries will be apply the custom tax. They might think is a German brand produced in US like some BMW are, and might charge me custom tax anyway, which I don’t know how much it would be.

 

[fazalmajid]

Transfer of Residence form TOR1, definitely is not when buying something online from US with delivery to Europe.

Yes, of course. I was trying to be exhaustive about the cases where VAT is not assessed. Even for TOR1, the item has to have been purchased over a year from the move date.

 

[Ribbon]

...It also includes a universal forehead rest, which looks interesting...

Nice. Maybe now we can dream of one which isn't blocking the focus wheel...

 

[Dennis Mau]

Nice. Maybe now we can dream of one which isn't blocking the focus wheel...

View attachment 1626926

That is a good point. I never thought of that, but it would be a problem! I wonder if you can turn the focus wheel on either side of the head rest?

 

[rajas]

Nice. Maybe now we can dream of one which isn't blocking the focus wheel...

View attachment 1626926

Yep, makes it kinda useless for birding. Might working for stargazing though.