What is the best 10x32 binocular for the money? (1 Viewer)

[Tantien]

So I've just come off a nature/whale-watching trip and have decided that I need a high end 10X compact binocular that is both optically excellent and that is lightweight as well.

I've had my eye on the Swaro SV 10x32 and I've also considered the Zeiss Victory and Conquest HD.

Looking for your best advice.

If I should just save and get the SV, let me know. If you have experience with the Zeiss models, let me know as well. My Atlas Intrepid ED 10x42s are optically very nice but I'd prefer better focussing mechanism plus a smaller size. The 8x32 Viper HDs are great-all around but for distance viewing, I'd like a 10.

What say you?

 

[Pinewood]

Hello Tantien,

I find your choice of a 10x32 for whale watching rather odd. Is not 10x too high magnification for a boat on the water? Not only do you have magnified movement of the boat, it may be difficult to keep the target, the objectives, the eyepiece and your own eyes aligned with a 3.2 mm exit pupil.
I only have experience with a 10x32 Zeiss FL, which is not among your candidates.

Happy observing,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[typo]

Not actually a compact, or an alpha, but the new Nikon Monarch 7, 8 and 10x30s are very small. The pre-production samples impressed me. Might just be worth hanging on for a few weeks to see how the actual shipped samples shape up.

David

PS. I'm not suggesting it it fully competes with the ELSV x32s, but at the price and performance I registered I'd be happier with the cheap Nikon out on a boat or rough conditions.

David

 

[Dennis Mau]

So I've just come off a nature/whale-watching trip and have decided that I need a high end 10X compact binocular that is both optically excellent and that is lightweight as well.

I've had my eye on the Swaro SV 10x32 and I've also considered the Zeiss Victory and Conquest HD.

Looking for your best advice.

If I should just save and get the SV, let me know. If you have experience with the Zeiss models, let me know as well. My Atlas Intrepid ED 10x42s are optically very nice but I'd prefer better focussing mechanism plus a smaller size. The 8x32 Viper HDs are great-all around but for distance viewing, I'd like a 10.

What say you?

Just save your time and get the best first. Swarovski 10x32 SV.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Hello Tantien,

I find your choice of a 10x32 for whale watching rather odd. Is not 10x too high magnification for a boat on the water? Not only do you have magnified movement of the boat, it may be difficult to keep the target, the objectives, the eyepiece and your own eyes aligned with a 3.2 mm exit pupil.
I only have experience with a 10x32 Zeiss FL, which is not among your candidates.

Happy observing,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

Them whales are kind of shy.

 

[Tantien]

Hello Tantien,

I find your choice of a 10x32 for whale watching rather odd. Is not 10x too high magnification for a boat on the water? Not only do you have magnified movement of the boat, it may be difficult to keep the target, the objectives, the eyepiece and your own eyes aligned with a 3.2 mm exit pupil.

Thanks Arthur,

I can handle a 10X pretty well, I've found, not too bad even on a bouncing small boat out for whales, but it's certainly better and less of an issue on a full sized cruise ship, where I was able to see many full/partial body Humpback breaches, but pretty far off.

So my 8x's weren't perfect for that long distance and 10's become a great combination of magnification and still remain steady.

And any 10x3X (Zeiss FL or otherwise) recommendations would be welcome. So thanks David for the Nikon recommendations. :t:

 

[ibramr]

Greetings. A used Tinovid 10x32 BA or BN would likely meet your needs. Victory 10x32 FL would also be superb, although the handling of the Trinovid is a tad better for prolonged use. For marine use that may take place while you are on board of boats/ships, the stable platform of Victory 7x42 FL is very difficult to match; it simply owesome. Enjoy in good health.

 

[Pinewood]

Hello,

I suppose that if you are on a stabilised cruise ship, a ten power might make sense. I can only write that I am satisfied with my 10x32, which I bought as a demo. However, I cannot write that it is a good primary glass. I am used to the wide FOV of good 8x glasses, and find the 10x32 too restricted for following birds in flight. I also find it hard to keep steady for anything much above the horizon.
Have you thought of IS binoculars? I do not like them because they seem to be short lived.

Happy observing,
Arthur :hi:

 

[Kammerdiner]

I was whale watching myself recently, from the beach. Great views of Finbacks off Cape Cod.

I decided that the best way to see whales is not to look for spouts, but rather to look for black plumes of diesel smoke from the big commercial whale watching boats. They see a whale and boom they throttle up and make chase. See which way they turn and there's your whale. Passengers flooded from one side over to the other, the boat listing port or starboard. Sometimes five boats at a time, and all the poor whale had in mind was a breath of fresh air. I decided the only difference between this kind of whale watching and actual whaling was the harpoon.

Anyway, I was safe on the beach but from what I saw I don't think I'd want a 10x out there either. Onshore, maybe, but I settled for 8.5x.

Mark

 

[cycleguy]

I was a huge fan of the Swaro 10x32 EL wb for about eight years at which time I parted ways with 10X. I always thought it was just better than its 8x twin.

cg

 

[Tantien]

I was a huge fan of the Swaro 10x32 EL wb for about eight years at which time I parted ways with 10X. I always thought it was just better than its 8x twin.

cg

Just save your time and get the best first. Swarovski 10x32 SV.

I thought so!

Thanks Guys! Yeah that's where my heart is.

Interesting thought about the IS (Canon's) Arthur. I'd not have thought about that before but this use-case might make it very practical.

And the Trinovid 10x32 ibramr is another good option.

 

[ceasar]

You are in the right price range.

I have had the opportunity to use a number of 10 x 32s over the years; cheap to middlin' to expensive: And you can take it from me, the only good ones are expensive! Even Allbinos hasn't tested these binoculars. 10 x 32s might have the fewest sales of all the binocular formats.

I know you did not mention Nikon as one you were considering but I am including it here because I have used 2 Nikon 10 x 32s for years and I can talk about them from that experience.

I used a Nikon 10 x 32 LX L for several years and it was excellent! At that time the LX L was Nikon's Alpha series. It's discontinued now and has been replaced by the EDG which I can tell you is a great binocular! I got a Nikon 10 x 32 EDG I during Nikon's $999.00 sale of them 3 years ago and it was the best deal I ever made for a binocular!

Nikon has replaced it with the EDG II which costs $2399.00 at CameraLand.

I am so pleased with my Nikon EDG I that I recommend it and the new EDG II without reservation. Only the body changed on the EDG. It's outstanding optics remain unchanged in the EDGII. Unlike some others here I am giving you this advice as a real live long time user of one.

On the other hand the lightest and most compact alpha 10 x 32 will probably be the Leica Ultravid. That will cost about 2000 bucks.

Like others above I would not chose to take a 10 x 32 on any whale watching trip or other trip on a ship. It would be fine for looking at birds from the shore though. I would take an inexpensive 7 x 42 like the Leupold Hawthorne on a boat trip.

Good luck,

Bob

 

[kabsetz]

Tantien,

The SV 10x32 might be the best binocular among the ones discussed here. But, for best views of the whales, or pelagic birds for that matter, you should get a Canon 10x42 IS L and any cheap and light monopod. You screw the monopod directly to the tripod mounting thread in the bottom of the Canon's body, extend the monopod to a length that allows you to hold it at approximately your waist height, focus the binoculars to the appropriate distance and click on the stabilizer. Then you are set for scanning the seas or admiring the whales for as many hours as you wish, seeing them better than anyone and experiencing less fatigue than any of your companions who are hand-holding their lighter and slimmer binoculars. The stabilization will increase your enjoyment immensely.

Kimmo

 

[Dennis Mau]

I thought so!

Thanks Guys! Yeah that's where my heart is.

Interesting thought about the IS (Canon's) Arthur. I'd not have thought about that before but this use-case might make it very practical.

And the Trinovid 10x32 ibramr is another good option.

If you get a Canon IS make sure you get the 10x42 L IS. It is the only waterproof model. It is kind of heavy and bulky though.

 

[edwincjones]

I think that the Fuji/Nikon IS is waterproof and reportly better for boating,
but have never used one

edj

 

[ceasar]

I had the opportunity to use a Canon 10 x 42 IS at Cape May Point a couple of years ago and compare it to my Nikon 10 x 32 EDG. We used them both handheld. The IS factor is indeed impressive! We were looking at Egrets and Photographers across the bay from the visitors deck. I had to brace my elbows while using my Nikon to get a comparable view.

The Canon weighs 3 pounds and costs about $1800.00 and I have read here that it's true aperture is 38mm.

The gentleman who owned it was thrilled with it but his wife did not like it at all. He had just purchased it. I found out that it was because she was using it without the eye cups extended. Her husband wore glasses and she did not. After that was resolved she really liked it!

Bob

 

[kabsetz]

Bob,

The true aperture in the earlier production 10x42's was 38-39mm, but according to pretty convincing measurements on the German Astro-foren website, Canon has since changed the internal structure of the binocular and brought the effective aperture up to about 41mm. In any case, it is a largely academic point since what matters is the view, or what one can see with a pair, and that is unparalleled by anything that is hand-held.

The criticism about the eyecups is absolutely valid. I cannot imagine who could use these binoculars with the eyecups fully extended and still get a full field of view. But if you just adjust them out enough to avoid blackouts, there is no problem.

Kimmo

 

[Tantien]

Tantien,

The SV 10x32 might be the best binocular among the ones discussed here. But, for best views of the whales, or pelagic birds for that matter, you should get a Canon 10x42 IS L and any cheap and light monopod. You screw the monopod directly to the tripod mounting thread in the bottom of the Canon's body, extend the monopod to a length that allows you to hold it at approximately your waist height, focus the binoculars to the appropriate distance and click on the stabilizer. Then you are set for scanning the seas or admiring the whales for as many hours as you wish, seeing them better than anyone and experiencing less fatigue than any of your companions who are hand-holding their lighter and slimmer binoculars. The stabilization will increase your enjoyment immensely.

Kimmo

If you get a Canon IS make sure you get the 10x42 L IS. It is the only waterproof model. It is kind of heavy and bulky though.

I had the opportunity to use a Canon 10 x 42 IS at Cape May Point a couple of years ago and compare it to my Nikon 10 x 32 EDG. We used them both handheld. The IS factor is indeed impressive! We were looking at Egrets and Photographers across the bay from the visitors deck. I had to brace my elbows while using my Nikon to get a comparable view.

The Canon weighs 3 pounds and costs about $1800.00 and I have read here that it's true aperture is 38mm.

Bob

Thanks Guys. This last cruise I did spend many hours birding and scanning for whales and other wildlife, so I can see how the IS (+ a monopod, which I do have) would be a great option. The 10x30 Cannon non-waterproof model is significantly lighter and smaller and of course less expensive, but of course not the best for possible wet conditions.

But I can see how these various applications force you to choose more and more binoculars. I naively thought I'd choose one |:d|

 

[ceasar]

You might look at a Swarovski 10 x 30 CL if you get a chance. It costs only :-O $999.00 and has a narrow FOV but that is in the price range that the old Nikon 10 x 32 LX L sold for.

For myself, it would depend on how often I intended to use them before I'd pay a premium price for one.

Nikon is coming out very soon with a new 10 x 30 Monarch 7 which will have a wide FOV of about 360'@ 1000yards and, undoubtedly, unsharp edges. I suspect it will have lots of pincushion distortion on the edges like the Nikon 10 x 35 EII porro prism has and it may be able to be dialed into sharpness. For $400.00 it also is worth a look.

Bob

 

[Troubador]

The best value by far is Conquest HD, I don't think its bang for buck can be beaten.

Spending big money the two big contenders are Zeiss Victory FL and Swaro EL SV. Choosing between these two is a bit like choosing between Bordeaux red wine and Burgundy red wine: its a matter of taste.

Be sure to check whether you are sensitive to Rolling Ball with the Swaro and check you are ok holding its slim barrels for long periods.

The Zeiss is an entirely different shape and suits me better and I like its bright view.

Both the Zeiss and the Swaro are excellent but you need to try them both to find out which 'speaks' to you.

Lee