Identical binos, one is 8X30, the other is 8X42. The 8X30 is is 250 grams lighter. Which would you pick? I know the exit pupil thing is bigger on the 42's, but is it worth carring the extra weigh and bulk for? Thanks!
Binos! 8X30 vs 8X42
- Thread starter sinawalli
- Start date
with bin's it's more about QUALITY than numbers- ie who made the glass and what kind of prisms etc- and trust me, with a proper strap, you'll never notice the weight difference- so, the next thing is the dusk and dawn thing- how much of your viewing is low-light ?- that's where the extra 12 mm shines- personally, i've got a set of 8x42 that i've had since 75 and wouldn't trade for glassing- i also carry a pair of small 10x20s (folders- dead cheap) for detail work
1 set is Steiner Nighthunter XP 8X30, the other Steiner 8X42 Ranger Pro. Nighthunter= @$75o, Ranger Pro= $600.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Neither...........get a set of Swarovski SLC 8x30. Awesome binos for a couple hundred more.
having worked in a camera/lens shop, my best advice is to SHOP AROUND- steiners are what the military used to use( and probably still does in some parts of the world) but there's a LOT of "PAYING FOR THE NAME" involved- the folks know full well how to exploit the "military-mil-spec " thing- and i'm talking about actually grinding the lenses and assembling the binoculars- and repairs- not just some shop where you sell lenses, bodies, and do light repairs- the ones i have are a KARL WETZLAR ( which is a SEARS in house brand) but they come from that era where the best lenses were either swiss or german, were REAL glass, and people took PRIDE in their work- it didn't matter whether they were 100bucks or 1k - it was the QUALITY of the glass that determined the price, not the workmanship that went into the product- today, i'd budget 1k for a really good set of binocs and stay with a 42- but i do a lot of open field viewing, and mountains and such
as far as your budget goes, 750, is 3/4 of the way to 1k- just hold off for a while, and you don't use binocs that much in the winter time anyway
as far as your budget goes, 750, is 3/4 of the way to 1k- just hold off for a while, and you don't use binocs that much in the winter time anyway
So are you saying not to buy Steiners? I had a set of the cheaper 8X30 Predator Pros, but lost them!
Really liked the auto focus, and was happy with the overall performance. Doubt I'll spend more than $750! What brand would you recommend? I think there are some Zeiss on Ebay for that price?! Thanks for the help!bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Ya, unfortunately I don't have $1000 to spend!
$899, Camera Land in NY, site sponsor:
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/swarovski.pl?page=demo-swarovski8x30slc
$150 more than the Steiner, 10x the bino, IMO
Or look for a good used set of Zeiss 7x42 BGAT*. Very excellent binocular.
So are you saying not to buy Steiners? I had a set of the cheaper 8X30 Predator Pros, but lost them!
read INTO what i said- i said basically there are BETTER values out there than steiner-and i'd deal with a dealer BEFORE dealing on e-bay as if there's any warranty work to be done, e-bay is basically second -hand- ie no warranty
You might look at the 8x42 Pentax....I bought a pair from Mountain Co-op about 15 years ago and they have been excellent...Clear bright optics...and long eye relief...I think I paid about $350 for them at that time..They are head over heals better than the comparable Bushnells , etc...
when you come right down to it, almost everyone that makes a decent camera lens also makes a decent binocular- after all, it IS the same technology- the TOP lenses in the world are lieca and ziess-period- then come the russians and the japanese- and at the bottom of the heap , the chinese and the filipinos- now this is NOT to say they can't all produce a quality glass, it's just production lines are intrested in quantity, not quality-
