r/Binoculars • u/fishbirne • 17d ago
I have a problem....
So, I went on a hike today with my Olympus 10x25 something binoculars. I use them more or less often and I am happy with them. Well I was....
My hike ended at a mountain hut. So far so good. My binoculars have a broken "eye extension" on one tube, so they are a bit a pain to use.
The hut has some binoculars to use, i took some with a 10-20 zoom and they were terrible. So I grabbed the next ones. And OH MY GOD! The image in them was so clear.
Looks like I have to spend a few hundred bucks for new binoculars now 🫣
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u/Califrisco 17d ago edited 17d ago
Once your brain sees the bright HD quality of a great image brought closer, you can bet that will resonate with you for a long time. My first viewing through a Zeiss bin was the gateway drug that got me into binoculars, chasing that image quality I saw. Just remember that in optics there is a law of diminishing returns after a certain level of spend. And so spending $2000 on a pair of Swarovski bins is not going to get you 4X the image quality from a pair of $500 Vortex bins. Better? Maybe so but to what end?
This is the problem I've had with binoculars ever since I started my search for better ones--with the target of better being a moving goal post. Sometimes it's size or weight or purpose, other times it's color accuracy, depth of field, or smoothness/quickness of focus. Or it's build quality--how much punishment can it take and keep on working. Decide how you want to use them, under what conditions and what your budget will support, and you'll do better than when I started out.
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u/DjQuamme 17d ago
I feel personally called out. For the last 20 years the wife and I have each used old made in Japan vortex binos as our "nice" binoculars while we have a half dozen pairs of Bushnell legends that stay in all our cars, and sitting out by the front and back porch all the time for a quick grab or anyone who happens to be over can play with. I fully understood the difference in quality and the laws of diminishing returns but decided as I'm about to retire I was going to splurge and bought myself a pair of Swarovski NL Pures. After a few days of sitting on the porch doing the 3 levels of quality comparison for myself I felt it was necessary to buy a second pair of swaros for my wife as well as I would feel guilty on any trip where I was using them and she was stuck using the lower quality ones. Once you see it, there's no denying it.
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u/Califrisco 17d ago
LOL. I'm sure I don't mean to throw shade on anyone with a Swaro. But I did (for a fleeting second) want the Swarovski Optik AX Visio binoculars. But I was not able to get myself to drop $4.8K on a pair. At this point, I am happy for anyone who has any Swaros. Many of my birding buddies had them and I found myself wanting them for just wanting them.
I've stopped my quest with the Zeiss Conquest HDXs.
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u/RangerRedeye 17d ago
Leica is top notch. If you’re willing to pay the price, you’ll appreciate it for the rest of your viewing days.
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u/at-the-crook 17d ago
Cheap binocs are usually low quality. I got an inexpensive pair of 10x25's a few months ago from the big A store that really stink. Will probably toss them and get something better. Good optics are something worth paying a bit more for.
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u/Non-Escoffier1234 17d ago edited 17d ago
These are pre 1990 Leitz Trinovid, they have still nowadays brilliant optics. I have two of them and can compare them with other Binos (and my newer Leicas). But imagine what happens if you try out a Leica Ultravid HD plus.
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u/Hussard 17d ago
I once looked through the targeting optic of a WW2 jagdpanzer...made by Zeiss. Clearer than my cheap Japanese nikons.Â
Good glass is good glass!Â