Zeiss launched new super compact bino.s y'day

[ANTONISH]

Meanwhile I shall just make do with my 1st WW naval telescope- definitely not pocket sized.

[Zulu Eleven]

I’m a big fan of the zeiss Bono’s, and have owned and used a pair of 10x40 BGAT for over thirty years (though in hindsight I wish I had got 8*40)

8x30 is a really nice balance between size and light gathering, anything smaller will really suffer in lower light.

The new ones look lovely, but I find it hard to believe the incremental improvement over the Zeiss Terra 8x32 would be worth the money. (If you shop around you can find at under £350). Law of Diminishing returns I suppose

[simonineaston]

Were you to try a pair of modern bin.s with the latest generation of high definition glass, I think you'd be amazed. The light transmission has been pushed to very high levels and the colour neutrality has come along in leaps & bounds. You're right though - great designs are available at all sorts of price levels, especially 'pre-loved'.
Yes, most of my collection are 8x. Exceptions are the Swifts at 8.5 - deliberately chosen by the makers as about the highest multiplication a typical user can handle, which fits with my experience; Swarovski 7x42- rather specialist hunting bino.s from the '40s, good for low light - and a pair of pocket Leicas, which at 10x I rarely use! Oh and a pair of inexpensive modern German jobbies which at 12x are quite good for a bit of casual night-time sky watching. Out on the baclony, with elbows propped on the railings, they're easily controlled. Not tried them with a tripod.
Maybe time for a clearance...

[Zulu Eleven]

Oh, yes - I’ve tried several of the newest (and dearest) trying to justify to myself a new pair - and I’ll happily admit to being blown away with the Swarovski NL’s - but I really do balk at the idea of over £2k for something I might, careful as I might be, still leave on the car roof or drop on a rock whilst out stalking

Which takes me back to the the current range Zeiss Terra EL’s - which I found to be “nearly there” - ie. the top flight zeiss/swaro are, say, 20% crisper in lower light… but with the recognition they are more than five times the price.

Ps, yes the old green rubber habicht 7x42 are, I think, still amazing - as you say, pretty niche use, and I did once spend a few evenings with the big Zeiss 8x56 which genuinely did seem to suck in so much light that they were almost night vision in that last 30 minutes of dusk

[thirdcrank]

I seem to be reminiscing a lot about O Level subjects from long ago. I remember the supposed importance of binoculars' exit pupil - found by dividing the diameter of the object (larger) lens by the magnification - with 7 being the holy grail for light capture.

I thought I'd posted before but I cannot find it, that when I had some real ££ in my pocket I bought a pair of Wray Nine (9 x 60) on special offer. Complete with leather case - looking suitable for a day at the races. I see Oxfam have or had a pair. I still have mine but they have not been used for years (This is the Oxfam pic)

Wray Nine

[simonineaston]

Posh lined leather cases, like in photo, a thing of the past... lucky if you get a flimsy plasticy pouch these days Still, they're lighter I spose.

[Jdsk]

Posh lined leather cases, like in photo, a thing of the past... lucky if you get a flimsy plasticy pouch these days Still, they're lighter I spose.

Having the right case in the right place makes an enormous difference when travelling.

When I'm cycling mine live in the bar bag with the other valuables, and come out of their cloth case without any rummaging. When I'm walking the cloth case is strapped to my left rucksack strap, and again the case stays in place,

Jonathan

[iandriver]

Got one of the RSPB HD monoculars for touring, bike use. https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/binoculars ... cular.html

Love it. £1500 is too hot for me, I'm too prone to dropping stuff and getting sand in them etc.

[thirdcrank]

It's about 25 years since as empty nesters we joined the RSPB at the place they used to have in the former railway signal box at Penmaenpwl (sp?) on the Mawdach Estuary. Mrs thirdcrank decided she wanted a pair of compact bino's although I was convinced about the importance of the exit pupil of 7 (see above)

There was a closing down sale at Bass and Bligh's, a long-standing traditional optical shop in Leeds. I tried a pair of heavily-discounted 8x20 Leicas to convince myself they would be useless but I was amazed how good they were. The young bloke in the shop let me take them outside and told me a good place under the railway arches where it was gloomy. I eventually went back for another pair for me.

This image from the Leodis archive (taken 1979 ish) is a reminder of pre-internet shopping. The parked car is by Bass and Bligh. Next door is a "Contact" shop - the bricks-and-mortar predecessors of Ebay. And on the corner an amusement arcade where any payout from the Contact shop could be frittered away.

(Edited to say gloomy rather than dark)

[Jdsk]

..
There was a closing down sale at Bass and Bligh's, a long-standing traditional optical shop in Leeds.
...

Now in Harrogate:
https://bassandbligh.com/pages/about-us

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

..
There was a closing down sale at Bass and Bligh's, a long-standing traditional optical shop in Leeds.
...

Now in Harrogate:
https://bassandbligh.com/pages/about-us

Jonathan

Yes. I saw that, but I fancy they had a branch there all along.

I made the mistake of trying to cover too much in one post. AFAIK, a big reason for the Briggate branch of B&B closing was a loonie traffic management plan by Leeds City Council which resulted in all the once-posh retail premises on Boar Lane, Duncan Street and much of Briggate going onto short-term leases. This old streetview from 2008 shows a branch of "Bligh's" (no Bass) in another part of the scheme and unfortunately hidden behind a truck. I don't know if the name is coincidence or part of a re-organisation of B&B. Either way, they're no longer there either.

[reohn2]

OK,I'm cheap,but the two Praktica compact 10x25 bins,they have ruby coated lenses and appear to be a copy of a Nikon one I've seen before now,have been great buys.
I bought them some 30 years agon,we've used them for birding and almost everthing else,they've been great for daylight use and small enough to carry on the bike or slip into a pocket.
They came with a 10year warranty which I had to claim on when after about 6 or 7 years the centre focus wheel/drum adjuster failed on one,I contacted Praktica UK,returned them and was sent a new binocular all within a couple of weeks,great service.

From time to time when an RSPB shop at Leighton Moss I've compared them with much more expensive items upto £500 and found them just as good,I honestly can't fault them.

[al_yrpal]

Many years ago I bought my Mrs a pair of Viking Navilux 8x42s from the shop at Minismere. About £100 at the time. Still going strong. Excellent for birding.

Al

[pete75]

Bynolyt Searanger 7x50 for me. If they're good enough to be standard RNLI issue they're good enough for anybody.

[simonineaston]

I have no intention of straying from my mo of grabbing vintage bin.s when I see them cheap, however if I did stray and wanted advice re a new pair, this website is rather good.
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com