njc110381 Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I'm looking at getting myself a new pair of bino's at some point and would like to buy a compact type so they are easy to carry in a pocket. At the moment I have a pair of Vortex Viper's but they are a bit big and need to be slung around my neck all the time which I don't really like. I appreciate that the small objective lens may create problems in low light so thought I'd ask here to see what you chaps use. I don't want to spend Zeiss money but at the same time I don't want a naff set! The Vortex I have are great, just a bit on the large side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I'm looking at getting myself a new pair of bino's at some point and would like to buy a compact type so they are easy to carry in a pocket. At the moment I have a pair of Vortex Viper's but they are a bit big and need to be slung around my neck all the time which I don't really like. I appreciate that the small objective lens may create problems in low light so thought I'd ask here to see what you chaps use. I don't want to spend Zeiss money but at the same time I don't want a naff set! The Vortex I have are great, just a bit on the large side. I've got a pair of Leica Geovids with 56mm objective and have to say they are marvelous.. I also have a little pair of Minolta Sport 10x22 things. In very bright sunlight they are fine, not the same FOV as the Leicas but fine. Once the light goes down though (even cloudy) the image quality starts to suffer, still useable. At dusk or approaching it, things I can see with my Leicas as if someone were shining a floodlight on them, I can't see at all with the compacts... total blackout... So... They will work, they are useless in low light and the FOV is compromised which makes glassing quite fatigueing! Personally, I would co half way... 32-40mm objective is a reasonable compromise as long as the glass is half decent. wouldn't go any lower though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I kind of thought that may be the case! I've got cheap compacts but they are hopeless. I was kind of hoping the higher grade ones may be a little better?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I have a pair of Swarovski compact 10 x 25, simply stunning, not the cheapest by a long margin, but well worth the investment. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Fisherman Mike is your man on here..... He gave me top advice - Cheers Mike why not PM him? I've a feeling that the Nikon 8x36 monarch will drop in price nicely when they change the lenses to Dilectric (or a name like that!). The others in the range have changed recently but the 8x36 is still to be changed. So a short wait might pay well as these are a nice compromise of weight and bulk but still a cracking pair of bins. They are physically a good bit smaller than the 40's or 42's. I really like them. Worth a good look if they fit your budget. Working out your budget is key! I've still a very basic pair of compacts for bright daylight use and they are helpful - sort of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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