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porro/roof clarification

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Optics GrassHopper
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    Posted: January/30/2009 at 09:18
I have read in a couple of post that if you purchased quality optical performing porro prism bino you would have to spend 3X as much to get an equal quality roof prism bino. So if I were interesting im purchasing the Leopold pinnacle 10x42 ($450) or mojave10x42 ($360) I should consider the mesa 10x50 porro for $180. This way I would save some cash and get an excellent pair of binoculars that are equal to the higher priced roof prisms. Is my understanding of this correct? I will be using the optics for hunting whitetail in LA and MS.
 
Any other suggestions for a pair of binoculars in the $350 range for this application would be appreciated.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bird Watcher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 10:10
10x Porro Binocular testing click here

Edited by Bird Watcher - January/30/2009 at 12:23
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Klamath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 10:47
The Mesa is easily the optical equal of the Mojave and the Pinnacle.  The Cascade Porro is a little better than the Mesa, and has internal focus, so is more waterproof. So wiyh either you can save a few $$ and get a good ninocular.  My brother has the Mesa.  They've held up well and work just fine.
Steve
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted". William Bruce Cameron

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 12:09
Last spring my wife, her brother and I "tested" some binoculars in Yellowstone Park. We were looking at elk, bighorn sheep, wolves, etc. We took along three binoculars, an 8x42 Zeiss FL, an 8+12x42 Leica Duovid--and a Leupold Cascade 10x42 I wanted to test against the high-priced glass. Now, we could see a slightl difference between the Cascade and the $2000 super-Euros, but all three of us switched from glass to glass all day long, and anytime somebody spotted something, the other people could easily see it as well--and pick out details too.
 
The big disadvantage of older porro prisms was a lack of waterproofing, which was one big reason a lot of people went to roof-prisms after phase-correction-coated prisms came out. But about all the decent porro models coming out today are waterproof, to one degree or another, and are very good bargains.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote coyote95 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 16:10
Something else you might think about is size .Roof prism generally are going to a smaller package.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 17:11

That is another factor--but generally porros are just about a light for the same magnification and objective size.

Porros are also not supposed to be as strong, both because of the interior prism mounting and the typical hinge system between the barrels. But I still have my first GOOD porro prism binocular, a Nikon 7x35 that's over 20 years old. It was hunted a lot for many years and is still in perfect collimation.

One optical advantage to full-size porros is that the objective lenses are little further apart. This provides a little more stereoscopic effect, which can help in glassing.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 18:12
A couple more comments:

-In looking at porro and roof designs, I am not clear on why porros are supposed to be inherently weaker.  That all depends on the standard of manufacturing.

-Generally, alignment of porro binoculars is a little simpler and the tolerances are a little less critical for some of the prism elements.  However, linearly arranged elements of a roof binocular sitting inside a single tube-like housing could in principle be stronger.  Sounds like a tie to me.

-The quality of the "roof edge" of the roof prism has a notable effect on image quality.  Porros binoculars do not have that problem.

-There is TIR in the porro prism design and in the Abbe-Konig roof prism, but not in the more compact Schmidt-Pechan roof prism.  What it boils down to is that for comparable color fidelity and light transmission you need a somewhat high end dieletric coating on one of the surfaces of the S-P roof prism.

-Wider spaced porro objectives give you better perception of depth (stereoscopic effect), but make close focus a bit more difficult (not important for hunters, for the  most part).

-Last, but not least:  there are very few high quality porro binoculars remaining.  With roof binoculars dominating hte marketplace, there is more development money going in that direction.  There are not comparatively inexpensive roof prism binoculars with exceptional image quality.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kicker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2009 at 20:06
Great stuff.......thanks
I do not think porros are a weaker strength design. I have a 15yr old cheap pair of Bushnells and they have held up fine. I do like the suggestion of the Cascade porros. Sounds like the roof design is the future of the bino. I guess that is what I will lean towards. Today I looked at a pair of Vortex fury on SWFA. How do these compare with the Leupold Mojave or the Cascades (porro or roof).
 
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