OpticsTalk by SWFA, Inc. Homepage SWFA     SampleList.com
Forum Home Forum Home > Other Optics > Binoculars
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Binocular Features
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Visit the SWFA.com site to check out our current specials.

Binocular Features

 Post Reply Post Reply
Poll Question: What feature was most important to you when purchasing your binoculars
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
1 [4.55%]
0 [0.00%]
5 [22.73%]
15 [68.18%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [4.55%]
0 [0.00%]
You can not vote in this poll

Author
Message
ND2000 View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: January/29/2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 308
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ND2000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Binocular Features
    Posted: February/15/2007 at 08:25
Just curious what was the key decision factor for most people.  It's hard I know!
You either get what you pay for or what you deserve.
Back to Top
jonbravado View Drop Down
Optics Master
Optics Master
Avatar

Joined: October/05/2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1131
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonbravado Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 09:38

i look for lowlight performance.

 

if i forget my binos, i feel like i shouldn't even sneak into the woods.

 

J

Back to Top
anweis View Drop Down
Optics Master
Optics Master


Joined: January/29/2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1148
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote anweis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 15:10

I select binoculars for all of those features, except price and brand name. 

 

Back to Top
FrankD View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman


Joined: November/11/2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 686
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FrankD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 15:45
I am with anweis though I decided to throw the lone vote in for field of view/depth of field since it seems I prefer bins with a wide, sharp sweet spot and preferrably in 7x or 8x for better depth of field.
Frank
Back to Top
spf2 View Drop Down
Optics Apprentice
Optics Apprentice


Joined: February/02/2007
Status: Offline
Points: 169
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spf2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 15:58
Originally posted by anweis anweis wrote:

I select binoculars for all of those features, except price and brand name. 

 

 

Almost agreed..  If everything else is equal or comparable, I will just go with price.. The lower the better..

Back to Top
ND2000 View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: January/29/2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 308
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ND2000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 16:14
Clearly they all matter to differing degrees.  I put together the poll more with the thought in mind of "what's the one feature that you have to have."  Again, I recognize the purchase decision is largely a personal optimization of many of those factors.  I guess that is what makes looking through binos fun.
You either get what you pay for or what you deserve.
Back to Top
Bird Watcher View Drop Down
Optics Master
Optics Master
Avatar

Joined: August/30/2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1523
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bird Watcher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 16:36
It would have been even more interesting if you had added "magnification" as one of the features in the poll.
Back to Top
RifleDude View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
EVIL OPPRESSOR

Joined: October/13/2006
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 16337
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/15/2007 at 19:27

For me, the priorities are, in order:

 

1 - Sharpness

1.5 - Brightness

2 - FOV / DOF

3 - Color

4 - Price, Comfort, Ergo

 

However, if the #4 priorities are so out of line with my budget or liking, 1-3 don't really matter.

 

Name is only important to me from the standpoint of how well that company takes care of its customers and its reputation for durability.

Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.
Back to Top
ND2000 View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: January/29/2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 308
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ND2000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/16/2007 at 08:01
Not sure what other's thoughts are, but I've looked through a lot more pairs of binoculars that are bright as opposed to sharp. 
You either get what you pay for or what you deserve.
Back to Top
gremlin View Drop Down
Optics Apprentice
Optics Apprentice
Avatar

Joined: February/16/2004
Location: left of center
Status: Offline
Points: 115
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gremlin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/19/2007 at 20:14
I would qualify my response with the caveat that after certain minimum standards of brightness and clarity were met, the deciding factor in my decision between brands almost always comes down to one thing:

EYE RELIEF

As a long time eye glass wearer, nothing causes me greater fatigue than not having enough eye relief.  The vignetting that goes along with having to align binocs close to my face frustrates me and over long periods of glassing for game, it drives me nuts.  That's not a good thing when you're holding a 30-06...

The longer the eye relief, the quicker I can bring my binocular into play when I spot an instant of movement.  Whether I'm birding or hunting, it's that ability to get the binocular lined up quickly with my pupil for maximum field of view that determines whether or not I spot my prey or my bird.

Again, that comes after minimum standards of brightness and clarity have been met.  Eye relief is the biggie that causes me to spend my money.

It's the same thing with a rifle scope.  If I'm packing a .22 in the field and hunting squirrels, you can bet it has a long eye relief fixed 4x28 scope on it.  If the eye relief is long enough, you can practically start aiming before the rifle hits your shoulder--that split instant you gain before the squirrel ducks behind the trunk will put more stock in my pot than a 3x9 with short eye relief.

With a high powered rifle, that extra half inch of eye relief makes me a much better long distance shooter and I don't have to worry about recoil causing the scope to hit my eyebrow.

Yup, the older I get, the more I appreciate the comfort that long eye relief brings...
Back to Top
Tero View Drop Down
Optics Apprentice
Optics Apprentice
Avatar

Joined: December/04/2006
Status: Offline
Points: 135
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/24/2007 at 08:34
After sharpness, brightness is a close second. I found that I need to adjust my diopter in nearly all binoculars, during a day. My two eyes are just differerent at different distances, very similar at far distance. So I found out the hard way that at 10x especially I need the brightness. I adjust the diopter to a happy medium and leave it there. With dim binoculars it just does not work. I am adjusting the diopter all day.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.01
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.123 seconds.