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EL’s or Ultravid BR’s

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Murphy.177 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Murphy.177 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: EL’s or Ultravid BR’s
    Posted: April/21/2007 at 05:59
Like the title says I have tried both the 10X42 models but not side by side. 

There is not much in it as far as I can see but what do you men think??

What would you choose and why?
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Bird Watcher View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bird Watcher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/21/2007 at 10:44
Under what conditions did you test the binoculars?

High quality, top-of-the-line binoculars are not going to demonstrate ALOT of differences inside a store, viewing under fluorescent lighting.

Mostly you will be able to see which has a bigger sweet spot and which are sharper out to the edges.

IF there is any "significant" difference it will generally show up under low light conditions, such as viewing at dawn and dusk and into darkness.

This is when prism coatings and prism size and different types of optical glass will begin to show any real benefits, although, some say that you can "see" the difference, during the daytime, with the Zeiss FL glass and Abbe-Konig prisms.

You might enjoy the following information:
http://www.zbirding.info/zbirders/blogs/sing/default.aspx

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Murphy.177 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Murphy.177 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/21/2007 at 12:18
Originally posted by Bird Watcher Bird Watcher wrote:

Under what conditions did you test the binoculars?

This is when prism coatings and prism size and different types of optical glass will begin to show any real benefits, although, some say that you can "see" the difference, during the daytime, with the Zeiss FL glass and Abbe-Konig prisms.


They have all been tried outdoors.

The Zeiss Victory FL I was lucky to try at a shop that is in a bird sanctuary and they are fantastic.
The only fault I could find was that the 42's seemed huge in length compared to the BR's and EL's.
The 32's where a better size and optically superb as well.

I was after people who use these bino's for opinions on strengths and weakness as me testing them for 1 hour is no substitute for an owner’s opinion.


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ND2000 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ND2000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/21/2007 at 13:40
Murphy -

Let me first say two things: 1) You cannot make a bad choice between the two...I think these two binos represent the two finest views in the binocular market today, and 2) earlier this year I went through the same exercise in the 8x power range and ended up purchasing the ELs.  With that in mind, here is what I would tell you...

Ultravids - Exceptionally bright, super contrast & resolution, built like a tank.

ELs - huge sweetspot, great depth of field, contrast/resolution/brightness is excellent, but not quite to the level of the Ultravids, edge sharpness is superb.

Bottom line is this:  If I were to purchase just based on the optics alone, I would've gone with the Ultravids.  However, they were uncomfortable to me in my hands and up to my face.  I also found the ELs, with their bigger sweetspot and better depth of field, to be much more pleasing to look through for extended periods of time.

Don't get too caught up in the specifics/details.  Just buy a pair and start enjoying them!  You will not regret the decision.  Let us know what you purchase.

ND2000

You either get what you pay for or what you deserve.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FrankD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/23/2007 at 12:20

I think the two previous posts gave some excellent comparisons/suggestions for things to look for.

 

As stated these are all top of the line binos so you really cannot go wrong with one or the other. When I think of my experiences with the EL I am left with the optical impression of excellent depth of field and a very large sweet spot. However, I also remember seeing a bit more color fringing than in the Ultravid or FL's images. They are also fairly large overall but the open bridge design makes them very ergonomic for my hands.

 

When I think of the Ultravids I am instantly reminded of their "glove like" feel. The texture of the armor and the placement of the thumb "extensions" is almost perfect for my hands. The focusing mechanism and the overall durability level are also top notch. Optically there is very little you can find fault with except for the slightly smaller sweet spot in comparison to the ELs/SLCs.

 

Though you did not mention the FLs initially I think they also deserve to be mentioned. Their length is the result of the ABK prisms which deliver that excellent level of brightness and contrast. Throw in the Fl glass in the objective element and you can see why the binocular delivers such a clean image. However, there have been some comments about the focusing/diopter mechanism and the sweet spot is a bit smaller than either the Ultravid and the EL.

 

Hope this helps as I just went through deciding between the FL and the Ultravid.

Frank
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Murphy.177 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Murphy.177 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/23/2007 at 13:02
Originally posted by FrankD FrankD wrote:

Hope this helps as I just went through deciding between the FL and the Ultravid.



But you dont tell us what choice you made??
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FrankD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/23/2007 at 13:19

It is still a bit up in the air.

 

In truth I want both.

 

But the pocketbook and my wife's wrath are two major roadblocks.

 

I spent a great many hours yesterday up on the top of a mountain comparing the FL, Ultravid and a Meopta Meostar. The FL and Ultravid were 7x42s while the Meopta was an 8x42. I must admit that at no time did I feel inconvenienced when going back from one to the other. The shallower depth of field on the 8x was occasionally an issue but not very often. In all other areas I really did not find any issues to comment on negatively.

 

More to follow.

Frank
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