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HELP!!! Porro Prism or Roof Prism

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Superlite17 View Drop Down
Optics GrassHopper
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Joined: July/25/2005
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Superlite17 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: HELP!!! Porro Prism or Roof Prism
    Posted: August/18/2005 at 22:10

Please help me understand binoculars... I will admit, I have always bought cheap wally-world binos and great scopes... at dusk and dawn I looked through the scope albeit a verry poor practice.

 

Anyway, I thought finding the right rifle scope was difficult. Finding the right binoculars is quite confusing:

 

Which is better Porro Prism or Roof Prism?

 

If they have variable power, then why doesnt anyone use them? We choose scopes with it.

 

Is 10x50 good for hunting? I have some areas i want to scope up to 800 yards, and dusk and dawn are super important to me. 

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ranburr View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ranburr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2005 at 00:26

I prefer roofs.  They are generally more compact, sometimes lighter, waterproof, more rugged, and more user friendly.  The down side is that to get the same image quality that you get fromn a quality porro, you generally have to spend twice as much on the roof.   I would love it if zoom binos worked.  Bottom line, they don't.  It is not as easy as putting two scopes together.  A 10x50 is a little large or possibly too small depending on what type of hunting you do.  If it is around my neck, I don't go bigger than a 10x42.  If you are stationary and can stabilize a 15x58 they are good for longer range activities that don't require or are used in conjunction with a spotting scope.  A 10X is suffient to identify big game at your ranges.  If you are trying to count points at 800 yards, get a spotting scope.

 

ranburr 

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xenophobe View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote xenophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2005 at 02:58
Porros are easier to make high quality and low cost, as the prisms don't need phase coatings...

Roofs are much more compact due to the use of different prisms, and require phase correcting coatings on them.

I prefer roofs.  They feel better in my hands. 

As for what you can hold stable, that's more personal.  I can steady 10x42s well enough to use all day long.  Some people are too shaky with them.  My 12x50's are just a little too shaky for me, but I have a friend that can use them all day. 

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gremlin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gremlin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2005 at 11:24

While I'm partial to porros, if you're strictly hunting, then for a number of reasons I'd recommend roofs.  Better waterproofing, more rugged design, compactness, and ease of use are just a few of the many reasons I can think of.

 

As for variable powers, the design of a scope and a binocular are only similar and definitely not identical.  Variable power binoculars, unless we're talking about a very expensive pair of Leica Duovids, Minox, Docters, or something comparable, by and large are unable to hold the precise alignments and color bonds that you'd expect when using a quality optical component. 

 

For my money, they never seem as bright as fixed powers and always have a substantial amount of vignetting--they seem to feel like I'm looking down a long length of tube before I get to the image.  The few relatively inexpensive pair that I've tried (B&L Legacy, Tasco, etc) certainly offered little in the way of long term reliability.

 

Just my two cents.

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Take the long way home...

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