Binoculars

[Scotch]

anybody know who makes very good or the best binoculars. I would like a pair. I really only buy the best

[greencobra]

Zeiss makes very good optics.

[Roefisher]

I agree.

Zeiss are the best. ( i would recommend their rubberised models) :)

Close seconds would be Swarovski or Bausch and Lomb.

Just a thought...whatever ones you buy, may i recommend a pair with large objective lens. Such as 8 x 56 (the 56 is 56mm objective lens size)

The benefits are twofold

1. Wider and clearer field of vision
2. Better Twilight performance ie, in low light, the larger lens gathers in more light and give a clearer view.

*also remember larger magnification (over 10 i'd say) binoculars give a shakey view unless grounded. Just something to remember if you'll be using them freehand...i'd stay with 8.

Regards

Roe

[Jurphaas]

hi Sotch - Zeiss and Swarovski are the two top brands. Be prepared for a serious investment.

OTOH, having a fine pair quality binoculars makes all the difference when it comes to observing nature or other distant still or moving objects.
Have fun. Jurphaas.

[HoB]

1.) Zeiss "Victory series" and Leica "Ultravid". The best the most expensive and the heaviest. The Victory series uses a special glass which achieves the highest light transmission of all binoculars out there, but it contains a lot of lead, which makes the glass very heavy thus the binoculars are bit heavier than those of competitors. However Zeiss has address that issue in their Victory II series. Personally, I didn't find the ergos very appealing, I prefer the classic series and the Leica binoculars.
2.) Leica (especially the "New Generation" and the Zeiss "classic" series. Pretty much equal both in optical quality, price and craftsmensship. Impossible to say which one is better, mainly a question of preference in looks or brands, but really you are looking at a top notch Mercedes or BMW take your pick. The Zeiss 20x60 with cardanic optics belongs to the "classic" series, but really is a league of its own (as evidenced by its price, about $4500.)

After those two come in a respectable distance but still in the same league:
3.) The top line by Nikon and Swarovski. Nikon has a wide range of binoculars starting pretty cheap, but they have a few models which are absolutely top notch. Swarovski has good optics but they used to have some problems with their "hardware". In particular their nitrogen filling had some trouble for a while. What Swarovski is really famous for though are spotting scopes, were they are most definitely share first spot. Canon has concentrated lately on the electronic image stabilization which they do very well. Very nice binoculars too, but I wouldn't rank them optically and mechanically as high as the top glasses from Nikon and Swarovski.

4.) Very good binoculars are further made by Pentax, Minolta, Optolyth, Doctor Optics, Steiner and a few others. Steiner needs an honorable mention. They have concentrate on building solely Porro prism binoculars. Porro prisms require only about a tenth of the precision in the cutting as roof prisms do in order to achieve the same image quality. However, Porro prisms fold the optical path sideways, which makes this design larger than the sleek roof prism binocular (you can always tell by looking at them). The Porro prism glasses look a bit "old fashioned". Steiner also has had many contracts with several armys (especially the US forces) for which they deliver thousands of binoculars of medium to high quality. The numbers by which they can produce allows them to offer high quality binoculars for a comparitively cheap price. They binoculars are famous for their mechanical integrity, in particular the nitrogen charge. Their 7x50 with compass is the most widely used binocular in sport and professional boating.

Not really into guns, but from hearsay it seems that among the gun scopes Leupold would take the cake.

For those, who are interested in these things (personally I don't care where what is made, I go solely by quality):
Zeiss, Leica, Steiner, Optolyth, Doctor Optics (part of former Carl Zeiss, east Germany): Germany
Swarovski: Austria
Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax: Japan
Leupold: USA

[GarageBoy]

Zeiss and Swarovski are kings, just be prepared to blow a few hundred