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Binoculars:
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Seen through 8-x binocular |
Seen with 10-x binocular |
The table below compares the field of view (in feet, at 1000 yards) of some typical binoculars, in 8x and 10 powers.
Model
|
8x42 8.5x42 (Swaro) |
10x42 |
8x32 |
Alpen Rainier | 341 ft. |
393 ft. |
|
Eagle Optics Ranger | 341 ft. |
341 ft. |
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Leica Ultravid HD | 389 ft. |
336 ft. |
404 ft. |
Leica Trinovid | 378 ft. |
324 ft. |
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Nikon EDG | 403 ft. |
341 ft. |
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Nikon Monarch 5 | 330 ft. |
288 ft. |
|
Pentax DCF ED | 330 ft. |
315 ft. |
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Stokes DLS 8x42 | 383 ft. |
308 ft. |
|
Swarovski EL | 390 ft. |
330 ft. |
420 ft. |
Vortex Diamondback | 420 ft. |
345 ft. |
|
Zeiss Victory FL | 405 ft. |
330 ft. |
420 ft. |
3. More eye relief.
In most binocular models, the eye relief is greater on the 8x42 version than on the 10x42 version or the 8x32 version is there is one.
As the sampling below shows, this is not always the case. In the Leica Ultravid HD, the 10x42 has slightly longer eye relief than the 8x42.
Model
|
8x42
8.5x42 (Swaro) |
10x42 |
8x32 |
Alpen Rainier | 16 mm |
18 mm |
|
Eagle Optics Ranger | 19.5 mm |
16 mm |
|
Leica Ultravid HD | 15.5 mm |
16 mm |
13.3 mm |
Leica Trinovid | 15.5 mm |
16 mm |
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Nikon EDG | 19.3 mm |
18 mm |
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Nikon Monarch 5 | 19.6 mm |
15.5 mm |
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Pentax DCF ED | 22 mm |
17 mm |
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Vortex Diamondback | 18 mm |
16 mm |
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Vortex Razor | 18 mm |
16 mm |
|
Stokes DLS | 18 mm |
17 mm |
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Swarovski EL | 18 mm |
15 mm |
15 mm |
Zeiss Victory FL | 16 mm |
16 mm |
16 mm |
Eye relief matters only to people who wear glasses. But if that's you, you'll want to pay special attention to the eye relief, especially when considering a 10-power binocular. For glasses wearers, 16 mm of eye relief is minimal, but it's better to get a binocular with 17 mm to 20 mm of eye relief. Zeiss doesn't really fit in this chart, because the Victory FL's eye relief is good even though it's listed as 16mm. (See sidebar at right.)
If you do wear glasses, then unless you're prepared to pay top dollar, for a Zeiss Victory FL, it's a good idea to consider an 8x42 binocular.
Copyright 2012 Michael and Diane Porter
Steady in the hand
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