February 19, 2025

Binoculars

First some quick comments on binoculars for birding. As serious photographers like to say, there is no substitute for "good glass". If you are using a "cheap" pair of binoculars and run into a birder with a good pair, ask them if they will let you take a look through theirs. Once I did this, I was ruined forever.

I now own a pair of Zeiss Dialyt 7x42B T*P. When I bought them over 20 years ago, they were the top choice alongside Leica. These days Swarovski seems popular, and if I was serious about getting a really good pair of binoculars for birding, I would need to do my homework all over again.

I spent a lot of time debating whether to get 7x or 10x. The 7x choice I made went for a bigger richer field and ease of use -- it is still an open question whether a 10x pair would be "better".

Repair

The general advice is to leave repair work to Zeiss. In theory at least they offer to take care of them forever.

I am not the average user, so I am willing to contemplate doing my own repair. The only thing my binocular need is some attention to the grease on the focusing mechanism. After 20+ years that grease has thickened (all but "petrified"). I would like to clean it all off and replace it with something modern -- however it is not obvious how to disassemble the mechanism. My impression is that the cap (which has the T*P printed on it) is cemented in place.

The above video is clearly not a pair of Zeiss, but note that he pries off a cap, which is cemented in place, and under that is a screw that is also held with thread-locker.

Small and light

I already have a heavy expensive set, so what about a decent quality small light and not too expensive set? I have been impressed by Vortex optics in two other items I own, so why not check out their binoculars? These look to be amazing for the price. Amazon now sells these for $159, but says they are frequently returned. The look is different than the review, so they may have been redesigned. Reviews are good for the new version. There also is an 8x32 for $209 that weigh 15.9 ounces (2 ounces more).

So in May of 2025, I ordered the 8x32. They weigh 2 ounces more and even at $209 are inexpensive enough I won't worry about them like I do my Zeiss 8x42. Same day delivery from Amazon. If they are horrible I can return them. The 8x28 on Amazon had a high return rate they say (bad quality control?). 30 percent more light gathering. Somewhat wider field of view.

From the BH Photo page 
Angle of view 6.2 vs 8.1 degrees
Field of view  332 vs 426 feet at 1000 yards
Minimum focus: 6 versus 5 feet
Exit pupil:  3.5 vs 4 mm
Eye relief: 18 vs 16 mm
Both are Argon purged roof prism binoculars. They are made in China. The shorter 16mm eye relief may be a good thing, some people have said that the 18mm relief on the 8x28 was excessive, but these people may not have been eyeglass wearers.

They arrived at 7 PM (ordered the same day at 8 AM). The miracle of Amazon same day shipping.
The binoculars are stunning. I'll need to side by side compare them to my Zeiss 8x42. They look to be as good, perhaps even better. Amazing -- especially for the price. And they don't feel cheap at all. No problem using them with my eyeglasses.

Remember also that Vortex has a very well regarded unconditional lifetime warranty.

Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Bird Info / tom@mmto.org