Welcome guys! We're doing another Optics
Trade in the Field. This time, we are making the Ultimate 8x42 Binoculars Buying Guide. My name is Teodor. My name is Gašper. So Teodor, please tell
us where we are. So ... We decided to do this test in nature. We went around 10 kilometers away from our office - to this bird sanctuary. We thought that this is going to be the perfect place to do our test and our guide. OK. So, what exactly are we doing here? We decided to test different 8x42 binoculars from different price classes, and to see if there are really any significant differences between each price class ... ... and if there're any significant binoculars inside of each price class that stand out. So, we went here. We said: "OK. We will test ALL the binoculars." We'll choose which binoculars go into which group to see what are the common group features; and then to see what are the differences between different price groups and what
are the differences between different binoculars. We did all of this to help people
when they're deciding to buy their first binocular or when they already know that they will buy 8x42 binoculars to make their purchase and their decisions easier. So that if you know "I would like to buy 8x42 binocular." We'd wish to help you; to choose the right one for you. Which price class in this segment should you choose? Which binoculars in the specific price classes are those which really stand out? Hello, I'm Polona. I'm Andraž. So first of all, Andraž ... Why did we pick this 8x42 configuration? Well, the 8x42 configuration is basically the most common standard found on the market of binoculars. In almost every manufacturer's offer, we found 8x42. It's the one configuration that everyone makes. This is because these are all-rounder binoculars. That means that you can use them for any type of observation. They have a significantly bigger field of view than those that have bigger magnification. They also, almost all of them offer the most that they can for the money. And what would you say are some of the most basic features of these types? Well, they ... If we compare them to the 10x42 configuration, we already have a debate. You can click here and watch it. I'll do a short recap. They have a bigger field of view than 10x42. There are some other features but you can find these in the video, we will not waste time today here. Mhm. Many customers wonder, these types of binoculars ... Can they be used in low-light situations? Yes. Well, if we compare them again here to 10x42s, they do have a bigger exit pupil. So they do perform better in low-light than 10x42. We also have to take other things into account; such as coatings found on the prisms. Of course, the more expensive ... Some manufacturers have better coatings than others and so on. But basically, they do not perform as good as 8x56. But they do perform better than 10x42 because we have to take the exit pupil into account. Can they be used as ... for stargazing, for astronomy? Well, the 8x magnification is not the best for astronomy. We would suggest a bigger magnification because the 8x will not magnify the image enough for you to see the details. ... as regards the astronomy applications. But can they still be used as at least marine binoculars? Well, here we have another problem. When you're using binoculars on a boat (for example 10x magnification, 8x) you can get seasick. The bigger the magnification, the greater the probability that you'll get seasick. So. We have the optimal configuration for that. That is, the 7x magnification. Even 8x is perhaps enough but we would prefer the 7x because it's the most optimal configuration. And I ... have to mention the prism type also, while we're talking about this. The prism type mostly found in this category right now is Roof prism. We have 2 types of Roof prisms. We have Schmidt-Pechan prisms, which are found in almost ... In every binocular here on the table. Except for the Blaser! In Blaser, we have the Abbe-Koenig prisms, which are more difficult to manufacture. They offer better light transmission rates and so on. But we almost have no Porro prisms. On this desk, we don't have any Porro prism binoculars. Maybe there are some but they're really rare. What are the benefits of the Roof prism system? Well, the Roof prism system, as you can see ... The binoculars are more compact. With the Porro prism, you get a specific shape - like at an angle. Because of that, Porro prism binoculars are bigger, bulkier and they do not go in every pocket. ... to be specific. So there are really a lot of binoculars on the market and they can be found from ... Let's say ... €100 all the way up to €2500. Some even above that. To make this test easier, we decided to form 4 distinct price classes - all the way from €100 to €2,500. So first we have the entry-level binoculars that go from 100 euros to 400 euros. Then we have the middle class from 400 to €800. Here, we have the upper class from €800 to around €1600. And then we have the top-of-the-line. Everything that's from, let's say, €2,400 and above. Hello, my name is Špela. Teodor, please
tell us how was the testing done. When we started to talk about this video and about this buying guide of 8x42 binoculars ... We wanted to get into the skin of a novice user. Or someone who's looking to purchase their 1st pair of binoculars. So we said: OK. If you take our sales team and our marketing team from Optics Trade ... ... It won't be really an unbiased test because we all have really a lot of experience with binoculars. When we take one binoculars in our hands, we already have some kind of picture about it - How good it will perform and so on. So we decided to take our whole team out. To take our girls from logistics, from book-keeping, from ALL the departments of our firm. So that also the people, who don't have so much experience with binoculars do the test. We found two really interesting things. First of all, we found a lot of questions, which an experienced user would never ask. They're still very important because they tell us what is someone thinking who's buying the first pair of binoculars. The second of all, we got the impressions of people who don't have any ... preferences for brands and preferences for binoculars and so on. So we really, truly get an honest opinion and this was something that made this test, I would say, really unique and great. What did we focus on during the test? We grouped all the binoculars in different price classes and then we did the tests for each group. Then we did the comparisons between those groups. So the main parameters were: Optical performance, where we tested the central sharpness, edge sharpness ... ... chromatic aberration, glare inside and the field of view. The second parameter was the build quality. So, we checked the build quality of different binoculars. We compared the binoculars in each class. Then the classes between each other. Then last but not least, we took into account everything that goes on with the binoculars and with their brands. So we would say like brands' attributes. The warranty, where they're made ... So, their origin and service. How is (repair) service provided? Because with many of this really expensive binoculars, this is important. If 12 years on after your purchase something happens - what can you do with the binoculars? And also, the brand awareness for each of the brands on the table. This was also something that we took into account. So Andraž, we will talk about different price classes. And I ... Would suggest that we start with the lowest one. With the entry-level, which starts at €100 and €400. Tell us something that all the binoculars in this class have in common. Yeah, so the binoculars that we have on this side of the desk are priced from 100 to €400. They're all made in China. There are a lot of plastic parts so ... True. In terms of build quality, they are not really high - like all ... Mhm. Naturally, like all the binoculars in other clubs. *On this side of the table. (laughs) On this side of the table, yeah. What we have to note here, is that there can be a HUGE difference between a binocular priced €100 and €300. Whereas if we look at higher-priced
classes - between €2,000 and €2,200 ... There, it is really difficult to determine the ... To be honest, when you look at €2,000 and €2,300 ... It's almost no difference. But between €100 and €400, it's a huge difference. Tell me something - the majority you said -
that there is a lot of plastic parts and so on. What about the build type? They are all single bridge, I think. Is there any open bridge in this class? No, there is no open bridge. Meaning that you can have some problems holding them with one hand. Even though, they're usually lighter because of the plastic components and so on. But there is no open bridge here. Okay. This is ... And for the diopter setting, they all have the ring for the diopter on the side, yeah? Yeah. There is no-one that would have a central diopter setting, yeah? There is only on the right eyepiece. Mhm. Uh ...The eyepieces in this class - they mostly only have 2 positions. That's right. OUT and IN, yeah? Which is what some people might have problems with. So ... True. Sometimes, you have to set the proper eye relief to see the whole image. Here, you'll just have two positions - in most cases. This one has one more. Well, I noticed when we tested that there is
also that firmness of the eyepiece is not the best ... Which is expected in this price class. Of course, so when you press them against the face, sometimes the eyepieces will go in. Because they don't hold the position as good as binoculars from higher-priced classes. Okay. So if you sum it up ... if you do a short summary. Big differences between the cheap binoculars, let's say, on that side of €100 to those for €400. That's right. A lot of things made out of plastic, very similar design for all of them, no open bridge. Made in China and I would say optically ... All the way up to €200 it's so-so. Then from €200 to €400 it's ... the image quality comes to a level where we could say decent. We now covered the first price class from €100 to €400. Teodor, what are some of the characteristics of binoculars found in the price class from €400 to €800? Yes. So if we go ... We could say this is
already the middle class for most of the manufacturers. What we notice in this class is that warranty periods are a little longer. With the entry-level, you have mostly 2 years of warranty. With this 400 to 800 class, you already found binoculars which have 10 years of warranty. You slowly find European brands like Steiner and (Zeiss) Terra. Even though Terra is not made in
Europe, it's made in China. But you slowly find binoculars which are already made in Europe or in Japan. Still, the build type is still usually
the single-bridge design, the central so ... So, the handling is still not the best but there are some instances like with Delta Optical. We have it here on the table somewhere. Yeah, this one, which already has the open bridge. Even in this €400 to €800 class, the build quality gets a little bit better. We get a little bit more of metal. The eyecups usually have 3 or 4 positions already. The differences aren't, at least in optical performance, not that great anymore. Or that big between a binocular €400 and a binocular for €800. So, the differences become a little bit smaller. Compared to the entry-level where there is a huge difference between a €100 binocular and €400 binocular. So, if we describe it with a line it
goes like this. Slowly, it steadies. Yeah yeah, it slowly steadies but still. Here you get a better warranty, you get better optical performance. A wider field of view, the sharpness will be a little bit better. You get brands, which are made in Europe and so on. Usually, you do get a little bit more accessories than in the entry class. Yeah, better bags, additional accessories, which you can buy. Like, let's say, additional straps for carrying, which are better for comfort and so on. So, Andraž. Let's go to the next class - €800 to €1,500. What are the main features of binoculars in this class? Well, for this price class we can say that it's an entry-level to the premium class. Here, we already find the Swarovski binoculars. Here, we already find the Zeiss binoculars
made in Germany, Leica binoculars and so on. And what we get here is even a higher level of quality. We do get mostly magnesium housings. So, with lower it's mostly aluminum. Now we have magnesium housings. Yeah. It goes like this, it goes ... In the entry-level you have mostly plastic housing. Aluminum housing in the €400 to €800. €800 to €1,500 you already get magnesium housings. Some of them come with multiple positions for the eyecups ... Which means that you can set the eye relief nicely for your eyes. Some of them already come with the central diopter setting. No longer limited to the right eyepiece. Of course, on the optical level, they also gain in performance when compared to the lower class. I think that some of these binoculars -
especially the SLC, Trinovid, the Conquest HD ... You really get a sense of a high-quality optical instrument. Before this class, that's something that you're not able to see. But here, you're able to grasp the idea of what is optical performance or premium optical performance. And this is something that is here in this class, that I think is really interesting. Because this is the first time when you are able to see really that apparent FOV has become really bigger. The actual field of view has become bigger. The contrast becomes much more apparent and so on. So this is somewhere where you touch the surface of premium optical performance. They're also all made in Europe, mostly.
So we have Swarovski made in Austria. Zeiss made in Germany. Leica is made in Portugal. Yeah but still. But still. So it's limited to the European countries. And you also get the nicely packed you get
nice bags it's all about even about the experience of opening the box so you get
a Swarovski nicely packed nice images beautiful bags all together in colors
and so on and many different accessories which you can buy afterwards afterwards
yeah a lot of different things the warrant is mostly ten years the
exception is May Opta which is 30 years that's right really something really
special and they are still all single bridge so the open bridge is still not
so common in this class and I'm thinking now if you forgot something that is for
someone who wants to have binoculars for a longer period period of time and would
like to buy safe so yeah with these binoculars you also
buy safety that they will still work after years to come right yeah and this
is something also what happens in this class when you buy a Swarovski or Leica
or size or my Opta even if you ran out of warranty after 10 years 15 years and
so on they will still provide service this is something what is impossible to
to achieve or to expect from Chinese or Japanese binoculars because when
something goes wrong with a binocular for 400 euros let's say you drop it you
drop it on a on a ground or something like that and you damage the binoculars
there is no service the only the only way out is to buy a new pair of
binoculars we all have this binoculars you're able to send them back to the
factory and even after 20 years they were serviced the binoculars for you and
you will get back your own binoculars and there was two bursa gases in you
so yeah it's fast it's easy and also what you're not getting with other
classes let's say you wear out the rubber eye cups for all of these
binoculars you just go to a shop or you come to us the optics straight and we
will give you a new one so those small things which you get when
you buy let's just for off ski or like earth-sized this is something what
you're not getting in lower classes so it when when you wear out the eye cups
with most of other binoculars it's again you have to buy a new pair with with
this class you already are able to get the spare
parts in most cases even for free and not to mention that with Swarovski like
concise and similar companies you're also buying a piece of history true
second-story been around for long so you know that they'll honor the warranty
terms because they'll be around for probably long view Instagram a lot of
companies in this class already more than 100 years old or something like
that so they will stick around yeah we've now come to the top of the line so
we have binoculars priced 1500 euros and above at the end of our desk on the left
on my left so what are some of their characteristics is there a huge
improvement over the price class that we just discussed
well definitely this first of all we said from 1500 500 euros above but in
reality most of them started 2002 and above in this class we mostly see only
European brands and only the best brands there was a long time when there was
only leica size and Swarovski in this class now Blosser came also to this
table or how to say to this class Nikon is trying from time to time and there
are also some other brands which are a little bit smaller and they tried to
make a binoculars for 2500 euros from time to time but they usually don't
succeed so the only brands which really stay here are like a size and Swarovski
and now Blasi so what is common with them almost all of them have opened
bridge design only the best materials usually self-lubricating
focusing mechanisms so they work at all the temperatures and different
temperatures magnesium housings really advanced eye
cups which offer multiple positions and always a great support so they don't
move in really premium build quality this is one part of the story the second
part of the story is premium optical performance so the widest field of view
that's its size SF is really known for this it's like I think 148 meters the
field of view lock divot is also great in this respect so only the best
technologies you mentioned that some of them feature the open bridge
construction how do you benefit from it from it so you benefit because it's much
easier to handle it with one hand you can focus with one hand you can hold it
with one hand you can use it with one hand it's really really bad size I think
really has a nice ya gap that you can put three fingers say I have a special
name for this technology that you're able to do everything with one hand and
do this smart focus or I forgot the name but it's really clever and well made but
to be all also the Swarovski yell it's very
similar maybe the position of the of the finger
for the focusing is not as great as on the size but still good and also the
like an octave it is very very similar would you say that there is a huge
difference optically let's say between Yale and between SLC it depends on which
side you look on if you look at the SLC and something from this class the
difference it's really really huge you notice it immediately yeah however if
you look at the SOC and the e L the difference is but a little bit smaller
with e l okay they have a smarter vision technology so we have a flat field of
view with some people like some people don't like so this is the huge debate
always either nakta with victory SF or yell this is
something what we are not able to to give a definitive answer here and now
regarding this topic which one is the best among those three ORS but you see
the difference but it's not so huge like if you compare with lower classes but
this is also normal because to gain those last 10 percent of optical
performance it's really really hard and very expensive this is the reason why
there is a 1000 euros of difference between SOC and the e L for those last
10 percent of difference but the difference is here so for someone who is
searching for binoculars which are without any compromises he has to go
into this class into the highest quest and the best class and for someone who
likes customizable binoculars you can the new author it's yeah so you can see
that they're really beautifully done yeah and you can choose I think the
colours and there are different special editions I know that I think there was
only a couple of hundreds of those made and so on this is also something what
you gain in this class to buy something really unique and still with a really
perfect optical performance what about the resale value they hold the resale
value much better than other places this is normal I would say maybe this class
between 800 and 1500 euros holds the resale value the best but also the
higher highest class also holds the resale you well while the entry-level
they don't they usually don't even sell when they're used anymore people just
for 200-300 euros people my new binoculars they don't buy used
one I would mention the blazer as a newcomer in this class this is I would
say the only binoculars which come into the top class in the last 10 years or
something like that as you can see it doesn't have the open bridge which is a
shame but on the other side it does feature electronic prisons which give
him a little better low-light performance and I heard that these
prisons are really difficult to manufacture which is why expense they
are not in the offer of every manufacturer know from all the
manufacturers only its size produces them since ever but not on those Victor
SF they have the victory HT binoculars with the RB Connect prisons and now
blosser is also producing them and knoblauch's is also producing them and
also sparrows skin their SOC 8 by 56 because with 8 by 56 it's normal to take
out the conic prisons which are longer and heavier then Schmidt and Python
because you already have a really big binocular so your audiences when you're
buying one you you're expecting bulky binoculars yeah with a before t2 it's
quite uncommon to use other connect prison prisons because this are not
binoculars for low light so even if you achieve best possible light transmission
people will still buy 8 by 56 so what do you gain with each price
class okay with an entry-level price class you gain
a lot if you go on the upper level or the upper extreme of the of the class
itself so you gain a lot if you buy binoculars for 350 euros 400 euros not
100 even though somebody will say there are many binoculars below 100 euros but
I think that those the quality and optical performance of those is really
really low it's even on the level where you say if you like her eyes and if you
wouldn't want to damage her eyes don't but I've been oculus for 20 years
simple as that so with first class you gain binoculars which are meant for
serious use so they are not toys and this is the reason why they cost more
than 100 years and you gain a lot if you buy something for 300 to 400 euros
instead of something for 100 or 200 years this is the first thing if you go
into the second class 400 to 800 euros the first thing what you get is much
better build quality so nicer more metal used in the in the in the housing and so
on better eyepieces better optical performance and this is the first class
where you gain longer warranty periods so instead of 2 years
you usually get 5 or 10 years if you go to the 800 euros to 1500 euros class you
gain optical performance on a European level you gain European brands with
European servicing that means you buy binoculars which have a service in
Europe and even if if you damage them by your fault you're still able to repair
them you gain much better quality of housings some of these binoculars in a
class around 1000 euros or 1400 years already offer magnesium housing and this
is where the resale value also begins yeah yeah and it begins very via a
really well-known brands very wise varrock ski size like our
the best Steiners may opt on carless and so on so this is the class where you get
European premium quality the entry level into the European premium quality and
then if you go from 1,500 euros onwards you basically buy a binoculars which are
already on a quality level without any compromises so top quality level it's
also very small differences between different brands and in quality terms
they all came to the maximum what is able to achieve or what is feasible you
gain open bridge design on almost all of them you gain really good eye cups with
multiple positions and really the best optical performance you gain and the
accessories that come with the product are also on a higher level as the arts
quality right high quality and you gain the widest field of view the best
sharpness you gain the highest light transmission rate and so on some
binoculars in this class you may have 95% of light transmission rate in this
class we are talking about 80 85 so a huge difference so if you don't want any
compromises you go for the top-of-the-line yeah right if you want
to have a premium optical performance for I would say acceptable price you go
into this class size size conquest HD SLC 3 no beat if you're buying a decent
binoculars made in Japan with a with a decent the warranty period but still
don't want to spend a lot of money you're into you go into the disc class
between 400 to 800 euros and if you're buying binocular just to have them and
if you're not a heavy user you buy something in this class from 100 so
maybe also a beginner in this for if you're a beginner yeah if you're a
beginner it's really smart to start somewhere here and then you see if you
really are drawn into the drone into using them each day and so on and then
you see if you need something better and then you go to the to the other classes so we didn't do testings in a way that
now we would say okay these are the losers and those are the winners but if
you check the blog post which is going to be made on this video and together
with this video you will see all the points taken for all the testings and
you will see about each binocular and impression about it but we can still say
which binoculars in which group did prevail now in 2019 I presume you'll do
this similar video also copper's yeah in two years to come so -
let's start in the entry level which were the binoculars which all the whole
our team when we summed up all the points and so on which were those which
stand out in the entry level we have a tie between Nikon Prostaff
seven and between vortex diamond bay back 8 by 40 - yeah it was a tie-in in
optical performance but our all our guys for our team also said that the build
quality vortex is a little bit a little bit better normally the warranty is much
better than VIP warranty but actively they were they were pretty much on the
same level on the same level so next class was 400 to 800 swell which were
those two binoculars which stand out here well the the ones that stand out
the first one is the brand new binocular from GPO and precision optics and yeah
and it really not only they did stand out astound us with its optical
performance also in terms of build quality which I would say resembles
binoculars from higher places I see a really well made really good optics for
this price and I think it's priced around 450 euros maybe five five hundred
euros five hundred yeah and the second binoculars were vortex
Viper HD this was no surprise because we already tested them many times and know
that they're optically really good they're also really good in terms of
build quality and of course the vortex VIP one as well they were really really
close for me it was quite the interesting to see all the results from
from those team members from our company which don't handle binoculars or any
optics each day because we knows we have sales team and marketing team
which always works within oculus and then we have a lot of other people which
makes which make this company function which don't really work with optics on
daily basis and they also had those two they really had a tie which one is
better and not then when we came to the class of 800 to 1500 coulda stand out
well definitely this frosty SLC because when you throw when you look through it
the field of view is just so big there are no black lines no time their parent
field of view it's not view is amazing so you always say wow when you look
through them so this is I think the the an even the optical performance when you
look through it after four I'd say 30 seconds one minute they're really good
optical yeah in this class they're really really good but it's also true
that they are the most expensive in this class they are they are us 1500 euros so
even more is even more even more yeah the street price is around 1500 euros
list price is even 1600 or something like that so to be fair we also have to
say that the conquest HD got really good marks also it did in this class and it's
almost 500 euros cheaper so in this class we have a really big price
difference and those two were the winners so the the soc by far and then
the HD especially when the price is taken into consideration because it's
roughly around 1000 euros and then we come to the top class in the top class
we have the great trio or how to call them we have the Swarovski yell the
twice victory SF and the octave it and it's really hard to debate over which
one is the best because they're all so great that I wouldn't debate so minimal
they are really all perfect almost yes maybe a brand plays a huge role here who
prefers which brand so I'm if someone is a fan of Swarovski he will say ok
Swarovski I think that there are small differences so it's very very small sf
has a really huge field of view the biggest among all of them and it has a
nice open bridge yeah really you land nakta with the built quality astonishing
and the colors and the eyepieces and the eyepiece is really really great and then
the al the smarter vision technology those who like this flat feel the view
they're always astonished by the Yelp but still here
it's a matter of personal taste it's not a matter of performance because they're
all on on the highest possible level of performance for me what was interesting
is the visor isn't far behind them I would say it's it's really even though
it's a completely newcomer it's really really close by this was something like
this surprise surprise I would say on this test so I think we covered most of
those who stand out in our blog post you receive even more data about this test
and general guidelines - WHAT to buy and WHY to buy.
