rogerandgarf
super member
Reged: 06/01/05
Posts: 194
Loc: Arlington, Wa
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This has been in the works for some time now and "they're here..." Seems that the 15x70s compare favorably with my Fuji 16x70, not to mention price! Check it out: www.astro-physics.com
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Roger Johnson
12" upgraded Dob
TV Genesis/LXD75
5" Mak
ZAOIIs w/barlow
Denk II BVs/x switch
Swarovski 7x42, Leica 10x50,
Fuji 16x70, Obie 25x100 IF/Unimount
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Thanks Roger, it has been in the grapevine, but it's the first we've seen that Astro Physics has them posted.
http://www.astro-physics.com/
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/ultra70.htm
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/ultra70.htm
http://garrettoptical.com/_wsn/page14.html
http://www.generalhit.com./#
http://www.holgermerlitz.de/ares8x30.html
REVIEWS posted in this forum
Early Review of the General Hi-T here in this Fourm
The Garrett Grizzly 10x50
Generalhit10x50
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70
Lot's of similarities here in all these. They seem to all advertise the same high degree of polish, premium coatings and rugged build quality.
edz
Edited by EdZ (07/19/06 04:52 PM)
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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2699
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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not to mention http://www.united-optics.com/products/ast-series/astr-s-8/astr-s-8.htm
and http://www.telescope-service.com/binoculars/start/medium/medium.html#1070marine
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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Bonco
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/17/06
Posts: 1980
Loc: Florida
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Looking good. The price is much lower than I expected. Sure hope to read some reviews soon.
Bonco
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RV6
Meade 2045
6 inch f/4 RFT R. Fagin Optics
TV Genesis
2.4 inch Lafayette Equitorial
3 inch Polarex/Unitron Equitorial
10 inch Zhumell
PST 40mm Solar scope
4 inch F/15 Antares
2.4 inch Unitron Equitorial
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coopman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/23/06
Posts: 1209
Loc: South Louisiana
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Is this from the same family of binos that nearly broke Art's nose?
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Regards,
Clay
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalms 19:1
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2109
Loc: Washington, USA
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>>>Lot's of similarities here in all these. They seem to all advertise the same high degree of polish, premium coatings and rugged build quality.<<<
You've got that right. And if I keep seeing these pop up on more street corners, I am going to conclude that Kunming is just going to sell to everybody, a forget placing an order.
What's the use in trying to get a job as a policeman, if the only people in town are cops?
Cheers,
Bill
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William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 1765
Loc: Freedonia
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I'm going to have to pick up the 10.5x.
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Gus
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Bonco
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/17/06
Posts: 1980
Loc: Florida
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Quote:
>>>.<<<
You've got that right. And if I keep seeing these pop up on more street corners, I am going to conclude that Kunming is just going to sell to everybody, a forget placing an order.
Maybe, but I've met Roland Christian, he's a great guy. I've owned one of his 6 inch refractors. I continue to enjoy reading his expert, well written, helpful posts. He and his company have huge credibility in my mind and I think he was careful to choose a bino product that he felt meets his high standards of quality. I hope he does well marketing these bino's.
Bonco
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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The floodgates are opening...
Let the flood cometh....
I await the BIG models - 22x85IF, 20x110, etc.
Now who do I make the check out to?
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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It would certainly be interesting to have a look through them. The eye relief sounds very good. The price is quite modest.
Rich
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2109
Loc: Washington, USA
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Quote:
Maybe, but I've met Roland Christian, he's a great guy. I've owned one of his 6 inch refractors. I continue to enjoy reading his expert, well written, helpful posts. He and his company have huge credibility in my mind and I think he was careful to choose a bino product that he felt meets his high standards of quality. I hope he does well marketing these bino's.
Bonco
Hi Bonco:
Could you please tell me how you gleaned ANYTHING concerning QUALITY out of my comment? And, if I were saying the instruments were of poor quality, would I be announcing on Cloudy Nights that I was considering stocking them myself? I mean no offense, but I think you may be listening too fast. 
And although we haven't had occasion to communicate in a very long time, I have known Roland since about 1985. In fact, if I am not mistaken, I am the one who introduced him to Zemax.
Just a thought.
Bill
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William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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These Astro-Physics binoculars may make the Canon IS 10x42 and 15x50 things of the past. I hope Joe doesn't read this thread. ;-)
Rich
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4497
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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I find it interesting that here on the 'Binocular' forum, RC at AP is for the most part given a fair shake (and rightfully so) on the hoped-for quality of his imported Chinese binos...yet...on the other hand in the 'Binoviewer' forum, it was my impression that the are some who consider UO's move to market its new Chinese BVer a non-event, as it is just a rebrand.
Just a curious observation...
Keith (These binos do look nice, don't they?)
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He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
Edited by trainsktg (07/19/06 07:44 PM)
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2109
Loc: Washington, USA
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>>>it was my impression that the are more than a few who consider JWS at UO (also known for his quality products) a 'sell out' by importing his new BVs from China.<<<
Well, I don't have occasion to go to the binoviewer section, but I assume that "JWS at UO" means Jan W. Seyfreid at University Optics.
To me, the difference is easy to see. Jan is just a nice guy with nice importing business. He is not surrounded by expensive his personal innovations that have changed the optics industry and is not a legend to be discussed around every campfire star party.
Roland on the other hand . . .
Cheers,
Bill
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William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Keith -
Quote:
are more than a few who consider JWS at UO (also known for his quality products) a 'sell out' by importing his new BVs from China.
My passion is binocular astronomy, not patriotism. I don't care if the equipment comes from Mars - provided it is of high quality at a reasonable price. Up until recently, it is my impression that Chinese optics were considered sub-par (at best) ... now, with quality glass coming out of China, we have to start re-thinking our attitudes.
Right now there is a gaping hole in the giant binocular market : on the one end of the spectrum there are giants like the Fujinon and Miyauchis that cost many thousands of dollars. On the other end of the spectrum there are binos like Celestron, and Orion which cost less than $500. It seems to me there is a void between the $500 giant and the $5000 giant - both in terms of quality and price.
I hope this new wave of Chinese binoculars helps to fill that void and make quality optics affordable for folks like me on a tight budget.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Quote:
I find it interesting that here on the 'Binocular' forum, RC at AP is for the most part given a fair shake (and rightfully so) on the hoped-for quality of his imported Chinese binos...yet...on the other hand in the 'Binoviewer' forum, it was my impression that the are some who consider UO's move to market its new Chinese BVer a non-event, as it is just a rebrand.
Just a curious observation...
Keith (These binos do look nice, don't they?)
Several of us got it out of our systems a few weeks ago, here on CN, when it was mentioned AP was thinking of selling binoculars.
Rich
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4497
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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Hey Bill,
I modified my original post as you were responding. I may have worded it a little strong, so I modified it accordingly.
Yup, JWS is Jan at UO...
Quote:
To me, the difference is easy to see. Jan is just a nice guy with nice importing business. He is not surrounded by expensive his personal innovations that have changed the optics industry and is not a legend to be discussed around every campfire star party.
Mostly true. Jan is not a producer of main line equipment like OTAs and mounts, but he does provide diagonals, mirror supports, etc made right here in the US. Not too many offer that anymore, and they are of good quality too. Consider though, JWS has been around longer than anyone out there today except for Questar and Vernonscope, all three of whom have conitnued to sell a relatively unchanged line of products over the past 4 to 5 decades that still compete well with today's best products.
Roland still has a few more years to go before he catches up with their longevity (and I hope he does, too).
Keith
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He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4497
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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Quote:
Quote:
I find it interesting that here on the 'Binocular' forum, RC at AP is for the most part given a fair shake (and rightfully so) on the hoped-for quality of his imported Chinese binos...yet...on the other hand in the 'Binoviewer' forum, it was my impression that the are some who consider UO's move to market its new Chinese BVer a non-event, as it is just a rebrand.
Just a curious observation...
Keith (These binos do look nice, don't they?)
Several of us got it out of our systems a few weeks ago, here on CN, when it was mentioned AP was thinking of selling binoculars.
Rich
Ah, I missed that thread  . I guess that explains it.
Quote:
Keith -
Quote:
are more than a few who consider JWS at UO (also known for his quality products) a 'sell out' by importing his new BVs from China.
My passion is binocular astronomy, not patriotism. I don't care if the equipment comes from Mars - provided it is of high quality at a reasonable price. Up until recently, it is my impression that Chinese optics were considered sub-par (at best) ... now, with quality glass coming out of China, we have to start re-thinking our attitudes.
MikeG
Once the Chinese start putting out aspherics in large number, forget it. The Japanese and Germans are going to be in the fight of their lives. They have the knowledge, the equipment, I'm assuming they just need a little more experience.
I see everyone jumped on quoting my original post, so rewriting it really didn't matter, did it?  You guys are too fast...  I'm going back to the refractor forum.
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He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2109
Loc: Washington, USA
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>>>I may have worded it a little strong<<<
Nope; misjudged, again. However, you are obviously a nice person for even considering the words above. That's okay. Because of the curmudgeon mystique I've earned for trying (WITHOUT PROVOCATION or INVOCATION) to save folks from what they think they know, I'm pretty used to it.
When I bought my first 12.5-inch mirror blank from Jan, it was about $40.00. Now, that's been a while.
Cheers,
Bill
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William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4497
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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Hi Bill,
No,no,no ...I was rewriting immidiately after initially posting, before anyone had responded. You post didn't encourage me to rewrite (this time )
I rewrote it because no one actually called JW a 'sellout' over there, and I didn't want to leave that false impression. Calling his BV introduction a 'ho-hum non-event' was a more appropriate description.
Keith (you old curmudgeon )
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He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I find it interesting that here on the 'Binocular' forum, RC at AP is for the most part given a fair shake (and rightfully so) on the hoped-for quality of his imported Chinese binos...yet...on the other hand in the 'Binoviewer' forum, it was my impression that the are some who consider UO's move to market its new Chinese BVer a non-event, as it is just a rebrand.
Just a curious observation...
Keith (These binos do look nice, don't they?)
Several of us got it out of our systems a few weeks ago, here on CN, when it was mentioned AP was thinking of selling binoculars.
Rich
Ah, I missed that thread . I guess that explains it.
Quote:
Keith -
Quote:
are more than a few who consider JWS at UO (also known for his quality products) a 'sell out' by importing his new BVs from China.
My passion is binocular astronomy, not patriotism. I don't care if the equipment comes from Mars - provided it is of high quality at a reasonable price. Up until recently, it is my impression that Chinese optics were considered sub-par (at best) ... now, with quality glass coming out of China, we have to start re-thinking our attitudes.
MikeG
Once the Chinese start putting out aspherics in large number, forget it. The Japanese and Germans are going to be in the fight of their lives. They have the knowledge, the equipment, I'm assuming they just need a little more experience.
I see everyone jumped on quoting my original post, so rewriting it really didn't matter, did it? You guys are too fast... I'm going back to the refractor forum.
IMHO, people now who can afford high end German binoculars will continue to buy high end German (and Austrian) binoculars. They will still want the "top of the line", "the real thing".
Rich
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BillC
on a new path
Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 2109
Loc: Washington, USA
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And FOR THE MOST PART, they will get it. Unfortunately, most Americans would be happy looking through a rusty pipe if it had a GERMAN name on the side.
So many poor assumptions; so little time.
Cheers,
Bill
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William J. Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.
Founding Editor, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
20-year vet. of Captain's Nautical Supplies, Optics Dept. Mgr.
Optics Machanic, WG11-3306, Ft. Lewis, Tacoma,WA
Yata, Yata, Yata . . .
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Quote:
IMHO, people now who can afford high end German binoculars will continue to buy high end German (and Austrian) binoculars. They will still want the "top of the line", "the real thing".
Rich
True, and they are welcome to it. Those who can afford such optics will get no grief or competition from me, since I cannot pay the admission price to get into that club.
Of course, about 12 years ago, ANY 100mm binocular would retail for at least $700-900. (according to some old Astronomy and S&T mags I have laying around), so I guess I should feel lucky to have my current binocular for $250, regardless of it's mediocre quality.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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Quote:
These Astro-Physics binoculars may make the Canon IS 10x42 and 15x50 things of the past. I hope Joe doesn't read this thread. ;-)
Rich
Yeah right, dump my IS binoculars for 5.6 lb binoculars for handheld use.
Joe
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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But, they are less than half the price. They even give you a post for mounting the binocular to a tripod. On a tripod they will give a much more stable image than a hand held IS, plus more aperture and more eye relief,... and did I mention, they are less than half the price of those high end Canon IS binoculars. 
Rich
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milt
sage
Reged: 09/13/04
Posts: 430
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
They even give you a post for mounting the binocular to a tripod. On a tripod they will give a much more stable image than a hand held IS, plus more aperture and more eye relief
You are going to try them, Rich, I just know you are. Then you can compare them to your stable of truly outstanding binoculars and report back to the group. 
Best regards,
Milt
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XT10Guy
super member
Reged: 05/28/06
Posts: 199
Loc: USA
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Anyone know if these are IDENTICAL to the Oberwerk "Ultra Series" 15x70s? They sure look identical, but some of the specs are different (weight for one). And I think the higher price here
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=441726
could be attributed to the fact that they include the adapter whereas the "L" adapter is not included here
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/ultra70.htm
Bob/XT10Guy
Edited by XT10Guy (07/20/06 08:26 AM)
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Quote:
Quote:
They even give you a post for mounting the binocular to a tripod. On a tripod they will give a much more stable image than a hand held IS, plus more aperture and more eye relief
You are going to try them, Rich, I just know you are. Then you can compare them to your stable of truly outstanding binoculars and report back to the group.
Best regards,
Milt
Hi Milt,
At first I was ready to call AP tomorrow and order both. However, after thinking about my other binoculars and these new binoculars my interest has cooled.
I have a Fujinon 10x70 FMT-SX, so I don't see a reason to buy the AP 10.5x70. The AP 15x70 is a little different than my Canon 15x50IS and Orion 15x63 MiniGiant. The AP may have better optics than the Orion MG.
I may see if one of my bino buddies will buy one and let me have a look. If I bought one and wanted to sell it at the club auction, I likely would have to pay one the cheap skates to take it. I've already have a cheap, virtually new, 10x50 I want to get rid of.
Rich
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