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Buy it. I have both versions of the 8x32 SE (leaded glass and eco-glass) and they are SUPERB.

Steve

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How do you tell the difference which one you have ? Is there any truth to the old "leaded" glass advantage touted in used Zeiss 7x42 Dialyt ads ?

Me - personally I bought one as I just had to know....but I don't use it as much as my roof prism ones as I can hold the roofs better, more steady but for the money they hold their own against anything.

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The later production run of 8x32 SE's with the eco-glass have serial numbers in the 550xxx range. The only slight difference I can discern between the leaded glass and eco-glass versions is that in daytime terrestrial use the eco-glass version as a slightly warmer color balance.

I'm sure this has more to do with different coatings than the different glass used. I can detect no difference in resolution/sharpness....both versions are stellar performers .

Steve

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Kidney bean effect?
please explain

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Pinwood, thanks for your concerns with blackouts. Is this only when wearing glasses, or just a result of the long eye relief?

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Rich V, Kidney bean effect is the result of viewing a binocular with long eye relief to closely to the eyes. The result is a black "blob" appearing in the view, similar to a Kidney bean.

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Not necessarily, hence the link to "spherical aberration of the exit pupil". Any eyepiece will black out if your eye is located inside of the proper eye relief point. The SA is a different animal...

Sorry most of the links in the archived posts are dead.

Halfway down this page:

http://www.telescope-optics.net/eyepiece_aberration_2.htm

Just past halfway down here:

http://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/ae3.html

Rich

Edited by Rich V. (06/03/12 02:47 PM)

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A good rule of thumb for binoculars: If you can afford the price, never resist.

Mike

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It's MY birding bino.

BillC

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Arthur thank you for your comments, but I think me mind is set.
I will let you know how I get on.

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Most people love the 8x32 SE. I prefer many other glasses including the Nikon 8x30 EII.

Arthur

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Most people love the 8x32 SE. I prefer many other glasses including the Nikon 8x30 EII.

Arthur

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Hear hear! I reckon there's a lot more to a good binocular than edge-to-edge sharpness (which is where the 8 x 32 SE excels). I did some extensive field-testing (daylight only) on 5 squat 8x Porro's of 30/32mm aperture, ranking them on a combination of abberations that I was prepared to put up with, plus ergonomics and extended-viewing comfort, and came up with this list:-

1. Nikon 8 x 30 E2 (so you're not alone, Arthur!)
2. Zeiss (West) 8 x 30B (the 60 degree AFOV variant)
3. Nikon 8 x 32 SE
4. Nikon 8 x 30 E
5. Zeiss (West) 8 x 30

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Very nice list of 8x Porros used in your comparison. If you ever get the chance try the "sleeper" in 8x Porros, the Opticron 8x32 SR GA. The Opticron features great Japanese build quality, superlative optics, good ergonomics (at least for me), and sells for less than half of some of the other premium 8x Porros.

Like you and Arthur I'm a big fan of the EII which I use a lot for daytime terrestrial use because of its huge fov combined with its unerring ability to "center" the subject. I know it's a combination of how well a binocular fits you and of course your familiarity with the binocular but when I see something and bring the EII to my eyes for a closer look the subject is right there in the center virtually every time.

I also use my SE's a lot being one of the lucky ones not bothered by blackouts but normally use my SE's at night under the sky. I do however use the 12x50 SE during the day when I need a little extra reach to discern details in a distant subject.

Steve

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Most people love the 8x32 SE. I prefer many other glasses including the Nikon 8x30 EII.

Arthur

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Hear hear! I reckon there's a lot more to a good binocular than edge-to-edge sharpness (which is where the 8 x 32 SE excels). I did some extensive field-testing (daylight only) on 5 squat 8x Porro's of 30/32mm aperture, ranking them on a combination of abberations that I was prepared to put up with, plus ergonomics and extended-viewing comfort, and came up with this list:-

1. Nikon 8 x 30 E2 (so you're not alone, Arthur!)
2. Zeiss (West) 8 x 30B (the 60 degree AFOV variant)
3. Nikon 8 x 32 SE
4. Nikon 8 x 30 E
5. Zeiss (West) 8 x 30

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Very nice list of 8x Porros used in your comparison. If you ever get the chance try the "sleeper" in 8x Porros, the Opticron 8x32 SR GA. The Opticron features great Japanese build quality, superlative optics, good ergonomics (at least for me), and sells for less than half of some of the other premium 8x Porros.

Like you and Arthur I'm a big fan of the EII which I use a lot for daytime terrestrial use because of its huge fov combined with its unerring ability to "center" the subject. I know it's a combination of how well a binocular fits you and of course your familiarity with the binocular but when I see something and bring the EII to my eyes for a closer look the subject is right there in the center virtually every time.

I also use my SE's a lot being one of the lucky ones not bothered by blackouts but normally use my SE's at night under the sky. I do however use the 12x50 SE during the day when I need a little extra reach to discern details in a distant subject.

Steve

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Being a Brit, I see plenty of Opticrons in shops and have tried their 'Hi-Res' 8 x 32 Porro (which I think has the same optics set as the SR GA) and agree with everything you say about it; in fact, the whole range seems really good. It's also very light, which I like. Another great range that was around at the same time as the Hi-Res was the original Swift 'Ultralite' Porro series, and their 8 x 32 was certainly ultra-light! Slightly yellowish cast to the image, IIRC, but nothing too serious. Wish I'd bought one.

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The Binuxit is a fabulous binocular.
The best 8x30 and out performs the 8x30 Oberkochen by a small way.

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