I'm looking for a really good pair, if such a thing exists, of compact binoculars.

I wear eyeglasses so I need decent to long eye relief ..

This pair of glasses will be used mainly for woods hunting..

What brand and model of glass would fit my needs?
Thanks,
PB

My opinion but, in this order;

Swarovski
Leica
Kahles
Zeiss

I don't know if Schmidt & Bender make compacts. There are others not nearly as costly but when you get down to 20 M/M objectives you need the best quality possible to be able to distinguish small objects in low light levels.

I think you were asking about compact being the pocket size binoculars with 20 M/M objectives. There are 30 M/M binoculars that a larger but still smaller that 40/42 M/M lenses and certainly smaller than the 50 M/M plus glasses.

i had a pair of leicas that had great glassin them, but when a problem arose, they wouldn't stand behind it. The swaros i have now are just as good, and they do stand behind their stuff

What was the problem with the Leica's?

I had a pair of 10 x 25's and from new they had a problem with the focussing wheel. They were replaced without question although it took a week or so for a new pair to arrive. Different country and distributor.

I have another possible problem with mine, they work fine but all focus adjustment is within last half turn or so of the focussing wheel. This is from a few yards to almost infinity. To me the focussing should be over a wider range (more turns of the wheel) and I still wonder if there is something wrong with them.

In the field the glasses are excellent and I wont go anywhere without them.

Do the little Leica's provide enough eye relief for eyeglass wearers?? Is the light gathering adequate for most purposes ??
Thanks.

Best you have a look at the Leica's in the shop. They have rubber eye cups that you can extend or roll back to change eye relief for use with and without glasses.

Only you can decide if this works for you.

Mine are the 10x25 BR Ultravid which are waterproof to 5 metres (about 16 feet) and the waterproof aspect was important to me in the climate I live and hunt in.

I am not qualified to describe the low light performance in technical terms but am more than satisfied with it. I have not owned any other compact binos except an old pair of Windriver 8x20's and the Leica's are significantly better and should be for 4 x the price.

Most of my hunting is dawn and dusk and often under heavy tree cover so they get a good work out.

Have to say that compared to the Windriver the Leica focus is "touchy" and a very slight movement can put it out.

This may be because mine are 10x25 and the 8x20 maybe better at this.

I make this comment in regard to hunting in plantation Pine trees where you focus the binos for a set distance through the trees and then refocus for the next row etc. In hindsight I may have been better off with 8x20's.

Thanks for your reply, Vince...

I'm sure you're right about me needing to take a look at them, only problem is I don't seem to live near a store that carries them.. Guess I'll just take a gamble..

Leica.

I looked through the Leica 10 x 25 Ultravids last week at the Rambouillet show. I found them to be a great improvement over the old Trinovids and the best compact binoculars I have ever looked through. The push-pull ocular fitting is perfect for eyeglass wearers like me. I don't think you will find better.

I had a pair of the Furys and they were amazing for the price.. I did return them as the diopter barrel had some focusing issues that I couldn't get around, oterhwise the image was clear, bright and crip.. If not for that slight focusing issue I would have been overjoyed, but I did send them back. Perhaps the next pair would have been perfect..

I just looked at them again at their shop in Middleton and had no problem with the diopter adjustment. Did you let them know what the problem was? Or just ask for the refund?

I bought them from one of the major online optics dealers.. I did let them know why I was returning them and I also just asked for a refund. Great sized glass.. I will probably try again at some point..