I recently stopped at Cabela's with intent of purchasing a set of Vortex Diamondback 8x28 binoculars. As I was looking at them I asked the salesperson to hand me a pair of Swarovski CL pocket binoculars in 8x25 just for comparision's sake. I really felt like the Swarovski's would make me regret the Vortex purchase even before I left the store. I picked out a security camera at the far end of the store and proceeded to compare the 2 binoculars. Believe it or not, the Vortex's were clearer and brighter and I could read the writing on the security camera with the Vortex's and I could not with the Swarovski's. I asked the salesperson to do the same test and she came up with the same results. BTW, I did not tell her my findings until she had made up her own mind.
Are the Vortex just that good, or was it a fluke ? Am I kidding myself or blind or what ?

TIA, Dennis

Look through a set of Bushnell Legend binos sometime and you will get a clear picture for a little money, and no I don't own a set but I should. When the guy at the optic counter in SW had me look through them I was thinking "yeah right". Holy moly!

I don't suppose the 10% larger Vortex objectives could have anything to do with it?

That said, I have been favorably impressed by the clarity and light weight of my Nikon binos - and that's from a brand whose riflescopes I don't like. So, we must never forget that, just maybe, Franz Josef and his (optical) successors may occasionally have stepped out in the buff.

The higher quality glass and the coatings that we have available today has leveled the optics field in the medium to high price market. You have to spend a lot of money on the highest end optics to get a noticeable improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
I don't suppose the 10% larger Vortex objectives could have anything to do with it?

I wondered about that, but I thought that the 87% higher price of the swaros would have more than cancelled that fact.
Dennis

An in-store test on a lighted sign doesn't come close to early morning or late evening tests outside in normal conditions, light wavelengths are different and coatings and optical materials act differently. I had a guy at a feed store that carries Vortex try that test on me, all of 40 yards away, not helpful.

If you want to compare optics, IMHO, needs to be done outside in natural conditions, side-by-side checking brightness, clarity, contrast, edge-to-edge clarity, etc..

Regardless, I think the playing field has been leveled in the optics world and it's tough to justify 2X prices for marginal benefit. Nikon, Vortex and others do an awesome job for the price. Nikon's Monarch line is killer for the price.

Vortex fan-boys/reps leave scripted reviews in ratings sections in on-line stores and forums like this one on at annoyingly high level. The comparisons are "Vortex vs Swaro" most often vs. Leica, Konus, Nikon or others. Just by making the comparison in a sentence they're equating Vortex with Swaro - nice marketing ploy and it's working for them.

Take a high end spotter (insert name of German optics company here, particularly Leica) next to a Vortex outside, late or early, and act like you're spotting sheep a mile or more away. If that's what you do, the extra money may be worth it because you will notice a difference.

For binos I don't think the extra price is worth it between Vortex, Nikon and the German brands. For spotters I do. My two cents.

quote:

Originally posted by Luckyducker:
Look through a set of Bushnell Legend binos sometime and you will get a clear picture for a little money

This is the pair of binoculars I went with 2 years ago for my every day pair. 10x42 Legend HD which were around $179 on sale back then.

Then 6 weeks or so ago I found a pair of Vortex Razor HD 8x42's in the pawn shop for $80. I will gladly pay that for the top of the line Vortex offering (Although I still want some Swarovski optics...)

quote:

Originally posted by mt Al:
An in-store test on a lighted sign doesn't come close to early morning or late evening tests outside in normal conditions, light wavelengths are different and coatings and optical materials act differently. I had a guy at a feed store that carries Vortex try that test on me, all of 40 yards away, not helpful.

If you want to compare optics, IMHO, needs to be done outside in natural conditions, side-by-side checking brightness, clarity, contrast, edge-to-edge clarity, etc..

This!