Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics How much difference between a good set of 8X32 vs an 8X42?

I would think that both the 8x32 and 8x42 alpha bin would take you well past legal shoot time. I believe that extra five minutes is well into the almost dark period. I know my 8x32 SEs are just as bright as my 8x42 Leica's, even at the end of day. Though comparing apples to apples the larger EP has to extend the day as long as your eye's EP opens up enough to take advantage of the bin's EP.

This is another one of those trade offs, but I really don't think you would be disadvantaged in IDing a trophy buck at the end of legal shoot time with an 8x32, Leica-Swar-Zeiss-Nikon.

For most situations, it isn't a huge difference but you simply can't discount the brighter image that a 42mm obj. will provide over a 32mm, all else being equal. It all depends on the individual in question and how much a 5.25 EP will aid that person over a 4.0 EP.

As far as the extra five minutes or so of light gathering ability that a 42mm obj. may gain you, keep in mind that many bowhunters (myself included) may often be deep in a wooded canopy where darkness envelopes your stand much sooner than in open terrain, often before the end of legal shooting time. I've left my stand in a wooded ditch on many occasions to be suprised how much light was still available once I reached the open hilltop.

I hunted for a couple years with a compact 8x25 glass which was nearly worthless for the last 15 to 20 minutes of legal shooting light.

To me, the main advantage of the 8x42 over the 8x32 is the 42mm is easier on the eyes for extended glassing (apples to apples glass), not any real low-light advantage (which will add a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day likely).

But a bin gets packed more than it gets used and the 8x32's are a noticeably smaller/lighter burden that don't need elaborate harnesses... I'll take the 8x32's for general use every day.

I actually used to take the opposite approach and argued against Brad, but he convinced me to at least try a lightweight 8x32, and now I'm sold, though I still own my 8x42BRs. I notice we are both in Montana, maybe different areas call for different glass. We are pretty mountainous here and packing extra weight is an issue, but like Brad I just don't see much if any optical difference.

John

John, I'm eagerly awaiting getting my mitts on the new Swarovision bins... especially when they become available in 8x32. I've heard Leica will follow suit with a similarly sharp (edge to edge) bin... when they do, that'll likely be my last bin purchase. Coupled with their hydrophobic coating, should be about all I'll want in a bin!

Hi Brad,
Me to. One thing I hesitated posting over here is a discussion on the design tradeoff Swaro had to make to get that edge to edge sharpness. Sometimes the guys over on birdform get way too technical and theoretical, but they had quite a discussion about Swaro's purposefull elimination of pincushion distortion which then leads to "rolling ball" effect. I have a feeling that this is one of those things that a hunter would never notice, but once pointed out, could drive him nuts if he did a lot of panning along a horizon. I'm going to test it myself when the new Swaros arrive. I actually notice a little rolling ball with my Leica's when I panned along a ridge, but I rarely do that so it's not a problem for me.

Regarding the 8x32 ELs they actually work a little better for me than the 8x32 Ultravids due to my deep set eyes and blackouts with the smaller Leica's. I think the 8x32 ELs are great as they are, I can't wait to see the new ones. I have never tried the 8x32 Zeiss, but I wasn't that impressed with the 8x42 Zeiss compared to my Ultravids. I know some very expert optics guys love the 8x32 Zeiss over on birdforum. Probably another one of those, everybody's eyes are different" things.

John

The problem here is that it doesn't sound like we are all comparing the same, current binoculars and there certainly is a lot of difference between older series and some of the new ones. In addition Zeiss makes differing grades.
All the top end binos are good but some are definitely superior to others but often it is only noticeable by comparing them side by side.
When I did my test for Successful Hunter I made sure to order all top end binos and the reviews done by my staff pretty much ran along the same lines as the ones done by the birding reviews. Kowa, Zeiss FL's and the Nikon EDG were all a slight step above Swaro and Leica in light gathering and resolution ( one client claimed he could see better with the 8x32 Zeiss FL's than he could with his Swarovski 10x42 EL's) but overall most users preferred the Leicas and Swarovski binos in actual use as they both had flat, clear images clear to the edge and simply handled nicer for most users.

The one binocular that everyone claimed was obviously superior to everything in both resolution and brightness was my Nikon 8x32 SE's

Amen brother! I sent my 8x32 SEs to VAnimrod for his binocular review, I can't wait to hear how it fares against his other alphas.

John

On my comparison of Leica to Zeiss, I was comparing my older model 8x42 Ultravid BRs to the latest Zeiss 8x42 FL. I prefered my Leica's but there are many that would take the Zeiss or Swaro. The one Zeiss I tried once and fell in love with was a 7x42 Classic, the latest one with the latest coating just before they discontinued that model in favor of the Victory FL series. Now folks in the know say the FL series beats that old Classic all day long, and I didn't compare the two directly, but that old 7x42 wowed me and the newer one doesn't.

To answer the original question: try to find a sporting goods store that carries identical binoculars in both 8x32 and 8x40 or 8x42. You can't mix and match brands/models. Plan on spending some time. Find the darkest areas of the store and carefully compare. Use a tripod for each if you can. Find an object in the store with fine detail. Many shops have test patterns. Also, go when it is dark outside and get permission to compare them outside. Take your time. You will or you will not see a difference. If you don't get the 8x32. If you do, then decide how important that extra light gathering ability is for your type of hunting. If you hunt antelope in the middle of the day, the light gathering boost is meaningless. If you hunt deer and elk in the dark rainy shadows of the Pacific Northwest timber, then it might be worth the extra weight.

It is a simple application of Murphy's Law that if the difference in aperature matters at all, it will matter in a crucial situation. For instance, this year I spent all season, off and on, pursuing a large buck that I knew resided in a particular area of the Everglades. After opening day of archery, on which I saw him at well over 300 yards, I never saw him again until the last 5 minutes of shooting light on the last day of gun season. I caught him in the open at 70 yards and had a fiendish time distinguishing, very quickly against a wooded backdrop through my expensive 32mm roofs, that he had in fact already dropped his horns. 99.9% of the time it might not matter at all, but that one time it might matter a lot.

Phil,

Now that I have a set, I am looking to hunt with them this year. What do you do to keep them water effects free in your climate?...thanks...jim

You're right.

The Leica 8x32 Ultravid I compared is the older "BR" version, not the new HD version.

The Zeiss FL 8x32 with Lutotec is exactly the same binocular you cited in your article.

My findings are diametrically opposed to yours which only points out the folly of "sample of one" comparisons. I've seen it time and again, the exact bin from the same maker can vary in optical quality, specimen to specimen.

I think "optics tests" like yours in Successful Hunter are useful in a limited, general way, but at the end of the day a guy has to test a bunch for himself and make up his own mind.

John, I've been a birdforum member for quite a while and have been part of the Swarovsion threads (have seen your posts)... I agree many there tend to get a little carried away with technical gack, but I think it's the best site to get a variety of ultra-informed opinions... far better than any hunting site IMO.

The "rolling ball" effect will be interesting to see for myself... my instinct tells me it'll be a non-issue for me personally, but we'll see.

Everything in a mechanical optical device is a series of compromises weighted one direction or another, eh?!