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New to the site and looking for some advice. I'm looking to upgrade my older 8x40 monarchs but I'm at the point of information overload. Locally I've handled the Vortex Talon & viper, meopta meopro,nikon monarch & steiner predator. Anyone have any experience with Doctor 8x42 and how would they measure up to the others? Primary use will be deer i.d. in low light. Size or weight are not a concern. Would like to stay within a $600 budget. Thanks for any advice.

Call Doug or Neil at Cameralandny and ask for their recommendation. They'll point you in the right direction.

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/do8xbbinew.html


Be tough to beat this!

Not famliar with the Doctor, but you would be "one in a thousand".
You mentioned the Meopta Meostar, the Nikon Monarch and the Steiner,
I would check those out first, in that order.
Good luck.

Farmboy, I've had'em all. Nikons arent in the same league, Meoptas are over $ limit and the Steiners in this range are only so so

Get a pair of zen ray ed2 8x43's from cameraland, $280 on closeout.

I just got the 10x42 Nikon Monark with the dielectric coating.
AWESOME for the $$$. got mine at B&H photo for 279.00 (realtree camo pattern)

dave

338.
What is so good about the Docter, nothing, no dealers, and dealer
support is poor, largely absent from the US market. Service and
support are important with any optics purchase. What is it all
about?

Farmboy,
I know you want to stay within a budget however if there is any way for you to make it work you will be money ahead and much happier if you figure out a way to buy a pair of Leica Ultravids. The Swaros and Zeiss are good too but my experience is with the Leica's
You will probably own and use them the rest of your life and the resale value on them is real good in the case you want to upgrade (if such a thing is made) in the future or sell. The purchase price in the beginning is tough to swallow.
Have had the pair I carry since Leica came out with the Ultravid. Still have a pair of Leupolds and a pair of Steiners both of which are good glass but...
If you can make it happen you will never regret it IMHO.

Dave

German engineering and glass, imported and warranty covered by Merkel (from what I understand)

This is good advice. Welcome to the campfire.

Dave:
I do know about good glass, I like the Swaros. and premium Nikons. Best warranty and support in the business.
I am not in the market for anything else. Just wanting some to know more about the Docters.

Keep an eye out for the Pentax DCF SP - IMHO they are the best bang for the buck in a crowded field of sub-alpha binos and can be had for well within your budget.

Do this and I promise you will get the best optics for your money spent and customer service that can't be matched!

Thanks for the suggestions. The Docter sounds good and the price is right but I checked the merkel site and it does not mention optics. I have not been able to locate any dealers/repair center so I'm hesitant on this one. Looking back through the posts I see Zen Ray ED2 & ED3 mentioned quite often. Anyone have experience with these? Are they the same as the Talons? How would these measure against the pentax?
Thanks

.


I am on the same situation... want a good binoculars for up to 350 dollars aprox.

I am curious on the ZenRay ED2 and how they compare with Leupold Cascades, Bushnell Legend and Nikon.

My goal is for hunting at mid range.

I called CDNN investments today and spoke with Steve about the Docter binos. All he could tell me was they have a 30 year warranty. He couldnt answer if its a U.S. warranty or the have to go back to Germany.

There are several retail sellers of Docter Otics, Bear Basin, optics Planit, SWFA and Euro optic to name a few, so I would think there would have to be a U.S. warranty but cant verify.

Steve said they are down to 19 8x42 models, when they are gone there wont be anymore

I've bought a boat load of optics from Doug and Cameraland and will continue to do so, but it's naive to claim you can't get better optics for the money anywhere else. Doug doesn't carry Docter and didn't carry the Kahles sell off that CDNN had either and those Kahles binoculars were the best bang for the buck this past decade.

I own a pair of those Docter 8x42's. Are they the best binoculars I own? Nope. They're a bit heavy. They aren't as bright in low light as some costing more, but they are extremely well made and very, very high quality glass for the money.

Bottom line, could you spend a little more at Cameraland and get a pair of binoculars that fits your needs better? Possibly.

Does Doug have something higher quality for $379 right now? If he does, I'd sure like to find out about them.

Seems to be a big push for Docter here, are you a salesman? Bear Basin is no longer a dealer, I talked to them, the reason why, service and sales support were very weak. I would go slow.

So do you recommend Kahles in light of their weak support and service in the USA?