Favorite Birding Binoculars

What are your favorite binoculars for watching birds and why?

Thanks for responses in advance.

Glenn

My favorite birding binos are my Swarovski 7x42 SLC. These and my friends Nikon 10x42 Superior E are the best I've ever looked through.

I had a pair of the older Porro Fujinon 8x40 BFLs, which were nice, but I got the bug for something really nice. After three years of checking binoculars, I wound up with a pair of the Swarovski 7x42 SLCs. There were the right "fit" for me, but others will certainly have different favorites. Anyone searching for new binox should make sure to "try before you buy."

I tried all the big brand binos before I finally purchased a Nikon SE 8X32. Actually, my wife also has a pair so we have 2 of them in the family. I love this binocular. Here's why.

The number 1 reason is that the SE 8X32 is as easy on the eye as one could ask for. There is absolutely no eye or brain strain when I use them. In short, I cannot imagine a more relaxing, true to life view.

The SE is bright, contrast is superb, sharpness is exceptional, and the color it transmits to the eye is simply amazing.

The SE's depth of field is something I've grown to appreciate with a passion. When viewing a warbler hidden in tangled brush deep in the woods, the SE literally allows me to "visually travel" past every branch, leaf, and spider web until I settle on a perfect image of the bird. My wife comments on this "feature" every time we hunt for birds in the thickets. Actually, we find all kinds of amazing things in those thickets with the SE.

Ergonomically, the SE design is close to perfection for a porro prism. I can study a bird for a very long time without fatigue.

I love the focus wheel and, though it gets stiffer in the winter, it allows for very fine adjustments...something I really appreciate. I tried the Nikon LX 8X42 and found the focus was simply too fast and not as forgiving for those ultra-fine focus moments.

Some people hate the rubber eyecups on the SE's. I wear eyeglasses, keep the eyecups rolled down, and NEVER rest them against my AR-coated eyeglasses. I do the same with my EO 6X32 roof prisms to prevent scratching my eyeglass lenses. The long eye relief on both binos is essential to me. Eyecups are a moot feature for me.

Other binoculars I really liked when I tested:

Swarovski 7X42 SLC
Great view. A little long on close focus.

Swift 8.5/44
I compared this model to the SE side-by-side for 30 minutes outside. Both had equivalent centerfield resolution. The SE had a flatter field; the Swift was soft around the edges. The killer on the Swift was the shallow eye relief. On the pair I tried it simply was unacceptable for an eyeglass wearer. If Swift would resolve the eye relief problem I'd buy a pair.

Leica BN 8X42
I liked this bino so much I came real close to buying a pair. Eye relief was perfect for me. IMHO, Leica screwed up the eye relief on the new Leica Ultravid with a different eyecup design, so they wouldn't work for me. The Ultravids are BRIGHT and I would have paid the price had the eye relief worked! Are you listening Leica?

The Nikon SE 8X32 won because it offered me (and my wife) the finest view we can imagine.

PS
The Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum 6X32 is a prime example of the less-is-more argument. I bought them for canoeing and bad weather use and I'm growing very fond of them. I've used them extensively and can honestly say they provide an excellent view and show a lot more detail than one would imagine from a 6X binocular.