Riflescopes Menu *
Binoculars Menu * Swift Riflescopes * Hawke Riflescopes * Mueller Scopes |
| Story by Eben Brown... Binoculars have come a long way since we were kids. Even the cheap ones we have today are far better than the binoculars of even 5-10 years ago. If you've been relying on an old set of binoculars, that is just crazy... Especially when you could be seeing so much more with a pair of new binoculars. To under- stand the advances, read our Binoculars Tech Report. "Advanced Binoculars" - Our selection has been refined to give you the latest technology, features, and reliability at the best possible price. We field test these binoculars on hunting trips, hikes, boating and fishing trips, and year round bird watching. If we don't like a certain binocular, we won't sell it. That's why you don't see every make and model advertised here. But, every binocular we have here is of superb quality. All you have to decide are the features and price you prefer. |
 
Pentax Binoculars - Field Testers Discount! |
|
 Pentax Porro Hunters |
 Pentax Porro Compact |
|
Advanced Binoculars Comparison Chart - Fully Multicoated Lenses Throughout | |||||||
Item |
Model |
Prism |
Prism |
FOV |
Eye |
Near |
Wt |
007-62215 |
Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 |
Porro BaK4 |
n/a* |
393 |
15mm |
1.6 ft |
10.2 |
007-62216 |
Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 |
Porro BaK4 |
n/a* |
315 |
15mm |
1.6 ft |
10.2 |
007-62599 |
Pentax DCF LV 9x28 | Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
294 ft |
18mm |
9.9 ft |
12.9 |
007-62486 |
Pentax DCF NV 8x36 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
342 ft |
16mm |
9.8 ft |
22.6 |
007-62487 |
Pentax DCF NV 10v36 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
288 ft |
17.5mm |
9.8 ft |
22.6 |
007-65807 |
Pentax PCF WPII 8x40 |
Porro BaK4 |
n/a* |
330 ft |
20mm |
11.5 ft |
28.2 |
007-65808 |
Pentax PCF WPII 10x50 |
Porro BaK4 |
n/a* |
261 ft |
20mm |
18.2 ft |
34.2 |
205-828 |
Swift 828 HHS 8.5x44 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
336 ft |
19mm |
9 ft |
23.4 |
205-929G |
Swift Ultra Lite 8x42 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
341 ft |
19.5mm |
6 ft |
22 |
205-930G |
Swift Ultra Lite 10x42 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
314 ft |
16mm |
6 ft |
24 |
019-3778 |
Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
426 ft |
16.6mm |
6.6 ft |
26.2 |
019-3780 |
Hawke Frontier ED 10x43 |
Roof BaK4 |
Phase |
340 ft |
15mm |
6.6 ft |
26.2 |
With so many brands and models in all price ranges, it's hard to know which set of binoculars is best suited for you. This brief article should put some of the finer points into clearer understanding. This information should help you to better understand the numbers in our Binoculars Specification Charts too.  Porro vs. Roof Prism - The old fashioned style of binoculars where the eyepieces are not lined up with the objective lenses are called "Porro" prism. The new in-line style of binoculars is called "Roof Prism". There are advantages to each. The Porro Prism style is less expensive to achieve top optical clarity and brightness. However, Roof Prism binoculars can now match this when they have "phase coatings". Porro will also have better stereoscopic depth perception due to the wider apart objective lenses. Roof Prism binoculars have the advantage in being more compact and lightweight in design. Magnification - The optical power of binoculars is written like this: "8X36" or "10X36". The first number is the magnification... 8X means things would appear 8 times closer when you look at them through the binoculars. 8X-10X are the most popular magnifications for hand held use... which is 90% of binocular use. Objective Lens Size - The second number in "10X50" is the size of the objective lenses... 50mm in this case. This is at the opposite end from the eyepieces. The objectives are where light enters the binoculars. Generally speaking, the bigger the objective lenses, the more light or image detail that will be captured... Compared to the relatively tiny size of the pupil in your eye, even 21mm compact binocular objectives capture far more image detail than your naked eyes. The Pentax 8.5X21 captures remarkable image detail. 8x vs. 10x... Which is Best? Comparing binoculars with the same size objective lenses (i.e. 8x36 vs. 10x36): The 8x will always be about 50% brighter with a significantly wider field of view. On the other hand, the difference in magnification between 8X and 10X is not as significant as many people think... An image at 10x is only 1¼X larger than an image at 8x. Taking the 10x to a larger objective (ie 10x50) does improve the brightness but it quite often is still not as bright as the 8x with a smaller (and lighter) objective. With all other specifications being equal, "brightness" will give an advantage in low light viewing situations. Summary: 8x image is brighter and wider... 10x image is darker and 1¼X larger. Image Clarity - Customers often mistake high magnification or large objective lenses for the measure of how clearly they'll see through binoculars. Clarity... the ability to see fine details without fuzziness, distortion, or flaring is more a function of glass quality and lens coatings. Magnifying a poor quality lens just gives a bigger version of an unclear image. A larger objective of poor quality just gives a brighter version of an unclear image. The purity and precision of the glass enhances clarity. And the quality of the lens coatings will enhance brightness by reducing or eliminating loss of light through inner surface reflection. Summary: Brightness is One Thing, But... CLARITY IS EVERYTHING! Lens Coatings - Every lens surface has the potential to reflect rather than capture light. Lens coatings reduce or eliminate reflections and increase light capturing capability. Nowadays, most binoculars have some sort of lens coatings applied... but there are varying degrees of coverage. "Multi-" coating means that multiple layers of coatings have been used to give enhanced anti-reflective affects. "Fully" multi-coating means that all lens surfaces have been multi-coated... the most desirable degree of anti-reflective lens coating for binoculars. Phase Coating - This is a special treatment for roof prism binoculars that results in higher resolution and clarity. For bird and butterfly watchers, phase coating enhances color resolution and close focus detail. Excellent phase coated roof prism binoculars are available from Hawke, Swift and Pentax. BaK4 and BaK7 Prisms - These refer to "Barium Crown Prisms" which are a premium type of Binocular prism that enhances light and image capturing capability. BaK7 is good... But, BaK4 is best due to its outstanding refraction index. The BaK4 glass prism is famous for its perfectly round exit pupil and clear, unvignetted image. Eye Relief - This is the distance from the eyepiece to where your eye sees the full field of view. Eyeglass wearers need the longest eye relief because their glasses limit how close they can get to the eyepiece. Eyecups also play a role in how close you can get to the eyepieces. Especially if you're an eyeglass wearer, you will be amazed at the improvement in viewing when using long eye relief binoculars like the Pentax 10X50. These are advanced WAY BEYOND the traditional binoculars you may be familiar with. Eye Cups - On the eyepieces of binoculars, the eyecups allow automatic positioning of your eyes for optimal eye relief. Cheaper binoculars have fold down rubber eyecups. The more premium binoculars have some sort of adjustable eye cups such as "twist-up" or "pop and lock". With these you can set the eye cups for your personal best eye relief and the binoculars are always ready for use. See Pictures. Close Focus - This is the closest distance you can look at and still be able to focus your binoculars. For example, a close focus of 9 ft means you can look at something that's only 9 feet away and still be able to focus the binoculars. It's especially critical to bird and butterfly watchers, but equally desirable to brush country hunters. I have owned some great open country binoculars that were useless in the woods because they wouldn't focus close enough. The Pentax 8X36 binocs feature superb close focus capability. Locking Diopter - The right eyepiece is a "diopter" that adjusts to equalize your eyes for center focusing. On more premium binoculars, this will have some sort of locking or click-stop capability. Binoculars with a locking right diopter are more likely to be ready when you need them... without fumbling to re-adjust the diopter. Relative Brightness - A misleading specification based purely on lens mechanics. Without considering lens quality nor lens coatings, relative brightness is simply the square of the exit pupil. And the exit pupil is simply the size of the objective divided by the magnification. A poorly made set of binoculars can have a high "Relative Brightness" specification and deliver poor clarity and resolution. Brightness is one thing...Clarity is Everything! |
Swift 828 HHS Binoculars $359 (Free Shipping!)Advanced, Feature Packed, Phase Coated Roof Prism BinocsThe optics world was taken by storm when Swift introduced these 828 HHS roof prism binoculars. Super clear optics, loaded with premium binocular features at an unbelievably low price... It's strange to talk "bargain price" about the Swift 828, but why pay more when the 828 has everything you want for a lower price?Phase Coating Bak4 - In addition to fully multi-coated lens surfaces, the roof prisms are phase coated to bring in the highest possible resolution and clarity. Combined with Barium Crown (Bak4) prisms, these features give the Swift 828 the best light efficiency and distortion free optical clarity. The view is exceptional. Long Eye Relief and Twist Up Eye-Cups - Eye relief is what ultimately gives you the best field of view. Eye cups dictate how well a person can take advantage of the eye relief. This is especially critical for eyeglass wearers. The Swift 828 has a 19mm eye relief, which is among the longest in the binocular industry. And twist up eyecups that let you set the eyecup distance for what works best with YOUR eyes. Click-Adjustable Right Diopter - The right diopter is what equalizes both eyes to the center focus knob. In most binoculars it can easily be bumped or rubbed out of adjustment. The Swift 828 has a click-adjustable diopter. It click-locks from one setting to the next. Its still easy to adjust... but it stays where you put it so that the binoculars are instantly ready when you need them without fumbling to re-adjust. Lightweight Magnesium Construction - Your arms and binoculars can feel pretty heavy after holding them up for long periods of observation. The Swift 828 only weighs 23.4 oz. due to its advanced magnesium frame construction. That means you can hold them up easier, longer and steadier... with less arm fatigue. |  Click Photo to Enlarge
|
Info/Order 205-828 Swift 828HHS Audubon 8.5X44 Binoculars $359 |
    |
Ultimate Hunting BinocularsHere's a dirty little secret: It costs hundreds of dollars less to build top quality optics into traditional "Porro Prism" binoculars than it costs to get the same quality in "Roof Prism" binocs. Realizing this, we set out to find the best porro prism binoculars with technical advancements such as twist-up eye-cups and close focus. It was no easy search... But we DID find them! These porro prism binoculars meet or beat the clarity and features of the best in-line roof prism binoculars for hundreds of dollars less cost. If you want the most binoculars for your money, Order These!Pentax Porro Compacts (above left) - Our 6.5X21 and 8.5X21 porros surpass the brightness and clarity of most full size roof prisms. They focus as close as 1.6 ft. and only weigh 10.4 oz. 4 oz. Pentax Porro Full Size (above right) - Our 8X40 and 10X50 porros surpass the brightness and clarity of the very best full size roof prisms... but they cost so much less, it's ridiculous... | - PentaBright® Pentax Glass and Coatings... Superb brightness, clarity, no distortion at all. - Twist-Up Locking Eyecups, Long Eye Relief... Superb field of view... even for glasses wearers. - Click-Stop Locking Diopter Adjustment... Equalizes focus for both eyes and stays set. - Extreme Close Focus Capabilities... Useful for bird watching, woods hunting, western plains and mountain hunting,,, see close and far!
ORDER 007-62215 Pentax Compact 6.5X21 $129 Cases/Lens Covers Included, New-in-box, |
 |
|
EABCO Home Page |
| Honestly, binocular brands at this level of quality are ALL superb... The difference is that Swift Ultra Lites sell for 1/3 to 1/2 the price. |
Swift 929 and 930 State-of-the-Art among the World's Best... Swarovski has their superb Swarobright prism coating that’s very similar to Swift’s Super High Resolution prism coating. Look through the Swift Ultra Light 929 and Swarovski EL side by side... They're BOTH so clear and bright you can’t tell the difference. |  Swift Ultra Lite Binoculars are waterproof and dual density rubber armored (for shock resistance and grip). They come with twist up eyecups, click-stop diopter ring, tripod port, wide webbing neck strap, deluxe carrying case, and lens covers. |
| Nikon’s Premier LXL made great strides to reduce it’s weight to 27.8 oz this year but, the Swift Ultra Lite weighs only 24 oz. Making it less tiring to hold up to your eyes during long periods of observation. |
| Specifications: Swift 929G is 8X42mm, center focus, Bak4 prisms, 341 ft FOV, 6 ft Close Focus, 19.5mm Eye Relief, 22 oz wt. 6X5 inches. Same for the 930G except its 10X42mm, 314 ft FOV, 16mm Eye Relief, and 24 oz wt. | Info/Order 205-929G Swift Ultra Lite 8X42 Binocs $309 |
Swift Ultra Lite® Coating System: 1. Fully Multi-Coated with Flat Multi-Coatings on the objective lens - This increases the green spectrum of light passing through the lens to your eye (green is the most visible color to the human eye). 2. Phase Coated - This corrects the refraction of light inherent to roof prism binoculars. 3. Super High Resolution Prism Coating (SHR) - This results in a brighter and clearer reflection on the prism surface. 4. Swift Ultra Clear - Proprietary brightness and clarity technologies. |
