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The optics market keeps getting more crowded. One of the new companies is Tract Optics<\/a>, recently started by Jon LaCorte, who worked for Nikon for many years, where I got to know him. One of the major differences between Tract and most other optics companies is their products are sold only through their website,\u00a0www.tractoptics.com<\/a>, bypassing the traditional layers of retailing–including wholesale distributors and their sales representatives, and on-line or brick-and-mortar stores, each of which takes their cut of the eventual price to the consumer. The Tract system results in considerable savings to hunters desiring high quality optics<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> A good example is Tract\u2019s top-of-their-line Toric<\/a> binoculars. I requested a\u00a010×42<\/a>\u00a0for testing, partly because I prefer 10×42\u2019s for all-around hunting use, and partly because of my Swarovski EL 10×42, used as a base-line for optical performance. Binocular<\/a> comparisons are truly valid only when comparing the same size binoculars<\/a>, both in magnification and objective-lens diameter. Comparing an 8×30 to a 10×42 isn\u2019t as impossible as comparing apples to oranges, but is kind of like comparing Galas to Golden Delicious. They\u2019re different kinds of apples.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> When making comparisons I use a pretty long check-list, including such optical basics as brightness in dim light, chromatic aberration, accuracy of color rendition, and fuzziness around the edge of the field of view. Then there\u2019s how close the binocular can focus, usually far more important to birdwatchers than hunters, but the list also includes mechanics, including ease of focusing, eyecups, any perceived mechanical slop (including how well the binocular stays in focus), and the diopter adjustment<\/a>, used to compensate for the slight differences often found in a pair of human eyes.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> There\u2019s also weight and size. A lot of hunters think very small, light binoculars are more desirable\u2014and they are, if you\u2019re one of those hunters who only looks at stuff they\u2019ve already seen. But when seriously glassing for details invisible to your naked eyes, say a deer\u2019s antler sticking out of a bush half a mile away, more weight can help steady the view, especially with the higher magnification that makes serious glassing possible.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> So I went through my checklist, directly comparing the Toric and EL. Not surprisingly, the Swarovski came out slightly ahead in most optical categories, but wasn\u2019t any sharper, and neither binocular showed any visible trace of chromatic aberration\u2014the fringe of blue or purple color around the edges of objects, due to the lenses not focusing different light-rays exactly the same. Edge-fuzz was just about the same, so minimal nobody would notice it unless really looking, as was field of view.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p>TORIC 10×42 Binocular<\/h2>
Weight and size TORIC 10×42 Binocular<\/h3>
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