A long anticipated addition to the Oberwerk binocular offerings arrived at my door this afternoon — the 25×100 ED Ultra with reworked eyepieces to increase eye relief by 4mm (to 14mm). Hopefully this will not be too much eye relief for me, being something of an oddity who requires minimal eye relief even when observing with glasses.
My cat Wren is shown in the background doubtless wondering if I needed another binocular. I have patiently explained this is an altruistic effort to help others find ideal binoculars with which to explore celestial wonders. Wren is not convinced.
Also note Croc straps repaired with duct tape after Wren chewed them to pieces. She also likes to have her belly rubbed and fetches twist ties. I am wondering about her lineage…
Classic Oberwerk shipping and handling and top notch quality control, every binocular inspected and tested before it is shipped.
The 25×100 ED Ultra (left) is shown here with the 25×100 Deluxe.
ED Ultra on the left in both images. I particularly like the reworked eyecups, similar to those on the 20×70 ED Ultra, which can be easily folded down and snapped back up.
It seems like the weather gods have somehow overlooked this shipment, and the forecast tonight is somewhat promising. (Though now I have totally jinxed that.) Anyway, despite an 11-day 93.6% illuminated waxing gibbous moon, if the skies are somewhat clear first light with the 25×100 ED Ultra will happen tonight, possibly including side by side observations with the the 25×100 Deluxe.
I’ve always struggled with the choice of aperture vs. optics. Opinions differ. But which of these from the Oberwerk line would you choose if you had to choose:
1) 25×100-ED Ultra or BT-82XL-ED
and just to push the glass vs size argument to the max:
2) BT-82XL-SD or BT-100XL-ED
I find it difficult to give up on the extra light grab that comes with a 100mm objective, but the comments posted by you and others on Cloudy Nights seem to suggest a value-added in the BT optics even if smaller than 100mm. The BT-100XL is out of my price range, especially given the mount it would require. The 82XL-ED would require additional savings but is possible; the 25×100 ED I could do now.
I should mention that I own the Oberwerk 80×20 Deluxe II, so that’s where I’d be coming from. Surprised to read some comments suggesting the step up from 80 to 100 is not as dramatic as it would seem. For the money involved, I want dramatic.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hi, PCM.
I would opt for the 82XL-ED over the 25×100 ED Ultra if you can budget for it.
Being able to use more magnification with the BT, plus the ease of mounting it compared with a large straight through binocular are game changers. The 82XL at 32x with 14mm eyepieces goes deeper than the 25×100 ED. Kick the magnification up a bit more with 12mm or 10mm eyepieces and that is the dramatic difference you are looking for.
Incidentally, the 100XL doesn’t require a significant mount upgrade compared with the 82XL. It’s honestly not that much bigger or heavier. Going from the 100XL to the 127XL is a monster step up, trust me. The 127XL is double the weight of the 100XL. That’s when you have to start worrying about mounts. I held off on the 100XL for a while, but when I added one to my collection I was surprised at how easy it is to handle. The Oberwerk XLs with magnesium bodies are much lighter than BTs from other manufacturers. Take a look at the specs on the Oberwerk product comparison chart and you’ll see what I mean.
But the 82XL is pleasing and will show a lot. It’s my most used BT.
This is a very useful explanation and I appreciate it. Given the minimal weight difference you describe between the 82XL and the 100XL, I’ll allow myself to dream a little: would you opt for the 82XL-SD or the 100XL-ED? The former ain’t cheap but it is about $100 cheaper than the latter, and once again I can’t tell whether the most bang for the buck would come from top-of-the-line glass or aperture. I’d be very interested to hear your preference, and I thank you once again for your time.
Not easy to answer. The larger aperture instrument comes with correspondingly smaller fields of view, so that is a consideration. For deep sky observing, larger aperture ED glass trumps smaller aperture SD glass, but if lunar and daytime viewing come into it, then the 82XL-SD would get the nod from me. Plus, the 82XL is a sweet spot in the BT lineup. I haven’t done much in the way of side by side 82XL vs 100XL comparisons, so that will be something for me to try. Not sure how much help this was. 😏
Thanks again for your thoughts. There are not many side-by-side comparisons of those two models, and it would be helpful to would-be buyers to know what you get for your money with each.