8x56 vs 8x42 twilight performance

[Mojave]

That was a typo, they were 12x50 ELs. I got them in trade from someone I had sold a Blaser to, as part of a big box of stuff. I foolishly got rid of them. I thought they were too much magnification when I got them, but very quickly I came to appreciate them. Great eye relief, and immersive.

 

[sdupontjr]

If you truly are after twighlight factor, then buy a Polar T96. Best legal low light on the market. I've bought plenty of them and the polar is king in low light performance. The only thing that is close to it is the older Zeiss victory HT which is discontinued. I hunt about 90% of the time in low light situations and YES, the 56mm does make a difference compared to 42mm or 40mm. I don't care what the math says about exit pupil, glass and objective trump it. The only time it doesn't matter is when the glass is superior to the optic with larger objective.

 

[UKwildcatfan]

My experience with S&B Klassics in 56, you get 15-20 minutes on either end of the day.

 

[sdupontjr]

My experience with S&B Klassics in 56, you get 15-20 minutes on either end of the day.

True, had one of those also. The Polar extends it even further, but of course, it's more expensive. I can sit a long time after legal sunset here in south louisiana and still see

 

[dreamingWest]

Twilight factor matters when evaluating antlers in low light. For this reason, I lean towards higher mag when comparing similar exit pupil sizes (i.e. 10x42 > 8x32).

I think the ultimate optic for what you are describing on the current market would be the Swarovski NL 10x52. I'd love to own a pair some day. (But at 1000 yards you may actually need higher magnification for antler evaluation rather than just buck vs doe). The AK prisms Swaro uses for their latest SLC 15x56 does really well in low light and compare well to my SLC 10x42. The NL 14x52 is likely even better).

The 8x56s are a 7 ep. There's a chance your pupil won't dilate that large. Or won't for much longer as you age. So you might consider trying to figure that out before taking the plunge on the 8x56.