Rifle Scopes Question re Sightron

[kds857]

I had a question specific to Sightron S3 because I own one, but I guess this question can apply to any scope in the same series.

For member that have both the Sightron SIII 10-50 and 8-32: It seems that generally image quality dialed down is better than one at max zoom, so strictly for target shooting, if I am at 32x zoom will my image with the Sightron 10-50 be better than max'd out on the 8-32?

I only have the 10-50 and the image starts getting hazy/milky around 35x onwards, so I'm assuming for the 8-32 version, you will find similar haze/milky image starting in the high 20x and cutting down on image quality, brightness, resolution, etc?

I also had another question about whether the optical systems in the 10-50 (5x zoom) is similar in quality to the 8-32 and 6-24 Sightrons (4x zoom). I'm trying to get to the bottom of this as many say the 8-32 is better than the 10-50 image-wise, but I also know that a scope on its max zoom is not as crisp and bright as a higher mag scope dialed down.

Thanks in advance for educating me.

 

[scudzuki]

In my experience the glass/coatings are the same within a line of scopes. If the scopes both had the same mag ratio and objective I'd guess that if the 10-50 image degrades at 35x that the 32x max scope would have at least as good resolution at full magnification all else being equal.
However, the 10-50 has a 5x erector and 60mm objective and the 8-32 a 4x erector and 56mm objective, indicating more of a difference in the optical path than just different magnification range.
The exit pupil of the 10-50 at 35x is about 1.71mm.
The exit pupil of the 8-32 at 32x is actually a little larger at 1.75, suggesting it may have a slightly more forgiving eyebox.
The surface area of the 56mm objective is only 87% that of the 60mm objective, suggesting the 8-32 will not be as bright as the 10-50.

That's about all I can tell from the numbers.

My guess is the 8-32x56 would be able to pull off 32x except in situations with less than average light, given what I can tell from the numbers and my experience with a couple of the SIII scopes (but not the models being discussed) and similar scopes in their price range. The glass and coatings they use are quite good in their price range.

 

[Senderofan]

I've owned both......at the same time. I presently only own the 8-32x. I had the same experience / impressions that you have with the 10-50x. The image was clear enough to punch holes in paper at 1k. The way I looked at it.....for around a thousand dollars........it was a solid deal. Turrets were right on and repeatable. I found the 10-50x to be a little hazy and color rendition to be on the grey side. But for a dedicated 1k BR rig that didn't get used much....it was fine.

Guess if you're wanting more clarity and accurate color rendition......then perhaps the 8-32x is a better choice.