Visionary Neoma 8×42 Binoculars

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Reviewer

Traditional style binoculars seem to be making a come back lately. The waterproof Neoma are aimed at the birdwatching observers. OK they are not the lightest, or most attractive binoculars. Also there are many others in this class that give a wider view. However the image is bright, crisp and difficult to find a fault. A combination of BaK-4 prisms, multi coated optics and great internal baffling gives excellent low light performance.

Handling is OK, but for some reason seems to have a narrow IPD. In other words, you will find that you have to open them fully to align with both your eyes. Once you have mastered this you will get used to it.

Twist eye cups are smooth in operation. Goof eye relief for spectacle wearers. Over all build quality is very good, but the case feels budget.

If you put quality of optics ahead of styling and weight, the Neoma 8x42s will equal many roof prisms costing twice the price

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Hawke Optics Nature Trek 16-48×65 ED Spotting Scope

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Reviewer

A small aperture spotting scope from Hawke with big spotting scope performance. In short, the 65ED will easily outperform a similar priced 100mm non ED. On testing I could find virtually no false colour whatsoever (even on the edge of field at 48x). Brightness, sharpness and contrast are quite incredible for such a lightweight scope. There is some fall off in sharpness at higher power on the edge of view, with a little bending of straight lines.

Included in the box is lens caps, a stay on case. aluminium case, and probably the best ever microfibre cleaning cloth I have ever tested. Warranty is 10 years.

The eye cup is fold down. Would have been better with a twist cup, but it is still very easy to fold down. Eye relief is good enough for spectacle wearers.

Unlike the non ED 65mm Nature Trek, the ED version uses the same eye piece as the 80mm and 100mm versions. This means it has a standard T-thread for attachment of digiscoping T-rings.

Due to the light weight (1049g) you wont need to spend a large amount on a heavy duty tripod.

Seeing really is believing how good this little scope is.

Highly recommended

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Celestron Skymaster 20×80 binoculars review

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Reviewer

 

First thing out the box, you will notice how heavy these binoculars are, so first things first get yourself a sturdy tripod. Designed for low light, astronomy and long distance terrestrial use. The image you get is very bright and contrasty, but chromatic aberration is very strongly evident (even more so than the 70mm sky masters).  At the time of this review, they can be picked up for around £109, so despite the issue with false colour, you are still getting a lot of binocular for your money.

Unlike many observational binoculars with individual eye piece focusing, you get the standard central adjuster. The eye cups fold down, and I would recommend having them folded down at all times to get full view. They are long eye relief, but the eye cups simply come out to far.

For astronomy, you will get beautiful wide field views of the Heavens. Also ideal for tracking Jupiter’s satellites.

They are well suited for terrestrial use, but the big 80mm lenses will increase the heat haze on a hot day.  For best results use on a cool or cloudy day to overcome this problem

There are better 80mm binoculars out there, but if you are on a budget you will struggle to find a better buy in this price range

Recommended

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Celestron Upclose 16×32 binoculars review

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Reviewer

 

At first glance 16x would seem too much for a compact pair of binoculars to handle. This is not the case with the Celestron Upclose 16x32s.  They are a budget pair of binoculars, so don’texpect a high contrast bright image. You will find a lot of false colour. But what you do get is an image good enough to make out distant planes and ships. That is what they are designed for.

Build quality is better than many sub £20 optics. I have tested a few, and have never found a set that were out of collimation. These are a much better bet than cheap zoom binoculars that usually get thrown in a bin.

Eye relief is not long, so not suitable for spectacle wearers. With the extra magnification a steady hand is needed. The double hinged lightweight design means they can easily be put in a shirt pocket

Not suitable for low light observations

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Celestron Upclose 20×50 Binoculars review

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Reviewer

 

The Celestron Upclose 20×50 binoculars are built for a purpose. Long distance viewing. These are not for your every day birder, but more designed for plane and ship spotters. Presented in an upgraded body, with very attractive looks.

Out of the box they seem much lighter than the quoted 879g suggests.  They can be hand held, but you need steady hands to cope with all that power. Build quality is excellent, and much better than most binoculars in this budget range.

An oversized focus wheel makes handling easy.  These are not suitable for spectacle wearers. The tiny 7 mm eye relief means you will need to have the eye cups folded down at all times. The field of view is very narrow, but for looking at planes and ships its wide enough to do the job.

BaK-7 prisms and fully coated optics give a low contrast image. But for the price of around £29 and 20x magnification this is to be expected.

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Celestron Skymaster 25×70 Binoculars review

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Reviewer

 

Unlike the 15×70 Sky-masters, I would say these are designed for terrestrial use rather than astronomy observations. Straight out the box, they look exactly like the 15x70s in design and weight. Complete with a tripod adapter that is OK, but you might wish to get a more sturdy upgrade.

So how are they to use ?. First things first, they eye relief is much less than the 15x version, so you will need to have the eye cups folded down at all times (even without wearing glasses). That aside, I was pleasantly surprised with the image. Field of view is quoted at just 2.7 degrees, so I was expecting a very narrow view. This was not the case, as the image you get seems much wider than this.  Also I found there was less false colour than the 15x70s. Others may disagree with that, but its how I saw it with the models I tested.

At 1.4kg they are not light, but I found them easy to hand hold for a few minutes at a time. The design is basic, but functional and easy to use.

With a close focus of 75 ft don’t expect to use for birds in the back garden. These are designed for long distance work only.

Summing up, I would certainly give them a better than expected award. After using the 15×70 Sky Masters, I was expecting 25x to be too much. This is not the case

Highly recommended

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Ostara Elinor Binoculars

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Reviewer

 

Traditional style binoculars with premium performance. Available in 8×45, 7×50, 10×50 and 12×50. All four models have their own attributes. The 8×45 are suited for general use and birdwatching. The 7×50 and 10×50 give outstanding low light performance, and the 12×50 is ideal for plane spotters.

Make no mistake, these are all optics of the highest standard. Don’t just take my word for it, as the Sky at Night magazine voted the Elinor 10×50 as best in class for astronomy. From my own point of view, the 7×50 is by far the best and can give as good results as many roof prism binoculars costs 3 or 4 times as much.

All four binoculars feature fully multi coated optics and nitrogen waterproof. Upgraded recently with twist eye cups and long eye relief throughout the range. Virtually no internal reflection helps improve contrast.

These are not light binoculars at 855 to 960g, but handling is superb. The focus wheel , twist eye cups and dioptre adjustment can all easily be used with gloves on. This is ideal if wearing camouflage clothing.

Apart from a little CA, I cant fault the quality of the optics. Even the 12x version gives a high contrast image.

Come complete with a soft case, lens covers and neck strap. Warranty is 30 years (10 years parts and labour, 20 years parts only)

If you are looking for quality optics in a porro prims design for around £200 you really cant go wrong with the Ostara Elinors. With a bit of care and attention they will last a lifetime.

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Barr & Stroud 8×42 Series 4 Binoculars review

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Reviewer

Optical excellence in a pair of binoculars , with build quality to match. The series 4 range gives almost ED glass results in terms of brightness, contrast and colours , at a fraction of the price.

The pair I tested was the 8×42 version. They come packaged in a solid carry case. First thing out the box you will notice how well put together they are. Not the most attractive open hinged body shape however. When I first looked through them, I was slightly disappointed with the field of view, which is far from the widest in class.

The slight issue with the field of view was where the disappointment ended. If ever there was a pair of binoculars that got better with every second, this was them. The quality of image equals many pairs twice the price. Very good internal baffling means there is no internal reflection.

Easy to use with very long eye relief for the spectacle wearer. Rubber body with moulded hand grips add to the easy handling.  Very lightweight for their size and balance perfectly in the hands. The twist eye cups are amongst the best I have come across.

Highly recommended

 

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Hawke Premier OH 8×25 Binoculars

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Reviewer

 

Lightweight and compact binoculars for the everyday user.  A suprisngly bright view from a budget compact binocular. The field of view is quoted at 119m, but when you look through them it seems wider.

These “get up and go” binoculars will suit the beginner, as they are lightweight and simple to operate. The focus is smooth, but can vary a little from one test binocular to another. A good depth of field makes for easy tracking of moving animals

A little fade of in quality towards the edges. But that is to expected in this price range. No lens caps are included, and the twist eye cups are not of the highest quality.  But that aside, and probably the most important things are the high quality optics and easy handling that you get with the Premiers 8×25.

Available in 8×25, 10×25 and 12×25. I only tested the 8x. The 10 & 12x may be less appealing if you wear glasses, as the eye relief is much shorter.

The Open Hinge design certainly scores points in looks over some of the rivals. Available in black or green

  • Specs
  • Magnification 8x
  • Size 25mm
  • BaK-4 prisms
  • Fully multicoated optics
  • Nitrogen waterproof
  • Field 119m @ 1000m
  • Close focus 3.5m
  • Eye relief 16mm
  • Weight 320g
  • RRP @ 2011 £59.95

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Visionary Freebird 10×42 Binoculars

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Reviewer

Difficult to point out something that makes the Visionary Freebird 10×42 stand out from the rest in this class and price range of just under £200.  What you do get is better than average build quality. A tough rubber body and large focuser make for great handling.  The Twist eye cups are silky smooth to operate, and feel like quality.

As for the optics, the Fully Multicoated lenses and BaK-4 phase corrected prisms give a clear view. These is a hint of false colour, but not enough to distract you.

As with many 10x42s or 10×32 binoculars you will find that you will need to work the focus wheel to keep everything in focus.

They are not the lightest, but balance well in the hands for easy viewing, and are tough enough to take the odd knock or two.

Complete with a soft case and stay-on lens covers.

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