Optics4Birding.com:
Opticron Reviews
The following comments are the opinions of the writers. We're publishing
them here with the permission of their authors, with minor edits for
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Opticron 8x42 BGA PC AG
My objective when I set out to buy a new pair of binoculars was to get
the best roof prisms I could for £400. I had been using some old Carl Zeiss
8x30's, which although OK for the price, I noticed that the only other
people who used them were old grannies and 12-year-olds. I certainly did
not have the funds for Leica's or Swarovski's, or at least not a new pair,
so I ended up with the Opticron 8x42 BGA PC AG. Here's what I think of them:
The design of the binoculars is overall very good, having the following
features in their favour:
They are very light (679g),allowing one-handed use to be feasible and
making viewing for a long time possible without the shakes setting in.
There are thumb grooves moulded into the underside of the rubber armouring
giving a natural, comfortable grip. The focussing knob is also large and
chunky and easily reached with the index finger even when wearing gloves.
The appearance of the binoculars is very good, with an attracive modern
simplicity.
Optically, the binoculars are excellent, with phase correction and
silver coated lenses giving superbly crisp images and excellent brightness,
even when things start to get a bit murky. They have a very short close
focus (2m), which means you don't find yourself having to step away from
things. The eye-relief is also long, making them suitable for spectacle
wearers.
The only slight reservation that I have is that the moulded rubber
eyepieces make cleaning the lenses a bit tricky, and I suppose these could
perish over time, especially if they are folded up and down a lot. Of
course, the snobs out there may have a problem with the fact that they are
Japanese and do not have the same kudos as more expensive German brands (cf.
Lexus vs. Mercedes), but I am very happy with the binoculars and they have
inproved my enjoyment of birding immensely. Now all I need to do is save up
for a new scope...
Paul Denny,
15 May 2000
OPTICRON 'Mighty Midget' 25 x 60 telescope
On any field trip, birdwatching equipment seems to acquire a remarkable
physical property. Its weight increases as the square of the distance
from the car park. This is not a joke - the cumulative effort involved
in lugging round scopes, tripods, cameras, and binoculars (to say
nothing of field guides and food) means that you get to spend more time
on the way and less with the wildlife.
Introduced last year, Opticron's pint-sized spotter is available in
20x50 and 25x60 versions, either straight or angled. The sealed tube is
nitrogen filled and waterproof - something to which I can personally
testify after dropping my brand new example into one of the lagoons on
our local reserve!
The 60mm weighs some 600g -combined with a lightweight tripod it can
hook into a belt loop and be toted around all day. At 25x it is (just)
possible to use handheld and, considering the asking price, the optical
performance is more than acceptable.
On test, a good field of view was shown with some curvature towards the
field stop. Definition is good and performance in poor light levels is
excellent. No f-ratio is quoted but overall the system seems pretty
fast. On distant, high-contrast subjects there was some noticeable
chromatic aberration, with false colour evident across the outer half of
the field. For birdwatching, I found only two major criticisms: close
focus is poor (about 30 feet) and the supplied lens cap falls off at
every opportunity.
Overall, though, a good choice for the birder who may be trying
to 'downsize the operation.'
Paul McMichael,
25 Nov 1996
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