First light with Libra Superview 4x22

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have just been outside to test the Libra Superview 4x22 on t he stars. Quite frankly, I was a bit disapointed. It was hard to get good focus, and even at best focus the stars looked a bit mushy. During daytime observations the centre seemed quite sharp, but stars are a harsher test. The FOV is very wide, so you can get the entire lower half of Orion in one FOV. The brightness of the image was a bit underwhelming for an exit pupil of 5.5. The Pleides looked quite nice, but the Double Cluster looked decidedly mushy.

Verdict: Perfectly OK for a 6 euro investment, very reasonable image during daylight, but not really that good for astronomy. The 7x50 I got for free because they were "broken" (out of collimation) were a much better deal. No doubt the kids will enjoy the 4x22s.

[Crebles]

Thanks for the report. I wont rush to the shops...   

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks for the report. I wont rush to the shops...   

You can of course go to Utrecht for other reasons (nice place, if not quite as nice as Groningen )

[BinocularSky]

Interesting. Whilst mine were mechanically inferior to yours, they are optically superior. Typical Chinese QC!

On the batphone, so expect weird autocorrect

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I had another try, and I got better focus. Centre sharpness was a tad better, but I must say the coatings are indeed cosmetic rather than functional. Any bright light in the neighbourhood causes annoying reflections in the EP. This is probably aggravated by the fact I wear glasses so there is a gap between eyes and EP not shielded by the rubbe eye cup

[mgsphilip]

I started this discussion when I purchased a pair of these extra wide angle binoculars and was surprised by just how good they were.

Please note that  I do not wear glasses when using binoculars, In my opinion these binocs produce a unique  image which  is  easy to view and is without any obvious faults.

I have found them to perform better than traditional opera glasses at the theatre,  When I have taken them with me on nature walks, for general purposes, they were small and light enough to fit in my coat pocket and showed no colour fringing that I could see. Aircraft and birds in the centre of the view were surprisingly clear.

When I  viewed stars through them, I was amazed just how "clean" the image was.

I guess that  anyone wearing glasses would experience a less positive  view of these binoculars. Also it is likely that they were manufactured in a variety of specifications and that quality control was sometimes lacking. 

To give my subjective judgement some basis, I have been using optical equipment since 1958, and I own 7 pairs of binoculars , 2 monoculars and a Nikon ED 50 telescope. 

If these binoculars were manufactured  as a quality waterproof pair with fully  coated  optical surfaces  I would be prepared to pay 80 to 100 pounds sterling for them.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I am not doubting your report for a moment. First of all, QC on the cheapest bins is rarely any good, and besides, yours were branded differently from mine. I have a suspicion that there are different classes of these bins floating around. Some might have better coatings than others, and that has a huge impact on image quality. I have had three BA1 15x70 bins and they clearly had different levels of coatings. This may well mean that my comments only really refer to the Libra Superview branded ones, and that others may have been equipped with better optics. The view through even the Libra Superview is absolutely miles ahead of any opera glass (which are Gallilean scopes placed side by side and lack prisms). The latter have very small FOV. Even with glasses, I can make use of most of the FOV of these little Superviews. The fact that I cannot see the outermost edge is not a big deal. The reflections caused by light getting in between eye and EP is much more annoying.