Strathspey 10x50 Binoculars

[Yogi]

After much deliberation I ordered a pair of standard (not marine) Strathspey 10x50 Binoculars at what I considered to be the very reasonable price of £44.99 inc VAT and shipping to Ireland.

They took two weeks to arrive via international surface mail, but I expected that.

First impression out of the box, they were lightweight, yet felt sturdy with a simple elegant design. All the bits were in place and the exit pupils were nice and round in the middle of the eyepieces. I went out and focused on a nearby church tower. They worked fine. Nice clear image, no sense of eye strain.

I've used a few pairs of bins in my time and my impression from these was that they are a high quality product. I didn't get a chance to use them at night for a few days but trying them in daytime I was impressed.

While a friend thought the case supplied was pretty flimsy, it was what I expected and considering the low the price it is fine in my opinion.

Last night I got a chance to try them quickly at night, just in my backyard which is in the centre of town so quite light polluted, but even so, I was really impressed. The brightness and clarity of the view, the number of stars visible exceeded my expectations.

My only regret is that I did not order a tripod mount as I did find it hard to keep them steady for any length of time, but that is no fault of the bins themselves.

I can't wait to take them out under dark skys with a tripod.

[neilm]

Good choice. I've got the 20x90 which are real crackers for the price. As regards the case, even the 20x90 come in a soft case as did my Helios Qauntum's. I just nipped down to Maplins and pick up a flight case and cut the foam to fit, job done.

Cheers

Neil