Vixen New Foresta 10x56WP binoculars have arrived

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

My Vixen New Foresta binoculars have arrived. They look very good, and the first daytime, and a night time under clouds views are good. I just spotted a hedgehog scuttling across the street a hundred metres or more away. Very sharp in the centre, not quite so sharp at the edge of the 6.5° FOV. I will do a more thorough test later.

Some pics of the unboxing:

[frank32gld]

Congrats and have a lot of fun with it. I just wondering when handholding these bins, is it easy to use it for a longer time lets say about 15-30 mins or is it more for shorter periods?

I ask this because i am about to buy my first bins for the nightsky and try get a portable one which i can use for some time handholding. 

This pair of binoculars can be mounted on a monopod/tripod or strictly use for handholding?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Congrats and have a lot of fun with it. I just wondering when handholding these bins, is it easy to use it for a longer time lets say about 15-30 mins or is it more for shorter periods?

I ask this because i am about to buy my first bins for the nightsky and try get a portable one which i can use for some time handholding. 

This pair of binoculars can be mounted on a monopod/tripod or strictly use for handholding?

I can handhold my Helios Apollo 15x70 HDs for quite long periods, so the 10x56 are a piece of cake. I am unusual in being able to keep big bins still very well, so your mileage may vary. Some people prefer 8x to 10x. Simply try before you buy

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

In a further test I compared the new Vixen 10x56 to my old Bresser 10x50. The latter are a more upmarket Bresser than the famed Lidl ones, and have served me well for 22 years or so. Over the years, the bridge has become a bit wobbly (I have tightened various things, and that helps for a while) which is the main reason I wanted a replacement. I am constantly fiddling the diopter control and the focuser; most annoying. Because it is cloudy, I aimed the bins at trees behind our house. The first thing that struck me was the difference in colour. The Vixens are clearly more neutral than the Bresser. When looking through the Bresser I actually thought I was looking at another tree (one in which the leaves had faded more), the colour was so much more yellow. Eye relief on the Vixens is also clearly better, and the rated 6.5 deg FOV appears to be a touch larger than the (rated) 7.0 deg of the Bresser. No guesses which manufacturer is more accurate. The Vixens have a much larger sharp image circle, though they too become a bit fuzzy at the edges. I do not mind that too much, as the outer part  of the FOV is more for context than detailed scrutiny.

Initially, I had some problems finding the diopter control on the Vixens. Referring to the manual (last resort ) I found you could set it by pulling the focusing knob towards you, and rotate the knob until the desired setting is reached. Diopter control is not continuous, it seems to click into place in very fine steps. I trust this will improve stability. During use focus was snappy, and stayed rock solid, very much unlike the Bressers. I am not sure these Vixens are really better than the Vortex Vipers I looked at in the shop. They seem to be closely matched. Without a direct comparison it is hard to tell, the more so because I looked through the Vortex in sunshine (so with contracted pupils), whereas the Vixens have only been used in low light, so with pupils dilated. At FernrohrLand.de they were however 200 euro cheaper than the Vortex in the shop here, so I am happy with the outcome.

The Vixens way in at 1346g (with caps and strap) compared to the 930 g of the Bresser. I find the extra weight is not a problem. In fact, I sometimes feel it adds stability through increased inertia. They are of course positive featherweights compared to the Helios Apollo HDs.

Hopefully I can get first light on stars soon (although the forecast is grim).

[Damo636]

Very nice indeed Michael, hopefully the weather plays nice so you can test them under the stars. It'll be interesting to hear how they compare with your Helios Apollo. I find myself using my 10x50 a lot lately, the sheer convenience of no set up (other than my recliner) is hard to beat sometimes, and although I plan to reacquire a 15x70 BA8 in the very near future, I'll always keep a 10x50 for sheer ease of use.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Cheers Damo! I should add that the rather curious open hinge design of these bins makes them very comfortable to hold. I must say I rarely put my 15x70s up on the P-mount I made, so I think the 10x56 will be used more for birding than anything else, but they will certainly be used on the stars from time to time. These bins are compact enough that my wife tolerates them in the living room. The Helios Apollo 15x70s are not. Getting them out of storage does take just that bit more time.