Opticron Adventurer II WP 10x50s Vs Pentax SP 8x40s

[F15Rules]

I bought both these pairs of bins in the last 8 weeks, firstly the Opticrons (based on Steve Tonkins' rave review), at £85 posted from FLO, and more recently the Pentax 8x40s, from Amazon UK at £36 (normally £97!) posted, in a one day sale.

You can find my initial thoughts on their original arrival, on this forum, just search by the product name☺.

 

I had a chance last night (lovely clear night, even allowing for the moon), to try both pairs together, both mounted on my Ravelli trigger grip/tripod and handheld. Here is my review based on a short, but very enjoyable, viewing session.

Objects viewed:

- M42, Orion's Belt (Alnilam, Alnitak, Mintaka), Rigel, NGC 2362 (Tau Canis Majoris cluster), Moon, Luna, Pleiades, Beehive Cluster, Arcturus, Kochab (Beta Ursa Minoris).

Binocular key characteristics:

Opticron 10x50 - very lightweight for aperture (759g), simple, very comfortable and ergonomically excellent. Field 6 Deg. Great eye relief and coupled with very good eyecups, feel as though you could observe all night with these. Good eye lens covers, with tethers for front pair. Nice, broad strap. Functional lightweight carry case.

Opticron Pros

-ergonomically excellent

- very comfortable to use

- great contrast

- nice image presentation, good combination of magnification and visible field

- tactile and simple to use. 

-superb when both tripod mounted or handheld

- great colour rendition

- bright image, significantly more so than the Pentax, and more faint stars "pop out"

-   very sharp on axis, acceptably so to 60% out

-waterproof

Opticron Cons

None for the price!

Pentax 8x40 - very solid, chunky, short length. Heavy, (770g), and actually feel a good deal heavier than the larger Opticrons. Field 8.2 Deg. Feel well made. Eye relief feels short compared to the Opticrons, you have to push your eye into the (less comfortable) eyecup in order to see the full field of view. Less comfortable to view when tripod mounted than the Opticrons. Also less easy to hold steady than the Opticrons, despite the lower magnification. 4 good eyecups (all individual). Poor strap, very narrow. Functional lightweight carry case.

Pentax Pros

- excellent build quality with aluminium chassis

- wide 8.2deg  field

- chunky and small size

- good colour rendition

- sharp on axis (not quite as sharp as the Opticrons though, acceptably so to c50% out (bear in mind the field is over 25% wider, so the actual sharp sky area is similar to the Opticrons)

- good contrast (not as good as Opticrons, maybe due to lower mag and wider field)

Compact and ideal for travelling

Pentax cons

- Shorter eye relief means need to press right into eyecup to take in full fov

- less comfortable on a tripod, (too small)

- poor strap, not up to the heft of the bins

- more expensive than the Opticrons

Summary

Both of these binoculars are of very good quality for the price paid (the Pentax rediculously so at sale price of £36 shipped).

But I found myself wanting to go back to the Opticrons time and again,with their overall comfort, simplicity of use and viewing experience.

My verdict: Both pairs will please, but for me I would score the Opticrons  a clear winner.

Opticron 9/10, Pentax 7.9/10

Thanks for reading.

Dave

[Paul73]

Good write up Dave. Nice comparison.

I have the Pentax 10x50 WPII (another chunky customer). But also find them easier to hold / use than smaller 8x40’s. It must be something todo with the added gripability of the larger bins.

Did you find the stars much brighter in the 10x50’s?

Paul

[happy-kat]

Nice to read a review.

But on the figures you typed the difference between lightweight and heavy is just 11 grams, is that right.

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, Paul73 said:

Good write up Dave. Nice comparison.

I have the Pentax 10x50 WPII (another chunky customer). But also find them easier to hold / use than smaller 8x40’s. It must be something todo with the added gripability of the larger bins.

Did you find the stars much brighter in the 10x50’s?

Paul

Thanks Paul.

That's a good point. I've updated my post, as I previously just said (under "Opticron Pros"), bright image to which I have now added that the images are "significantly brighter than the Pentax, and more faint stars pop out". This is also probably partly because the higher magnification adds contrast too☺

Dave

[F15Rules]

4 hours ago, happy-kat said:

Nice to read a review.

But on the figures you typed the difference between lightweight and heavy is just 11 grams, is that right.

Hi Happy-Kat

You're right, the actual weight difference isn't much, however, the 10x50s are more "slimline" than the very chunky (even "squat"?) Pentax's, so I think it's to do with the weight distribution on the Opticrons feeling more appealing. They are certainly more pleasant for me to handle?.

Hope that helps.

Dave

[Alfian]

Nice comparison review Dave, thanks. Opticron do make some good binos. I bought some iMagic 10x42s which are very nice to use.

[F15Rules]

Cheers, Alfian, yes I have a lot of time for Opticron products.

That said, I'm also a huge fan of Pentax quality, I have 3 of their eyepieces in my scope case, and I previously owned a pair of Pentax WP 12x50s which were excellent.

I think the 8x40s are good bins, I just think that with the Opticron Adventurers, both Mk I and Mk II, they just got it all right for a great price?.

Dave

 

[Jforson]

Interesting review Dave, it is always nice to get direct comparisons.

I recently got a set of the Opticron Adventure II WP (Roof Prisms) 8x42s and I think they are fantastic value for money.  They have had more use than my telescopes of late and weigh less than 700g which is a big plus.   I can get both m42 and onions belt in the fov.

Although by your review the Pentax’s appear a steal at £36!

 

[Littleguy80]

Brilliant review, Dave. My wife got me the Opticron’s for Christmas. They’re the first set of bins that I’ve owned and I’ve really enjoyed them so far. Adds another dimension to astronomy and can get you a quick few minutes under the stars when there’s not time for the scope. 

Haven’t tried them mounted on a tripod yet.

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Jforson said:

Interesting review Dave, it is always nice to get direct comparisons.

I recently got a set of the Opticron Adventure II WP (Roof Prisms) 8x42s and I think they are fantastic value for money.  They have had more use than my telescopes of late and weigh less than 700g which is a big plus.   I can get both m42 and onions belt in the fov.

Although by your review the Pentax’s appear a steal at £36!

 

Thanks☺. Yes the sheer speed with which you can be out observing in those gaps in the clouds can be a real pick me up when it would otherwise just take too long to set up a scope.

The Pentax's were a fluke really..I was just browsing specs of bins online and up popped the 8x40s at this silly price. I had to do a few more checks on other sites to check that these were a genuine bargain!?

Dave

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Littleguy80 said:

Brilliant review, Dave. My wife got me the Opticron’s for Christmas. They’re the first set of bins that I’ve owned and I’ve really enjoyed them so far. Adds another dimension to astronomy and can get you a quick few minutes under the stars when there’s not time for the scope. 

Haven’t tried them mounted on a tripod yet.

Yes, the Opticrons are every bit as good as Steve (BinocularSky) said they are.

I'd really recommend a tripod (or monopod) too..the image quality is greatly enhanced and the Opticrons are really comfy to view with when you have a trigger grip plus tripod.

Your can get the complete set on Amazon for under £50 delivered: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003SQEAY0/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Highly recommended. 

Dave