new 10 x 50s?

[kniclander]

I'm toying with the idea of upgrading my cheapie 10x 50s which have served me well but are getting a bit shabby now plus I have about £150 in my paypal account from selling off some old kit:) - funnily enough just about the price of the opticron Imagic and also the pentax WPII....

anyone have any views on either of these and particularly which is more "robust" and which is lighter?

thanks all

[ONSLOWE]

I bought the Pentax WPII 12 x 50's and although well made I had to send them back as there was a large "spike" or "flare" in one of the barrels when viewing the brightest stars and the Moon. This was probably a one off but whatever brand you buy try to buy from a store that will let you return them if they prove unsatisfactory after star testing. The Pentax's were OK in the daylight so just testing them in a shop is not going to prove that they are OK for asto use, also I did not find them that comfortable to hold and they were robust though heavy. Good luck with your purchase.

Regards,

Martin

[Nats]

Well Ive just bought some really cheap Meade 10x50s and they are superb for observing cant fault them - tough and light but very sharp and at £25 you cannot grumble. Im not knowledgable on binos but cannot really see how anyone could want more. I look in these camera shops and see binos for £500 and think how can they possibly be worth that much?

[Doc]

Well Ive just bought some really cheap Meade 10x50s and they are superb for observing cant fault them - tough and light but very sharp and at £25 you cannot grumble. Im not knowledgable on binos but cannot really see how anyone could want more. I look in these camera shops and see binos for £500 and think how can they possibly be worth that much?

Bino's vary so much in quality. I like those Canon image stabalising ones. Expensive but very very good.

[kniclander]

thanks guys. doc, the canon IS are a bit above my pay grade:rolleyes:

Nats, have you done a side by side between your bin and any others? I really like my £15 bressers but there's quite a few areas where i'd really hope to see a noticeable difference if i spent £100+

[FLO]

Are you at Kelling? We can have both with us for comparison if it helps.

You will see a significant difference between the £15-25 Bressers and the Pentax and Opticron you are considering, in all areas.

[kniclander]

thx steve - I won't be there unfortunately. which are lighter out of the two? which do you think are better ?

[FLO]

The Pentax are 16% heavier than the Opticron and more bulky. They also have an internal eyepiece bridge and are better sealed against the elements so in tough conditions the Pentax will win. The Opticrons on the other hand are smaller and lighter so if you are travelling or have small hands they will feel more comfortable. Their natural rubber finish is more tactile too. Optically, other than the Pentax having a slightly wider field-of-view there isn't really anything to separate them, at least not where it matters (the Opticron can focus closer).

HTH

[ONSLOWE]

The most consistant good reviews for any 10x50's I have seen are for the Nikon AE (Action Extremes). I have not had chance to try them but based on my poor experiance with the Pentax WP's I would give the Nikons a try before going for the Pentax, though the Nikons are more expensive. I ended up keeping my cheap 10 x 50s and getting the Opticron 8x42 WA which for only £49 gave better value/performance combination for the price than the WP's in my opinion.

Regards,

[FLO]

The Opticron 8x40 WA are good, I mentioned them a while back here, but they aren't that good.

The Nikon Action Extreme EX series are very good indeed. Compared to the Pentax they aren't as waterproof, don't have focus-lock or an internal eyepiece bridge but they do have a slightly wider FOV and optically they are definitely in the same league.

HTH

[ONSLOWE]

Steve, the point I was trying to get across was that my cheap 10 x 50's with the addition of the 8 x 42's proved a better combination (for £49) than my cheap 10x 50's and the Pentax 12x50's (for £130). The Pentax's were better construction but they were faulty, maybe there is a Quality Control issue. I would go for the Nikon AE 10 x 50's due to the praise given on the Cloudy Nights forum and my experiance with the Pentax. There is obviously a difference between cheap 10x50's and more expensive versions but perhaps a different mag/aperature would prove a better compliment to the cheap 10 x 50's unless they are due for the scrap heap.

Regards,

[kniclander]

cheers guys - I am inclined to stick with 10x50s are they are just the right size - but which ones?

gone off the Pentax cos one bad review really puts you off. So it's a toss up between the Nikons and the Opticrons - about the same price ; difference seems to be that the Nikons give a wider FOV but are a fair bit heavier. is that fair?

Steve, does the discount scheme apply to these bins? do you by any chance take paypal?

[FLO]

Yes, yes and yes

(I have PM'd you a discount code)

[kniclander]

thanks Steve. order submitted (but changed my mind at the last minute to the 8x42s... )

[FLO]

Fedex have already collected but we will dispatch them tomorrow so you will have them for the weekend

[philsail1]

Hello Kniclander,

Good choice there with the Opticron 8 x 42's. They are a lovely binocular. I have a second hand pair and they give really crisp views on the stars - almost to the edges of field of view. They are nice to hold, and easy to focus. Magnification is not great, but they are an excellent binocular for scanning starfields - and you can hand hold them all day without any strain on your arms or hands.

Best wishes for clear nights.

Regards,

philsail1

[kniclander]

thanks Steve for the rapid service:hello2:

cheers Philsail - I got them for stargazing and a bit of birding and generally looking at things that are far away:). The lightness was a bit factor as i'm a bit weedy .

[kniclander]

bins arrived today with lots and lots of bubblewrap. they seem very very nice - compared to my cheapie 10x50s the view through the opticron imagic TGA 10x42s seems quite a bit brighter and certainly sharper (which you don't notice quite so much in the daytime but is really obvious when you look at a star). Also, they are quite a bit smaller and a litle lighter than the 10x50s which is nice - i would describe them as "cute" if that didn't seem a bit weird

The build quality seems really good too - the twist up eye cups really "click" into place in the up and down positions and the right dioptre is clickstop rather than smooth which mean that once you find the right position for it, it doesn't move. This made me think of something I hadn't ever considered before -

once you have adjusted the right dioptre to correct focus, can it remain in that position whatever adjustments you make to the central focusser or do you still have to re-adjust the right dioptre each time you change the central focuser?

[FLO]

Good to hear they arrived safely

Once you have set the dioptre adjustment it applies to all focus distances, you won't need to readjust it.

[Teddy]

Steve I have sent u a mail with a request.

Teddy