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HR WP 8x42 vs Classic 8x42 PC (1 Viewer)

Aguia Real

New member
I'm about to buy a pair of binoculars and these 2 seem to be the ones i have to choose from. The HR is cheaper and has the porro. The Classic has roof and focuses shorter and accepts the magification 2.5 UTA. I need the binoculars for general wildlife watching!

Image? light? contrast? Quality? Can anyone tell me if it is worth while paying extra for the classic over the HR?

Thanks
 
The HR WP has it all in terms of image quality. It will optically outperform the BGA Classic (I assume that's the one you mean, though it'd now been discontinued). Drawbacks of the HR WP for me are these:

Relatively small FOV

Breadth and placing of the strap lugs make it awkward to hold unless you have large hands

3m close focus is nothing to write home about

Very slow focus knob means a lot of wheel spinning - and the progression is so gradual that you're sometimes unsure when you're actually in focus. It's not one of those bins that jump into focus.

Advantages are these:

Optically superb; none of Opticron's roof prisms, whatever they cost, can match it.

When carrying, it lies nicely flat against your chest and distributes the weight well, putting less stress on you neck than a roof of the same weight.

Focus knob smooth in operation.


A word of caution. I assume you wear glasses, which is why you're considering bins with such long eye relief, but too much eye relief can be as much of a problem as too little. If possible, try them before you buy and check that you can see the whole of the image.

Michael
 
The HR WP has it all in terms of image quality. It will optically outperform the BGA Classic (I assume that's the one you mean, though it'd now been discontinued). Drawbacks of the HR WP for me are these:

Relatively small FOV

Breadth and placing of the strap lugs make it awkward to hold unless you have large hands

3m close focus is nothing to write home about

Very slow focus knob means a lot of wheel spinning - and the progression is so gradual that you're sometimes unsure when you're actually in focus. It's not one of those bins that jump into focus.

Advantages are these:

Optically superb; none of Opticron's roof prisms, whatever they cost, can match it.

When carrying, it lies nicely flat against your chest and distributes the weight well, putting less stress on you neck than a roof of the same weight.

Focus knob smooth in operation.


A word of caution. I assume you wear glasses, which is why you're considering bins with such long eye relief, but too much eye relief can be as much of a problem as too little. If possible, try them before you buy and check that you can see the whole of the image.

Michael

Agree with everything here, I've owned these bins and they have truly exceptional optics...I really don't know why they don't get more of a mention on this forum. The only reason why I parted with them was the painfully slow focusing which makes them tricky to use in woodland and enclosed undergrowth where you often need a rapid focus speed between near and far birds. The only roof prism I've seen under £500 that can come near them as far as optics are concerned are the Minox BD 7x42 (now sadly discontinued)

I've also owned the previous model to the BGA classic (BGA PC AGN if I remember rightly!!) ...given the choice I'd go with the HR WP if only for the far superior optics.

Matt
 
The Opticron HR WP 8x42 is by far the best choice between these two. In many ways it is THE BEST binocular available and here’s why (sorry if some of this has been already said here or in other threads).

Good points (in no particular order):
· Razor sharp image !!!!
· No black-outs when panning.
· Lovely smooth-moving focus wheel.
· Reasonable close focus (about 2.5m for my pair).
· Rest well on the chest with no bouncing / swinging.
· Well balanced in the hand, thereby reducing image shake.
· Waterproof.
· Good in poor light (dawn / dusk).
· Relatively cheap (mid-price range).
· Snug fitting and easy to remove rainguard (take note Swarovski!).
· Integral tripod adapter socket (fits onto a tripod / monopod using an L-mount).
· Nice feel to the rubber armoouring with no obnoxious smell and no loose bits that might catch on things and tear.
· Robust –mine have taken a few hard knocks with no ill effects.
· Some have commented on the narrow field of view, but for me it is satisfactory.

The disadvantages:
· Bulky compared with roofs.
· People with small hands find it a struggle to reach the focusing wheel.
· Maybe not enough eye-relief for some.
· The focus wheel doesn’t go round far enough when I use them without glasses (but that’s just my bad eyesight).
· It takes two full turns (i.e. 720 degrees) to go from close focus to infinity.

After a long day in the field I don’t get headaches or eyestrain when using the Opticrons.

Choosing and using binoculars is a very personal thing, and not everyone will like the HR WP model. Give them a try – you might get hooked! (No, I do not work for Opticron).
 
Just to clarify on the slow focus issue, (in my personal experiance with these bins) it's only really down to 20/25 yds that the problem is most evident. Anything from 25 yds to infinity takes less wheel spinning to aquire a sharp focus...even still, a bit too slow for my liking. The plastic cap that adjusts the dioptic setting that remains static while using the focus wheel is also a bind in my opinion!! Something along the lines of the Swaro SLC design (if Opticron insist on intergrating dioptic setting with the focus mechanism)would be a lot more user friendly.

Matt
 
thanks for the advice guys!!!

I couldn't wait any longer and with both binuculars side by side ended up choosing the HR WP 8x42 and i'm quite pleased with them.
 
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