Reviews by jaymoynihan

These are the second generation of the Yosemite porro, deemed the BX-1. The only difference i am aware of between it and its predecessor is that this one has close focus, rated at 11', and for me in practice, 9'. FOV is about 7.5 degrees. Also the armor on the porro prism housings has a "klingon" pattern, rather than being smooth.

My rating of 7 is explained as follows. When i rate, I am comparing to my pair of Nikon 8x32 SE, which I rated as a 9. The reason i do not give the SE a 10 is taking into account that some folks experience "blackouts" with them, and some folks are concerned they are not waterproof. On a purely optical scale of course, the 8x SE is an "11".
This binocular for me reached as high as 7 for one reason; its to my eye seriously good optical quality combined with its relatively low price.

First and foremost, I received my first binoculars when i was 5 years old. I Wish I had gotten these. These tiny things would make a really good kid's glass, that gives enough resolution and contrast to actually be useful. Also, the "klingon" pattern in the armor might help small hands use them.
My hands are medium. They are so small that I can totally cradle them with both hands comfortably. For me a very stable view.
Now, I would assume that at this price point, quality variation must be in play, and i am assuming i got a very good sample.

Light path is clean, and OK on reflections. The edge of a prism does intrude into the light path just a tad in one tube, but did not have an apparent effect on my view.

Optically, they have very good contrast, and good resolution. I am guessing they may have very good resolution for their price point. CA is visible against tough backgrounds, in the outer 1/3 of the field, but not intrusive (and actually very well controlled for this price point.)

Eye placement is very forgiving for me, though with my glasses, I loose about 1/2 of a degree of the 7.5 degree field. The "sweet spot" is good, considering again, the price. Surprising actually.

The alignment seems very good on my sample. It has that eye-comfort-feel- when starring-for-longer-than-a-glance, that i treasure.
We are having a warm fall/winter so far, here again, and cannot really comment on temperature and focus movement.

I would recommend, a good sample of this model:

1. For a child that exhibits above average interest in the natural world. The 6x30 version may be a better match for the young child.
2. Just for fun
3. An inexpensive back-up pair for daytime use by a nature observer, and perhaps a birder.
4. Even for a budget pair for an adult with small to medium hands taking an intro ornithology class.

This binocular is marketed as waterproof. I have no reason to doubt that, other than I am not aware of how anyone could make a center focus (as opposed to an individual focus) porro prism binocular that is truly "waterproof" (submersible for an extended period).

As above, my pair, purchased new, is the HD model. I have rated this pair as an "8", simply because i rated my Nikon 8x32 SE as a 9. The above description in comparison to the SE is accurate to my eye. There is little I can add to the above.
The control of chromatic abberation is very good, across the field, approaching that of a Swift Audubon 8.5x44 ED.
The focus travel is interesting. Fast from infinity to about 20 yards. Then slower all the way to approximately 2/3 of a meter close focus (rated as 1 meter i believe).
In the hand, as to feel and eye "comfort" they remind me of the Leica BA series, specifically, my 10x42 BA.

If you want to use a "doubler" on these, you should know that it will probably not fit on the eyepiece hands free. The occular/eyepiece assembly is i think, wider than most. I tried my Elite 2.5x doubler on it. It can take a doubler and be useful, so too bad it does not fit. I do not fault them for this though, since the width of the eye lense may contribute to the "comfort" of the view.

My speculation on the weight.
The construction is 1980's -1990's Leica like sturdy.But, I speculate the prisms are large, which given the optical quality, may have achieved a savings in cost.
A mention of the accessories, something i usually would not comment on.
I replaced the rain guard right away with the one still available new that was made for the old Zeiss "classics". That is not a negative point though about Leopold's rain guard, since i do that with most binoculars i get.
The bag is actually useful, and generous in the interior vertical dimension. It also came with a usable strap with quick releases. That is because it also came with a binocular harness.

All in all, this is an excellent view for a roof prism binocular.

REVISED from 2008, 09/07/2011:
I recently purchased a pair of Pentax's Papilio 8.5x21 Binoculars. My areas of primary interest include animal behavior, specifically of American Crows, and of ants. I hoped the glasses could do both in a pinch. The Papilio's ($110-139, USD) are marketed primariliy to Butterfly fans. The name is butterfly in latin. The close focus on this model (they also come in a 6.5x version), is 18"-20". Recent discussions on cloudynights.com point out the Papilio's actually go to a higher magnification as you focus closer, since this is achieved by moving the objectives relative to the eyepieces. So in effect, mine hit a little over 10x at close focus. Comparing the view to one with a 10x Hastings Triplet, i would have to agree.

Pentax claims the Papilio allows a single, image, even at 20". As you know, that can be hard to achieve with binoculars, at what ever their close focus distance. I found that at or near closest focus, if you have the IPD set just right, and I relaxed my eyes, this is true.

Build is ok, apparently all plastic, other than the glass elements. They are porroprism (maybe reverse porroprism, actually). There is a tripod socket on the bottom. The socket is plastic. This is a nice idea, since the best use as i will describe further on, is as a long distance magnifying loupe, so to speak. Optics.
The depth of field i have found is very narrow. If i was planning on using these only at normal binocular distances, i would pick something else. I had thought that "at normal distances, there is softness of the image and noticable chromatic abberation is pronounced. Interestingly, at close focusing distances, the image appears cleaner."
That is not the case. The optics are quite good, exspecially for a compact. But, your focusing has to be very precise. I think i perceived a difference in quality between normal/close, simply because I focused with precision close up.
My close viewing of the ants, was not a novel act for me. I regularily use 10x or 14x Hasting Triplet loupes in the field. I also use a well illuminated stereoscope and a compact field macroscope. The novelty of the Papilio is the ease of watching live ant behavior in their natural environment. The view was similar (except with a wider field in the Papilio) to 10x Coddington (doublet) loupe. That is pretty good for an inexpensive compact binocular.

Of course, the fun i guess, is being able to do that comparison for this money, with one pair of compact binos. :t:
I recommend these for, in my mind, the following uses:

1. Anyone interested in insects (other than large flying ones)
2. Anyone very keen on plants, fungi, etc.
3. Anyone painting or drawing any of the above.
4. Natural History museum goers.
5. Anyone who collects small things and goes to shows to look at/buy them.

If you intend to use them also at "normal" distances, be sure to get in the habit of focusing exactly, to get the full value of this glass.
They are extremely useful.
Additional comment 12/302011: on my pair of 8.5x, the focus speed & smoothness remains in cold weather conditions.

I got a pair of these a few months back. Instead of just stating again how excellent they truly are, just assume I repeated all the good comments listed above.
I am one of the lucky eyeglass wearers that does not have the black-out problem. No black-outs, view while panning also great, no rolling, very flat field. Some do experience black outs, so that should be considered.

The only quibble i have, is the unbelievably poorly designed rain guard. Plan to replace it, (the Zeiss Classic one is nice)

Yes, these are playing WAY above their price.
jay

I would essentially say the same as Scryeball\'s fine description. Have been using these off and on (with other binos) for about 2 months. I will add that color correction is good also.
They are not quite as sharp as the porroprism Swift Audubon models, but in actually field use, that does not seem to matter. Would be nice to have a bit more field (these are 6.4 degs. I think), but given the whole package, and price, that is also, at least for me not a factor.
They do have that \"feel\", to the eye, like the porro model, and the Zeiss 7x42 & 8x30 classics, if that makes any sense.
If you are a user of the porro model, but would like more eye relief, you might want to try these out.

I purchased the 150th Anniversary version in January 2007. My binoculars are Zeiss (7x42 classics), Leica, Swifts.
This 8x30 is very similar in optical "feel" to the 7x42 model, but not as bright. If you are a fan of the 7x42 classics, and its "easy view".:t: