Anyhow, does anyone here have a GPO Passion 10x56 they could share their experience with?
I have the Passion 10x56 binoculars. Which aspects are more interesting for you? Are you going to use it in daytime, dusk time or night observations?
The Passion 10x56 is big (200mm of length) and heavy (1250gr of weight) binoculars. The view is stable enough for long observations,
much more stable, than in 10x42 format. And the view is much more relaxed because of the bigger size of the exit pupil.
The eye relief is stiff, i do not see the whole field of the view with sunglasses on. The available eye relief can be: 11 - 7 - 3мм depending on the eye cup position.
It uses AK prisms, which gives some advantages:
-Good 3D view, almost like in Porro format;
-Bright, transparent and neutral view (better than Spectra 8x42 daytime). The light transmission could be around 90%.
The color reproduction is very good, slightly green. More neutral, than the GPO Spectra 8x42 or even the Zeiss Conquest HD 10x32 has.
Good sharpness on axis, almost close to the Conquest HD 10x32.
The aberration correction over the field of the view is average, though the main aberration is field curvature. Edge softness could be noticed daytime, and become very pronounced in evening (or by stars).
The AFOV is almost 61°.
The Passion has strong pincushion distortion (straight lines are curved enough at edges). The angle distortion is positive as well (the magnification is lower on axis and higher on the edges) and at a high level.
Both types of distortions are positive, add with each other, and i can see some field curvature during panning. But no Rolling Balls effect.
I guess the Passion uses the same cheap ED glass in the objective, as the Spectra. But because of the format 10x56 and AK prisms, Chromatic Aberration is higher in the Passion 10x56 than in the Spectra 8x42, and noticeable enough.
But lower in the Passion 10x56 than in the Saga 10x56. So on the medium level. A bit higher in the Passion 10x56, than in the Conquest HD 10x32, on axis and edges.
Unfortunately, i've had no chance to compare the Passion to Zeiss siblings: Conquest HD 10x56 and Victory HT 10x54. I compared it to my Conquest HD 10x32 and the Saga 10x56 only. The view is much better in the Passion 10x56 than in the Saga 10x56. And the Passion 10x56 is a little better than the Spectra 8x42 (except CA control), almost on par with the Conquest HD 10x32. I think the Passion 10x56 will be very close in the performance (or maybe equal) to the Conquest HD 10x56, keeping the price difference in mind.
