Singlereed
Well-known member
Here's the context. I've been using Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 for birdwatching for the last year or so with no real complaints. I wanted some 10x binoculars as I frequently visit large water sites and wanted a bit more magnification for days when I wouldn't take a scope to look at those birds which always gravitate away from hides to the far shore 
. I reckoned I'd need to move up to 42mm for 10x but I didn't want the size or weight to be much more than I was using as I do have an ongoing sore shoulder. I found, for example, that 10x42 Swaro ELs were too much of a burden and similar 'alpha' models would have been about the same bulk even though I could have afforded them second-hand. So, the Aurora seemed to meet the bill and the price was as much as I wanted to spend. I measured them about 1cm longer than my Conquests and 40g heavier and, in use, I didn't really notice a weight penalty - though I have them on a Zeiss harness.
Here's what I found. They are really nicely made, you cannot fault the construction or finish and this is borne out by the handling and solid feel. Focus is smooth, I like the central dioptre adjustment and the eyecups extend easily (whereas on the Conquest, they are difficult). I get enough eye relief to get a nice clear picture, without glasses, eyecups fully extended. The eyecup adjustment, is, as I say, smooth and easy and the downside is that on a few occasions, one cup or the other would screw back in whilst I was moving around, perhaps it could do with being a bit stiffer. I usually take my glasses off to use binoculars, camera or a telescope to get a better picture and my glasses only have quite mild correction. However, I did look through these binoculars with my glasses and I couldn't really get a satisfactory picture, even with the eyecups screwed in. So, if you are a glasses user, perhaps check for yourself - as I say, I'm never really happy wearing my glasses with any optical instrument and, as I don't need to, I have never persevered with it. Possibly, if you use glasses, you would be happy with what these binoculars give you, for all I know, they may be as good as anything else in that respect.
I don't use binocular cases much, I usually put them in a pocket in my backpack and, once out and about, they hang from my neck. That said, the Opticron one is of good quality, a fairly tight fit (you have to screw the eyecups in to close it) - it has a press stud and eyelet closure so, whilst it's silent and seems to do the job, perhaps the eyelet could work loose over time. There is no neck strap or belt fitting for the case so I don't know what you'd do with the case once you get the binoculars out - and I know some people prefer a harder case to protect from knocks. The objective covers are the usual Opticron rubber things of good quality that seem fairly durable and replacements are fairly readily available should you lose one. I don't like the rain guard, though - it's a decent design but made of hard plastic rather than rubber and could easily fall off as it's stiff and hard and lacks any 'tackiness'.
I have taken the binoculars out on a couple of long birdwatching trips and really enjoyed the view. The field of view is pretty wide for 10x42, albeit not as much of an immersive, big picture as with 8x binoculars of similar quality. The field flattening is subtle and almost unnoticeable until you scan a horizon quickly but it's nothing like ELs do - although that didn't bother me, I know some people don't like it. To my eyes, the picture is bright and sharp. When I tried these out at Infocus London Colney, I really noticed the yellow 'popping' on some goldfinches on their feeders, nothing unnatural but a bit brighter than I would have expected with my Conquests.
So, overall, I am very pleased with them and any gripes are fairly minor and mainly related to accessories. In terms of appeal, they lack that little bit of class you see on the externals of the 'alpha' brands - such as logo badges or the Swaro strap and objective cover mounts - the lettering is just silk screened on to the Opticrons. But, I cannot see any faults inside or out, they seem very tidily made.
I am very happy with the handling and performance and, as I say, they fit my budget at 50% or less of the cost of Victory, Ultravid, Noctivid, EL or NL and are lighter and more compact than most or all of those. As I say, I really didn't want anything heavier than this anyway. I'm tempted to do an A/B of the Aurora 8x42 with my Conquest 8x32 for general use and maybe get those ones too. I'd say in a car analogy, this is like a VW Golf - can't fault the quality and the performance and features are enough for most of us. If you want new bins at around £800 that are a bit lighter and smaller, I can recommend them.
. I reckoned I'd need to move up to 42mm for 10x but I didn't want the size or weight to be much more than I was using as I do have an ongoing sore shoulder. I found, for example, that 10x42 Swaro ELs were too much of a burden and similar 'alpha' models would have been about the same bulk even though I could have afforded them second-hand. So, the Aurora seemed to meet the bill and the price was as much as I wanted to spend. I measured them about 1cm longer than my Conquests and 40g heavier and, in use, I didn't really notice a weight penalty - though I have them on a Zeiss harness.Here's what I found. They are really nicely made, you cannot fault the construction or finish and this is borne out by the handling and solid feel. Focus is smooth, I like the central dioptre adjustment and the eyecups extend easily (whereas on the Conquest, they are difficult). I get enough eye relief to get a nice clear picture, without glasses, eyecups fully extended. The eyecup adjustment, is, as I say, smooth and easy and the downside is that on a few occasions, one cup or the other would screw back in whilst I was moving around, perhaps it could do with being a bit stiffer. I usually take my glasses off to use binoculars, camera or a telescope to get a better picture and my glasses only have quite mild correction. However, I did look through these binoculars with my glasses and I couldn't really get a satisfactory picture, even with the eyecups screwed in. So, if you are a glasses user, perhaps check for yourself - as I say, I'm never really happy wearing my glasses with any optical instrument and, as I don't need to, I have never persevered with it. Possibly, if you use glasses, you would be happy with what these binoculars give you, for all I know, they may be as good as anything else in that respect.
I don't use binocular cases much, I usually put them in a pocket in my backpack and, once out and about, they hang from my neck. That said, the Opticron one is of good quality, a fairly tight fit (you have to screw the eyecups in to close it) - it has a press stud and eyelet closure so, whilst it's silent and seems to do the job, perhaps the eyelet could work loose over time. There is no neck strap or belt fitting for the case so I don't know what you'd do with the case once you get the binoculars out - and I know some people prefer a harder case to protect from knocks. The objective covers are the usual Opticron rubber things of good quality that seem fairly durable and replacements are fairly readily available should you lose one. I don't like the rain guard, though - it's a decent design but made of hard plastic rather than rubber and could easily fall off as it's stiff and hard and lacks any 'tackiness'.
I have taken the binoculars out on a couple of long birdwatching trips and really enjoyed the view. The field of view is pretty wide for 10x42, albeit not as much of an immersive, big picture as with 8x binoculars of similar quality. The field flattening is subtle and almost unnoticeable until you scan a horizon quickly but it's nothing like ELs do - although that didn't bother me, I know some people don't like it. To my eyes, the picture is bright and sharp. When I tried these out at Infocus London Colney, I really noticed the yellow 'popping' on some goldfinches on their feeders, nothing unnatural but a bit brighter than I would have expected with my Conquests.
So, overall, I am very pleased with them and any gripes are fairly minor and mainly related to accessories. In terms of appeal, they lack that little bit of class you see on the externals of the 'alpha' brands - such as logo badges or the Swaro strap and objective cover mounts - the lettering is just silk screened on to the Opticrons. But, I cannot see any faults inside or out, they seem very tidily made.
I am very happy with the handling and performance and, as I say, they fit my budget at 50% or less of the cost of Victory, Ultravid, Noctivid, EL or NL and are lighter and more compact than most or all of those. As I say, I really didn't want anything heavier than this anyway. I'm tempted to do an A/B of the Aurora 8x42 with my Conquest 8x32 for general use and maybe get those ones too. I'd say in a car analogy, this is like a VW Golf - can't fault the quality and the performance and features are enough for most of us. If you want new bins at around £800 that are a bit lighter and smaller, I can recommend them.
