• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Opticron Verano BGA 8x32 HD - A real gem (1 Viewer)

mpeace

Well-known member
These are an example where Opticron has pretty much done everything right:

Specification:

Field of view: 140m
Minimum Focus: 1.5m
Eye Relief: 17mm
Interpupillary Distance: 56-74mm
Height x Width: 128 x 122mm
Weight: 609g

They have a great 8 deg field of view that's sharp across about 90% of the view and a close focus to 1.5m. It's got good eye relief, a relaxed view and quality optics with minimal chromatic aberration and is sharp. So what's not to like? For me not a lot, though I guess they are relatively heavy for an 8x32 these days at 609g and that seems to be what has put people off and caused Opticron to discontinue it. The Traveller BGA ED 8x32 seems to have replaced it and is a great binocular. However, I think the 8x32 Verano has a lot going for it. Now that it's discontinued you can pick up ex-demo copies on ebay for around £250 (down from £399 rrp). That added weight gives you a nice steady view free of little shakes and with the wide FOV it's very immersive. I think it's a really great all rounder and when using it you get a sense that it was built for quality of view not minimizing weight like some of the more modern 8x30/8x32 binoculars.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7683_small.JPG
    IMG_7683_small.JPG
    175.3 KB · Views: 379
Opticron's ethos is to aim for lighter binos where this can be achieved without compromise but the little Verano has got a great specification. The only weak point in the spec that I can see is that the IPD range only comes down to 56mm which limits the use by some ladies and many kids. Zeiss Conquest HD for example comes down to 54mm but is easily beaten by Opticron's Traveller BGA ED at 51mm. On the other hand at £250 for ex demo units it sounds a bargain, and as you point out the weight can steady the image.

One of these days I really ought to try this model out.

Lee
 
These are an example where Opticron has pretty much done everything right:

Specification:

Field of view: 140m
Minimum Focus: 1.5m
Eye Relief: 17mm
Interpupillary Distance: 56-74mm
Height x Width: 128 x 122mm
Weight: 609g

They have a great 8 deg field of view that's sharp across about 90% of the view and a close focus to 1.5m. It's got good eye relief, a relaxed view and quality optics with minimal chromatic aberration and is sharp. So what's not to like? For me not a lot, though I guess they are relatively heavy for an 8x32 these days at 609g and that seems to be what has put people off and caused Opticron to discontinue it. The Traveller BGA ED 8x32 seems to have replaced it and is a great binocular. However, I think the 8x32 Verano has a lot going for it. Now that it's discontinued you can pick up ex-demo copies on ebay for around £250 (down from £399 rrp). That added weight gives you a nice steady view free of little shakes and with the wide FOV it's very immersive. I think it's a really great all rounder and when using it you get a sense that it was built for quality of view not minimizing weight like some of the more modern 8x30/8x32 binoculars.
Glad you said all that i picked a second hand one up from Focus optics for £280 and found them brilliant
 
These are an example where Opticron has pretty much done everything right:

Specification:

Field of view: 140m
Minimum Focus: 1.5m
Eye Relief: 17mm
Interpupillary Distance: 56-74mm
Height x Width: 128 x 122mm
Weight: 609g

They have a great 8 deg field of view that's sharp across about 90% of the view and a close focus to 1.5m. It's got good eye relief, a relaxed view and quality optics with minimal chromatic aberration and is sharp. So what's not to like? For me not a lot, though I guess they are relatively heavy for an 8x32 these days at 609g and that seems to be what has put people off and caused Opticron to discontinue it. The Traveller BGA ED 8x32 seems to have replaced it and is a great binocular. However, I think the 8x32 Verano has a lot going for it. Now that it's discontinued you can pick up ex-demo copies on ebay for around £250 (down from £399 rrp). That added weight gives you a nice steady view free of little shakes and with the wide FOV it's very immersive. I think it's a really great all rounder and when using it you get a sense that it was built for quality of view not minimizing weight like some of the more modern 8x30/8x32 binoculars.

I've actually got that binocular in 8X42. Honestly, it's a great binocular. I SHOULD use it more. It's a little short on FOV compared to some. But personally, I'd rather have it than any Vortex Viper HD ever made.

How do you think that 8X32 Verano compares optically to the other two in the picture?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1272.JPG
    IMG_1272.JPG
    115.5 KB · Views: 202
I've actually got that binocular in 8X42. Honestly, it's a great binocular. I SHOULD use it more. It's a little short on FOV compared to some. But personally, I'd rather have it than any Vortex Viper HD ever made.

How do you think that 8X32 Verano compares optically to the other two in the picture?

I'd take the Verano 8x32 over the 8x42 Vipers I tried.

The 8x32 Verano optics compare favorably with the 8x30 MHG and Zeiss 8x25 in the picture, but ultimately don't match them. The later two are a touch sharper and brighter lending a certain sparkle to the view.

If I only had the 8x32 Verano's in that size I'd be very happy with them - especially for the price - congrats Nigeldphoto on picking up a real gem. However after using the 8x32 Verano for a bit (and enjoying the view), you then notice a step up in quality of view when switching to one of the others (especially the 8x30 MHG). That's not surprising with the price and age difference.

In the end I sent the Verano's back partly because my copy wasn't cosmetically all that great, but mostly because I can't justify having two 8x30/32s and the 8x30 MHG is better (smaller, wider FOV, a touch sharper, a touch brighter).

I didn't notice any problems with glare, CA or other optical effects with the Verano 8x32. I still think it's the best £280 you could spend on optics - and a great all rounder - miles ahead of the various Hawke and Vortex offerings I've tried (except the Vortex Razor's, which I like, but are a lot more expensive).
 
Anyone been able to compare this to the Kowa bd xdii 8x32? (hmm, starts sounding cheesy, these compare questions, but still...)
 
I have not compared them *directly* but I am very confident the Verano is superior. Again, more expensive Japanese glass vs cheaper outsourced Chinese glass. The BDII is solid mid range glass with the best attributes being outstanding brightness/color, wide FOV and quite compact dimensions. I’ve only handled the 8x32 BDII briefly but many have said it’s not as good as the 6.5x; after reading more and owning the 6.5x my suspicion is that the extra mag exposes more flaws that are less bothersome at 6x.

The Verano is a level up in optics and construction, it is very solidly built and well corrected with a gigantic sweet spot. It would hold its own in a lineup with $1k options like Conquest HD.

Obviously a huge difference in size/shape and ergonomics with the BDII being extremely short barreled and closed bridge.
 
Thank you, Eitan! It's a good remark how the added magnification might expose the BD's shortcomings to a too large degree. Didn't expect the Verano to be that good!
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top