Porrofanatic
Member
Hello,my name is Alex and i live in Bucharest, Romania this is my first post here so im sorry if i make mistakes writing in english,because its not my first language.
Ever since i was a kid a had a passion for optics,my father worked in the military and at one point when i was 9 years old he brought to me the IOR 7X40 from work, i was so impressed by that binocular that i made the decision that i will buy one for myself. Because in the 90s IOR didnt sold products for civilians here in Romania this was impossible,only after 2004 IOR 7x40 started to appear on the market,mainly used old stock from the army.In 2008 i finally realized my dream and bought the IOR 7X40 and thats when all started.
I have a passion for porro binoculars,altough i have also roof binoculars,the likes of Meopta meostar and Nikon Hg.
Now if you want to buy a 7x50 binoculars,which is my favorite magnification,on the roof binocular market you have verry little choices,and in my opinion if you want a really good 7x50 you have to buy a porro
So today i will make a review of 4 porro binoculars which i believe are among the best in the world in the 7x50 class.
1.Omegon Nightstar 7x50 ED(BA8)
2.Lunt Engineering 7x50
3.Nikon Prostar 7x50
4.Fujinon FMT-SX 7X50
1.Omegon Nightstar 7X50 ED
This binocular is from the famous BA8 series produced by United Optics Kunnming,it is a clone of the Fujinon FMT series,in my opinion the chinese did a pretty good job in the imitation of the optical characteristics of the Fujinon and is a very good binocular.
External and internal build quality and accesories
The Omegon Nightstar 7x50 ED comes in a simple black box,in a typical black case and with a cleaning cloth and a simple standard manual on how to use binoculars,also there is a tripod adaptor made of quality material.
The external appearance is identical to that of the Fujino FMTR-SX but there are some slip ups,the rubber is not so tight around the binocular,the rubber is lower quality and the fit around the binocular is not perfect as it is in the Fujinon.It weighs around 1 kilo,and is build like a tank.The eyecups are similar to that of the Fujinon but a little bit soft and mushy.
Looking inside the barrels one can see that it is well made,blackened very good,prisms are set nicely in positions,glue is correcly positioned ,but the metal frame interior is not so polished and is very crude compared to the Fujinon for example.
In a scale o 1-10 i would rate the build quality of the Omegon to 7!
2. Lunt Engineering 7x50
This binocular is and update of the BA8 series also made at the Kunming factories,it has a different eyepiece construction and made from magnesium composites.Quality is a step above the BA8
External and internal build quality and accesories
The Lunt came in a larger carboard box,also plain with a nicer case,green this time,cleaning cloth, tripod adapter and basic manual,the same as the Omegon.
The finish of the body is a step ahead,it has vulcanized skin very evenly applied with no marks but thinner than the vulcanized skin of the japanese competitors,in my opinion the ocular construction is better that that of the Omegon and Fuji without rubber just machined metal,mechanically there are no reservations.
The inside of the barrels is similar to that of the original BA8,just like the BA8 the metal frame interior is not polished,made a little bit sloppy.
In a scale o 1-10 i would rate the build quality of the Lunt to 8!
3.Nikon Prostar 7x50
I had a very hard time finding this binocular,i bought the last set available on Amazon Uk, in my opinion this binocular represents the highest class of porro binoculars, i think it is made by Nikon themselves, not outsurce to Kamakura or any other OEM, i also have thye Nikon Tropical but about that i will write on another topic.
External and internal build quality and accesories
In my opinion this binocular has one of the nicest set of accesories ever to come with a binocular,the box is gold coloured and of very high quality,inspribed very simple Nikon SP, the case is the best case ive ever seen with a binocular,black,fully made in japan and from leather in the style of old Jena products,you also have two sets of eyecups,one set with the horned style and one with the traditional style,a manual and warranty.
The binoculars external appearance is of something made for NASA to take in space,the leatherete on it is perfectly applied,has a bad smell when you first open it but is of very high quality,it is applied uniformly and doesent have any imperfections,i studied it thoroughly.The metal barrels of the ocular are slimmer than that of the BA8,Fujinon or the Lunt but is perfectly machined and turns semi hard but smoothly.
Looking inside the barrels i have to say the following,they are perfectly darkened,the prisms are huge,bigger than the aforementioned binoculars,the glue is higher quality and is perfectly applied,in contrast to its chinese counterparts the interior is polished perfectly and very clean.
Ever since i was a kid a had a passion for optics,my father worked in the military and at one point when i was 9 years old he brought to me the IOR 7X40 from work, i was so impressed by that binocular that i made the decision that i will buy one for myself. Because in the 90s IOR didnt sold products for civilians here in Romania this was impossible,only after 2004 IOR 7x40 started to appear on the market,mainly used old stock from the army.In 2008 i finally realized my dream and bought the IOR 7X40 and thats when all started.
I have a passion for porro binoculars,altough i have also roof binoculars,the likes of Meopta meostar and Nikon Hg.
Now if you want to buy a 7x50 binoculars,which is my favorite magnification,on the roof binocular market you have verry little choices,and in my opinion if you want a really good 7x50 you have to buy a porro
So today i will make a review of 4 porro binoculars which i believe are among the best in the world in the 7x50 class.
1.Omegon Nightstar 7x50 ED(BA8)
2.Lunt Engineering 7x50
3.Nikon Prostar 7x50
4.Fujinon FMT-SX 7X50
1.Omegon Nightstar 7X50 ED
This binocular is from the famous BA8 series produced by United Optics Kunnming,it is a clone of the Fujinon FMT series,in my opinion the chinese did a pretty good job in the imitation of the optical characteristics of the Fujinon and is a very good binocular.
External and internal build quality and accesories
The Omegon Nightstar 7x50 ED comes in a simple black box,in a typical black case and with a cleaning cloth and a simple standard manual on how to use binoculars,also there is a tripod adaptor made of quality material.
The external appearance is identical to that of the Fujino FMTR-SX but there are some slip ups,the rubber is not so tight around the binocular,the rubber is lower quality and the fit around the binocular is not perfect as it is in the Fujinon.It weighs around 1 kilo,and is build like a tank.The eyecups are similar to that of the Fujinon but a little bit soft and mushy.
Looking inside the barrels one can see that it is well made,blackened very good,prisms are set nicely in positions,glue is correcly positioned ,but the metal frame interior is not so polished and is very crude compared to the Fujinon for example.
In a scale o 1-10 i would rate the build quality of the Omegon to 7!
2. Lunt Engineering 7x50
This binocular is and update of the BA8 series also made at the Kunming factories,it has a different eyepiece construction and made from magnesium composites.Quality is a step above the BA8
External and internal build quality and accesories
The Lunt came in a larger carboard box,also plain with a nicer case,green this time,cleaning cloth, tripod adapter and basic manual,the same as the Omegon.
The finish of the body is a step ahead,it has vulcanized skin very evenly applied with no marks but thinner than the vulcanized skin of the japanese competitors,in my opinion the ocular construction is better that that of the Omegon and Fuji without rubber just machined metal,mechanically there are no reservations.
The inside of the barrels is similar to that of the original BA8,just like the BA8 the metal frame interior is not polished,made a little bit sloppy.
In a scale o 1-10 i would rate the build quality of the Lunt to 8!
3.Nikon Prostar 7x50
I had a very hard time finding this binocular,i bought the last set available on Amazon Uk, in my opinion this binocular represents the highest class of porro binoculars, i think it is made by Nikon themselves, not outsurce to Kamakura or any other OEM, i also have thye Nikon Tropical but about that i will write on another topic.
External and internal build quality and accesories
In my opinion this binocular has one of the nicest set of accesories ever to come with a binocular,the box is gold coloured and of very high quality,inspribed very simple Nikon SP, the case is the best case ive ever seen with a binocular,black,fully made in japan and from leather in the style of old Jena products,you also have two sets of eyecups,one set with the horned style and one with the traditional style,a manual and warranty.
The binoculars external appearance is of something made for NASA to take in space,the leatherete on it is perfectly applied,has a bad smell when you first open it but is of very high quality,it is applied uniformly and doesent have any imperfections,i studied it thoroughly.The metal barrels of the ocular are slimmer than that of the BA8,Fujinon or the Lunt but is perfectly machined and turns semi hard but smoothly.
Looking inside the barrels i have to say the following,they are perfectly darkened,the prisms are huge,bigger than the aforementioned binoculars,the glue is higher quality and is perfectly applied,in contrast to its chinese counterparts the interior is polished perfectly and very clean.
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