Audubon WP 10x40 porro (1 Viewer)

Does anyone have experience with this model, in its fully multicoated waterproof version? I see them very inexpensively now. Thanks

Hmmm, where are you seeing them cheaply?

My experience of this Vortex/Sheltered Wings brand was the Audubon Family, Intrepid and Raptor. I presume that's them as you don't give a maker ... Audubon have licensed their brand for others to slap on a bin)

The Audubon Intrepid was an uncommitted, plastic, non-waterproof piece of junk that needed the diopter setting at the end stop for corrected vision. FrankD though the same too (we got them for free). The actual optics in the barrels though (single coated) wasn't bad (sharp enough for cheap). See "Audubon Family 8x40 plastic porro: "Terrible at best""

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=129242

I did also try the the (non-waterproof) Audubon Intrepid 8x40 and the the (waterproof, IIRC) Audubon Raptor 8x40 but I don't think I wrote them up here.

Both had stray light issues and I did want to like the Intrepid for it's size but not its narrow FOV.

The Raptor was a decent porro but the stray light was a bit too much for me.

Other comments here

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=124267&page=2

So which particular model are you thinking of ...

Yes this is the Vortex Intrepid Audubon, but cleary listed as waterproof, shock resistant and fully multicoated. Here is one place to get them. I buy allot of camp gear from this seller.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/audubon-intrepid-10x40-mm-binoculars.aspx?a=550931

I may be misremembering the waterproofness (or water resistance ... )

Feel was nice. Definitely "old school" unarmored porro feel to them which I liked.

But 270' F.O.V. @ 1,000 yds (5.1 degrees) FOV is just too narrow for me (same with the 8x ... narrow for an 8x).

My pair actually have a serious collimation issue. They came that way right out of the box. They are plastic and that is what I am attributing the collimation problem to. If I put a little pressure on the body I can actually force the barrels into proper alignment. The image that results is actually quite pleasing. The field of view is narrow but the image is reasonably bright and contrasty plus the classic porro sharpness is there.

If you can get them for an inexpensive price $20 and under and provided you get a large sample to pick out the better ones in terms of quality control then I would see no reason not to buy them. I have bought from Sportsmanguide many times before. I bought my Galileo zoom bins there as well as those little Nikko reverse porros.

Frank is commenting on the Audubon Family model (which are terrible!) but the Intrepid isn't that bad.

A wider FOV and I would have kept my one.

ksbird, I know you like older porros but I also recall you are a wide field fan too ...

Kevin,

Curious. Mine have the word "Intrepid" underneath the body. So there is an Intrepid model and a "Family Intrepid" as well?

FrankD said:

Kevin,

Curious. Mine have the word "Intrepid" underneath the body. So there is an Intrepid model and a "Family Intrepid" as well?

Click to expand...

Your plastic ones?

My plastic ones doesn't have a model name on it ... just Audubon trademark info and Sheltered Wings.

My Intrepid was pretty solidly built from metal ...