oetzi
Well-known member
A couple of month ago, Pete Gamby of Opticron offered me binoculars of my choice for a review. thank you, Pete!
I selected the Traveller BGA Mg in 6x and 8x. Primarily because the Traveller is a full-fledged x32 binocular in a very small and lightweight package. For good measure and comparison purposes, a classic compact binocular, the 8x24 Oasis BGA T PC, was added.
These are the original reviews in german:
http://www.outdoor-professionell.de/2013/05/test-opticron-traveller-fernglas-bga-mg-6x32-8x32/
http://www.outdoor-professionell.de/2013/05/test-fernglas-kompakt-opticron-oasis-8x24-bga-t-pc/
and here is the BF-version in english:
8x24 Oasis BGA T PC
This is the quintessentiall "pocket" binocular. Double-hinged, it folds down to fit in your hand and has a weight of only 240gr.
Mechanically, this binocular is very good. The hinges show just the right amount of resistance. The eyepieces are of the twist-out type and click solidly into place. The adjustment of the dioptre is via a ring around the right eyepiece, no problems here.
Focussing is smooth and free of slack, let down only by a focussing wheel which could be a bit larger in diameter. Its surface is a bit slippery, too. So dont expect ultra fast focussing throughout the range.
Optically, the Oasis delivers within its physical limitations and price-point. In broad daylight, the Oasis shows a brilliant and contrasty picture full of fine detail. Its very low on CA, which is always a pleasant surprise and the colours shown are quite neutral. The sweet spot is about 2/3 of the FOV, outside this coma etc appeared. Pincushion was quite pronounced in this outer third of the FOV. I think thats a good performance for a binocular of this price.
Two deficencies were quite visible. The first is glare. Very early when watching against the setting sun,the lower third of the picture is seen through sort of a white veil. An Eden XP 8x42 (of the same price-bracket) was much better in this aspect. So using a spare hand to shade the lenses is a must early on in backlight situations.
The Second is when looking directly up into a tree. Any bird is but a black silhouette. With better binoculars, I can detect lots of details of the bird, but not so with the Oasis. It doesnt handle that amount of contrast so well.
Being such a small binocular, it starts to fail in low light. No surprise, its a 24mm lens and an exit pupil of only 3mm. But I did some star-gazing with it and even with this binocular, I was able to see stars not visible to the un-armed eye.
In direct comparison to the Traveller BGA MG 8x32 when watching the landscape, there were some shortcomings visible. Having a look at my favourite target, a church´s tower in 1000m distance, this was very obvious. The Oasis showed the structure of the roof with its slate tiles without a problem and also the cross on top. But the watch´s face was mushy, the hands were visible but not the indices.
I had the sun in my back, so the tower´s white plaster was gleaming white. The Oasis couldnt show any details, these highlights were washed-out. (By comparison, the Traveller showed the details in the plaster. The tiles on the roof were more pronounced and also more details visible on the watch.)
The big obstacle of this compact binocular (and all others as well) are the too-small eyepieces. Its so difficult to put such glasses to the eyes and not have black-outs constantly. I tried to improve this by adding some self-adhesive foam I had lying around and you know what? It worked! A couple of mm more to the diameter and eye placement was so much easier. It improved the Oasis considerably and makes me wonder why a manufacturer wouldnt add some L-shaped shims to fine-adjust the eyepieces.
So what are the advantages of having an Oasis at home? Quite simply, it doesnt put a burden on you and you have a useable bino at hand when needed. I wouldnt use it when planning to go out birding, but as a go-everywhere binocular it beats any alpha left at home. Yes, it has its optical shortcomings when compared to more expensive binoculars, as I found out in direct comparison with a Leica Trinovid 8x20, but not everyone is willing or able to pay that much for a binocular.
The Oasis 8x24 BGA T PC 8x24 is a sound package for the money. The fact that I had to modify it at the eyepieces to be able to use it satisfactorily made me using it without the enthusiasm it deserved. But that goes for all compact binoculars, they dont fit my face very well. Now if Opticron would do something to the too-narrow diameter of the eyepieces, it would beat other compact binoculars with regard to practical value.
Traveller BGA Mg 6x32/8x32
Thats a class of binoculars unique to Opticron. Size- and weight-wise it sits right between a compact binocular like the Oasis and those regular-sized x32s. That made me curious as to what are the advantages (and disadvantages) ofsuch a construction.
Mechanically the Traveller makes a very good impression. It features a magnesium housing with sandblasted and anodized surface. In the middle its covered with a black rubber or something to about a third of the surface. Grip on these binoculars is very good, but you get really cold fingers like with a Nikon EII.
The eyepieces dont twist, but are a pull-out type, delivering a whopping 19mm of eye-relief. They lock in three different positions. Dioptre adjustment is done via twisting the whole right eyepiece. That takes a bit more time than with a separate ring, since you have to grip the eyepiece very close to your eye. But once done, it stays put,no further adjustment was needed throughout the review.
The Traveller features a focussing-knob at the lower end of the bridge, where its easily reahed by the ring finger. Focussing is smooth and with just the right resistance. Not as slow as with the Oasis and not so insanely fast as the SR.GA 8x32.
On top fo the bridge, there you find a unique feature, the "Hinge Lock". A wheel which torgues down a notched mechanism to give an inner stop to the IPD. What you do is set your IPD and the torque down that knob. Hey presto, the IPD can be enlarged but not made smaller.
I usually carried the Traveller sans everything in a coat pocket. Pulling it out the IPD sometimes had widened, but with that built-in stop was quickly found again. Likewise the pulled-out eyepieces. Very occassionally, one had retracted one stop and one somple move with thumb and forefinger saw to that, too.
Optically the Traveller was very close to my Opticron SR.GA 8x32. There was a small, but visible difference. (That shows again, you cant beat a Porro for optical value for money.) The difference between the Oasis and the Traveller was quite pronounced, the gap narrower between Traveller and SR.GA.
Again, the church as a target for that binocular. Slightly less details were visible than with the SR.GA, but a better better view to be hadt than with the Oasis. The fine tiling of the church´s roof were better defined.
Very low CA, good brightness and contrast. The latter two not up to the SR.GA. The highlighted plaster, washed-out in the Oasis, showed much more details, so the Traveller handles contrast much better.
The colours are shown slightly warmer than with the Oasis, but still within the neutral range. Like with the Oasis, two deficencies were visible, although to a much lower extent. The first is glare. When used in backlight situations I noticed that blasted veil in the lower third of the picture. Second is when looking directly up into a tree without leaves. Any bird against the sky is primarily a black silhouette. With better binoculars, I can still see details of the bird, with the traveller it proved to be more difficult.
Please bear in mind that my "normal" binocular of choice is a Kowa Genesis 8x33, which is altogether a very different class of binocular. And having the temporary use of a Swarovski EL 8x32 SV raised the bars in my prception of a binoculars performance considerably. These Opticron binoculars performed very well and only because I am used to "better" ones doesnt mean their performance was bad. With regard to their price, the binoculars reviewed are really good.
There was one difference in handling between the two Traveller reviewed. The focussing was a bit more difficult with the 8x32. With the 6x32, I tuned the knob and found max sharpness instantly. With the 8x32, I had to go back and forth several times. Sharpness creeped into place, it was never so obvious as with the 6x32. Same goes for the diopter adjustment, it took much longer to find the perfect setting with the 8x.
Outside this (and it may be due to the sample tested) the one thing which makes them stand apart ist the FOV. Of course, miniaturisation comes with a prices and in this case its FOV. The 8x has 111m, the 6x 141. The former being quite narrow, the latter generous enough.
Both Traveller are excellent pocketable binoculars. Often enough I left the big one at home and took one of these. A Traveller is so much more comfortable to use than a compact one like the Oasis, but still saves space and weight. Despite its size, optically it holds its own against regular-sized binoculars of this lower-middle-class bracket. Except for FOV, that is.
Very often, when using the Zeiis Conquest HD 10x42, I also carried the Traveller 6x32 with me. It made panning easy and when in a densely wooded area, was a better choice than any 10x with its narrow FOV for detecting birds. Thats one area where I can recommend having a Traveller 6x32 as a second binocular. Be it scopes or binoculars with high magnification, the Traveller 6x32 comes in handy for checking the environment. 141m FOV being a necessity and 6x being plenty, too.
Conclusion
My clear winner of this review is the Traveller 6x32. It offers better optical quality than the Oasis and better ease-of-view due to its eyepiece size, too.
In comparison to regular binoculars, for that reduction in size and weight, I can live with the reduction in magnification.
My recommendation, if you are in the market for a second and cheaper binocular, get a Traveller. It gives you more freedom of movement to own one and take along instead of the big one.
I you are a "scoper" or cant do with a binocular below 12x, get one for panning and scanning the landscape. A Traveller is so easy to carry.
As for the Traveller as the only binocular to own, thats a different story. Only when you put size and weight above all other features I would recommend it instead of a regular-sized binocular of a similar price. But remember, I am a FOV-guy.
I selected the Traveller BGA Mg in 6x and 8x. Primarily because the Traveller is a full-fledged x32 binocular in a very small and lightweight package. For good measure and comparison purposes, a classic compact binocular, the 8x24 Oasis BGA T PC, was added.
These are the original reviews in german:
http://www.outdoor-professionell.de/2013/05/test-opticron-traveller-fernglas-bga-mg-6x32-8x32/
http://www.outdoor-professionell.de/2013/05/test-fernglas-kompakt-opticron-oasis-8x24-bga-t-pc/
and here is the BF-version in english:
8x24 Oasis BGA T PC
This is the quintessentiall "pocket" binocular. Double-hinged, it folds down to fit in your hand and has a weight of only 240gr.
Mechanically, this binocular is very good. The hinges show just the right amount of resistance. The eyepieces are of the twist-out type and click solidly into place. The adjustment of the dioptre is via a ring around the right eyepiece, no problems here.
Focussing is smooth and free of slack, let down only by a focussing wheel which could be a bit larger in diameter. Its surface is a bit slippery, too. So dont expect ultra fast focussing throughout the range.
Optically, the Oasis delivers within its physical limitations and price-point. In broad daylight, the Oasis shows a brilliant and contrasty picture full of fine detail. Its very low on CA, which is always a pleasant surprise and the colours shown are quite neutral. The sweet spot is about 2/3 of the FOV, outside this coma etc appeared. Pincushion was quite pronounced in this outer third of the FOV. I think thats a good performance for a binocular of this price.
Two deficencies were quite visible. The first is glare. Very early when watching against the setting sun,the lower third of the picture is seen through sort of a white veil. An Eden XP 8x42 (of the same price-bracket) was much better in this aspect. So using a spare hand to shade the lenses is a must early on in backlight situations.
The Second is when looking directly up into a tree. Any bird is but a black silhouette. With better binoculars, I can detect lots of details of the bird, but not so with the Oasis. It doesnt handle that amount of contrast so well.
Being such a small binocular, it starts to fail in low light. No surprise, its a 24mm lens and an exit pupil of only 3mm. But I did some star-gazing with it and even with this binocular, I was able to see stars not visible to the un-armed eye.
In direct comparison to the Traveller BGA MG 8x32 when watching the landscape, there were some shortcomings visible. Having a look at my favourite target, a church´s tower in 1000m distance, this was very obvious. The Oasis showed the structure of the roof with its slate tiles without a problem and also the cross on top. But the watch´s face was mushy, the hands were visible but not the indices.
I had the sun in my back, so the tower´s white plaster was gleaming white. The Oasis couldnt show any details, these highlights were washed-out. (By comparison, the Traveller showed the details in the plaster. The tiles on the roof were more pronounced and also more details visible on the watch.)
The big obstacle of this compact binocular (and all others as well) are the too-small eyepieces. Its so difficult to put such glasses to the eyes and not have black-outs constantly. I tried to improve this by adding some self-adhesive foam I had lying around and you know what? It worked! A couple of mm more to the diameter and eye placement was so much easier. It improved the Oasis considerably and makes me wonder why a manufacturer wouldnt add some L-shaped shims to fine-adjust the eyepieces.
So what are the advantages of having an Oasis at home? Quite simply, it doesnt put a burden on you and you have a useable bino at hand when needed. I wouldnt use it when planning to go out birding, but as a go-everywhere binocular it beats any alpha left at home. Yes, it has its optical shortcomings when compared to more expensive binoculars, as I found out in direct comparison with a Leica Trinovid 8x20, but not everyone is willing or able to pay that much for a binocular.
The Oasis 8x24 BGA T PC 8x24 is a sound package for the money. The fact that I had to modify it at the eyepieces to be able to use it satisfactorily made me using it without the enthusiasm it deserved. But that goes for all compact binoculars, they dont fit my face very well. Now if Opticron would do something to the too-narrow diameter of the eyepieces, it would beat other compact binoculars with regard to practical value.
Traveller BGA Mg 6x32/8x32
Thats a class of binoculars unique to Opticron. Size- and weight-wise it sits right between a compact binocular like the Oasis and those regular-sized x32s. That made me curious as to what are the advantages (and disadvantages) ofsuch a construction.
Mechanically the Traveller makes a very good impression. It features a magnesium housing with sandblasted and anodized surface. In the middle its covered with a black rubber or something to about a third of the surface. Grip on these binoculars is very good, but you get really cold fingers like with a Nikon EII.
The eyepieces dont twist, but are a pull-out type, delivering a whopping 19mm of eye-relief. They lock in three different positions. Dioptre adjustment is done via twisting the whole right eyepiece. That takes a bit more time than with a separate ring, since you have to grip the eyepiece very close to your eye. But once done, it stays put,no further adjustment was needed throughout the review.
The Traveller features a focussing-knob at the lower end of the bridge, where its easily reahed by the ring finger. Focussing is smooth and with just the right resistance. Not as slow as with the Oasis and not so insanely fast as the SR.GA 8x32.
On top fo the bridge, there you find a unique feature, the "Hinge Lock". A wheel which torgues down a notched mechanism to give an inner stop to the IPD. What you do is set your IPD and the torque down that knob. Hey presto, the IPD can be enlarged but not made smaller.
I usually carried the Traveller sans everything in a coat pocket. Pulling it out the IPD sometimes had widened, but with that built-in stop was quickly found again. Likewise the pulled-out eyepieces. Very occassionally, one had retracted one stop and one somple move with thumb and forefinger saw to that, too.
Optically the Traveller was very close to my Opticron SR.GA 8x32. There was a small, but visible difference. (That shows again, you cant beat a Porro for optical value for money.) The difference between the Oasis and the Traveller was quite pronounced, the gap narrower between Traveller and SR.GA.
Again, the church as a target for that binocular. Slightly less details were visible than with the SR.GA, but a better better view to be hadt than with the Oasis. The fine tiling of the church´s roof were better defined.
Very low CA, good brightness and contrast. The latter two not up to the SR.GA. The highlighted plaster, washed-out in the Oasis, showed much more details, so the Traveller handles contrast much better.
The colours are shown slightly warmer than with the Oasis, but still within the neutral range. Like with the Oasis, two deficencies were visible, although to a much lower extent. The first is glare. When used in backlight situations I noticed that blasted veil in the lower third of the picture. Second is when looking directly up into a tree without leaves. Any bird against the sky is primarily a black silhouette. With better binoculars, I can still see details of the bird, with the traveller it proved to be more difficult.
Please bear in mind that my "normal" binocular of choice is a Kowa Genesis 8x33, which is altogether a very different class of binocular. And having the temporary use of a Swarovski EL 8x32 SV raised the bars in my prception of a binoculars performance considerably. These Opticron binoculars performed very well and only because I am used to "better" ones doesnt mean their performance was bad. With regard to their price, the binoculars reviewed are really good.
There was one difference in handling between the two Traveller reviewed. The focussing was a bit more difficult with the 8x32. With the 6x32, I tuned the knob and found max sharpness instantly. With the 8x32, I had to go back and forth several times. Sharpness creeped into place, it was never so obvious as with the 6x32. Same goes for the diopter adjustment, it took much longer to find the perfect setting with the 8x.
Outside this (and it may be due to the sample tested) the one thing which makes them stand apart ist the FOV. Of course, miniaturisation comes with a prices and in this case its FOV. The 8x has 111m, the 6x 141. The former being quite narrow, the latter generous enough.
Both Traveller are excellent pocketable binoculars. Often enough I left the big one at home and took one of these. A Traveller is so much more comfortable to use than a compact one like the Oasis, but still saves space and weight. Despite its size, optically it holds its own against regular-sized binoculars of this lower-middle-class bracket. Except for FOV, that is.
Very often, when using the Zeiis Conquest HD 10x42, I also carried the Traveller 6x32 with me. It made panning easy and when in a densely wooded area, was a better choice than any 10x with its narrow FOV for detecting birds. Thats one area where I can recommend having a Traveller 6x32 as a second binocular. Be it scopes or binoculars with high magnification, the Traveller 6x32 comes in handy for checking the environment. 141m FOV being a necessity and 6x being plenty, too.
Conclusion
My clear winner of this review is the Traveller 6x32. It offers better optical quality than the Oasis and better ease-of-view due to its eyepiece size, too.
In comparison to regular binoculars, for that reduction in size and weight, I can live with the reduction in magnification.
My recommendation, if you are in the market for a second and cheaper binocular, get a Traveller. It gives you more freedom of movement to own one and take along instead of the big one.
I you are a "scoper" or cant do with a binocular below 12x, get one for panning and scanning the landscape. A Traveller is so easy to carry.
As for the Traveller as the only binocular to own, thats a different story. Only when you put size and weight above all other features I would recommend it instead of a regular-sized binocular of a similar price. But remember, I am a FOV-guy.
Attachments
Last edited:
