Traveller 8x32 BGA ED
The Traveller 8x32 BGA ED retails at around £309 or $430 which places it at around £50 more expensive than the Nikon M7 8x30 in the UK and in the same market, around £20 cheaper than Zeiss’s Terra 8x32. In the USA the Traveller comes in at around $55 more than the Nikon and a similar $60 more than the Terra. So in price terms the Traveller slots into the market nicely. The respected Kite Lynx falls outside this group at around £500 and Vortex doesn’t have a contender at this price.
The Traveller project took 3 years to bring to market, starting off with an 8x30 model as the base but then changing everything by upping the objective lens to 32mm, increasing the size of the prisms, re-designing the eyepiece to not only increase the eye relief from 15mm to a more user-friendly 19mm but also to maintain the field of view at a highly competitive 143 m / 429 ft, bettering Zeiss’s Terra 8x32 by 8m. If 8m doesn’t seem all that much, just reflect on the fact that this means an area of view just over 12% bigger than the Terra’s. But they didn’t stop there and modified the chassis to increase the IPD range from 55-73mm to 51-73 thus making this model more accessible especially to kids and ladies. As you can tell, this was far from a mere cloning and re-branding exercise.
The Traveller is just 119mm long which means it is only 3mm or 0.12 inch longer than the King of Compact, the Leica Ultravid HD, and its weight of 451 g / 15.9 ozs is 12% lighter than Zeiss’s Terra. All of which means it is a mighty midget that is easy to carry and great to use. Compared with my old model Terra 8x32 ED, the Traveller had a bit more contrast which made it easier to snap into focus, especially under dim skies, and the control of chromatic aberration was a little better too. It focused at about the same speed as the Terra, which means similar to an FL 8x32, faster than a Kowa Genesis and much faster than a Meopta MeoStar. This means that it would be a great performer in habitats where nearby subjects like butterflies and dragonflies are popping up as frequently as distant birds. Moreover, the low sun caused by Islay’s latitude and the time of year, never resulted in glare problems.
In terms of colour reproduction it was very neutral and accurately reproduced the tones of a Common or Harbour Seal changing from glossy black to furry brown as it dried out after hauling out onto a rock. Similarly it gave satisfying views of Red-billed Chough with glossy black plumage, red bill and red legs. Through the Travellers, Whooper Swans had dazzling white plumage with the yellow section of the bill nicely defined and the Greenland White-fronted Geese were a lesson in subtle plumage hues and details.
The big field of view came into its own when my wife whispered ‘eagle’ and pointed with an arm that waved around at least 3 points of the compass and a scan of the sky captured a Golden Eagle, an immature judging by the wing-patches. Similarly, diving seals and Otters were readily re-acquired by the wide field when they surfaced.
With every bino there some issues that can be improved and the Traveller's rainguard could be better. For folks with a narrow IPD like me (58.5mm) the rainguard is far too stiff. It is a right fiddle to get the guard to fold enough to drop onto the eyecups and in winter, wearing gloves, this is worse. What makes this more difficult is that the guard only attaches to the lanyard at one side. If it attached on both sides then sliding the guard down the straps would ‘pre-bend’ it so that it arrived at the eyecups at the right size and slip on with minimum fuss and delay. If you are caught out on the hill by rain arriving, rainguards are a vital accessory to not only keep your eyepieces clear of rain but by doing so, reduce the temptation to wipe away raindrops and possibly scratch your eye lens with dust particles that you couldn’t see due to the drops of water. One point in the rainguard’s favour is that it appears to be stiff due to being made from a plastic rather than rubber and its smooth surface didn’t capture sand particles as much as rubber rainguards did and were far easier to clean of the few particles that did attached themselves to it. The Traveller was supplied with a decent case that was easy to use although some folks that use the case in the field might frown at the noise the Velcro fastener makes when you open it. The eyecups were reliable in all positions.
Optically they performed above their price level and certainly a notch higher than my old Terras. At their price they are an attractive proposition combining low weight and small size with a big field of view and with user-friendly features such as big eye relief and wide IPD range. The Imagics certainly have better optics but you would expect this from the price difference and they have a smaller IPD range and field of view. The little Traveller would suit so many people. Carry it when loaded with photo gear, or tripod and scope. Indeed if you are considering blowing a load of cash on a top tier telescope such as the forthcoming Zeiss Harpia or Kowa’s established TSN 880 and are wondering what modestly priced binos to pair it with, then the compact but wide field of view Traveller would be a great spotter bino. Ladies and kids will appreciate the IPD range and senior citizens and tourists the light weight. Certainly if you are looking for a 32mm in this price range you should put this on your short list.
The Traveller is shown below along side a Leica Trinovid HD 8x32 for size comparison.
The Traveller 8x32 BGA ED retails at around £309 or $430 which places it at around £50 more expensive than the Nikon M7 8x30 in the UK and in the same market, around £20 cheaper than Zeiss’s Terra 8x32. In the USA the Traveller comes in at around $55 more than the Nikon and a similar $60 more than the Terra. So in price terms the Traveller slots into the market nicely. The respected Kite Lynx falls outside this group at around £500 and Vortex doesn’t have a contender at this price.
The Traveller project took 3 years to bring to market, starting off with an 8x30 model as the base but then changing everything by upping the objective lens to 32mm, increasing the size of the prisms, re-designing the eyepiece to not only increase the eye relief from 15mm to a more user-friendly 19mm but also to maintain the field of view at a highly competitive 143 m / 429 ft, bettering Zeiss’s Terra 8x32 by 8m. If 8m doesn’t seem all that much, just reflect on the fact that this means an area of view just over 12% bigger than the Terra’s. But they didn’t stop there and modified the chassis to increase the IPD range from 55-73mm to 51-73 thus making this model more accessible especially to kids and ladies. As you can tell, this was far from a mere cloning and re-branding exercise.
The Traveller is just 119mm long which means it is only 3mm or 0.12 inch longer than the King of Compact, the Leica Ultravid HD, and its weight of 451 g / 15.9 ozs is 12% lighter than Zeiss’s Terra. All of which means it is a mighty midget that is easy to carry and great to use. Compared with my old model Terra 8x32 ED, the Traveller had a bit more contrast which made it easier to snap into focus, especially under dim skies, and the control of chromatic aberration was a little better too. It focused at about the same speed as the Terra, which means similar to an FL 8x32, faster than a Kowa Genesis and much faster than a Meopta MeoStar. This means that it would be a great performer in habitats where nearby subjects like butterflies and dragonflies are popping up as frequently as distant birds. Moreover, the low sun caused by Islay’s latitude and the time of year, never resulted in glare problems.
In terms of colour reproduction it was very neutral and accurately reproduced the tones of a Common or Harbour Seal changing from glossy black to furry brown as it dried out after hauling out onto a rock. Similarly it gave satisfying views of Red-billed Chough with glossy black plumage, red bill and red legs. Through the Travellers, Whooper Swans had dazzling white plumage with the yellow section of the bill nicely defined and the Greenland White-fronted Geese were a lesson in subtle plumage hues and details.
The big field of view came into its own when my wife whispered ‘eagle’ and pointed with an arm that waved around at least 3 points of the compass and a scan of the sky captured a Golden Eagle, an immature judging by the wing-patches. Similarly, diving seals and Otters were readily re-acquired by the wide field when they surfaced.
With every bino there some issues that can be improved and the Traveller's rainguard could be better. For folks with a narrow IPD like me (58.5mm) the rainguard is far too stiff. It is a right fiddle to get the guard to fold enough to drop onto the eyecups and in winter, wearing gloves, this is worse. What makes this more difficult is that the guard only attaches to the lanyard at one side. If it attached on both sides then sliding the guard down the straps would ‘pre-bend’ it so that it arrived at the eyecups at the right size and slip on with minimum fuss and delay. If you are caught out on the hill by rain arriving, rainguards are a vital accessory to not only keep your eyepieces clear of rain but by doing so, reduce the temptation to wipe away raindrops and possibly scratch your eye lens with dust particles that you couldn’t see due to the drops of water. One point in the rainguard’s favour is that it appears to be stiff due to being made from a plastic rather than rubber and its smooth surface didn’t capture sand particles as much as rubber rainguards did and were far easier to clean of the few particles that did attached themselves to it. The Traveller was supplied with a decent case that was easy to use although some folks that use the case in the field might frown at the noise the Velcro fastener makes when you open it. The eyecups were reliable in all positions.
Optically they performed above their price level and certainly a notch higher than my old Terras. At their price they are an attractive proposition combining low weight and small size with a big field of view and with user-friendly features such as big eye relief and wide IPD range. The Imagics certainly have better optics but you would expect this from the price difference and they have a smaller IPD range and field of view. The little Traveller would suit so many people. Carry it when loaded with photo gear, or tripod and scope. Indeed if you are considering blowing a load of cash on a top tier telescope such as the forthcoming Zeiss Harpia or Kowa’s established TSN 880 and are wondering what modestly priced binos to pair it with, then the compact but wide field of view Traveller would be a great spotter bino. Ladies and kids will appreciate the IPD range and senior citizens and tourists the light weight. Certainly if you are looking for a 32mm in this price range you should put this on your short list.
The Traveller is shown below along side a Leica Trinovid HD 8x32 for size comparison.
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