2 binoculars for £30 (1 Viewer)

I posted a few days ago about a deal I'd seen on eBay (please note that I'm not affiliated with the seller) where one could pick up a choice of two pairs of binoculars for under £15 including postage. I've just received them both this afternoon. I opted for the 7x30 porro prism and the 8x42 roof prism.

What's in the box?

Each pair comes with a semi-solid case, webbed strap, rainguard and lens cloth. The binoculars themselves appear surprisingly well made, with a grippy rubber finish, twist up eyecups and are both apparently waterproof.

7x30

These binoculars are quoted as having a field of view of 137m @ 1000m, but comparing them with the 8's the fov appears moderately narrower, perhaps 125m. The view is slightly rose tinted (literally not retrospectively!) and is quite sharp in the middle, with some fall off in the outer edge of the view. Without glasses the whole fov can be seen, though not much is lost when wearing glasses. They focus down to just over 2m, though the view at this range becomes slightly tunnel like and a bit uncomfortable.
Mechanically the binoculars seem well built; The central hinge has the right amount of stiffness, and the 2 finger wide focus wheel operates smoothly though with some resistance. The eyecups are twist up but do not lock.
Overall these seem reasonable for the price, and would be ideal for children getting started or as a backup to leave in the car.

8x42

These binoculars are quoted as having a field of view of 129m @ 1000m which seems a bit less than the image shows; the view is surprisingly wide, perhaps as much as 135m, and only slightly less than my Swarovski SLC's! The view is slightly purple tinted but certainly not to a point where this is in any way distracting. I am impressed by the view overall, it feels wide and sharp enough when scanning & resolves details of birds on my feeders roughly 10m away. Aesthetically the binoculars resemble the Mk 1 Hawke Frontier ED binoculars, though (as you would expect) this pair lacks the ED glass. They are extremely comfortable to hold and the open bridge design fits my hands perfectly. There are no thumb indentations on the back. The rubber finish feels a bit cheap but is pleasing to the touch. The eyecups are twist up with 3 intermediate settings, though like the 7x30's the eyecups are made of a slightly tough plastic.

I bought both pairs on a whim; if they were awful they would have ended up in a local charity shop. I am astonished by the quality of both pairs, but in particular the 8x42's which for under £15 are an absolute no-brainer for all birders. I'll write more comments when I've had chance to use them more in the field.

Here are a few images of the binoculars.

Thanks for the reports Daniel.

I did have a look at these when they were on offer but decided to pass at the time as I didn't want to take a punt without any reviews. The roofs in particular looked too cheap to be any good and I don't think there was any technical info on them.

Which way do the bins focus to infinity please?

PS Picked up a pair of vgc Nikon 8x23 CFIII's at a local stall on Saturday for a fiver. Can't complain about the view apart from some flare/glare in bright conditions, though this afflicts a lot of compacts and quite a few full size bins...

Cheers, I'm quite impressed with them. They both focus anticlockwise to infinity. I must admit they remind me of the Kenko Ultraview that I picked up for my other half, though not quite as good optically. Both are quite lightweight and the open bridge design is well balanced in the hand. Light is beginning to drop here and both are still letting in quite a bit of light. I think the 7x30 has the edge with regards to centre field sharpness.

. Dear Daniel,
The 7×30 looks a bit similar to the Celestron 8×30 Nature (6.7×27 approximately in reality) or the Celestron 7x30 Cypress.

Hi Binastro they do look very similar, perhaps they share the same origin as those bins. I think they must be a cheaper version of the kowa/opticron/vortex 30mm porros, but I've not used any of these models so I couldn't comment on their comparitive optical performances. They are impressive but I think next time I have a clear out of my optics these will be finding new homes where they are needed in the less affluent and more biodiverse regions of the planet, where tough waterproof optics needed to monitor ecologically important areas are in short supply.

Hi Daniel, thanks for that. I was expecting the porro to be fairly decent but thought the roof could be poor, however upon receipt of your favourable report I was unable to refuse and have also ordered them both. The green ones seem to have all gone, to be replaced by a black one for £3 extra, still seems a bargain.

The porro may be good for the nephew if he shows an interest and the roof will be ok for the car/window etc.

Edit: By the way I do own a Kowa YF 6x30 so I will be interested to see how they compare.

Hi Pyro, thanks for the reply. I think both are quite competent, I just prefer the view through the 8x42's. I think the 7x30 will be ideal for your nephew as the IPD can be adjusted for small faces (unsure how this is measured). It's also quite compact and has a large focus wheel. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts to get some idea of sample variation.

Binastro said:

. Dear Daniel,
The 7×30 looks a bit similar to the Celestron 8×30 Nature (6.7×27 approximately in reality) or the Celestron 7x30 Cypress.

Click to expand...

Close, although the focuser and arms look even more substantial!
Pretty impressive.

Hi Daniel,
I bought the 7x30 porro, I think it was his last one, so got it for £12, just arrived, not bad, bargain for the money, well made, twist out eye cups, all nicely boxed, with 2 compasses, it may lack a little sharpness but it's pretty bright and I have seen a lot worse. Would be perfect for a youngster.


My mistake, he has more available. I had a good look through this binocular today, better than my first impression, not bad at all, great for that price.

Hi Ben, glad you're impressed with them, for the price you can't go wrong! The roof prism's are also impressive, but I've had some good view's with the little Porro's too. I wonder if anyone has had chance to compare them with the other small porro's on the market yet.

Hello there, I have received my Comet binos but due to work I have not had time to perform much more than a superficial assessment; looking through the window and in the garden.

Firstly, to the 7x30 which will be compared to the Kowa 6x30.
In terms of build the Comet is quite reasonable. In some areas there is a resemblance between the two, but they are clearly not clones. Besides, how different can you make two small porros? The hinge feels nice and the focus is smooth although the bridge is a bit flexible compared to the Kowa. The minimum IPD is around 54mm, compared to 50mm for the Kowa. The right eyecup was very stiff, but has loosened up with a bit of use, I may try some Syl-Glyde on it.

The eyecups themselves are not very comfortable for me, they pinch my nose a bit. The Kowa has eyecups that taper and have a more rounded edge that happen to fit my face nicely. Obviously this is a personal thing and I have the same problem with any bino with big eyecups.

Looking through the window, the binos are sharp and pleasant to look through, they also seem well collimated. Moving outside, the cheaper coatings make themselves felt. Looking at the two side by side the greater reflectance of the Comet coatings is clear to see which manifests itself in eyepiece glare and loss of contrast compared to the Kowa which resists glare very well.
And so it should! We must remember that the Comet was obtained for £10 + £3 P&P - the Kowa was about six to seven times the price, so it ought to be better!

In conclusion, due to the comfort and glare this would annoy me in everyday use, however at the price the fact it is sharp, collimated and of decent build makes it commendable as an occasional/backup/kids binocular.

I am running short of time, so will have to leave it there, apologies for the lack of in-depth review but I'm not a seasoned bino reviewer!

One quick question for you, Daniel, regarding the 8x42 - how is the focuser? Mine has a bit of a dry, uneven feel and makes a bit of a rasping sound as I turn it?

Regards, James

In the end I got the last pair of green 8x42 roofs.

I am pleasantly surprised by the vfm of the optics on these. Nothing to complain about the brightness, fov, close focus and apparent sharpness. Having said that these are the only roofs in which I've seen the prism "line", cutting through the image on a reverse view into the light, (on the right tube only). Didn't need a torch or anything.

Mechanically uh oh. The focus is pretty stiff on mine and I too can hear a rasping sound throughout the range. I need a finger from both hands to get these to focus at all quickly and there is a sticky point too. These will be fine for pretty static birds but anything fast moving forget it. I've tried working the focuser but it hasn't improved.

The ergonomics are good but the strap lugs are too low and dig in to your hands when you focus.

The right eyecup has a small crack in it which doesn't affect its use.

Did I mention the smell? What an awful rubber pong which so far isn't getting any better.

Still incredible vfm overall.

Having read the initial post I took a punt on a pair of the 7x30s for which I paid the princely sum of £13.99 plus p+p of £3.00. I'm not really a binogeek, I tend to regard them as a tool rather than a subject for discussion but I was impressed with the overall package.

For this kind of money anything better than two bog roll inners taped together is a bonus and these are so much better than that. I was able to compare them directly with a pair of the Celestron Nature 8x30 and the results were favourable. First off the case is much better than the cheapo bag you get with the Natures, it's on a par with the one I got with some Ultra HDs. The eyecups stay in the up position unlike those on the Nature which I have to keep in place with laccy bands. They're a tad heavier than the Natures and seem to be well put together. The lens caps appear to be made out of the same plastic that they use to make milk bottle tops from but at least they stay on. The focus was smooth and close focus was about 2m, they should be OK for bug watching.

Optically they seemed sharp, I didn't notice any CA or the rosy hue hinted at earlier but I'm not especially sensitive to that kind of thing. They actually seem more powerful than the Natures so somebody is telling fibs, I suspect it may be Celestron. I was using them in rather grey and cloudy conditions and they coped rather well.

In all honesty I probably wouldn't reach for them as a first choice bin but as a kitchen or car bin they're more than up to the job. As bargain bins go they're a step down from the late model Carl Zeiss Jena 10x50s I bought from a charity shop in Wales but they're still pretty fine.

James.

I was thinking of getting another one of these 7x30s, one each for the grandkids. Just curious, it is probably me,? but looking through the packaging, paperwork and on the Bins, I can't find anything that says where they are made, I'm guessing probably China.

Benthonic binocular life

Bencw

Comet AX11 7x30 versus Celestron Nature 8x30 (? Re-badged Kunming BW11 7x30)


1. Here's the provenance of the Comet 7x30 (Comet AX11 7x30)! I have bought two from the Ebay vendor:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Comet-Wat...REE-Compass-/151757722425?hash=item2355771339

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-7x30-P...REE-COMPASS-/151753092656?hash=item2355306e30

http://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/CN/best-binoculars-7x30.html

http://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...0258789153.html?spm=a2700.7724858.35.1.3taUV9


2. I have bought in the past for self or presents to friends or relatives, and still currently use, the Celestron Nature 8x30 Porro:

https://www.parkcameras.com/p/97750...ogleShopping&gclid=CK6YyqTqnscCFQLMtAodJkMIMQ


3. The Celestron Nature 8x30 Porro seems identical to the Kunming United Optics BW11 7x30:

http://www.united-optics.com/products/binoculars/Hunting_Birding_Outdoor_Binoculars.html

http://www.united-optics.com/produc...tdoor_Binoculars/BW11_Series/BW11_Series.html

Ie the Celestron Nature 8x30 Porro could well be the Kunming United Optics BW11 7x30 as re-specified and re-badged by Celestron.

It is of course already well-known on the Forum, gratis Henry Link, that the Celestron is truly specified '6.8x27'; not '8x30'!


4. I add in passing that, per OpticsPlanet.com website today, Celestron have now discontinued the Celestron Nature 8x30 Porro in the USA:

http://www.opticsplanet.com/celestron-nature-8x30-porro-binocular.html


5. I am inexperienced and not expert. But I venture to take the opportunity of replying to you to contribute to the thread my own preliminary comparison of the Comet and the Celestron!

I have compared the two binoculars side by side from the house. I have also managed a first field trial of the Comet.

The bodies of the two binoculars are different.

The Celestron seems to have the edge optically.

The Comet for me has the edge ergonomically.

The build quality of the Comet, certainly as manifest externally, is far superior.

The retail price of the Comet on Ebay is, unusually, lower than the current wholesale price. The high build quality reflects the wholesale price rather than the retail price.


6. The faults of the Celestron are well known. I add just that the eyecups still rattle and fail to stay up; the badges still fall off: I have so far lost one. The outward appearance is extremely tatty.


7. The faults of my two Comets are as follows.

The supplied strap of the Comet is too wide for the strap loops. The loops are designed for a narrower strap. The supplied strap cannot even be forced through the loops with the blade of a screwdriver.

The first Comet has assembly faults.

Trivially one of the eyecups is stiff to move.

Seriously, the diopter adjuster is mis-centred over to the left. I only have just enough movement of the adjuster to the right for my eyes.

The bridge is rocky. The binocular did though achieve and hold a satisfactory diopter setting on the trial outing in the field.

Apart from the strap, the second Comet is fault-free.


Stephen Prower

Hello,

Does anyone have any idea as to the eye relief of these various models, and their naked weights.

Thanks

Thanks Stephen, interesting stuff. My comet porro had a stiff/stuck dioptre side eye cup initially, but after forcing it, it seems fine now. No real problems with it otherwise, so obviously it's down to luck, quality control is pretty poor it seems.

I think I may have been lucky with my sample of the 7x30s as they appear to have no construction faults whatsoever. I have to agree with Stephen's comments regarding the strap, no amount of fiddling or swearing could force the strap through the lugs. In the end I used a thinner strap from another pair but it could have been a problem.

Having taken them out bird spotting for the last couple of days I have to say I that remain impressed, they certainly punch way above their financial weight. Using them in both cloudy and sunny conditions at both ends of the day I've found them to be more than up to the job.

James.

Benthonic binocular life

Bencw

Alibaba links

1. I have just checked the Alibaba links in the above posting, and they do not work. The links work if entered into the address box of my browser as text, but I can't think of a method to get Bird Forum to render them in a posting as text (so that you can likewise cut and paste them into the address box of your browser).

I therefore advise using:
* Google search string <alibaba> to get into the Alibaba website
* Search string <comet ax11 binocular> to go to the webpage that contains listings of Comet AX11 binoculars
* Search string <ax11> in your browsers 'Find in page' box to step through the listings.


2. Incidentally when I followed the above steps just now I found wholesale prices below the figure of US $28.99-39.99 that I found when I first entered the site a different way the other day. The lower prices relate to models described as 'AX11-730' as opposed to 'AX11 7X30'.

Unfortunately the site decided to start demanding that I sign in before I could continue opening the pages for individual offers in order to enquire whether models 'AX11-730' and 'AX11 7X30' are differently specified.


Stephen