Adrian Taylor
Member
This was my fourth binocular which I supposed might accompany me and my bicycle on road and rough track without fear of insupportable loss through their being dropped or left forgotten on a river-bank.
My first impression was of a smart compact instrument designed to recall classic models of the 20th century. The objective lens covers were fine, the plastic caps for the eyepieces not quite so helpful, but I found a rubber rainguard in my spares-box and it fitted perfectly when attached to the halter. The eyeguards were of a simple rubber type which might readily be detached and washed. All this tackle together weighed about 630g and slipped into a nice black carry-case with a cleaning cloth inside.
I prefer not to wear spectacles but to use the diopter adjustment to compensate for the difference between my left and right eyes. This means that I need perhaps minus 3 diopters on the dial. This is out of range of some binoculars, so I was grateful for the +/- 4 that the Opticron offered. Adjusting for interpupillary distance proved a little stiff, but once set it did not slip. The central focussing wheel turned smoothly through a full circle between infinity and the 3-metre nearest focus.
Muscular tremor may become a problem as one grows older. The binocular sat comfortably in my hands, neither heavy nor insubstantial. The view was quite exciting – wide 9-degrees angle, sharp bright and colourful, equal to my Habicht 7x42 at centre of field, but showing less obvious colour fringes as my eyes turned behind the eyepieces. Spherical curvature was pronounced but it all straightened up when I looked along the optical axis as one will obviously do when spotting. Sunshine, twilight or night, it was a pleasure to use.
An instrument that cost me one tenth the price of my Habicht might be expected to fall short at some point. When I subjected it to cruelly close scrutiny I found defects such as an inconspicuous patch of missed finish, a speck of swarf on a prism, the IPD graduations far from accurate. I asked Opticron to comment. They replied: "As you would expect, the overall build quality wouldn’t be the same for the Adventurer T W/P at £79, as it would for something like, for example, the Aurora VHD at £799." I would emphasise that no defect appeared to detract from the optical performance. As for durability, Opticron offer a two-year warranty for this model, but I can comment no further due to the few months I have used it.
I am tempted to say that if I were required to keep just one of my binoculars it might well be the Adventurer 6.5x32. Whether your delight is to follow dragonflies, to watch a cormorant swallow an eel, to number a flock of wild geese or to marvel at the stars (when your pupillary dilation is decreased with age!) this little glass should be your good companion.
My first impression was of a smart compact instrument designed to recall classic models of the 20th century. The objective lens covers were fine, the plastic caps for the eyepieces not quite so helpful, but I found a rubber rainguard in my spares-box and it fitted perfectly when attached to the halter. The eyeguards were of a simple rubber type which might readily be detached and washed. All this tackle together weighed about 630g and slipped into a nice black carry-case with a cleaning cloth inside.
I prefer not to wear spectacles but to use the diopter adjustment to compensate for the difference between my left and right eyes. This means that I need perhaps minus 3 diopters on the dial. This is out of range of some binoculars, so I was grateful for the +/- 4 that the Opticron offered. Adjusting for interpupillary distance proved a little stiff, but once set it did not slip. The central focussing wheel turned smoothly through a full circle between infinity and the 3-metre nearest focus.
Muscular tremor may become a problem as one grows older. The binocular sat comfortably in my hands, neither heavy nor insubstantial. The view was quite exciting – wide 9-degrees angle, sharp bright and colourful, equal to my Habicht 7x42 at centre of field, but showing less obvious colour fringes as my eyes turned behind the eyepieces. Spherical curvature was pronounced but it all straightened up when I looked along the optical axis as one will obviously do when spotting. Sunshine, twilight or night, it was a pleasure to use.
An instrument that cost me one tenth the price of my Habicht might be expected to fall short at some point. When I subjected it to cruelly close scrutiny I found defects such as an inconspicuous patch of missed finish, a speck of swarf on a prism, the IPD graduations far from accurate. I asked Opticron to comment. They replied: "As you would expect, the overall build quality wouldn’t be the same for the Adventurer T W/P at £79, as it would for something like, for example, the Aurora VHD at £799." I would emphasise that no defect appeared to detract from the optical performance. As for durability, Opticron offer a two-year warranty for this model, but I can comment no further due to the few months I have used it.
I am tempted to say that if I were required to keep just one of my binoculars it might well be the Adventurer 6.5x32. Whether your delight is to follow dragonflies, to watch a cormorant swallow an eel, to number a flock of wild geese or to marvel at the stars (when your pupillary dilation is decreased with age!) this little glass should be your good companion.
