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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stephen Prower" data-source="post: 3484502" data-attributes="member: 115634">BinastroSnap! Both as to the reliability of Olympus, Nikon, Pentax and Opticron as brands, and as to the great robustness and reliability of the small compacts of the first three in the £20-30 range (I haven't bought any Opticron compact in that range).1. Olympus & Nikon: Small size of binoculars seems to be appreciated particularly by women for all purposes, or children (plus the adults who have to carry the binoculars when they get tired of carrying them themselves!) on long walks.I therefore, now that one cannot buy new Olympus 7x21 PCIII binoculars as family etc presents, buy secondhand discontinued 7x21 compacts, such as the Olympus, or the Nikon 7x21 Sprint III. I guessed from my own ditto bicycle/have always by me binoculars, that they would have come new OK, and mostly survived use OK. And they have invariably--Touch wood!--to date justified my faith.2. Pentax & Opticron: One of my first binocular purchases was the Pentax 8x21 UCF R for £20 new. It performed excellently for a couple of years, but was dark compared with the Olympus 7x21 (I didn't know enough at the time to factor fully into the comparison a 2.6 versus 3mm exit pupil), so I've passed--For no reason besides irrational prejudice--on Pentax since then.I had bad luck with one Opticron purchase, but otherwise all good news.3. Incidentally I am reminded by your post that I had another problem with an Opticron product, but it is so easy to fix oneself, it is just a quibble: a too freely turning diopter adjuster.However the problem is not confined to the Opticron product. I have had the problem with other binoculars. I suspect that sometimes even the top Japanese suppliers may nod, and use the same specification (? viscosity) grease to lubricate both diopter adjustment and focus screw.Stephen</blockquote>

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