Nikon Prostaf P7 8x30 and Shuntu Peiketao 8x42 Ed: First impressions (1 Viewer)

[Geco]

Going to forums in search of cheap binoculars (given the few possibilities that the purchasing power gives me..) I came across a person who buys and tests cheap binoculars comparing them with others of middle or high range. I bought a couple, the ones of the title, and I’m doing well.

The small Nikon P7 8x30 , optically ( I come from photography, so I am very sensitive to the appearance of the image returned by the binoculars more than other aspects ) is really a little gem: light, with high central resolution and nice contrast, therefore nice sharpness and chromatic aberration and various well-controlled distortions, but above all a great beautiful apparent field of almost 70° with a great feeling of wide observational scope . Of course, it is not an alpha and it lacks the screw attachment for the easel ( but you fix with the plates with the straps),
etc. But when I wear it to the eyes I forget everything, also considering the price.

The other is a pure Chinese.
: the Shuntu Peiketao 8x42 Ed. Constructively it seems to me valid, with a nice wheel of the focus really fluid ( we will see the hold in time). For the gadget maniacs, in the package has a really cute shoulder bag , very reminiscent of the beige ones of the Vortex. Optically speaking, it has a contrast/ sharpness and saturation of the colors really beautiful and bright, a pleasure to look at ( we are talking about 120/130 €). The apparent field for my taste is slightly narrow ( it will be almost on the 60°with the classic formula), and the degradation towards the edges begins a little early (I tried on the stars, it starts maybe at 60/65%, but I have to try better), but the enlarged central area in daytime vision of landscape and animals provides feelings of dryness of the image from sub-alpha, and I am very satisfied.

Maybe I’ll add something more with longer tests
hello

 

[Geco]

Another difference I noticed is that the Shuntu has a slightly warm image cast, while the Nikon P7 has a slightly cool image, which makes the colors a little paler.
In this respect I prefer the Shunthu image, because I like slightly warmer images.
When I was shooting film, I tended to buy Kodacolor and not Fujicolor as they gave warmer and more vivid nuance colors.
This is an important element for me, even though I rarely see the lens cast mentioned in reviews.
Personally, I also prefer a slightly warm cast ( but not the ugly brownish/yellowish one of certain Russian optics...) to a perfectly neutral tone, because give greater joy to image...

 

[Geco]

With the first beautiful days of spring, I go around with both binoculars in the car, and I noticed that:
1) I tend to use the p7 more for its lightness and when I have to frame large panoramas and landscapes with its beautiful wide field and
2) I tend to use the Shuntu more when I have to focus on colorful birds or on some flowering trees given its warm saturated tone and very bright/brilliant on colors