Optolyth ViaNova Binoculars (1 Viewer)

[John from Scappoose]

Being here in the U.S. where Optolyth is an unknown brand, does anyone have any experience they can share regarding the Optolyth ViaNova 7x42mm or 8x56mm models? They are quite expensive but seldom are they discussed in forums or in magazine reviews.

 

[ceasar]

John,
You probably know about Deutsche Optik in Yerington, Nevada, whereever that is. They are probably your best bet for examining them yourself if you are up to the trip there from Scappoose. I just got their latest catalog. www.deutscheoptik.com. They are the North American Distributor for Optolyth. The Vianova's are expensive as you noted. The 8 x 56 lists for $1369.00. According to the catalog it has a 7.3 degree FOV and weighs 1250 grams. The 7 x 42 isn't listed. They also sell Optolyth's Alpin Porro Prism binoculars and do their warranty work too. They use Mountain Optics in Lakeside, Mt. for the work, according to their catalog.
Bob

 

[John from Scappoose]

Thanks ceasar. Yerington is about a fifteen hour drive from Scappoose and about two hours (at least) from Reno. I'll wait until I'm in Reno next then consider the trip.

They seem awfully expensive for a product that gets almost no attention in the US birding press and just about as little in the EU press as well. They are either an underappreciated gem or a dramatically overpriced "also ran" product. The specs aren't great on paper but I've known other products to be pretty bland on paper as well and still remarkably good in the field due to a feature or design element not conventionally covered in standard marketing-oriented feature charts.

 

[chartwell99]

They seem awfully expensive for a product that gets almost no attention in the US birding press and just about as little in the EU press as well. They are either an underappreciated gem or a dramatically overpriced "also ran" product.

The latter, I suspect. I succumbed a while back to Deutsche Optik's purple prose recommendations and bought at different times an Optolyth 8 x 30 NG porro (comparable to Swift Ultralite porros, i.e., optically fine although the Optolyth seemed extremely fragile and way overpriced) and an 8 x 45 Optolyth abbe koenig roof glass (the "Royal" model, as I recall). The roof glass was optically excellent, aided I'm sure by the rarely seen from anyone but Zeiss abbe koenig prisms and excellent coatings. The binocular also had some quirky features including focussing wheels at both ends of the hinges, old timely roll down eyecups, grey rubber armor "Lotus effect" treated to repel moisture and dirt, and the deepest and best rainguard in the business. Fragility was even worse than the porros (collimation lost by having the glasses bump against my chest during an afternoon walk). I sold them all, kept the roof prism rainguard, and have zero interest in the Via Nova series.

 

[KorHaan]

Don't know about the ViaNova series, but the Optolyth Alpin Classic porro series is terrible; I once owned a 7x42 model that fogged up in light rain, got a second 7x42 on warranty which I pampered but stupidly left on a plane at the airport in Rome, ordered a 7x50 model I used in arid West-Africa, but once back in Holland this one fogged up on the very first outing in the rain.
I have considered buying a Royal model roof but the above mentioned experience of roofs going out of collimation just by bumping against the chest, by Chartwell99, has put me off completely.

Greetings, Ronald