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Product Review: The Sky Rover Banner Cloud 8 x 42 Binocular (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dipperdapper
- Start date
Okay, I used these today on a seven hour seawatch off west coast (of Ireland). Good passage of Cory's, Great, & Sooty Shearwaters and one nice Pom. Obviously I was using a scope most of the time, but for 'close in' birds or to relax the eyes I used the SRBC. The extra wide angle was very nice, balance in the hands also. I really couldn't find any fault or niggle that annoyed me (and I'm usually pretty picky at that with binos). CA just non-existent, even with high contrast between bird and sea. Light conditions varied from misty and hazy to bright and sunny. I don't use lens caps on objectives or oculars, so can't report what they're like in the field, but back home they fit snugly. Strap is comfortable with nicely-padded neck section. This evening I'm going to rig up some kind of finnstick for them, using a monopod and....I dunno, a coat hanger, duct-tape, whatever....I think these are 'keepers', they piqued my interest when I first read about them here on BF, but now that I have a pair, I'm very pleased and not in the market for a more expensive 8x42, even when I retire next year.
Today one of the birders at the Bridges had a pair of NL Pure, bit I was too shy to ask him for a try-out so I could compare with my SRBC. I think his were 32mm anyway. The SRBC again performed really well. Because I love IS, I did compare 'shake' while viewing passing Cory's etc. to my IS 8x20. To be honest, I could hand-hold the SRBC steady enough to make little difference; although they are not lightweight, they are steady in the hand (my hands anyway).
Some things I forgot to mention...I'm sixty-two, I don't wear glasses anymore since getting laser surgery in one eye about 15 years ago. My vision is very good but close focus accommodation getting steadily worse. I know there are arguments for and against getting higher-performing binos as one ages, personally I don't think an extra 2k would give me, at my age, a 'better view' than the SRBC, but that's an entirely personal choice and I hesitate to look through NL or similar for fear I will be proven wrong
Some things I forgot to mention...I'm sixty-two, I don't wear glasses anymore since getting laser surgery in one eye about 15 years ago. My vision is very good but close focus accommodation getting steadily worse. I know there are arguments for and against getting higher-performing binos as one ages, personally I don't think an extra 2k would give me, at my age, a 'better view' than the SRBC, but that's an entirely personal choice and I hesitate to look through NL or similar for fear I will be proven wrong
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Dipperdapper
Well-known member
😁
ArchStanton
Well-known member
I wonder if they salt the samples that are to be reviewed. I would only buy binoculars made in PRC from an established manufacturer and authorized dealer because you might be SOL if you had to return them or have them serviced. I had my sights on only MIJ binoculars but ended up with the MIC Opticron Oregons, which are very good for the price and will suffice for now. I had to eat crow after swearing I wouldn’t buy MIC binoculars. If the SRBC are that good, maybe they’ll eventually be carried by US retailers; however, for now I’ll just keep reading these great reviews.
MiddleRiver
Well-known member
Anti-Chinese sentiment - Wikipedia
Politics, economics, environmental issues, human rights... many reasons are often cited.
PS I'm not taking sides. That belongs in RF ;-)
Conndomat
United States of Europe
This is probably less about the hostility towards the SRBC and more about the hostility in so-called reviews against binocular users from other manufacturers.
Especially on CN, comparisons are presented that never took place and are based on remote diagnoses.
IMO there is an unprecedented advertising campaign going on here.
Andreas
Dipperdapper
Well-known member
😁
Just curious, thanks for the replies. Figured some of it was the chicom make and I completely understand. Since we are all forced to use Chinese made stuff everyday, admittedly it has become a little less of an issue for me to use Chicom binos even though I only have one. I have zero clue who Neil English is.
I've read the CN reviews but I'm not a member there. So some of those reviews are bogus, never took place at all, or what exactly?
Conndomat
United States of Europe
I'm afraid the guy is two posts above you...
Reviews about binoculars are given by people who have never had them in their hands, other people's opinions are simply adopted and are sold as facts.
De facto you should look at the history, there is now enough about the SRBC, suddenly Chinese vendors appear and put narratives into the world and reviews are written without any distance, people are insulted and political messages are also included.
It's already very obvious, but some people prefer to stick to the three monkeys...
The SRBC are certainly good binoculars in terms of optics, especially for the price, but the outrageous audacity with which these binoculars are advertised is very clearly.
Andreas
Hermann
Well-known member
There are at least three reviews by trustworthy people though: Canip, Holger Merlitz and Piergiovanni Salembi, all of them positive. All three of them without any hype. Not even some insults and highly suspect political messages.
Only too true.
Hermann
Addendum: I forgot to mention Sancho in the list of trustworthy people who wrote positive reviews. Sorry, Sancho ...
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I don't understand, why after more than half a year, and so many reviews both from notable and 'suspicious' person, the water is still muddy?
Do you skeptics really buy one and try out yourself?
Yes I'm range88, a notorious propagandistic vendor on CN who gave this product its strange name Banner Cloud in my review Jan this year.
Do you skeptics really buy one and try out yourself?
Yes I'm range88, a notorious propagandistic vendor on CN who gave this product its strange name Banner Cloud in my review Jan this year.
Hermann
Well-known member
The waters "are still muddy" because some (or many?) people here don't like Chinese products, for a variety of reasons. I'll leave it at that, that's a huge topic.
I personally don't see myself as a sceptic. Some of those reviews were quite convincing, especially those I mentioned in my post above, simply because they were from reviewers I've been reading for a long time and trust. But I still won't buy an SRBC now, for a number of reasons:
- I never buy a roof prism binocular that's new on the market straightaway. Roofs with internal focusing are complex products, and there are simply too many things that can go wrong. I'd rather wait until all the bugs (like the oil on the prisms ...) have been sorted out. I also want to see how reliable the focuser is after a year of two in the field. Once burnt, twice shy ...
- I much prefer products that are sold in Europe, simply because I want an address I can send the binoculars to in case something does go wrong. Sending them back to China for service ... No, too much hassle. Getting APM to sell them in Germany is a useful first step to gain more acceptance over here in Europe.
- All the SRBC models are too heavy for me. I won't carry an 8x42 that'll weigh in at >900 gr. with a strap and a rainguard.
- I'm nowadays more interested in low magnification binoculars (~7x magnification). Higher magnifications only interest me when the binoculars are stabilised. If KUO starts to make a decent 7x35 roof I might become interested.
Nice one ...
Hermann
Boogieshrew
Well-known member
I would be interested in any 7x35s appearing on the market. For me it's the ideal format. Smaller and lighter than 7/8x42 but with a 5mm exit pupil
