Seeking advice - lightweight bino in the £150 range (1 Viewer)

[chris6]

From typo's review: "These Fujinons gave quite remarkable results that would at least match the most expensive binoculars on the market. It genuinely is a very sharp binocular that would certainly satisfy even the most demanding eyesight in optical terms."

- and you don't need to try them because everyone else has done it for you

 

[Binocollector]

Only downside -- silver coatings. So they might be a bit dimmer than comparable models with dielectric coatings. There is a newer model with dielectric coatings though.

Kenko Global - UltraVIEW EX OP 8x32 DH III

kenkoglobal.com

I do own the 10x42 KF (which has a different body though but it's also made by Kenko) and it is indeed pretty good for the money. But the focuser is kind of stiff and the eye cups a bit to "plasticky". They have very little CA though. In fact better than something like the Svboy SV202 8x32 or 10x50.

 

[chris6]

That's interesting although I did not find Sightron clones, including Kenko Ultraview 8x32 OP DHII, to be dim,
and when price comes into it it's quite hard to find anything decent below £150.

Unfortunately, at least in Uk, Kenco binoculars are quite hard to find although the occasional one does appear from time to time,
and even OPII was invariably >£200

At the lower end the main snags are often the inadequate Q.C. = poor focus action, and the blurred view away from the centre.

also see Kenko Ultraview EX OP DH II 8x32 - Reviews

 

[chris6]

Today I had the chance to compare Fujifilm KF 8x32 with a huge but lovely pair of Swift Stormking 7x50 (independent eyepiece focus) which has once on CN forum been called 'the best Swift binoculars ever made', and thought the little KF came off best.

Because of its configuration the Stormking does not need focussing but KF's focus snap made it easy to adjust. They were equally sharp across the field but KF had better contrast, its field of view was larger, the 8x image was bigger anyway, and KF was better with glasses. KF was also brighter than the Swift, a porro with 50mm objective lenses.

 

[Binocollector]

That's interesting although I did not find Sightron clones, including Kenko Ultraview 8x32 OP DHII, to be dim,
and when price comes into it it's quite hard to find anything decent below £150.

I just tested my KF 10x42 Fuji against a 10x42 with dielectric coatings -- the difference in brightness during the day is minimal at best and only noticeable when I put one bino in front of one eye and the other in front of the other eye. Then I can see a teeny, tiny difference in brightness when looking at the clouds. Not sure how much that would be in percent of transmission. It might become more obvious in low light conditions.
But for all intents and purposes during the day it will probably not make a difference.

 

[julay]

That’s great research but none of the data will tell you or your partner whether they work for them.

I would urge you both to go to a shop and make sure they fit your partner’s hands and face and that they are easy to use. This would also allow you both to try their pre-loved binoculars which can represent great value for money.
For interest - I have a pair of Hawke Endurance ED pocket binoculars that were immediately comfortable but I still spent a couple of hours choosing (£129) they’re a double hinge design and my partner just can’t use them and we can’t work out why - good job they weren’t a gift !

Or as an alternative why not make it into a great excuse for a good day out ?
Lots of RSPB reserves sell binoculars (as do WWT and some County Wildlife Trust reserves). The RSPB have their own brand binoculars you can field test, with no pushy sales chit-chat (not that I have experienced pushy sales at any optics shop).

Many reserves have "optics days", for instance my local RSPB reserve in Cheshire has an optics day, organised with Viking Optics in a couple of weeks.

also, Opticron run regular open events see this link

https://www.opticron.co.uk/dealers-and-events

Good Luck and enjoy the experience

Which reserve is that? I was at Burtonmere today; there was no indication of any events.

 

[Mike Crawley]

Which reserve is that? I was at Burtonmere today; there was no indication of any events.

julay - I was referring to Burton Mere Wetlands when I wrote this (on April 5th) and if I remember correctly the Opticron event was about a week later on Saturday and Sunday.
There was an optics event there just 3 days ago, if I wasn’t on holiday I would have been volunteering at the event.