SVBONY SV202, a Bad Sample? (1 Viewer)

[has530]

After hearing many good things about the SV202 ED I decided to try them for myself. To say the least I am very unimpressed. To start with the good:

• Quite compact and lightweight
• Nice focuser with no slack
• Don't feel flimsy or cheap
• Adequate glare control

Now for the interesting stuff, the bad. The easy things to complain about, strong pincushion distortion, FOV narrower than spec by about .2 deg, modest central sharpness, off axis CA at a medium level... but the real doozy for me is the asymmetry of the view. In both barrels, the bottom ~30% of the view is very blurry. Star testing shows this is largely astigmatism with some field curvature and coma. The left, right, and top of the FOV do not display this (although the top, opposite the blur does show the strongest CA).
My laundry machine sticker, in field center text is legible and CA well enough controlled:
At the top of the FOV there is much more CA but most text is still legible enough:

And lastly at the bottom, the blurring anomaly sets in.


My question is, was this behavior introduced by severe tilting of some elements to achieve collimation? Has anyone else with this model noticed this? I have been trying to return them for about two weeks now but they are balking asking for all sorts of verification photos of the problem but we shall see how that shakes out.

 

[Yellow hammer]

Hi! Interresting issue here. I Will check in my samples when I arrive home (I have 8x32 and 10x42). Wich model do you have?

 

[has530]

Hi! Interresting issue here. I Will check in my samples when I arrive home (I have 8x32 and 10x42). Wich model do you have?

Whoops, 8x32. Forgot to mention that!

 

[dries1]

If they are stalling, I would push to return them and never buy another. It seems like they are saying this is in spec.

 

[pat mitchel]

I agree with dries 1 as it seems to be a tactic to cause the unhappy customer to run out his return time. Try to get the ccard charge taken off the card as well

 

[has530]

With the shipping time from China I've already run out the credit card window. It was through PayPal though which says I have until mid July to dispute it so hopefully won't be a problem. It's just odd that the problem is identical in both barrels. If it is in spec and common to all of this model I would have expected someone to pick it up in the handful of reviews I've read of these.

 

[Richard D]

It doesn't look like it performs particularly different to the photos in this thread: Roof prisms (Svbony SV202 10x42) Chromatic aberration, cushioning, blurring at edge - comparison, example pictures?

I suspect it's within manufacturers spec.

 

[pat mitchel]

I seem to recall canip (pinac on cloudy nights) and astro neil have reviewed the svbony though I'm not sure of the obj size. Might be worth the search. Pat

 

[pat mitchel]

Product Review: Svbony SV202 8 x 32 ED Binocular. | Neil English.net

That's one- he posts on the group

 

[has530]

Product Review: Svbony SV202 8 x 32 ED Binocular. | Neil English.net

That's one- he posts on the group

Yes I have read that. No mention of the problem I had which I'm inclined to believe means it wasn't present as I would expect he would pick up on it.

 

[pat mitchel]

If you PM Neil, I'm sure he will get back to you. Easy gent to deal with. Regards,Pat

 

[Binocollector]

Mine doesn't show that but it is a bug I noticed with other Chinese binos, like the APM 6x30 porro which has a rather uneven field curvature. Apart from that I really like it though. But I am not expecting miracles from a bino at that price.
Let's face it -- these are binos that cost 100 bucks. My 60€, MiC, Celestron Ultima 8x32 performs better.
So I think opposed to what others have said -- these do not "punch above their weight class". Honestly, I almost never saw a bino that does. Most of the time you get what you pay for (with some exceptions). That being said, the build quality compared to a Nikon P7 (which is entirely made of plastic) is pretty nice.
But optically, neither my 8x32 nor my 10x50 SV202 are all that great. CA is way worse than it should be considering the ED-glass. And they do have a color bias towards green. Not much but it's there. Also -- pincushion is about the same as in an old Japanese porro from the 70's -- only not as obvious since the FoV is smaller.
For me it's a bino to keep in the car or give to kids or something.
So far Chinese binos have been a mixed bag for me -- some are excellent (Oberwerk Mariner 8x40 comes to mind or some of the DDoptics, Kite, GPO etc.) but they are still often not up to the level of other countries (Philippines, Japan, Russia, not even talking about European makers) when it comes to binos.
For example the SV202 10x50 is rather long for this type of instrument and still shows quite a bit of CA despite the ED glass. My Fujinon KF 10x42, made in the Philippines, shows less CA and is much more compact -- and is not advertised as having ED glass.

 

[looksharp65]

Svbony and Retevis - RED ALERT!!!
Wouldn't touch them even with a pole, and my experience as described in my thread should explain why. That said, the SV406P ED scope I bought before the 10x50 is really nice, however I gave it away. I'd like another but I dare not.

//L

 

[has530]

Svbony and Retevis - RED ALERT!!!
Wouldn't touch them even with a pole, and my experience as described in my thread should explain why. That said, the SV406P ED scope I bought before the 10x50 is really nice, however I gave it away. I'd like another but I dare not.

//L

Everything you have described in perfectly matches up with the process I am currently in. However I am currently in the step where I repeatedly reiterate I want a refund and their current offer is a partial credit towards another item in their store. This was my first experience with them and will certainly be my last. I do however like the micro ED spotting scope.

 

[jeanpierrec]

Everything you have described in perfectly matches up with the process I am currently in. However I am currently in the step where I repeatedly reiterate I want a refund and their current offer is a partial credit towards another item in their store. This was my first experience with them and will certainly be my last. I do however like the micro ED spotting scope.

Helllo has530, did you solve it somehow?
I also have the same binoculars as you.
I noticed the same problem as yours but by focusing for the entire travel of the wheel back and forth over time the problem seems to have gone away. Or I just got used to it.
All in all I don't find the binoculars that bad. They are certainly binoculars to be messed with and used in extreme situations.
I find the SV202 8x42 version much more performing. I haven't seen the same problems and I find it sharper in the center.
I would like to purchase the 10x42 version next Black Friday. I'll update you.
In the meantime I'm very undecided between a used Celestron 8x32 nature or a Nikon p7 8x30.
I know the Nikon, I have the 10x30 version, I like it a lot but it's decidedly plasticky. It also doesn't have a tripod mounting screw and that's something I don't like.

 

[exup]

Helllo has530, did you solve it somehow?
I also have the same binoculars as you.
I noticed the same problem as yours but by focusing for the entire travel of the wheel back and forth over time the problem seems to have gone away. Or I just got used to it.
All in all I don't find the binoculars that bad. They are certainly binoculars to be messed with and used in extreme situations.
I find the SV202 8x42 version much more performing. I haven't seen the same problems and I find it sharper in the center.
I would like to purchase the 10x42 version next Black Friday. I'll update you.
In the meantime I'm very undecided between a used Celestron 8x32 nature or a Nikon p7 8x30.
I know the Nikon, I have the 10x30 version, I like it a lot but it's decidedly plasticky. It also doesn't have a tripod mounting screw and that's something I don't like.

The SV202 8x32 outperforms the Celestron Trailseeker 8x32, which is a step up from the Nature DX 8x32...... not sure why you would want a new set of bins that would possibly cost more and underperform the set you already have.

I have found that I needed to go to an Opticron Verano VHD 8x32 to better the SV202 and even then, it is mostly a larger sweetspot.

 

[jeanpierrec]

I thank you for the answer. It is certainly an opinion that will help me calm my impulse to purchase. I will wait for Black Friday to get the 10x42 svbony and possibly also the Nikon p7 8x42 for its lightness.

 

[iseegeorgesstar]

Helllo has530, did you solve it somehow?
I also have the same binoculars as you.
I noticed the same problem as yours but by focusing for the entire travel of the wheel back and forth over time the problem seems to have gone away. Or I just got used to it.
All in all I don't find the binoculars that bad. They are certainly binoculars to be messed with and used in extreme situations.
I find the SV202 8x42 version much more performing. I haven't seen the same problems and I find it sharper in the center.
I would like to purchase the 10x42 version next Black Friday. I'll update you.
In the meantime I'm very undecided between a used Celestron 8x32 nature or a Nikon p7 8x30.
I know the Nikon, I have the 10x30 version, I like it a lot but it's decidedly plasticky. It also doesn't have a tripod mounting screw and that's something I don't like.

Do you mean the 8x32 you find the best performing out of the bunch?

Thinking about getting these as an entry-level gift binos for non-hobbyists for the holidays.

edit: the neil english review states an 8x42. Now I'm more confused. On aliexpress i only see 8x32, 10x42, 10x50

Their sale was suppose to end yesterday but it's still on sale price today. Guess they just want to empty inventory I guess.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804919045791.html

edit 2: Seems like there's different listings from the same official svbony store. Adding to the confusion. The original above link includes "ed" in the title but when you click on the thumbnail to cycle through different variations of the binocular it doesn't say ED. Seems like a listing oversight and I assume these are still ED binos.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799983704979.html

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804718808460.html

 

[yarrellii]

After a very good experience with the 8x32 SV202 (which I finally gave to a friend looking for her firs ever binoculars) I decided to get the 8x42, after hearing from several forum members that is probably the best performer of the SV202 series. Well, I don't know if mine is (like the title claims) another bad sample, but I got this very familiar flaw on the outer edge of the field stop:



... and I say familiar because this is what me (and other forum members) have experienced with the Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32:



Above, the SvBony SV202 8x42, below the Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32.

Oddly enough, I don't recall my SV 8x32 suffering from this ring of reflection. I remember contacting Vortex about this and they said it was due to cost-cutting (and proceded to offer a refund if I wasn't satisfied). With the 8x32 Svbony I didn't get this, nor have I heard anyone around here complain about this on any SV202 8x42, so I guess this is bad sample due to poor QC. To honour the truth, this ring of reflection was more prominent on the Diamondback, and on the SV202 seems to be critically related to eye relief. If I rest my eyebrows on the eyecups (like I usually do with all my binoculars in order to get a proper eye relief and viewing comfort), I can see a hint of it, if I move the binoculars ever so slightly away from my face, literally something like 1 mm or less (simply trying to apply less pressure against the socket of my eyes) it is almost gone, but on the other hand if I push the binoculars a little tighter agains my face (like you would do on a windy day) then the ring becomes more obvious. I guess spectacle wearers could have a clear advantage here.

Otherwise, although I haven't been able to compared them side by side, the 8x42 offers a very similar experience to the 8x32, it's very crisp, sharpness and contrast are great, build quality (like "feel in the hand") seems great for the 100 € price, focus action is irreprochable (if a little hard, maybe due to the temperature, I don't remember the focus wheel on the 8x32 being so hard to move. And just like the 8x32, CA is there (but again, nothing to complain about if you consider the price), and probably sweet spot is (or feels) a little wider than on the 8x32. So, again, a great deal, but in this particular unit, with a flaw that can be quite annoying if used for long periods of time. I bought this as a glovebox bino, so nothing to worry about.

Anyway, I guess this sort of thing is only to be expected at this price point... and I guess is where the warranty of brands like Vortex could play a role in the final buying decision.

 

[Binocollector]

That's strange. My 8x32 and 10x50 don't show this reflection.