| This is an inexpensive waterproof porro prism binocular for the all-weather birder on a budget. It provides very bright images in the low light of early morning and in bad weather situations. It is sealed and filled with dry nitrogen to be waterproof and fogproof no matter what the weather. In addition, special water-shedding Rainguard coatings on the optics keep fog and rain from beading on the lenses and obscuring your vision during wet weather. It close focuses to 15’. This is acceptable for general birding, but not spectacular. (Keep in mind that an 8x binocular at 15’ will give you the same size image as your unaided eye from a distance of under 2’. Since few birds will let you get within 2’ of them without spooking, 15’ is a usable practical close focus limit.) Its BaK-4 optics are fully multicoated for high light transmission and contrast. Its usable eye relief of 15mm is fine for unaided observing, and will only mildly vignette the field for those who must wear eyeglasses while observing. A tripod adapter socket is built in for extended no-hands observing. Overall, this is a good general purpose waterproof/fogproof binocular at a surprisingly reasonable price. Features of this binocular . . . Porro prism design. B-body porro prism design has higher light transmission than comparable roof prism designs twice its cost. Fully multicoated optics. Multilayer antireflection coatings on all air to glass surfaces for maximum light transmission. BaK-4 prisms. High quality BaK-4 barium crown glass prisms have 100% internal reflectivity for high light transmission and contrast. Waterproof and fogproof. Dry nitrogen-filled and O-ring sealed to be waterproof and fogproof in all temperature and climate extremes. Designed to operate reliably in all climates and weather conditions. Rainguard lens coatings. Special hydrophobic (water-repelling) coatings applied to the external optics cause the condensation from rain, fog, or snow to form in much smaller droplets than on standard optical coatings. Smaller droplets scatter less light, resulting in higher light transmission and a clearer image. Wide field of view. The 8 degree field is quite wide for an 8x binocular, particularly when compared with generally substantially-narrower 8x roof prisms. Armor. Ribbed and textured black rubber armor absorbs noise and shock and provides a sure grip in fall and spring’s notoriously wet conditions. Molded-in thumb grooves and a contoured body shape keep the hands positioned perfectly for proper balance. Twist-up eyecups. A quarter turn of the rubber-rimmed eyecups retracts them into the binocular body for eyeglass or sunglass use, rather than rolling down. This eliminates the possibility of the eyecups drying out and cracking with age and use, as with conventional rolldown eyecups. A quarter turn in the opposite direction extends the eyecups for non-eyeglass use. Fast focusing. Only one and a quarter turns of the comfortably-large ribbed focus knob moves from the 15’ near focus to the horizon. The focus knob is easily operated in cold weather, even when wearing gloves or mittens. Rotary diopter correction. A continuously variable diopter ring on the right eyepiece allows you to match the binocular optics precisely to your individual eyesight for a sharp image. The ring takes a little extra effort to turn. In addition, the contoured body shape keeps the ribbed adjustment ring out of the way of your hands when the binocular is in use. Together, these features make it unlikely that the diopter control will accidentally be moved out of adjustment when you least expect it, as is often the case with lesser binoculars. Wide neck strap. The comfortable wide woven neck strap makes the 29.8 ounce binocular easy to carry during all-day birding sessions. Tripod adaptable. A standard 1/4”-20 thread socket for attaching an optional tripod adapter is located at the front end of the binocular’s center hinge. A thread-in plastic logo plate covers the tripod socket when not in use. Soft case. A soft case, with shoulder strap, is standard equipment. |
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