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Saturday 25 May 2013

Strathspey 10x42 Waterproof Binoculars Review

Strathspey maufacture their binoculars based on 2 things. These are quality and value. After field-testing their 10x42 waterproof binoculars, I can easily say that they are amazing value for money. They retail for £79.99, which is a bargain when you think about it. Personally, these binoculars, rival other binoculars, which cost at least twice as much.

It arrived in a standard cardboard box, which included the binoculars itself, a bag/holster to carry it, a lens cloth, a neck starp, and some instructions. All the accessories are well designed, and they look like they should last for years of use.
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The binoculars weigh 0.6kg, which feels quite heavy when used for long periods, but for normal use, they feel fantastic in hand. They're very comfortable, and feel very well balanced. You can easily reach all the neccessary parts like the focusing wheel, which is a big bonus for people with smaller hands. Under the barrels, there are some thumb rests, which make using the binoculars even more comfortable. The binoculars are too big to carry in a pocket or handbag, but they'll be fine in a rucksack, or hanging around your neck with the included neck strap. The neck strap is well designed, and has also been padded, so there's no strain on your neck when in use.
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It's very clear in the instructions, on how to set up the binoculars for your eyes. With the other binoculars I've used, the eyecup has been held right back close to my eyes, but with these binoculars, I have to hold them a bit more forward to get a clear picture, and get a comfortable hold. Because the binoculars are being held a bit more forward, I have to hold the two barrels a bit closer together, than what I do with my other binoculars. But after getting used to this new position, they feel like a dream to use, and I always get a nice circle with no dark shadows. The field of view is reasonably good (6.1 degrees),  which is 107m at 1000m. The rubber eye cups can either be positioned up or down. When down, it's meant to be used with glasses, and when up, it should be used without glasses. I don't wear glasses, but I prefer using the binoculars with the eye cups down.

When I first used the binocualrs, the centre focusing wheel was a bit stiff, but after using the binoculars for a couple of days, the focusing wheel soon loosened up, and now it's very easy to use. To change from focusing on a near object to focusing on a further one, it does require about 1 and a half turns. This means it's very fast and easy to focus on something far staright after focusing on something near.
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These binoculars have a magnification of 10x. This magnification allows you to see objects which are quite far away, while still having a good brightness and detail. The reason for the good brightness and detail, is that the large (42mm) lens collects lot of light. The image quality is fantastic, with no shadows, and nearly no chromatic aberration at all. The colours of objects through the lens look very well, and they are very similar to the colours in real life.

These binoculars have watertight seals, and are nitrogen filled, so they are waterproof and the nitrogen stops condensation forming on the lens. The optics are level IV and the prisms are BAK-4 so these binoculars are very high quality and are very resonably priced. The rubber body isn't sticky so it doesn't attract and collect dust particles so the binoculars will always, look nice and clean.

Overall, these binoculars, are very cheap for what they are. People spend so much more for binoculars with the same quality. For the price of £80, you are getting a real bargain. Strathspey say that their binoculars are good quality and good value, and after writing this review I can conclude, that this binocular, fits into both of these categories.

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