Read about alternatives to the Opticron HR WP 8x42 porro in the Optics section for telescope reviews, microscope comparisons, binocular reviews and guides to spotting scopes.
Author
Mulligatawny owl New Member
Registered: February 2011 Posts: 11
Review Date: Tue 1, March, 2011
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £200.00| Rating: 10
Strengths:
Breathtaking sharpness of image, lightweight and ergonomic, waterproof, fogproof, jewel like 3D image.
Weaknesses:
None, though the smallish field of view and slightly limited close focus may put some off.
These binoculars are optically and ergonomically astonishing, and amazing value for money at around £200. The sharpness, brightness and contrast of the image is just breathtaking. They will completely embarrass and outperform any roof prism binocular of a similar price and indeed many far far more expensive ones too.
I also own the Hawke frontier ED 8x42's, the Hawkes have been claimed by many to match the image quality of alpha roofs from the likes of zeiss, Leica and Swarovski, they are indeed wonderful binoculars, but the HRWP's are better! They are sharper, have better contrast and have that beautiful 3D porro image.
And lest anyone think I have any bias toward opticron, I previously owned the significantly more expensive Opticron Veranos and thought these were very poor optically in comparison to the HRWP's ( and the Hawke frontier ED )
What you get with these binoculars is a feeling of true quality. They really deserve to be more well known. Its such a shame that porros are so out of fashion, they have more of a 3D view than roofs, making it easier to pick out birds from the background. A porro of the quality of the HRWP is something very special and a complete pleasure to own.
The HRWP's also work fantastically well with glasses due to the long eye relief. They have a lovely ergonomic feel to them and are actually quite light and compact. They are internal focus, making them stronger than conventional porros and also completely waterproof and fogproof.
Dont let the comparitively narrow field of view put you off either, in use its really not an issue due to the incredible depth of field and 3D image.
In short, stunning, simply stunning and a real joy to use.
