7X50 BINOCULAR WITH COMPASS

HERE ARE TWO REVIEWS, THE FIRST IS BY RAFFI KATZ OF QUICKTEST, THE SECOND IS BY BRIN BEST, AUTHOR OF BINOCULARS AND PEOPLE.

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REVIEW BY RAFFI KATZ

This review is based on the experience of myself, Raffi, as regards the optical quality, and also the advice of an optical dealer who specialises in boating binoculars, who evaluated the compass and sighting graticule.

ORIGIN

QUICKTEST imports these from the manufacturers in China who say they are 'military' - they even have "military binocular" printed on them, and the manufacturers do quote an impressive array of military standards, supposedly rugged enough to survive a short drop onto concrete (but don't try it!) and supposedly waterproof (but best not to drop it into the sea…just in case).

GENERAL FEATURES

The compass works very smoothly and can be easily read to the nearest half degree. It also has an illuminator so that you see it in the dark. The sighting graticules are to measure the distance of object of known size, or the size of objects of known distance.

Rainguard to protect against rain /splashes; lens caps are tethered so that they can't get lost; rubber armoured so it should be fairly rugged; exceptionally nice heavy-duty carrying case included.

COMPASS

I lent this to an optical dealer who is also a boating expert. His verdict: the compass is 5 degrees adrift by his measurements, but that's of no great consequence if you are aboard a boat, where the rocking of the boat means that your readings will only ever be to within 10 degrees - so don't rely on these for taking accurate bearings for navigation on a boat. However, for general walking and map-reading, no problem. Similarly, the sighting graticules are fine if you want to know the approximate distance or size of a wild animal, but not to be recommended for judging the size of a target in the battlefield.

OPTICAL QUALITY

For me, this is THE important factor, I am really not interested in 'features', I'm only interested in the optical quality. And my verdict? - really very nice! There is no doubt that the optics are nowhere as good as the top models of Zeiss, Swarovsky, Fujinon, Nikon etc, however, the sharpness and brightness of the image is good enough for even myself (very fussy) to take on holiday. That IS a recommendation.

RECOMMENDATION

If you are looking for a top quality compass you can rely on for navigating, or accurate sighting graticules ready to use on the battlefield - forget it, this binocular is simply not good enough. For walking in the hills or holidaying by the sea, no problem.

If you want a better-than average binocular, far better than you would find in your local high street photographic store, then this is good, and it has the added advantage of the compass and the 'military' specification.

If you are a binocular enthusiast and you already have a 7X50 binocular worth hundreds of pounds, you might want to buy one of these just to leave in the car, and not be too worried it if gets stolen or broken.

REVIEW BY BRIN BEST
(Brin Best is the author of Binoculars and People)

This nicely built medium-sized binocular is a good example of the plethora of models now emerging from China which originate from, or are inspired by, military designs, and are both well-built and have pleasing optical performance. Its high specification – incorporating both an integral compass and a rangefinding graticule – makes is especially attractive for marine use, hence its English name. It is an unbranded model that bears all the hallmarks of an instrument that has been made in China, and inspired by a military design. In physical appearance it resembles similar models made by Steiner (the Observer Compass Marine model, new price c.£400) and Bushnell (Tactical model, new price c. £200).

The binocular is listed on the box as waterproof and is of the individual eyepiece focus design, which helps to preserve the watertight nature of the instrument.

Optical performance 7/10

The immediate impression you get when looking through this binocular is impressive: it is bright, sharp across much of the field and reproduces colours faithfully and with no obvious colour cast. It is only when you compare it to the very best 7x50s currently made in China that its optical performance is shown to be clearly inferior. For example, the Monk Artemis 7x50 (new price £180; optical score 9/10) [no longer available] beats the ‘Boating Binocular’ in terms of both brightness and centre and off-field sharpness, although the colours are not noticeably richer. The brightness of the ‘Boating Binocular’ is testament to the high quality multicoatings now being applied to mass-produced binoculars in Chinese factories.

Mechanical performance/build quality 8/10

This is a reasonably well-built binocular that looks like it is designed to withstand fairly rough use in testing conditions. Compared to the Bushnell Tactical model it appears to be not quite so solidly made. The focusing mechanism seems reasonably well put together, and the compass appears to work smoothly and accurately. The graticule, once mastered, represents a useful additional feature of this model.

Ergonomics/design 7/10

The physical design of this binocular is similar to a long line of models first pioneered by the German optical firm Steiner. It is covered in thick green rubber armour to protect against knocks and shocks and has fold-down rubber eyecups for spectacle wearers. The binocular balances well in the hand, is not unduly heavy and it is relatively easy to hold the binocular shoulders in your hands while also adjusting the focusing mechanisms.

Overall assessment 7/10

Overall, the ‘Boating Binocular’ represents a fairly good choice if the user is looking for a reasonably rugged, waterproof binocular with fairly good but not outstanding optical quality. Its price point should be about £100, since it is clearly inferior to the Bushnell Tactical binocular, which retails at c.£200.

SPECIFIATIONS

Magnification: 7X

Objective Diameter: 50 mm

Weight (Binocular only, without case and packaging):1360g

Size 200 X 103 X 150mm

Nitrogen filled. Metal body. M22 style measuring range Mil-Reticle: the reticle is built in the binocular right half and is adjusted to be parallax-free. It is suitable for all military and government services.

Mil-spec standard waterproof, shockproof and fog proof, tested to standards GJB1240, GJB150 and MIL-STD-810. [Note, these standards quoted by manufacturers, I haven't sent a specialist in military standards to the factory to see if this is true, and neither can I tell you anything about what these standards actually are].

Electron compass and cursors.

Porro BAK4 prisms, multi-coated.

Exit Pupil Diameter: 7.1mm

Field of View - Angular: 7.5°

Relative Brightness: 50.4
Dark Index: 18.7

Resolution (Center):=4.5

Image Tilt:=1°
Image Parallelism:=30'

Objective Lens: two separate
Eyepiece Lens: three groups of five

Anti-Reflective Lens Coating: FMC/All broadband
Anti-Reflective Prism Coating: FMC/ All broadband

Prism System: Porro/BaK4

Focus System: Points mode

Closed Interpupillary Distance :56mm
Open Interpupillary Distance:74mm

Positive Ocular Diopter Adjustment:+5(diopter)
Negative Ocular Diopter Adjustment:-5(diopter)
Ocular Diopter Adjustment Location: 0.5(diopter)

Alignment: maximum eyepieces distance and minimum eyepieces distance
Convergence:=20'
Divergence :=60'
Divergence:=20'

Drop Test Standard: 15cm thick sand layer, the product in a polybag, 1.83M drop height.
Shock: frequency 5-55-5Hz half sine sweep, the maximum acceleration is 5g, 5minutes per cycle, time; 60 minutes

Water Resistance / Proof: depth of 1m/60minutes
High Temperature Resistance-Operational: 55?±2 ?
Low Temperature Resistance-Operational: - 40?±3?
Garner Temperature: +70?