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Summary
Nikon Action 8x40 鈥?8x38, 8.15-deg, er=11mm, IPD=56-73, cf=11ft, fmc/fc
The Nikon Action has the widest fov 8.15-deg, has very good normal resolution, but has very poor boosted resolution. Outer fov sharpness is good to only 60% and deteriorates to poor by 65%, but that gives a 5.3-deg usable fov. It has no functioning internal baffles and is poorly blackened. However, it does illuminate the exit pupil very well and internal vignette is well controlled. Yet LM maximum is mag 9.1, possibly due to reduced contrast and less than optimum coatings. It is poor mechanically and ergonomically, with a wobbly eyepiece bridge and the shortest eye relief of 11mm. Mechanical build quality, very short eye relief, poor outer fov, lack of good baffles and slightly reduced aperture all lower the score on this one. It scores in the middle overall.
Garrett Classic 8x45 - 8x38, 7.3-deg, er=18mm, IPD=59-74, cf=15ft, fmc/fmc
The Garrett Classic looses significant points for the reduction of aperture. Resolution is the worst of the 8x binoculars. Delivery of light is unbalanced and has significant vignette, but the coatings and the exit pupil illumination are good. Field sharpness falls off immediately after 70% giving a net result 5.1-deg usable fov. IPD is limited to 59mm. Quick loss of field sharpness, significant reduction of aperture, significant vignette, and poor resolution move the total score to near the bottom of the list. Not recommended.
Oberwerk Mariner 8x40 鈥?8x32, 8.0-deg, er=16mm, IPD=62-73, cf 15ft, fmc/fmc
The Mariner is stopped down by internal baffles that have much too narrow an opening. The 8.0-deg fov makes it one of the widest, but it reaches sharp limt at 70% and falls off immediately afterwards. Usable fov of 70% means it has a 5.6-deg usable fov. Resolution is average and handheld resolution is very good. The Mariner scores well for lack of internal vignette high for illumination of the exit pupil. The low limiting magnitude results reflect significantly reduced aperture. Narrow limit IPD of 62mm is the worst of all binoculars. Due primarily to dramatic reduction in aperture and quick fall off of usable field, the Mariner scores are lowered. However, its still in the middle of the pack. Were it not for the dramatic reduction in aperture and the accompanying loss of illumination and LM, this binocular would score respectably in the average range of all 8x40s. Not recommended for children.
Oberwerk 8x56 - 8x48, 5.7-deg, er=21mm, IPD=59-72, cf=30ft, fmc/fc
This Oberwerk has the narrowest fov of all the 8s, 5.7-deg. The field is sharp to 75% but not usable beyond 75%. Usable fov is only 4.3-deg. It has one of the greatest amounts of aperture reduction due to mis-sized internals. It has significant internal vignette and poor illumination of the exit pupil. It has average normal resolution, but very poor boosted resolution. LM reflects the reduced aperture and vignette. Significant loss of points in almost every category places this one near the very bottom of the list. Not recommended.
Swift Ultralite 8x42 鈥?8x41, 6.5-deg, er=19mm, IPD=51-76, cf 20ft, fmc/fmc
It has good fov at 6.5-deg, sharp out to 75% and usable to 80% for a good net usable fov of 5.2-deg. Not waterproof. It has one of the widest ranges of IPD of all binoculars. Resolution is average, however handheld resolution is poor. There is internal vignette and light transfer is poor. The Swift loses most of its points for poor resolution and internal vignette. Still, overall score is average.
Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 鈥?8x39, 6.3-deg, er=13mm, IPD=57-74, cf 11ft, fmc/fmc
It has one of the highest percentages of sharp and usable field of view. 85% sharp, 95% usable, gives a 6.0-deg usable fov one of the widest measured. Has adjustable twist eyecups, focus lock. Coatings are very good, rank among the best. Resolution is excellent. It has issues with internal tilt and vignette, but illumination is good. LM is good. Mechanically very good. The Pentax loses points for vignette and narrow depth of field. A very good performer, it ranks near the top of the list. Recommended.
Bushnell Legend 8x42 Roof 鈥?8.2x41, 6.5-deg, er=17mm, IPD=58-74, cf=7ft, fmc/fmc-p
The Bushnell is fast focus and weighs 25oz. I especially like the contoured shape of this binocular and found it to be one of the most comfortable handheld. Everything works easily and does what it is supposed to do, providing a wide range of adjustability for different users, although IPD could be tight for children. It has moderate marks for field sharpness, but it has the widest usable fov of the roofs next to the 8xRegal. Good coatings. Contrast was not as good as the Regal. It shows very good resolution and gave one of the highest marks for handheld resolution. The Bushnell may not be the best in any category, but it does a lot of things very well and doesn't do anything really poorly. Among all 8xs, recommended for both terrestrial or astronomy.
Garrett DCF 8x42 ApoRoof - 8x41, 6.7-deg, er=19mm, IPD=57-71, cf=5ft, fmc/fmc-p
Widest fov of all the roofs. no false color at all, bright image, one eyecup constantly changed position needed to reset it every time I used it. No pincushion at all, may reduce desirability for terrestrial use. Very compact, very comfortable to carry around. Has nice image and ample eye relief. All resolution values are good and shows little axial tilt and transmits internal beam well, indicating little internal prism vignette. Looses points for lack of wide sharp fov, low LM, loose eyecup and difficult diopter. Still a good performer. Except for the finicky eyecup, I enjoyed this one for terrestrial use. If I wanted to see the faintest stars, I'd pick another.
Celestron Regal 8x42 Roof - 8.1x42, 6.3-deg, er=17mm, IPD=58-74, cf=6ft, fmc/fmc-p
The 8x42 Regal has ample eye relief and coatings are among the best. The Regal 8x42 has almost no field curvature and has one of the widest usable field of view of any binocular in this entire study. It is slow focus at close range, but fast focus otherwise. The internal vignette test shows a perfectly balanced image with little to no vignette. Illumination is good. LM shows near equal to some of the best 10x50s. Resolution is excellent. The 8x42 Regal is an outstanding astronomy binocular for its ease of use at the eye, excellent contrast, deep limit and low aberration wide field. I suppose these are all attributes that would make it a good terrestrial binocular also.
Nikon Action Ex 8x40 - 8x39, 8.1-deg, er=14mm, IPD=56-73, cf=13ft, fmc/fc
The Nikon AE is sound mechanically and has good ergonomics. Normal resolution is excellent. Boosted resolution is OK, not one of the best. Handheld res is very good. The aperture shows only minor reduction. Coatings do not rank as the best. Internal vignette is very well controlled, exit pupil is balanced and illumination is excellent. There are no internal reflections. Limiting magnitude scores well. Outer field sharpness falls off at 60% out, and is fair only out to 65%, but that still gives a 5.3-deg usable fov. Curvature contributes to a very wide range of depth of field. Eye relief is sufficient at 14mm. There is no chance of hitting the well recessed eye lens with your eyeglasses. Eye cups are widely adjustable and IPD covers a wide range. Diopter is very easy to adjust. Overall, the Nikon AE scores the highest of the 8x40s, but not by much over the Pentax PCF WP II, Celestron Regal or Fujinon BFL. Each does some things slightly better than the other. Strongly recommended.
The Nikon Action Extreme 8x40, shown here with both the AE10x50 and AE12x50, has exactly the same prism housing and eyepiece assembly, except perhaps for eyepiece focal length. The major difference is it has smaller objective cones. This is similar with almost all families of binoculars and can be seen with the Garrett Classics, the Oberwerk Mariners and the Nikon SEs.
A few words about the benchmarks:
Nikon SE 10x42 - 10.2x42, 6.2-deg, er=17mm, IPD=53-74, cf=13ft, fmc/fmc,
Very light at 24oz. (680g). No false color noticed. Very little field aberration, but mild curvature. Quite comfortable handheld, ample eye relief, not as much blackout issues as the 12x50SE. Relatively fast focus 30m-100m, but slow focus 30m-3m. Interior baffles and blackening is excellent, no internal reflections. Reaches the same LM as the 10x42Regal, the deepest of the roofs and better than many 10x50s. Extended object contrast is superior, better than the 10xRegal. Measures near best in normal power on-axis resolution, 6x boosted resolution and handheld resolution. Nearly sharp to the edge, usable field of view about 90% fov. Not waterproof . Aperture is true 10x42 and system shows very good transfer of light beam. Coatings are among the best made.
Fujinon BFL 8x42 - 8x40, 6.5-deg, er=11mm, IPD=57-73, cf=14ft, fmc/fmc
Very light at 24oz. (680g). No false color at all, no field curvature at all, very light and comfortable, although it would be nice if eye relief were about 2-3mm longer. In the short range, they are faster focus than any of the roofs. Just barely enough eye relief for me to use with my eyeglasses. Very well baffled interior of objective tubes, no internal reflections. Has one of the best on-axis resolution marks but also they hold up to show some of the best 6x boosted resolution AND they exhibit some of the best outer field sharpness. Focuses stars to very fine pinpoints. These are waterproof, nitrogen purged, aluminum alloy construction. They have a lifetime warranty. Right eyepiece has a clickstop diopter adjustment, very positive. The 8x42BFL are very comfortable in the hand, and at the eye. Right up to the eye, quick to grab the view, easy and quick to focus. |
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