Binoculars review
Vortex Crossfire 10x42
The Crossfire series consists of four roof prism models with the objective lens’s diameter of 32 and 42 mm and the magnification of 8 or 10x. Both sets of binoculars sport BaK-4 glass prisms and all air-to-glass surfaces were covered by mulilayer antireflection coating. The binoculars are waterproof, nitrogen-filled and padded with high quality rubber. Additionally, they have a comfortable eye relief distance and they come with lifetime warranty.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x | 42mm | 105/1000(6o) | BaK-4/roof | 16 mm | 620g | 504PLN |
Results of the review
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.23+/-
0.05mm Right: 41.22+/- 0.05mm |
4/8.0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.84+/- 0.15x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 79+/- 3% | 9/15.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Medium in the centre, high at the edge. | 5.5/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Slight. | 6.7/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the filed centre compared to the field of vision radius: 46% +\- 5% | 5/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Low although distinct at the very edge. | 7.1/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 69% +\- 6% from the field of vision centre. | 3/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Visible. | 2.9/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | A bit yellow. | 3.3/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
4.8/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Quite handy, medium sized. Solid. You can’t twist up the eyecups. | 6.4/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Comfortable central screw with the range of 420 degrees. Individual focusing moves very heavily with loud clicking and squelching; it also moves the outer lens. | 3/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is a comfortable exit with a screw which keeps the objective lens caps at the same time. | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 58.4 to 75.6mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.15 m. A splendid result! | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 55.9 degrees. | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 5.68 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was by 0.32 degree narrower than in specifications. | 3/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Black and slightly shiny. Beautiful matt black bottom. A huge speck of dirt on the left tube’s lens. Small specks of dust on prisms. | 3/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
OL: 4.0%, OR: 1.2%. |
3.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Green-yellow-purple on the objective lenses. Green on the prisms and eyepieces. Medium intensity. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | Liftetime warranty | 6/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 48 place in the overall ranking of the 10x42 mm binoculars’ test. | 112.7/170
66.3% |
||||
| Econo result | 14 place in the econo ranking of the 10x42 binoculars’ test. | 6.2pkt. |
Summary
Pros:- solid casing,
- low coma,
- slight astigmatism,
- good quality BaK-4 prisms,
- good quality antireflection coatings,
- sharp image already from 1.15 metres,
- negligible flares,
- good blackening inside the inner tubes,
- such good warranty conditions are a real phenomenon in this class of equipment.
Cons:
- loud clicking by individual focusing,
- dirt inside one tube,
- low sharpness at the edge of the field,
- objective lenses are closer to 41 mm than to 42,
- real field of view distinctly narrower than in the specifications.
The cons list includes some important flaws but it would be difficult to expect a lot from a roof prism 42 mm set of binoculars costing just about 100 USD. We must admit in this price segment the Vortex Crossfire undoubtedly deals the cards. The field of view, although narrower than in the specifications, is still wider than the competitors’; the build quality is acceptable for a Chinese product, the optics - quite decent, and the list of other “pros” – quite long. If you have only 100-150 USD and you have to buy a roof prism 10x42 instrument it would be difficult to find something distinctly better.
