Binoculars review
Simmons Wilderness 10x42 Roof
The Simmons company, although taken over by Meade, is still present on the market, offering binoculars, spotting scopes and riflescopes. The Wilderness series includes cheap Porro and roof prism binoculars. When it comes to roof prism devices we can choose from the following models: 8x25, 10x25, 12x25, 8x32, 10x42 and 12x50. In the Porro class we have two models with the parameters of 8x42 and 10x42.
The binoculars are equipped with BaK-4 glass prisms, and their lenses are covered by multilayer coatings. The instruments are also waterproof and nitrogen-filled.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x | 42mm | 101/1000(5.8o) | BaK-4/roof | 13.8 mm | 680g | 299PLN |
Results of the review
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.89+/-
0.05mm Right: 41.81+/- 0.05mm |
7/8.0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.82+/- 0.15x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 64+/- 3% | 5/15.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Medium. | 5.5/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Medium. | 5.8/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 29% +\- 3% | 2/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Slight. | 7.2/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 84% +\- 3% from the field of view centre. | 6.5/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Slight but noticeable. | 3.6/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Very distinct yellow. | 1.8/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3.9/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Solid but it is difficult to set the inner tubes apart. Regulated eyecups but they pull out under pressure. Slippery rubber. | 6.5/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Comfortable central wheel. Comfortable ring on the right eyepiece but it moves the lens and is very tight. | 4.3/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | Uncomfortable. | 2.5/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 56 to 75mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 4.2 m | 0.5/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 54.7 degrees. | 5.5/10.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 5.57 +\- 0.03 degrees and was by 0.23 of a degree narrower than in the specifications. | 4/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Dark but shiny. Scratched bottom. Hairs and rubber splinters getting into the field of view. A hair on the right prism. | 2/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
4.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Navy blue coatings (1 layer most probably) on objective lenses and eyepieces. Not covered prisms. High intensity. | 3/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 5 | 3.5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 51st place in the overall ranking of our 10x42 binoculars’ test. | 105.6/170
62.1% |
||||
| Econo result | 23rd place in the econo ranking of our 10x42 binoculars’ test. | 3.6pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- handy casing,
- slight coma,
- quite sharp images,
- good quality BaK- 4 glass prisms.
Cons:
- low transmission,
- bad blackening and cleanliness inside inner tubes,
- high distortion,
- field of view narrower than declared in specifications,
- minimum focus from over 4 meters,
- yellow image,
- coatings of average quality and lack of coatings on the prisms.
Quite a nice surprise. The cheapest instrument in our test and the result still very decent, positioning this pair of binoculars as a strong rival of the Delta Optical Forest 10x42 which score was similar, but the price – higher and the field of view - distinctly narrower. However, paying about 100 USD for a roof prism device we must be aware of its flaws and their list is quite long.
