Vortex Sidewinder 10x42
It was a kind of a ghost series –before it managed settle in for good on our market the producer decided to swap it for a series called Diamondback. Diamondbacks are not available yet but their parameters are the same as those of the Sidewinders. Judging by photos, their appearance hasn’t changed either.
Pros:
Cons:
The Sidewinder series consisted of two roof prism 8x42 and 10x42 models. The prisms were made of BaK-4 glass and were phase correction coated. The binoculars were produced in China.
Pictures
Manufacturer data
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 116/1000(6.6o) | BaK-4/roof | 16 mm | 692 g | 669 PLN |
Results of the review
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.97+/-
0.05 mm Right: 41.95+/- 0.05 mm |
8 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.87+/- 0.15x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 76+/- 3% | 8/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Low in the centre, higher on the edge. | 5.7/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Slight. | 6.5/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 25% +\- 3% | 2/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Slight. | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 82% +\- 4% from the field of vision centre. | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Noticeable. | 3.2/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Distinct yellow cream. | 2.7/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Exemplary. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3.5/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Handy, quite compact and solid. Comfortable to hold and to look through. Eyecups without detented stops but they don’t collapse in indirect positions. | 7.1/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Very comfortable central wheel (540 degrees). Comfortable individual focusing which moves the lens and works very tightly. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is a convenient exit. | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 55.7 to 73.3mm | 4/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.5 m. | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 60.9 deg (according to simple formula) and 56.0 deg (according to tangent formula). | 11.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.17 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was by 0.43 of a degree narrower than the value given in specifications. | 2/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Black but slightly shiny. Grey bottom. Specks of dust on the left prism. | 3.7/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
Egg-shaped pupils. |
4.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Green on the objective lenses. Green-purple on the eyepieces. Green on the prisms but one air-to-glass surface seems to be not covered. Medium intensity. | 3.7/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | Lifetime warranty | 6/6.0 | ||||
| Final result |
62.9%
47th place in the overall ranking of our 10x42 binoculars’ test. |
119.6 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 21st place in the econo ranking of our 10x42 binoculars’ test. | 4.1pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- solid casing,
- high class of prisms,
- minimum focus already from 1.5 metres,
- lifetime warranty,
- coma and astigmatism corrected quite well.
Cons:
- field of view significantly smaller than provided in the specifications,
- hefty distortion,
- egg-shaped exit pupils,
- average whiteness rendition.
This pair of binoculars features a quite good price/quality ratio but I am not sure whether it is really worth our interest when for 60 USD less we can buy a Vortex Crossfire which scored just 1.4 points less in our test. Perhaps exactly that small difference between the Sidewinder and the Crossfire was a reason why the former was superseded by the Diamondback.
