Opticron Imagic 10x42 BGA PC ASF T Oasis
The binoculars have BaK-4 glass roof prisms put in the Schmidt-Pechan system. These elements are phase correction coated from one side and covered by a 64-layer reflection Oasis coating from the other; their task is to reflect 99% of light and enhance efficiently the transmission level of the whole instrument. The Imagic BGA PC ASF T Oasis series also features aspherical lenses and it is characterized by an exceptionally comfortable eye relief distance (from 17 to 24 mm depending on the model).
The binoculars are water-resistant down to a depth of three meters, nitrogen-filled and they come with a 30-year-long warranty. Additionally, we should mention here an impressive scope of delivery which consists of a leather hard case, a double set of caps, two straps and a cleaning cloth.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 105/1000(6o) | Bak-4/roof | 17 mm | 679 g | 2350 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.95+/-
0.05 mm Right: 41.86+/- 0.05 mm |
7.5 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.9+/- 0.15x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 78+/- 3% | 8.5/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Low in the centre, medium at the edge. | 6.5/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Visible but not bothersome. | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 54% +\- 4% | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Slight. | 7/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 90% +\- 2% from the field of view centre. | 8/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Not very high but visible. | 3.3/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Cream-yellow image but with not very bothersome intensity. | 3.5/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Exemplary. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3.2/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Comfortable against the face, handy and compact. The rubber sticks out near objectives and something is loose inside so the binoculars behaves like a rattle. | 5.7/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Central screw is comfortable (450 degrees) the indivicual one a bit less so and it moves the lens. | 4.1/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is an exit but not very comfortable. | 2.5/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 58.1 to 74mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.70 m. | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 59.6 deg (according to simple formula) and 55.0 deg (according to tangent formula). | 10.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.02 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was in accordance with the specifications. | 5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Inner tubes black and matt at the top, near the prisms ribbed and shiny. Gray bottom. Clean. | 4.3/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
OL: 4.9%, OR: 1.7%. |
4.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good quality BaK-4 prisms. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Orange-purple on the objectives, purple on the prisms and greenish-orange on the eyepieces. Low intensity. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 30 years | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result |
67.9%
29th place in the overall ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test. |
129.1 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 43 place in the econo ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test. | -4.6pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- handy and quite solid housing,
- low coma,
- chromatic aberration and distortion quite well-corrected,
- not very bothersome astigmatism,
- very sharp image in the major part of the field of view,
- good quality of prisms and coatings,
- sharp image already from 1.7 meters,
- favourable guarantee conditions,
- a lot of accessories.
Cons:
- truncated exit pupils,
- something rattles inside the binoculars,
- the transmission level should have been better considering the price.
When it comes to the Opticron with a long name my feelings are mixed. On the one hand we get a very stylish product with a generous selection of accessories which clearly aspires to be an instrument from a higher part of the medium price segment. The manufacturer tried to tempt us with efficient 64-layer coatings, enhancing the transmission level to about 99% on prisms. It’s a whole 5-10% more than in the case of classic surfaces, coated with much cheaper aluminium. The trouble is that the same manufacturer who cared so much about those 5-10%, loses carelessly exactly 5% because of the truncated pupils. Where’s the logic in it?
There are more of such examples. On the one hand we have a stylish, solid, compact, water-tight and fogproof casing. On the other – a loose element which moves inside so the binoculars turns into a rattle with every more sudden movement.
Looking at the test result we shouldn’t complain, though, because the final score is not that bad. On the other hand there are more cheaper binoculars which had a better score. It’s enough to mention the Olympus EXWP I, the Vortex Viper, the Bushnell Legend, the Swift Ultralite or the Kowa, all very similar when it comes to dimensions and parameters. Even scanning the offer of Opticron we can find a Verano model, significantly cheaper and not much worse.
To sum up, the main problem of the Opticron binoculars in Poland is the price. We must pay a lot most probably because the Opticrons come to us from Japan via an expensive UK market. In the case of Bynolyt, Vortex or Swift products, very similar in terms of optics, quality and appearance, wholesale margins are lower, not to mention Ecotone products, which arrive to Poland straight from Japan omitting all foreign middlemen. Apart from that, Opticron seems to become a gadgetry-strategy fan. Personally I would prefer a set of binoculars without a leather hard case, a cleaning cloth or a double set of straps and caps but cheaper and a bit optically better.
