Opticron Classic 10x42 BGA
As it is the case of all top-of-the-line Opticron products, we get a wide selection of stylish accessories in box (a hard case, two straps, a double set of caps, cleaning accessories) and a 30-year-long guarantee period.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 87/100(5o) | Bak-4/roof | 16 mm | 695 g | 2650 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.4+/-
0.05 mm Right: 41.47+/- 0.05 mm |
5 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.7+/- 0.2x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 77+/- 3% | 8/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Low in the centre, medium at the edge. | 6.2/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Very low. | 8/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 39% +\- 4% | 4/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Low. | 7/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 89% +\- 3% from the field of view centre. | 8/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Low. | 4.3/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Slightly gray cream. | 4.2/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Exemplary. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
2.8/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Small and handy. Eyecups with three detented stops but very delicate. Slippery rubber. | 7/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Central screw is comfortable. A narrow metal ring on the right eyepiece – not comfortable and it squelches near the ear. | 3.8/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is a screw there but you can’t twist it off without damaging the binoculars. | 0/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 57.3 to 76.3mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.45 m. | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 50.5 deg (according to simple formula) and 47.6 deg (according to tangent formula). | 4/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 5.21 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was by 0.21 degrees wider than that in the specifications. A narrow field for this equipment class. | 5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Dark, matt and clean. A lot of grease near the prisms’ casing. | 4/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
7.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | High quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Greenish everywhere. Low intensity. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 30 years | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result |
64.1%
32nd place in the overall ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test. |
121.8 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 49th place in the overall ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test. | -8.2pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- solid and physically light housing,
- good IPD,
- good sharpness at the edge of he field,
- very low astigmatism,
- slight coma,
- chromatic aberration well-corrected,
- sharp image already from 1.45 metres,
- good quality of prisms and coatings,
- good warranty conditions,
- low light fall-off at the edge,
- good whiteness rendition.
Cons:
- average transmission,
- narrow field of view,
- lack of a tripod exit,
- slightly egg-shaped left pupil,
- too high distortion,
- too small objective lenses,
- noticeable flares.
Next to the Vortex Stokes and the Steiner Sky Hawk this is one of the biggest disappointments in our test. A steep price and a small field of view suggested we might get an excellent product with a faultless, bright and sharp up to the edge field of view. Unfortunately it is not the case. Although the test’s score is more or less good, it hardly justifies such a high price. For an amount of about 200-300 USD less we can buy significantly better sets of binoculars (like the Olympus EXWP or the Vortex Viper) and adding a bit more money we can even have a much more prestigious and also better Zeiss Conquest.
