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.
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.
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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
Left:
Right:
Slight but noticeable. False pupils.
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
Left:
Right:
OL: 2.2%, OR: 3.9%.
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.