OpticronDiscovery WP PC Mg 8x50 Binocular

I bought these binoculars for bird and wildlife watching. My first thought was to get higher spec 8x42 binoculars to produce high quality bright images and have a robust magnesium alloy body. However I realised that the weight and size of the higher spec binoculars would have meant that you would be less likely to take them out and use them.These binoculars have a ‘plastic’ casing making them about a half to one third lighter than my initial choices. Despite this the casing feels very robust - time will tell if I’m right. The smaller objective lenses allow a more a more compact binocular and these are one of the most compact 8x32 binoculars. In theory this allows less light in and so less bright image. I have been testing the binoculars today, on a dull late autumn day. I have to say I am very happy to say these binoculars, produce a nice bright clear image, with no discernible defects like fringing.Pros:Compact and light, very portable.Good bright high quality image.Feel like quality construction.Easy and firm focusing and diopter adjustment.Easy to adjust to use with glasses.Anti fog, with sealed in Nitrogen.Wide field of view.Good value.ConsNot really any.I would have liked higher spec optics, but for most uses I don’t think it will make a diffence.In summary I have very portable binoculars with little or no compromise in Image. I’m very pleased.

I purchased this binocular because of a good review I had read on BBR. These binoculars are small, not much bigger than your average 8x25, thats the good bit if you want a small binocular but the view through them is not great as they are designed in such a way that the diopeter adjustment actually changes the eye relief in that eye so you are left with the image in one eye having a greater field of view than the other. The eye relief is such that when the eye piece is fully extended your eye is still too close to the lens to have full field of view so you kind of have to hold them away from your face a bit to get any sort of view, consequently they are not quick to use and line up on a subject so not very useful for bird watching. The pair I recieved had lots of flare in the right tube and the 7.5 deegree field of view is only apparent if you get them lined up just right. To sum up:- this is a cheap pair of binoculars at an over inflated price. Overall a disappointment and I returned them

The first thing that struck me when I took these out of the box was the quality...they feel very substantial with a magnesium housing which incidentally Opticron do not use on some of their more premium “made in Japan” binoculars.. the build quality on this discovery model is very good. The eye cups move up and down smoothly & firmly and eye relief is a generous 22 mm which means if you use these wearing spectacles & sunglasses you will get the full field of view... the right side diopter adjustment works very well & has incremental firm clicks which means once you have set this to suit your eyes you won’t have any worry of accidentally moving it because it sits rigidly in place. The central hinge is nice and firm and the focus wheel is smooth in operation. Optically i can’t fault this binocular, very good resolution and sharp almost to the edges...field of view is 7.5 which is pretty decent for tracking birds in flight, 8.1 would have been better but you can’t have everything.. close focus is the best iv seen on any binocular.. it’s 1.5 metres which makes this instrument very good for insect observation. Before i purchased this discovery my primary binoculars were the “old fashioned “ porro prism design which give lovely stereoscopic 3D views but don’t have the close focus, portability and ruggedness a roof prism can offer out in the field. This Opticron has changed my mind about roof prism binoculars, it’s an exceptional bit of kit for under £200, incidentally i picked these up on a warehouse deal and there is nothing wrong with it, most binoculars on warehouse deals have issues with them...just give these a go because i very much doubt for the money you will find better....highly recommended! NB* I recently tested & compared this discovery 8x42 with the opticron imagic BGA SE 8x42 which was discontinued in 2013 but was listed at the time on the opticron website at £439 and made in Japan…after an extensive & thorough comparison i actually preferred the discovery…optically it was able to resolve detail better than the imagic plus the slightly wider field of view (7.5 vs 7 ) all added up to a more satisfying & immersive viewing experience..!

My husband's review:I love these binoculars, purchased a year ago. The optical quality, andbrightness is excellent, and what I particularly wanted was a pair ofgeneral purpose binoculars, light and small enough to carry with me mostof the time, but that also gave me close focussing for the world ofinsects, birds, butterflies, damsels and dragons, and this they do verywell. I'm over 6 feet tall, and can focus on small objects, flora orfauna at my feet. The close focus capability greatly increases the usesfor these binoculars, opening up a whole new macro world.They lose a star though for a couple of faults that ought to beavoidable. Setting the distance between the eyepieces is easy andsmooth, but they are too loose and/or well lubricated to stay set, andwill flop under the weight of the optics necessitating constantreadjustment. No other pair I have owned has ever done this.The least forgiveable fault I found early on was the habit of the strapto slip undone and dump the binoculars on the ground. How many milleniaago did our species perfect the technology of the strap and buckleexactly? Fortunately this was easily remedied by sewing up the straps,but really should not have been necessary, quite literally letting thebinoculars down, potentially to their detriment.I hope Opticron will take the trouble to remedy these rather unnecessary,seemingly careless shortcomings which do not detract so much from myenjoyment of their use that I would fail to recommend them.

I have long wanted to own a pair of Opticron binoculars ever since I used to work in photographic retail more than twelve years ago. I was fortunate at that time to be able to compare multiple brands and models of binoculars side by side. I have used Bushnell, Leica, Bausch & Lomb, Pentax, Olympus, Canon, and Opticron. All I can say was that I became a huge fan of Opticron binoculars and here's why: for their price point the optics are absolutely outstanding, a tenth the price of Leica but I would say 95% of the quality. None of the other brands offer the same value for money or come near to the sharpness and brightness of Opticron.The exit pupil size on Opticron binoculars are very large, this is often overlooked when people consider buying binos. However the larger the exit pupil diameter the more light that is entering your eyes and brighter the image. Also it makes for a more comfortable viewing experience. So long story short, I have finally bought this pair and as expected outstanding optics, nice size, fit well in the hands, rubberised, waterproof, large focus knob, and can be mounted (with the appropriate adapter) to a tripod.