Olympus EXWP I's (1 Viewer)

[Macca]

Hi

Anybody tried the Olympus EXWP I binoculars?

Had a try of a pair of 8x42's in a photographic shop the other day they seemed fine but it was really sunny and bright outside and I was in a closed in area so could not test them to a great degree. They handled great!!

Would I be better to go for 8x42 or 10x42. I know that the lower mag will give me less shake....... but is there any other reason to go for an 8x over 10x?

Hoping for some thoughts on them before I take the plunge.

Macca B

 

[Macca]

Jeez..... I thought I would have had some postings to read by now.

Surely someone has a pair or has tried some out...... HELP.

Cheers
Macca

 

[hinnark]

Jeez..... I thought I would have had some postings to read by now.

Surely someone has a pair or has tried some out...... HELP.

Cheers
Macca

Hi Macca,

I´ve read your question right now. Yes I tried the Olympus 10x42 and 8x42 on a birding fair in april this year. I was positively surprised about these. Comfortable to use, lightweigt, waterproof and good optics. I also know some other roofprism binos in the mid price range: Vixen Apex Pro (= Celestron Regal in USA), Zeiss Conquest, Minox . If I have to choose I would take the Olympus but I don´t know current binos of Kowa, Pentax DCF and Docter which could be also interesting. Now you also know which are the competitors you can to compare with before to decide.

Hope this comment is not too late

Steve

 

[IanF]

I have a friend wanting to spend around £100 on a pair of binoculars for birdwatching. Olympus are one of the pairs he's considering. Optics and design seem pretty good.

Positive or negative comments or other suggestions around this price would be useful.

 

[Ragna]

Ian a lot of members on here have brought the Nikon Sportstar 1 from warehouse express £99 half the usual price. A friend has a pair of these and thinks there excellent.8x36s

 

[IanF]

Thanks for that Graham. I'll let him know. It will depend on whether the local camera shops have them in stock as he wants to 'try before he buys'.

 

[HarryH]

Olympus EXWP I

Macca,
Yes, I own the Olympus 8x42 EXWP I (Magellan in US), and have compared it with several other binoculars. Olympus copied features from premium roof prism binoculars, like the Nikon and Pentax, including large focusing knob and twist up eyecups. Phase coated prisms put the EXWP way ahead in sharpness of any that are not, like the Olympus 8x25 EXWP I. Sure, the 8x42 EXWP are not as crisp as the Nikon 8x42HG (Venturer LX in US), but purchase price is 20% of the Nikons.

The Olympus 8x42 EXWP is light weight at 23.6 oz, using fiber-filled polycarbonate barrels. Flare is well controlled (a real problem on some other inexpensive binoculars). Focus is smooth and firm. Field of view at 6.3d is typical for this type, but narrower than the Nikon 8x42HG at 7.0d. Choice of 8x42 EXWP vs. 10x42 is your personal preference on magnification and how steady is your hold when viewing.

Olympus binoculars seem to get no mention in the birding web press, so I took a chance buying 8x42 EXWP on Ebay for the bargain price of $137US. New price is also a bargain at around $220US. I also purchased the Olympus 8x42 EXPS I porro prism (Pathfinder in US), and find it identical in performance to the 8x42 EXWP I.

I read postings on other newsgroups of optical alignment problems with Olympus 8x42 EXWP, but maybe that reviewer dropped them. My 8x42 EXWP have no alignment problems, and are pleasant to use. I recommend them.

Hi

Anybody tried the Olympus EXWP I binoculars?

Had a try of a pair of 8x42's in a photographic shop the other day they seemed fine but it was really sunny and bright outside and I was in a closed in area so could not test them to a great degree. They handled great!!

Would I be better to go for 8x42 or 10x42. I know that the lower mag will give me less shake....... but is there any other reason to go for an 8x over 10x?

Hoping for some thoughts on them before I take the plunge.

Macca B