Well....I just had to give these Opticron Traveler 8x32's a shot after reading earlier positive reviews by Steve, Trobadour, PB Josh......I ditto just about all they have to say. All around, a very nice binocular for the money / price point.
I must say, these are impressive pairs of $400 dollars. Unlike what Harris had in a posting, the fit / finish on this pair in front of me are really great. I feel that Opticron paid extra attention to getting a good ergonomic feel in a small package with nice body armor, so it just feels good in the hands. I get a sense that binocular companies such as GPO, these Opticron Travelers, Frontier ED models, Nikon Monarchs HG's (I haven't held a pair of Monarch 7's), Maven, Zeiss, Leica, Ultravid...are trying to make sure that the armor is pleasing to the touch. Part of birding watching with binoculars stems to the tactile feel you get while actually birding, so beyond the optics. I found this out years ago with the HT's. I see this here with these Travelers.
I don't get a sense that the exterior of these binoculars will wear badly, such as pockets of air in body armor (as I have heard the Monarch 7's suffer from as well as focus wheel issues and armor air pockets in Monarch 5's etc. The build quality just appears solid, which is something I have not seen in some of the $200-500 binoculars. This is a good thing. I know I talked to Pete Gamby and he mentioned 'quality' and yes, I believe him. Quality is what I sense and something I must admit I am surprised at. Usually when I pick up a pair of $200-500 pairs of binoculars I get this cheap tacky feel,..or I see potential focus wheel issues, or the eye-cups don't stay up, the bridge collapses too easily etc. Now, sure...it might occur here but the thing is, that when you pick up this pair of Travelers', that sense of cheapness doesn't come thru. Oh, the pupil adjustment has a range of 51-73mm so for us with closer eyes, this is nice. Eye relief is 19mm...so those where wear glasses shouldn't have to worry here.
The focus wheel is smooth....the more I used it the more it became smoother. In fact the wheel on this beats the Leica Ultravid which is 4-5x the dollar cost. Not as smooth as the Trinovid but close to the Nikon HG and Maven. Being that the wheel is nicely padded and large, it surpasses the Maven which for some reason has an unpadded focus wheel.
Optically....it competes or beats the Meostar in short range of 20-30', and when you get upwards of 80 feet or so, the Meostar is sharper. But, Optically this Traveler is competing against the Mavens, GPO's, Frontiers, Monarch 7's etc... So from what I see, this is equal to or better than the Mavens/ Frontiers and beats the GPO"s ....I haven't tried the Monarch 7's.
Close focus is fine....sitting in my patio chair staring at the bugs in the tomato plants it easily picked up on close focus of the leaves and bugs as well as the Meostar I was comparing it to. So better than the CL, ...better than the Ultravid...but on a par with others. There is a point in my thinking, where too much close focus is not needed (Trinovid) and too far (CL) is undoable. Edge to Edge is not what the Meostar is, but does beat the GPO and Frontier and on a par with the Maven. It doesn't beat the HG and I am not sure what the Monarch is like as I haven't compared it. Contrast wise it is better that the GPO and Frontier and I would say equal to Maven although I am not comparing side by side on this. Color wise there appears to be true to colors. Not yellow like some Kowa's...or greenish like the Meostar. The diopter is a bit stiff and not quite as easy to pinpoint in as some of the other bins I have used in this class such as the Mavens or Frontiers and surely not the Meostar of the HG. It is not nearly as difficult as the CL though (what a mess that binocular has in my thinking with that diopter). I love the Meostar or Ultravid diopter!
For practical birding (in the Field)....the Opticron is very good. Very little turn of the focus wheel, easy to shift back and forth from near to far. No double clutching with two hands/ fingers to get from far to near etc (like the CL)...
For a negative....LIke the Mavens and Frontiers, and GPO's ....there is considerable glare during sunlit days, .... while the higher priced units such as Meostars, the HG, Conquest, CL, Kowa...are not as predominate although still there.
I imagine the coatings are not on a par with the HG's or Meostars, Conquests etc...but again, they are not in that category.
For the money....this 8x32 is a nice, compact pair....weighing in at 15.9 ounces (listed), and about the same size as the Maven. My pair of bins even came with cleaning Calocoat anti-static spray, a sponge applicator / brush tool and a Screwdriver set (not sure what the point of this keyring/ screwdriver set is). The case is just a case with 'velcro' so not sure what the velcro thing is. You also get a 'double' set of eye-piece covers. Individual covers can be placed on for each eye=-piece or you can put the usual eye-cover on and it fits loose enough so it is easily placed on/off quickly. If you want to have full coverage with both the individual and regular eye covers, you can, and when you do, they are really snug so great for travel I suppose. So some extra little amenities to boot.
Overall.....the Traveler 8x32's are a plus....If I had to rank some of the binoculars I have tried they might go in this order: GPO Passions would be last, Frontier ED's, Maven's, Opticron Travelers would be first. (Haven't tested the Monarch 7's). But to move even further, if it wouldn't be for the 'heavy glare'...this price point seems to have, and even with a reduced edge to edge, these bins compete well against higher priced models. Size, weight...quality....(all perfect for Traveling or everyday birding), close focus, ergonomics/armor...focus wheel adjustment, practical birding situations...all Plus with edge to edge being an 'even' within this price point . Minus's are glare, & diopter stiffness, ...One important thing that I forgot to mention is the Company itself. While not as well known in the US (Swaro's own the US), Opticron has impressed me for years with their service. The HR66 spotting scope (while a bit bulky) is very good quality but on occasion I have had to talk with Opticron USA, they have been very prompt, willing to help. On this site Pete Gamby is excellent as a source and you can ask him any question and he is honest and upfront. How many companies have this type of Service?
jim
I must say, these are impressive pairs of $400 dollars. Unlike what Harris had in a posting, the fit / finish on this pair in front of me are really great. I feel that Opticron paid extra attention to getting a good ergonomic feel in a small package with nice body armor, so it just feels good in the hands. I get a sense that binocular companies such as GPO, these Opticron Travelers, Frontier ED models, Nikon Monarchs HG's (I haven't held a pair of Monarch 7's), Maven, Zeiss, Leica, Ultravid...are trying to make sure that the armor is pleasing to the touch. Part of birding watching with binoculars stems to the tactile feel you get while actually birding, so beyond the optics. I found this out years ago with the HT's. I see this here with these Travelers.
I don't get a sense that the exterior of these binoculars will wear badly, such as pockets of air in body armor (as I have heard the Monarch 7's suffer from as well as focus wheel issues and armor air pockets in Monarch 5's etc. The build quality just appears solid, which is something I have not seen in some of the $200-500 binoculars. This is a good thing. I know I talked to Pete Gamby and he mentioned 'quality' and yes, I believe him. Quality is what I sense and something I must admit I am surprised at. Usually when I pick up a pair of $200-500 pairs of binoculars I get this cheap tacky feel,..or I see potential focus wheel issues, or the eye-cups don't stay up, the bridge collapses too easily etc. Now, sure...it might occur here but the thing is, that when you pick up this pair of Travelers', that sense of cheapness doesn't come thru. Oh, the pupil adjustment has a range of 51-73mm so for us with closer eyes, this is nice. Eye relief is 19mm...so those where wear glasses shouldn't have to worry here.
The focus wheel is smooth....the more I used it the more it became smoother. In fact the wheel on this beats the Leica Ultravid which is 4-5x the dollar cost. Not as smooth as the Trinovid but close to the Nikon HG and Maven. Being that the wheel is nicely padded and large, it surpasses the Maven which for some reason has an unpadded focus wheel.
Optically....it competes or beats the Meostar in short range of 20-30', and when you get upwards of 80 feet or so, the Meostar is sharper. But, Optically this Traveler is competing against the Mavens, GPO's, Frontiers, Monarch 7's etc... So from what I see, this is equal to or better than the Mavens/ Frontiers and beats the GPO"s ....I haven't tried the Monarch 7's.
Close focus is fine....sitting in my patio chair staring at the bugs in the tomato plants it easily picked up on close focus of the leaves and bugs as well as the Meostar I was comparing it to. So better than the CL, ...better than the Ultravid...but on a par with others. There is a point in my thinking, where too much close focus is not needed (Trinovid) and too far (CL) is undoable. Edge to Edge is not what the Meostar is, but does beat the GPO and Frontier and on a par with the Maven. It doesn't beat the HG and I am not sure what the Monarch is like as I haven't compared it. Contrast wise it is better that the GPO and Frontier and I would say equal to Maven although I am not comparing side by side on this. Color wise there appears to be true to colors. Not yellow like some Kowa's...or greenish like the Meostar. The diopter is a bit stiff and not quite as easy to pinpoint in as some of the other bins I have used in this class such as the Mavens or Frontiers and surely not the Meostar of the HG. It is not nearly as difficult as the CL though (what a mess that binocular has in my thinking with that diopter). I love the Meostar or Ultravid diopter!
For practical birding (in the Field)....the Opticron is very good. Very little turn of the focus wheel, easy to shift back and forth from near to far. No double clutching with two hands/ fingers to get from far to near etc (like the CL)...
For a negative....LIke the Mavens and Frontiers, and GPO's ....there is considerable glare during sunlit days, .... while the higher priced units such as Meostars, the HG, Conquest, CL, Kowa...are not as predominate although still there.
I imagine the coatings are not on a par with the HG's or Meostars, Conquests etc...but again, they are not in that category.
For the money....this 8x32 is a nice, compact pair....weighing in at 15.9 ounces (listed), and about the same size as the Maven. My pair of bins even came with cleaning Calocoat anti-static spray, a sponge applicator / brush tool and a Screwdriver set (not sure what the point of this keyring/ screwdriver set is). The case is just a case with 'velcro' so not sure what the velcro thing is. You also get a 'double' set of eye-piece covers. Individual covers can be placed on for each eye=-piece or you can put the usual eye-cover on and it fits loose enough so it is easily placed on/off quickly. If you want to have full coverage with both the individual and regular eye covers, you can, and when you do, they are really snug so great for travel I suppose. So some extra little amenities to boot.
Overall.....the Traveler 8x32's are a plus....If I had to rank some of the binoculars I have tried they might go in this order: GPO Passions would be last, Frontier ED's, Maven's, Opticron Travelers would be first. (Haven't tested the Monarch 7's). But to move even further, if it wouldn't be for the 'heavy glare'...this price point seems to have, and even with a reduced edge to edge, these bins compete well against higher priced models. Size, weight...quality....(all perfect for Traveling or everyday birding), close focus, ergonomics/armor...focus wheel adjustment, practical birding situations...all Plus with edge to edge being an 'even' within this price point . Minus's are glare, & diopter stiffness, ...One important thing that I forgot to mention is the Company itself. While not as well known in the US (Swaro's own the US), Opticron has impressed me for years with their service. The HR66 spotting scope (while a bit bulky) is very good quality but on occasion I have had to talk with Opticron USA, they have been very prompt, willing to help. On this site Pete Gamby is excellent as a source and you can ask him any question and he is honest and upfront. How many companies have this type of Service?
jim
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