Olympus 12x50 Pathfinder EXPS I (1 Viewer)

[TMG555]

Hi, I hope someone can help with this. I am thinking about trying, if I can find some and maybe buying a pair of these "Olympus 12x50 Pathfinder EXPS I Binoculars" either 10x or 12x. On occasions I need a little more magnification then my 8x Nikons deliver. The revues I've read are good and they seem to have lot of the features I would look for. Long eye relief, high-index BaK4 prisms and twist up/down eye cups and the price is very good. My main concern is that they have built-in dioptric correction that adjusts to individual eyesight. Does that mean that you can not adjust it yourself? and does it work? If anyone has any experience of these bins I would welcome your opinion. Thanks Dave.

 

[iveljay]

Sounds like you have been looking at Microglobe adverts (or similar) - in the UK Olympus drops the Pathfinder in the name. See their UK web site.

Back to your question - all the Olympus EXPS I bins that I have seen have had a conventional dioptre adjustment in the form of a stiff ring for the right eye - as they use your description of 'built in' dioptric correction for the entire range I would assume this applies to your model though I havn't had the urge to try - let alone buy these.

The EXPS I range do seem to have quite wide eyepieces which may or may not be a problem with deep set eyes. However, I would agree they seem to be a good price.

The facts from Olympus below confirm just what I have said

Exit pupil diameter: 4.2 mm
Actual field of view: 4.6°
Apparent field of view: 55.2°
Field of view at 1000 m: 80.3 m
Eye relief: 18.3 mm
Diopter adjustment range: Over ±2 m-1
Eye interval adjustment range: 60–70 mm
Relative brightness: 17.4
Closest focal point: 6 m
Width (fully extended): 192 mm
Height: 163 mm
Depth (fully extended): 62 mm
Weight: 910 g
Optical coating: Full multi-coating,
UV coating.
Lens configuration: 8 elements in 6 groups.
Other: Long eye relief and adjustable eyepieces (twist up/down). High-index BaK4 prisms. Environmentally friendly lead-free glass.

 

[iveljay]

And don't forget that they are not waterproof if that is of importance.

 

[TMG555]

iveljay, waterproofness could be an issue. Thanks for your help, I'll keep looking until I think Ive found right bins. Regards.