Olympus 10x42 PRO Waterproof Binoculars with Case and Strap

I picked these up with a bit of a discount to replace my aging Opticron Veranos that have begun to develop a few wear and tear issues. I have owned a pair of cheaper Olympus 8x40 binoculars for a number of years and been very happy with them. The 10x42 Pros are much more expensive than those were and so I was hoping for good results from them. Thankfully, I have not been disappointed. The image is detailed, bright and clear with little colour fringing. Colours are natural and they perform well in all levels of light. The field of focus is quite narrow and the focus wheel takes a bit of getting used to but I was soon, in tune, with the necessary technique and enjoying the views of birds and wildlife.My pair came supplied with a basic case, instructions and a well padded neck strap. I tend to keep my bins in a bag that I carry with me and so the case is just really for storage. It only has a belt strap and no shoulder strap. Not all that useful for me, except for storage. Not an issue though. I believe one can pay a bit more for a different package with a better case, if required.I like these binoculars. They are slightly heavier than my old Veranos but they are very comfortable to carry and use. I can hardly notice any difference. They are a different animal to the Veranos. The image is brighter but slightly less detailed and with more contrast. There is less colour detail in back lit subjects. I am in the early days with these binoculars and I am still getting used to them. Overall I am very happy with them and look forward to exploring with them, further. I am hoping to take them out this afternoon. A nice sunny day for a change.With a healthy £50 discount, I think these binoculars are really good value and a lot less than replacing my Opticrons like for like. They will do me very nicely and I would recommend them. Perhaps try them first though, to see if you get on with the focussing. Happy watching!

Excellent optical quality. Works well when taking glasses off as they have a wide range of adjustability.

Very impressed with the optics..The image stays fairly sharp (in fact quite sharp) all the way to the edges.The image appears quite bright but not exceptionally so, with no sign (to me) of colour tinting. I note that Olympus now say very little about the transmission after some reviews queried their figure of 94% and I felt that the image was not as bright as other binoculars. In fact for bird watching it probably is a little on the dim side.There is very little pin cushion distortion compared to the Viper Vortex HD and Nikon Monarch 7, in fact virtually none. . Also hardly noticeable purple colour fringing compared to the other two binoculars. I wear spectacles and the eye relief is very good. In fact I had to pull out the eyepiece rubber to its first stop.The focus knob gets poor comments by reviewers. I think this is unfair. I could detect no sign of roughness or tendency to jerk. However I can understand why people get that impression as the knurling on the knob is quite coarse. This means you can move it more than you intend at times. The solution is to use a finger from each hand. True there is much less resistance (dampening) than on other binoculars but for arthritic hands that is an advantage. It is also quicker to get going.Also there is a lot of turning to get from close up to infinity but in practice most of that is at the close up end. For bird watching its only probably slightly more work than for others. The downside I found is that despite the gearing you can quickly pass the point of focus and the adjustment position is quite critical.The lense covers fit well, in my view not too tight and not too loose.The case is more sensible than some. Certainly less flimsy than the Monarch but still has the awful Velcro to scare every bird in sight. At least it has a belt loop.The warranty (Europe/UK) is 15 years with all the usual exceptions – better than Nikon but worse than Vortex.Overall I'd recommend it for general use and if distortion is an issue you'd be hard to beat this binocular for lack of distortion.

Good quality, easy to use

Not using myself but the person for whom they were bought reports they are ver good.

Bird watching mainly,

The product is great, but does not have a tripod mount as advertised. I really wanted one (87 yrs old) but can be bothered with the hassle of sending the item back.

Does what it says on the tin