BushnellH2O - 7x50 - Black - Porro Prism - Water & Fog Proof - Twist Up Eyecups - Secure grip - Anti-slip Coating - Multi-Coated Lenses - Water Sports - 157050

For many years - 30 and more - I had been using an old pair of Japanese 10X50 binoculars which knocked about in the car most of the time, and I was very satisfied with their versatility and performance. Then, having parted with a lot of books via Amazon Trade-In - an excellent scheme, by the way, in my view - and not really wanting to acquire more reading matter in their place, I decided to treat myself to a modern pair of binoculars.A revelation! These Bushnells are vastly better than the old Japanese porros. I had not used roof prisms before and it has to be said that using them is a different experience: they are heavier, but smaller and chunkier, and generally feel different in the hand. They may not have the most aesthetically pleasing design, but I bought them to look through, not to look at. I keep these for my use alone and the diopter is tight enough to remain firmly at my individual setting. The main focusing wheel turns smoothly and easily.To date, I have used the instrument mainly for watching garden birds in the daytime, and for that it is superb: the sharpness of focus is amazing. For dusk or night-time use, however, I have found that this instrument is not as bright as a good pair of 10X50 porros might be. (I also have an old pair of Zeiss Jenoptems which are better for star-gazing, for instance, and which I keep for that purpose.) If I did not have the 10X50 Zeiss and were needing to use the Bushnells at night, I might have been tempted to withhold the fifth star from my rating, but that is not the case, and indeed it would have been very unfair to do so, particularly as this Bushnell instrument is also available as an 8X42. That might be a brighter idea - literally - if night-time use is envisaged or if a wider field of view is important. (The 8X42 lets in 25% more light with an exit pupil of 5.25mm and I can assure you that on a dull day you will notice the difference.) So, if for some reason, your heart is set on a 10X42 and nothing else will do, then you should probably spend rather more and acquire an instrument with top-of-the-range optics and coatings. This should avoid the sometimes dull view I mentioned above, by compensating for the narrower exit pupil (4.2mm] which characterises all 10X42 instruments.One general note of caution : binoculars really need to be tested before purchase by the individual who will use them. I bought these, having first made sure to look through various pairs belonging to someone else. I knew immediately that these were the right choice for my very myopic eyes. Some of the other binoculars that I tested would simply not have been suitable, for one reason or another, and purchasing any of those by mail order without testing them first would have been foolish.UPDATE: After using the 10X42 for 3 months, and having been delighted by everything but the less-than-bright view in dull or twilight conditions, I decided to purchase an 8X42 instrument for use when the sun is not shining. If you have found this review helpful so far, you may like to read my further thoughts on the Bushnell H20 8X42 roof prism:The 8x42's field of view is of course somewhat wider, but what really strikes one is that in dull conditions the 8x42 is noticeably brighter than the 10x42. So in a nutshell, if you are buying only one pair, my advice is to get the 8x42. You will find that it gathers more light and can be used effectively both earlier and later in the day than the 10x42. If you buy the 10x42 instrument first, you will probably find, as I did, that you also need the 8x42. On the other hand, if you buy the 8x42 first, it is quite possible that you will never feel the need of a 10x42. (Incidentally, I use both instruments about equally; each is suited for different purposes and each functions optimally in slightly different conditions. On a dull day the 8X42 will show you more than the 10X42; On a bright day, the opposite is normally the case.)Some reviewers criticise these H2O roof prism binoculars on the grounds that they lack "phase-correction" and "fully" multi-coated optics. As explained above, this caveat may have some justification if applied to the 10X42. Nevertheless, judge the binoculars on their merits, I say! For the money, they represent excellent value to the casual user. (Before deciding to purchase the Bushnell 8x I made it my business to look through entry-level Swarovski binoculars. Phase-correction, full multi-coatings......the lot! Were they preferable to the Bushnells? Of course they were! They were also ten times the price! Are they ten times better binoculars? Hmmm.....Well, let's just say that for one quarter of the Swarovski price I was able to become the more-than-satisfied owner of two "not-quite-top-of-the-range" but (for my purposes) better than adequate, instruments - and thereby save myself £600!)One small concern -it may never become a problem- about both purchases is the lack of accompanying UK warranty information. The documentation included in the box is not very helpful about where UK residents should turn in the event of a fault developing.

Brilliant light-weight Binocular at a great price. So far, I have used these to watch wild birds around local woodland and find them easy to focus. Clarity is just great and the magnification is right for wildlife viewing. I intend using these on safari in India early in 2016.Used them to view the "red moon" in September 2015 and had a great view that enabled me to set up my DSLR to take shots of this once in a lifetime phenomenon. A great buy from Amazon that I wish I had acquired sooner.

Decided on the 10x42 rather than the 8x42 & glad I did. Very clear and bright plus a good solid feel.I don't really need waterproof bins but due to the keen price on these I thought why not, just in case.Focusing is smooth & precise and the lens caps are attached so you don't lose them. Small point but useful.The strap & bag don't have the same quality feel as the binoculars but that's really not a problem & I haven't reduced the rating because of that as it's the binoculars I'm rating.For the casual user, like me, These fit the bill perfectly. They give a clear & sharp image, superb in bright sunlight and perfectly good in lower light conditions.Recommended.

IMPORTANT UPDATE AT THE ENDPocketable (my M65 jacket breast pocket will take the bins in their case comfortably) or belt mountable using the good quality case. Very easy to carry.The light and soft padded neck strap folds into the case with the bins and seems strong enough for the job, and can be adjusted relatively easily for length with loads of extra strap.If like me you keep it short and want to chop the extra off, the webbing can be sealed to stop fraying by the application of heat (from a cigarette lighter or candle) very easily, but like my carpentry teacher always said - "You can take it off, but you can't put it back on" - which equates to "Measure twice, cut once".Lenses are good. Focal range is good. Twist up eyecups are good.Rubber armour is good, and they feel really well made; solid and tough.Plus an individual focus on one side to balance the view (as there should be).Looking forward to using in tomorrow's daylight, but am pleasantly able to say that the image is very clear and not dark even in quite low artificial light.For a comparatively small objective lens, these do very well in delivering the available light to the eye.SINCE TRYING IN DAYLIGHT:Great performance even if not considering how easy they are to carry. Side by side, the image is easily as bright as my 10x50s which are not remotely pocketable, and the clarity is crystal.Wide enough FOV for comfort, good enough magnification for usefulness.I'm chuffed :-)NOTE (YMMV): Temporary double vision. Takes a minute to adjust to and recover from use.UPDATE (June 10, 2016): In my note above, I mention the temporary double vision; I have discovered that I can fix the issue in use by applying a light twisting action to the body. This unfortunately requires two handed use, and is somewhat frustrating. I simply don't know if it's my eyes that are wonky or the bins. If I ever find out which, and it turns out to be the bins, I'll come back and knock a star off.UPDATE (September 3, 2016): My friend and I were out walking and he used my bins to watch a heron in flight. I asked if the image was doubled for him, and he reported that it was. I asked him to try twisting the frame as I have to, and apparently that cured the issue.From this, I can safely conclude that my bins were manufactured wonky. I have knocked only one star off, as this kind of minor manufacturing error shouldn't be held against the product, as this could be a one off. If I had contacted the seller earlier, I may have been refunded or had my bins replaced. The one star off indicates only that the bins should be carefully checked for faults on receipt, as QA appears to be lax.Other than this possibly rare manufacturing error, I still consider these bins to be excellent.UPDATE (October 2023): I'm just reviewing my reviews for needed updates and this needs one.Some years ago, I got tired of twisting the bins gently to cure the double vision issue, and twisted more firmly in the hope of fixing it once and for all. It worked.