BARR & STROUD SIERRA 10X50 ROOF BINOCULARS

This is my first B&S binocular and a very pleasant surprise it is, for a 10x50 roof prism binocular with a phase coating and fully multi coated optics for this modest price it was a no brainer purchase. Build quality is good & better than some Nikon and vortex… I’ve looked at and the eye relief was generous for use whilst wearing spectacles, full field of view achieved. I was comparing these in the field with the excellent Celestron trailseeker ed 10x42 and obviously with the Celestron having ed glass and a dielectric coating you would expect it to outperform the B&S and this was indeed the case but only just…Eye placement though was less critical with the 10x50 and the view was immersive and comfortable but unfortunately i was spoilt by the superior coatings and ed glass of the Celestron 10x42’s which produced a sharper, more high contrast image. The B&S is still a very useable 10x50 field binocular though & if it had a dielectric coating and ed glass it would be perfect…sadly we don’t live in a perfect world. Price/performance is still very good though and for just over £100 it’s a very good performing binocular when you consider some mad folk spend over two grand on the top alpha binoculars. NB* The more i use this Sierra 10x50 the more I’m tempted to think i might actually prefer it to the 10x42 celestron… more field comparisons needed..I don’t think you will find a better performing 10x50 roof prism with phase coating at this price point. Recently I’ve looked at the svbony sv202, vanguard veo ed, the Bresser condor, celestron nature DX ED and the opticron discovery, all 10x50’s and this B&S is more satisfying to use and has better resolution than all five of those binoculars… you don’t always need ED glass & a dielectric coating to achieve a fantastic viewing experience, I think to obtain better optics than this modestly priced B&S you would have to spend hundreds more…seriously with this sierra 10x50 you don’t need to!

Well happy with these B&S 10x50 bins great optics easy to set up using the fine focus ring on the right tube very crisp and bright image,,some reviews say that they are heavy I don't think so and I'm 70 Yr 0f age,,,the focus know is very smooth with the right amount of resistance I definitely recommend them I also have the 8x32 version with the same results.

Bought a pair of these as a gift for my Dad a couple of years ago and was so impressed I bought a pair for myself a year later. They're fairly heavy/bulky to carry around so, unless you're a keen "spotter" of one thing or another, you probably wouldn't want to take them with you on a walk for example. To keep at home for watching birds in the garden, or for taking to sporting events they are excellent. If, like me, you've only used cheap, compact binoculars before, then you'll really notice the improved image quality with these - I hadn't realised what I was missing! The magnification is great for getting up close to birds in the garden etc. They feel high quality and tough, and it's reassuring to know that they're waterproof . The only negative is that the supplied neck strap is very thin and cheap feeling - a nice one with some padding would better suit the quality of the binoculars. Not a deal breaker though. Overall, I think these represent a great investment at the price.

A great priced binocular, slightly heavy but not overly so. As good as much more expensive items.

Too heavy

Tried a few pairs and could not find something I liked. Went for a cheap compact pair before they were dreadful and I sent them back. So you get what you pay for and the extra paid for these Barr and Sierra binoculars was well worth it. They are quite heavy because I chose a rubber coated pair as I can be a bit of a klutz. Two gripes. the neckstrap is really cheap and nasty as it is nylon and would have been both scratchy and not really up to the job, especially as they are heavy. Have ordered a softer strap at extra cost, maybe they should consider options for the case and strap. The other is the eye caps they detach (they are joined) and could easily be lost so I have used to lens cap keeper to try and prevent this The caps at the other end have a band which fits over the body and are reasonably secure so why not do this at the viewing end? For this reason I have only awarded a four star.

I have had and used these now for around four years. They are fantastic general purpose binoculars for viewing all sorts of things and events. I waited until, now to write a review because I wanted to really use them. I have used the binoculars for bird watching, Aircraft spotting and viewiing scenery.Some people say they are heavy, in other reviews. and I suppose, in a way, given their size, they are heavier than a compact pair for example. I am used to a heavy weight pair of 20 X 70 for aircraft, so in comparison these are light for me. I can hold the big ones steady, just, but these hold steady all the time and images are sharpe and clear. They never fog in any condition and I am satisfied that they are 100% waterproof. I'm not too keen on the case as like so many binocular cases these days is a canvass type though heavy duty fabric. I am old school and like a hard case. The lens caps cause a dilemma. They are attached with rings and a strap attached rain guard.So the big caps hang down when using the binoculars and the rainguard is attached to the strap. It says its possible to take them off and cut the main caps off tthe rings to form a conventional lens caps, but while attached they don't get lost! I cannot praise these highly enough and hope this review is helpful to many, given the length of time I've tested/use the binoculars

A brilliant optic, well made and offers good sharp images. Better than others I have tried, and a far higher price. value is hard to beat considering the quality of the Binocular.