Olympus 8-16x25 ZOOM PCI

The binoculars are of a very good mechanical quality, robustly built, and smaller than expected (ca 11 x 11 x 5 cm; the numbers on top in the product details are not correct; but those later in the table are). They are quite light (ca 200g) but still give a good feel when used.Images are sharp across the whole zoom range and reasonably bright given the objective diameter of 2.5cm. Brightness is certainly good enough for day time use. Chromatic aberration causes some very minor colouring mostly at the outer rim of the viewing area. This is hardly perceived during normal viewing especially when using the eye pieces.When properly adapted to the user's eye distance (by bending the left and right telescopes relative to each other) the image fuses easily across the whole zoom range. Once the proper eye distance is found it can be kept fix. The minimum and maximum eye distance are about 5.5cm and 7.5cm. About 10% of people have a smaller or larger eye distance, and therefore may have problems with fusing both images, especially at large zoom (one or two other reviews mention this problem).I am about 6 dioptries short-sighted, but still can use the binoculars with and without glasses. This, however, brings the focus wheel to its limit. People with even worse short-sightedness may not be able to use the binocular without glasses. I can't say much about long-sightedness, but there seems to be quite a bit of free range left in the other direction of the focus-wheel.Using the binocular with glasses is almost as comfortable as without. The bins have eye pieces that should be rotated outward if used without glasses to guarantee a proper distance of the eye from the oculars. With glasses the pieces can be kept in, because the glasses provide some additional distance.Using the zoom requires refocussing, but usually only a little. Likewise, changing between far and near objects requires a little refocussing.The bin can be used one-handed with one finger operating the focus-wheel on the top of the device. Small movements (in the few millimeter range) are usually enough to correct the zoom. Because the focus wheel operates smoothly and movements are small this hardly impacts on image jitter.When the binocular is used with the left hand as above, the right can potentially operate the zoom wheel. This wheel needs a bit more force to move, so the image jerks (a little more), but I'd not expect to use this often.The left ocular has a dioptric correction wheel. My eyes are .5 dioptries different. When properly adjusted, the correction worked for the whole zoom and focus range. So, it has to be set only once. (This may be different for larger differences between both eyes.) The correction range is +-2 dioptries according to the specs.A neck strap can be fitted to the device. Plastic pieces on the neck band supposed to fix the strap seem a bit slippery. It is probably a good idea to use an extra knot to fixate the strap more securely.A somewhat cheap plastic cover is included in the pack, which can be fitted to a belt. This does not look particularly robust. I'd guess one can get better ones for little money.The binocular has no tripod mount. At 16x magnification image jitter can already get quite notable, such that one may like to use a tripod. I am not sure the similar 10-30x binoculars have a tripod connector. That one provides twice the magnification than the 8-16 bins at the upper end but 33% less field of view at the lower end, which is relatively low for zoom binoculars anyway. I tried to use a terrestrial telescope with magnification factor 30 without a tripod - this is mostly not fun. So, I might have been happy by not going for the higher magnification (and price).The usage instructions are minimal, slightly buggy, and may not be sufficient for everyone.Overall, certainly an excellent buy for the money.

These are nice compact binoculars. The clarity is good at normal magnification but when zooming in, it did become very dark. This will be due to only having the 25mm lenses so less light is able to get in. Also, the zoom slider was very stiff & jerky. I don't know whether this would loosen up over time, but I ended up returning these as they weren't really an improvement over the Chinnon RB 25mm zoom binoculars that I already own.They were lightweight & may suit others, but just not for me.

Not being an expert on binoculars, We wanted some to replace my aged 10x50s, these where not expensive , and when the new ones arrived we where non plused by the feel and how tight the adjustment is, However we tried ,but stillfind them very fiddly, not the products fault when you get to see through them the image is clear and bright , but not easy as full size ones to use , but good enough for the odd times we need them.

These are lightweight binoculars that one can keep in a largish pocket and have remarkably good optical properties for the price with very little distortion -- to my mind, one would have to pay at least double this price for a compact pair with even less distortion.Like other models of this type, achieving the correct focus takes a little bit of practice and will never be as easy as doing so on a large old-fashioned pair with much larger lenses. The instructions do not make it clear that it is much easier to use them with the eye pieces pulled out whether or not one wears spectacles.Whether or not the zoom facility is something that is useful seems to be a matter of personal taste (I certainly have found it useful): on the x8 and x10 settings they are easier to focus on the subject and these settings cover most of the uses to which the owner is likely to put these binoculars. As is usual, on the x16 setting, one requires a higher light level, but for a system that uses an objective lens of only 25mm, one can use the extra magnification down to pretty low light levels and this facility can be really useful to identify that elusive object in the distance. It is very easy to adjust the zoom and, of course, one then has to refocus to achieve the sharpest image.If cost is no object (over double the price), then I can think of at least one alternative that is slightly better (a joint 'best buy' with this series in Which? Magazine's test), but in terms of value for money, this must come out top and I doubt that many people would ever notice the difference between the two best buys.

Great bins for the price. I bought them for bird watching in my back garden - they work for that, gigs at bigger venues - they have been good for that, impressive with the zoom and for sporting events - good for that too! They are compact but not small, easily fit into a coat pocket.

Bought as present. Good quality and value for money but small (25mm) lens doesn't let as much light through as 40mm lenses (which it was swapped for). As always, the more you pay the better quality you get.

Before deciding on which product to purchase, I went through many reviewers comments. These were excellent and led me to the purchase of this item with which I am very happy indeed. Easy to use, excellent light gathering for such small lenses. Ideal, easy to fit into jacket pockets etc. for my requirement for aircraft spotting. Highly recommended.

I had a pair of 10 x 50 Olympus lightweight binoculars similar to the new version with zoom facility which I lost, so decided to replace with the upgraded version.I found the upgraded version heavier and less convenient to quickly focus and the zoom feature was OK but again took time to focus clearly. They were also 50% bigger than the old version making them less easy to stow in a coat pocket when out walking. I'd rather have the now discontinued earlier version any day, and have now returned the glasses.