Small Binocular Reports Series Ed Zarenski 3-13-08 Included in these Reports, See Links Below, are 34 binoculars tested over a period of 8 months. The project started out to test a variety of 8x and 10x binoculars under $200, small binoculars that could be handheld, and used for astronomy or terrestrial observing. Eventually it grew to include 7x50s 8x40, 8x42, 10x42, 10x50 12x50, a small collection of roof prism models and even a few uncommon sizes. Also the list grew to include some very important benchmark binoculars as it became evident that in order to rank all these other binoculars it was important to know what the quality range of performance was in each category. Other than the benchmark binoculars, (Nikon SEs, Fujinon FMT-SXs) every other binocular in this list cost less than $300. A few models cost less than $100. I rank about 15 different aspects of each binocular. Several are mechanical and several are optical. Binoculars are tested for magnification, effective aperture, exit pupil cutoff, usable eye relief, lens recess, weight, eyecup adjustment, Interpupilary distance range, diopter adjustment, close focus distance, slow or fast focus, coatings, baffles and blackening, true field of view, sharp fov, total usable fov, internal prism vignette, light transfer, limiting magnitude, contrast, false color, resolution, resolution handheld, pincushion, curvature, depth of field. A note on the benchmarks. You'll notice one of the reports includes 3 Nikon SEs and 2 Fujinon FMTs, certainly not cheap binoculars. Well these were intended as the benchmarks against which all others could be compared. When you see the data, you'll understand why. However, it seemed natural that eventually they also turned into a report of their own. So, nowhere in all the other articles do they compete with the under $300 models. They are there for comparison only. Articles in this Small Binocular Report series A Dozen 8s - a dozen 8x40 and 8x42 porros and roofs Garrett DCF Apo 8x42 roof, Celestron Regal 8x42 roof, Fujinon BFL 8x42, Nikon Action Extreme 8x40, Nikon Action 8x40, Pentax PCF WP II 8x40, Swift Ultralite 8x42, Bushnell Legend 8x42 roof, Oberwerk Mariner 8x40, Garrett Classic 8x45, Oberwerk 8x56, Nikon SE 8x32. The 10x50s - nine 10x50s with a 10x42 and a 10x60 thrown in Leupold Wind River Mesa 10x50, Orion Ultraview 10x50, Bushnell Legend 10x50, Garrett Genesis 10x50, Pentax PCF WP 10x50, Nikon AE 10x50, Oberwerk 10x50, Nikon Action 10x50, Oberwerk Mariner 10x60, Fujinon FMT-SX 10x50, Nikon 10x42SE. The Roof Prisms - seven 8x42 and 10x42 roofs Nikon Monarch 10x42 roof, Celestron Regal 10x42 roof, Pentax HRII 10x42 roof, Oberwerk 10x42 roof, Celestron Regal 8x42, Bushnell Legend 8x42, Garrett DCF 8x42 Apo, Nikon SE10x42, Fujinon BFL 8x42. Three Families - 3 Nikon SEs, 2 Fujinon FMTs and 3 Nikon AEs Nikon SE 12x50, Nikon SE 10x42, Nikon SE 8x32, Fujinon FMT-SX 10x70 Fujinon FMT-SX 10x50, Nikon Action Extreme 12x50, Nikon AE 10x50, Nikon AE 8x40 7s or Better - four 7x50 big eyes Captain’s Storm King (Swift) 7x50, Oberwerk Mariner 7x50, Captain’s Helmsman 7x50, William Optic 7x50 ED. The Score - how all the above were tested, scored and ranked Explanation of the test methods and the points rank table. Each binocular group report can stand on its own, and that's most likely how all our readers would want to approach this info, according to the size group or type most relevant to their needs. But there's no question about it, these were all compiled as one set of data and will be tied together in the Final Score Report. I'd like to think there aren't too many places on the internet that present as complete and thorough a set of test data as this series. I hope you will find when you see all this complete that it represents what you've come to expect from CN Reports. Clear Skies, and if not, Cloudy Nights. edz