Telescope Reviews: NKOTB: Barska 30x80

The Mini-Review

A Big Brown Truck arrived with my new toy earlier this week.
Coddled in bubble-wrap within its hard-case, the 30x Barska survived the trip without a scratch and in fine collimation...

I could stop here as, for $139, my expectations had already been met.
But as the audition progressed, I became increasingly pleased with the performance of these 'bargain' Giants.
So here we go.

Vital Stats

Max Dimensions: 13" x 9"
Weight: 4.3 lbs.
Min Focus: 49 ft.
All black, streamlined, soft and smooth rubber housing.
Extremely ergonomic and well-balanced.
Aroma: Confidential (Sorry, Kenny.)
Lifetime Limited Warranty

Mechanics: Hinge, focus, and diopter motion secure with no play. Caps all secure. Easy-to-adjust pedestal stays secure along center bar.
BAK4 Prisms (round exit pupils, no light path interference).
Coatings: FMC. Despite various specs and speculation, the instrument bears the words 'Fully Multi-Coated' and the objectives do indeed present healthy bluish-green reflections thru its black-baffled barrels. Lens and prism paler blue reflections, however, indicate possible single-coatings on some surfaces (see follow-up posts).
Optics (daytime): Very bright images. Moderate pincushioning. Very well color-corrected. Minimal off-focus purple fringing.

Eygernomics

FOV: 2.1° (spec) 2.2° (measured)
AFOV: 63° (per spec) 66° (adj)
F/FSR (Field to Field-Stop Ratio): Average. No tunnelvision, but not a spacewalk either. Field-stop is well-defined.
Eye Relief: 10mm (spec) 9mm (useable. recess is slightly less than 2mm, and I'm feeling generous)
Lens diameter 20mm
Exit Pupil: 2.7mm
IPD: 58-72mm
Comfort: Very good. Long, soft roll-back rubber eye cups.
Vignette: Minimal. Eye positioning is more forgiving than expected.

My favored useable eye relief is in the 12-14mm range, so the Barska is tighter than I prefer (any less would be painfully tight). Not recommended for eyeglass wearers, I would estimate at least a 50-60% loss of field.

Under The Stars

No astigmatism.
Pinpoint star images out to 80% of field.
Minimal violet fringing on Jupiter and Vega (substantially less CA than my $500 MegaView).
Main Jovian bands are distinct, showing both color and hints of texture.
Negligable false color at Luna's limb, our waning gibbous moon was splendidly detailed.
*Moonless, darksky safari pending.*

Versus Orion 30x80MegaView

For another $350, the MV provides 4mms more eye relief and a significantly larger AFOV (field-stop is nearly peripheral). These are two very important qualities for me and was worth the extra cost. YMMV.
The MV also provides an additional .3° TFOV, and includes extendable dewshields.
Except for the above, the sleek and lightweight Barska 30s not only challenge the heavier MV's optics, mechanics, and quality build, but do so with better color-correction on the bright stuff.
Contemplating whether the MegaViews are overpriced or the Barskas are underpriced, I'm leaning toward the former.

Handheld Use

I may be an exception (wouldn't be the first time), but I also spent ten straight minutes standing and another 30 on my back enjoying a relaxed freehand crawl across the available constellations. Very liberating. At just over 4 lbs, they simply do not 'feel' like Giants.

CN Bino Forum edicts require me to reiterate that a tripod or IS is always recommended for more serious bino-target study.
Following that, the Barska's mounting requirements are minimal; any tripod rated for even 5 lbs will suffice.

Summary

Aside from an incurable giant bino fetish, I also wanted to occasionally share 30x binocular views with the public without putting my more valuable MV in harm's way. The Barska X-Trail 30x80 will serve its purpose with flying colors. More bang for 139 bucks than I expected.
If the MegaView drives like a Cadillac, then the Barska handles more like a sports car.
Recommended with caveats of the relatively narrow FOV and potentially restrictive ER.

Stephen Saber
PAC/Astronomical League
http://www.geocities.com/saberscorpx/home.html