AndrewJD
Reviewed: 13 June 2010
Better than a monocular... but better available for the money.
Light
small
No central focus wheel
Eye relief (25/9) of less than 3mm means not nice to use, especially in low light.
This is, essentially, two 10x25 monoculars http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/reviews/accessories/binoculars/-style-10x25-monocular/21061.html connected together. Despite being twice the weight of the monocular, it's much more than twice as effective. That's because binocular vision is vastly superior to monocular vision.
BUT: Unlike most binoculars, it has no central focusing wheel. Instead, each "tube" has a separate, limited focus adjuster. This is okay if you're only going to be looking at things a long way away, where you can essentially set the focus for your eyes then leave it. Many military binoculars, are designed this way, as soldiers will (hopefully) be viewing targets at ranges of 1km or more, and separate focus is more robust and waterproof. But if you want to be able to use the binocular for closer-distance wildlife watching, you'll find the separate focus a pain in the neck. Enough to put you off using the things. So you won't bother taking them. So you won't have them with you when you need them.
7dayshop.com do a small binocular with central focus for £4.99 yes you read that right. I own both this and the Barska, and the 7dayshop is better even ignoring the price.
For a much better view though, if you'll accept an increase in bulk and a slight increase in weight, you're better off with "reverse porros". These don't look as modern as the twin-tube "roof" binoculars, indeed they are based on older technology. But they give a better view.
Try Opticron
