Praktica CN10x42

purchased to replace my faulty 10x50 Bresser porro binos that i got water in. my 1st impression was that they feel different to hold as the lenses are close together. in daylight the images were different. the old porros had a slight reddish color cast .. especially when looking into the sky. the Practika seems to be a tad brighter and a nice neutral color. the lighter weight was less tiring to hold. i would think these would be really ideal for taking on those outdoor trips.

the magnification compared well as did the 3D fx that you get with porro type design .. because the lenses are are quite wide apart.

close up was as specified .. but i wished i could have focuses a little nearer. our garden is 44ft long and they just focus the length of the garden with no spare adjustment. the covering is of a thick green rubber .. with front lens caps attached .. which can get irritating to keep moving away from the lens. oh .. can anyone explain what the red button is on the left barrel ??

then came the night. would i get to see those ghosties? we have a street lamp close to the house so i used that as a test. pointing slightly off the side i could detect the amber light of the streetlamp creeping in .. but if i held my hands out to extend the barrels this seemed to cure it. i guess a lens hood .. as used by cameras would fix this. by the way .. this was nothing drastic. just being critical.

but just to be a bit more irritating .. the Bressers shows no sign of giving up the fight! they seemed free of artifacts. damm.

im not a stargazer .. but i did a quick comparison and both pairs were about the same for me. i cant say one could see things the other couldn't. so still neck n neck. looking into very dark places again proved much the same. the light gathering was comparable .. and reasonable for so called starter binoculars.

my overall opinion is good. i bought these on sale as a special price. i really like them. anything that isn't a burden to carry is a plus. the Bressers are lighter than my old Russian 12x40,s .. but still over 100g heavier than these Practika,s. !

the lenses are bright and clear. i thought they did excel the Bressers for far off plane spotting. may-bee it was the coating but the Practika,s seem to cut through the haze slightly better .. albeit not a lot in it .. remember the Bresser,s are 10x50 .. as opposed to 10x42. i think the Practika,s are competing very well. the viewing was spot on for me. some binoculars can stress your eyes .. and make you feel cross eyed when you stop using them. what else can i say. the neck strap was fiddly to fit. the binos come in a fair cloth case .. with Velcro top .. still not matching my old Russian pair of years back with felt lined leather case .. but plenty of weight saving .. and good Q images on a budget. i would rate these 9/10 for the price alone.

its a shame when making a review that we couldn't make a direct test against the competition .. im sure there are better and worse ones out there.