Vortex Optics Viper HD Roof Prism Binoculars 8x42

Casual use ,walks views etc. perfect for my requirements, easy to use and very clear large depth of field. Not too heavy but enough to feel solid, all in all very pleased with purchase.

Excellent optics, bright wide field of view, great colour, rugged and waterproof. As a birder, these bins are brilliant. I love them.

I bought the 8x42 Viper HD on the recommendations of various bird watching forum as with current lockdowns etc it is not possible to try anything out prior to purchase. The Viper warranty was also an attraction. I like the binoculars and first impressions were good. I wear spectacles so eye relief is an important issue and they were easy to look through. Dioptre adjustment is really stiff but you only set that up once. I have a short distance between my eyes and the Viper coped with that fine. The image was bright and clear. Possibly some colours a little enhanced. Good contrasts and focus. What really let it down was the purple fringing. All roof prism binoculars have it to some degree but this was really bad. Looking at a vertical bird feeder pole against a meadow in the centre of the image showed it very clearly. Usually you'd expect some fringing at the edges of the image but not in the centre. A Monarch 7 for example hardly showed any fringing. Following a lesser spotted woodpecker across the garden it was impossible to make it out clearly as the fringing was so bad. Also there was significant pin cushion distortion towards the edges - again more than I'd expect. The image also blurred more than expected towards the edges. Again Monarch 7 was much better. I wonder if upgrading the model a couple of years ago for greater FOV Vortex pushed the optics more than they should. I also wonder if a lot of the rave reviews were on the older model. Alternatively it could just have been a bad item but that is even more worrying if Vortex quality control let out such poor specimens. The accessories included a strap - slightly short and little adjustment and a bag with a harness. You can use the bag on its own but where do you put it when the binoculars are out? A belt loop would have been so useful. I did wonder whether to try another one but in the end I sent it back.