I received two pair of the Orion Utraview 10x50 porroprism binocular yesterday, one actually being bought by one of my employees, the other intended as a birthday gift for my brother-in-law (who hopefully does NOT read this board!)
For anyone who does not yet have, or needs to recommend to a friend a basic binocular for astronomy, these are clearly a good choice. Build quality is quite good, the apparent field of view does appear to be 60°, the eyecups work nicely, and the eye relief is very generous. They feel good in the hand, with a nice wide diamond pattern knurled focus ring.
Personally, I think Orion should leave out the four individual ocular and objective caps, in favor of a single rainguard that can be attached to the very adequate neckstrap, but otherwise, for now these have become my primary recommendation for anyone who wants a moderately-priced basic binocular for astronomy, or, for terrestrial work, where a slightly heavier unit would not pose a problem.
For anyone who does not yet have, or needs to recommend to a friend a basic binocular for astronomy, these are clearly a good choice. Build quality is quite good, the apparent field of view does appear to be 60°, the eyecups work nicely, and the eye relief is very generous. They feel good in the hand, with a nice wide diamond pattern knurled focus ring.
Personally, I think Orion should leave out the four individual ocular and objective caps, in favor of a single rainguard that can be attached to the very adequate neckstrap, but otherwise, for now these have become my primary recommendation for anyone who wants a moderately-priced basic binocular for astronomy, or, for terrestrial work, where a slightly heavier unit would not pose a problem.
