8.5×40, 10×40 Sport APO
$749.95
2 reviews for 8.5×40, 10×40 Sport APO
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$749.95
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Timothy Williams (verified owner) –
The Oberwerk 8.5×40 SPORT APOs are definitely a step above the mid-tier binocular category, with field flatteners that are a game changer for me. My last binoculars were Oberwerk 8×42 SPORT EDs, and they were excellent. But this new SPORT APO is on a different level. Taking the 8.5×40 SPORT APOs in hand, I was immediately surprised by how light they were. This, combined with the dead-on collimation, translates into long term low-fatigue viewing. I do, however, find the 8.5x magnification to be near the limits of comfortable extended handheld viewing. The center diopter adjustment was a first for me, but after a minute of playing with it, I found it much quicker and easier to use than the side diopter adjustment I’d used previously. It is also more precise than the typical “just get it in the ballpark” diopter controls of most binoculars. The attached objective lens caps were fiddly to seat and wouldn’t stay in place, so I removed them. The eyepiece caps were fine. The grip is smooth rubber (I prefer a little more texture) with a ridges along the sides of the tubes and subtle thumb indentions which were a nice touch. The twist-eyecups felt more solid than those of the SPORT ED, and I liked not being limited to just a few stops. But let’s get to the view, which was just…WOW! The claimed edge to edge sharpness is not hype! Images were in sharp focus across the whole field of view. Seriously. I checked for distortions by following power lines (perfectly straight across the whole field and parallel) and other telling targets. “Rolling ball” effects were not bad. The color was perfect. I can’t overstate how much of a difference it makes being able to use the entire field of view! I had previously been accustomed to sharpness at the center with increasing fuzziness and distortion toward the edge. That’s not the case here. The only fault I could find was, looking at tree branches against a bright overcast sky, there was some purple fringing at the outer edge just before the field stop. I can live with that, and it wasn’t noticeable unless I specifically looked for it. I found the views through the SPORT APO’s to feel immersive and especially three dimensional: this helps with depth perception (in observing wildlife, for instance). Contrast and sharpness were outstanding—no fuzziness here. The focus knob is delightful—smooth and easy to snap images into focus with just the right amount of play and resistance. I can’t wait for skies to clear enough to take this thing on a test drive with the stars…
Timothy Williams (verified owner) –
Follow Up Review:
I was finally able to get an hour of observing tonight with partial clouds. The Waxing Gibbous Moon was 85% illuminated, so I was able to torture test the 8.5×40 SPORT APO’s color correction. At the center of the field, there was little to no distracting chromatic aberration. But at the last outer 5% to 10% of the field of view, the lunar disc sported thin purple fringe on one side and yellow on the other. This was consistent with my earlier test with tree branches against a bright sky. The lunar features were delightfully contrasty and clear across the field of view, although a little soft approaching the field stop. Glare was very minimal and there was no ghosting when looking at the bright disc.
Stars were sharply resolved points all the way to the field stop—an optical accomplishment which I actually didn’t expect. While there was no major distortion near the field stop, the focus does go a little soft at the final 5%. At that point, stars develop little spikes. This occurs with bright streetlights also. But again, this is immediately before the field stop (maybe the outer 5%), and I was specifically looking for it. In normal observation, it is not very evident because there’s so much wonderful view to take in from the other 95% of the field. And, of course, this is a giant leap beyond most other mid-tier binoculars which often have 30% or more of lousy clarity and distortion outside the center of their FOV.
Astronomy also drove home how beneficial the light weight of these binoculars can be. They were not nearly as tiring in extended viewing as other heavier pairs I’ve used. I found that if I held the SPORT APO’s lightly, with thumbs in their indents and my pinkies resting on the grooves along the outer edge of the rubber armor, that they remained fairly steady for extended periods—even though 8.5x is pushing it at times with handheld stargazing. This brings me to tripod viewing, which was a dream—especially with the wide field of view. I found myself staring effortlessly at the moon’s features for long periods. I would assume that I can also attribute that to good collimation, which is one of Oberwerk’s biggest draws for me.