Binomania Reviews the 8×32 SE
I am absolutely convinced that [Oberwerk] has succeeded with the Oberwerk SE ED 8×32 binoculars, which have proven to be a must-buy instrument to add to your collection.
$299.95
The Oberwerk SE (Special Edition) Series are based on the discontinued SE models from a well-known Japanese brand. Our SE’s have the same ergonomic and lightweight design, but we improved the optical quality by using FK-61 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass objectives, which eliminate chromatic aberration (false-color fringing). The 8×32’s extra-wide 8.2° FOV (Field of View) is also substantially-wider than the discontinued 8×32 SE. The 8×32 SE is the smallest and lightest-weight of the SE family, with rugged construction and precise center focuser, which can focus as close as 10 feet away. Of course they are fully broadband multi-coated, waterproof, and nitrogen charged. Includes a rugged padded soft case, caps, and a neck strap.
| Eye Relief | 15mm (usable) |
|---|---|
| Exit Pupil | 4.0mm |
| IPD Range | 56mm – 76mm |
| Minimum Focus | 3m |
| Product Weight | 1.75 lbs. |
| Product Dimensions | L=5", W=6.5", H=2.5" |
Don't have an account? Click here to register.
Kenneth J Hubal (verified owner) –
Sharp and color free. Stars are pin sharp out to 95 percent of the field and colors are true and vivid with no ghost images or stray reflections. This binocular is by far the best Porro prism binocular I’ve ever owned in this aperture magnification range!! Highest recommendation!!
Pinac (verified owner) –
I ordered one online at Oberwerk in Dayton OH on a Thu midday, Oberwerk dispatched the same day, and I got the SE at my home in Switzerland after 3 business days – not bad (for Oberwerk customer service and UPS) !
I had been forewarned by the various reviewers that the SE is quite big and heavy for a 8×32 – it is indeed, but build quality and finish are excellent, and ergonomics are superb, the bino fits snugly into my hands, a joy to use. The immediate impression is that for a 250 $ bino, the optics are really good.
My sample actually magnifies 8.2 x. The measured RFOV and AFOV values are a bit narrower than specified by Oberwerk, but still very nice.
Plenty of eye relief; spectacle wearers should be fine.
Nice extra travel of the focus wheel of ca. 5 dpt beyond the infinity position.
Given that the number of available good 8×30 / 8×32 porro binos is continually shrinking, this is a very welcome addiiton to the binoculars market, not only for porro enthusiasts.
Dave Arbon (verified owner) –
A solid binocular with a bit of weight due to its build quality, focusing is a bit stiff but should loosen up with use, nice case, two neck straps, tried both, preferred the smaller padded one for comfort and it was more proportional to the binocular size, the other is a larger denim material with the Oberwerk logo on it. I will find a use for it on a bigger pair. Optics are very good as far as my older eyes can judge,.
If you are in the the market for a higher grade porro instrument then you should consider this binocular or its bigger SE brothers.
Noah Lawes (verified owner) –
I’m extremely impressed with the 8×32 SE. It provides a beautiful, sharp, sparkling view. It compares favorably with my Leica BN 8×42, and it’s even better in some ways, including CA control, ergonomics, and handheld stability (especially when using the “hat trick” resting the bill of a cap on the prism housings. I’m working on a longer review which I plan to post on one of the forums, but for now, suffice it to say that I think this is a great binocular in absolute terms, and it’s just amazing that you can get it for $250.
Glenn Littledale (verified owner) –
What a delightful binocular, bright, very sharp and comfortable to hold. The focuser and diopter adjustments operate smoothly. The bridge is solid. 32mm objectives are well protected by extended barrels. The armor is not at all tacky. The adjustable eyecups work and fit well. These 32mm SE’s are small enough to always have at hand.
The 8x 32 Oberwerk SE handles challenging lighting conditions well. The sweet spot is large with good edge performance. It’s very hard to provoke false color from them. In the day the are just wonderful to use, but I was surprised by how well they perform on the night sky where I usually use larger binoculars. Stars are pinpoint. Star colors are brilliant and neutral. The field of view is large and scanning the milky way is a joy! Brighter deep sky objects show well. After viewing Andromeda galaxy I moved over to M33 and was surprised how nicely it showed up. These 8x 32 SE’s are great binoculars!
Russell Milton (verified owner) –
I received my new Oberwerk 8X32 SE binocular yesterday, and am finding it to be quite a quality product. It was well packed with nice objective covers and rain caps for the oculars. Also the padded canvas case is good for protection when not in use.
All in all, I’m very pleased to get this high quality binocular. It was ordered on Wednesday, shipped from Ohio to Oregon arriving on Friday. That is stellar for fast order processing and shipment. The 8X32 SE and 20X65 Oberwerk binos are the best by far in my collection. I also have some old 7X50 and 10X50 binos along with an older German 15X80 binocular.
So here’s my review.
First a couple of nit-picks:
The dual ocular rain caps have side loops to capture the neck strap that don’t line up with the straps’ attachment points on the binos. Others have mentioned this minor irritant, that will likely be addressed in future production runs.
The canvas carrying case for the bino has attachment points for the neck strap that are too low on the side of the case. If they had been attached higher up on the side, the case would hang down nicely when supported by the neck strap. In practice this didn’t matter a lot, since the case lays flat against the user’s body despite a slight tendency to tip to the side.
That’s it for negatives. The binocular itself feels very solid. The weight of it seems appropriate for the quality of construction. There was no problem at all in holding them up to the eyes for viewing. The 8X power is about the maximum for me in a hand-held optic. When mounted on a HD photo tripod, the view was very clear, probably the best I’ve seen in a binocular. Viewing an overhead electrical wire against a bright sky showed a bit of chromatic aberration in the outer part of the field. But for less demanding subjects like distant vegetation, the view was superb.
At night the large exit pupil allowed for my eye’s own astigmatism to become apparent. I usually like to view with glasses off. But with the eyecup twisted down and glasses in place, the entire FOV was visible with no astigmatism. The stars focused down to nice round points. Without glasses the right ocular diopter adjustment was not quite capable of correcting for my -5.5 diopter myopia in the worst eye. So this is another reason for using glasses or contact lenses for day OR nighttime viewing. For this binocular my usual use will be for bird-watching. It is also superb at night
At first I didn’t spend much time at night because of a bright moon. But seeing the Cassiopeia “W” and Alcor/Mizar was nice. When I get some darker skies I hope to further assess the nighttime view. The several days before full Moon was spectacular. All craters along the terminator were very sharp, especially when steadied with the tripod.
Note:
Observing at night, the “Circlet” of the constellation Corona Borealis barely fits in the field of view. This shows that the actual field of view is around 7-1/2 degrees. Using SkySafari to display a 7-1/2 degree circle verifies this.
Addendum:
I just returned from a week camping at 7400 feet (24K+ meters) under Bortle-1 skies. The skies were spectacular on the west slopes of Steens Mountain in southwest Oregon. One night I was privileged to observe using a binocular telescope with dual 17-1/2 inch mirrors. The view was of course quite spectacular. I also observed on two other nights with my Oberwerk 20X65 Deluxe and 8X32 SE binoculars.
Under such skies the binocular views were of course impressive. But I truly enjoyed what the smallest aperture showed. The 7-1/2 degree FOV of the 8X32 SE binocular allowed for expansive views of many Milky Way DSOs in context, showing them in relation to other nearby objects. I have been more than pleased with my purchase of the Oberwerk 8X32 SE. For daytime viewing, there’s no need for heavier 7X50s or 10X50s, which I have at my disposal. My own eye’s pupil stops down the larger apertures to about what the 8X32s provide with much less weight.
For nighttime viewing I’ve been very impressed with what the 8X32 SE provides. The outer 15% of the FOV shows some degradation. But perfection isn’t possible, at least for the price I’m willing to bear. The vast majority of the FOV gives quite sharp definition with minimal to no chromatic aberration. Quality is expensive, perfection is nearly unattainable at any price. Kudos to Oberwerk. I appreciate Kevin Busarow’s honest assessment of the products he sells, and very useful information on the Oberwerk website. Fast shipping and a high quality product makes for a happy-camper customer.
So you can count me as very pleased with my purchase of the 8X32 Se binocular.
Tom Osburn –
Live on a lake. There’s a 5 mph buoy .63 of a mile off my deck. Great object to focus on to check culmination and clarity. It’s a good test. The 8x32se exhibit one buoy and could make out the 5. Not bad for 8 magnification. I was using a pre hd Vortex Viper 8×42 for a comparison glass. I then started glassing the hills across the lake and the hillsides around me. I went between the two till dark. Following pre-dawn morning I glassed till after daybreak. What I have learned is these SEs don’t hit you with the wow factor, they come on gradually. They beat my test glass in every way other than light gatherings. For which they were equal. I will have an opportunity to compare them to the Viper hd later this week. Will see how they compare. As far as the build and the body I think there spot on. could nitpick some things but is not my intent here I wanted to know about the glass and the view for that’s what is important to me. The reason for four stars. I think Oberwerk has something good going here with the SE. with a lot of room for improvement. I will keep these. And am looking forward to see how they develop them further. I don’t know if you can take a porro design glass up to the Alfa class with the next level prisms and coatings. But if they do , I will certainly own a pair. Thank you for keeping the better porro glass alive.