12×50 ED Ultra
$499.95
12×50 ED Ultra
$499.95
In stock.
Oberwerk Ultra Series are our highest-quality mid-size binoculars, equaling or surpassing the performance of the finest Japanese brands, for about half the price. The new 12×50 ED Ultra uses FK-61 ED glass to remove almost all chromatic aberration. AFOV is a very wide 70°, and field flatteners keep the view sharp across the entire 5.8° FOV. With usable eye relief of 15mm, those wearing eyeglasses will have no trouble seeing the entire FOV. Very rugged, yet relatively-lightweight magnesium alloy construction, with precise individual focusers. Of course these are fully broadband multi-coated, waterproof, and nitrogen charged. Includes the Oberwerk Heavy-Duty Tripod Adapter, a heavy-duty padded case, and neck strap.
Recommended mounts-
Oberwerk 2000 Monopod
Oberwerk 3000 Tripod
Additional information
| Shipping Weight | 6 lbs |
|---|---|
| Shipping Dimensions | 16 × 12 × 8 in |
| FOV | 5.8° |
| Eye Relief | 15mm (usable) |
| Exit Pupil | 4.17mm |
| IPD Range | 57-75mm |
| Minimum Focus | 10m |
| Product Weight | 3.0 lbs. |
| Product Dimensions | L=7, W=8, H=3 in. |
Astro Ape (M. Harris) (verified owner) –
The 12x50EDU is a phenomenal instrument, with excellent color correction and extreme sharpness on-axis and showing only a minimal fringe of false color off-axis near the edge of the FOV. Colors are extremely vivid and transmission seems to be very high. The FOV is well corrected, with stars appearing as tight points through 80% of the field, with aberrations out from there being minor. Although I do notice a roller ball effect while panning dense star fields, it’s minor and I’ve yet to hear anyone else mention it so it may just be me. The 70°AFOV feels very wide in use, yet the eye relief makes taking it all in easy without glasses with eyecups up. I really like the extra long eyecups which match my personal eye relief requirements perfectly. Stray light is controlled very well, with little glare seen and no ghosting at all.
The physical size and weight of the 12x50EDU is less than the 10x50U, and as wild as it may sound I find the 12x to be easier to handhold. I’ve tested this over many months and for me personally, I find the 12x50EDU to be among the most comfortable handheld binos I’ve ever used, even though I typically don’t like anything over 8x handheld…. this is among the most unexpected results of testing this instrument. Even so, I still recommend these mounted and they are absolutely fantastic on a monopod for scanning or tripod for steady widefield use. The IF eyepieces are easily adjusted but stiff enough not to turn accidentally. The coatings are an absolute beautiful(!!) dark purple that reminds me of high end European offerings. Although I liked the ol’ school pebbled look on vintage binos and the classic green ribbed armor of the classic Ultra’s, this new style armor is really starting to grow on me…. it does feel very good in the hand too.
My only “complaint” is that I wish they came with two sets of objective covers: one for use mounted that doesn’t have the tethered tails and the originals for use when handheld. The tethered objective caps are easy to remove for mounting, but you’re left with the ‘tails’ of the caps flapping around. I don’t really think this is a complaint in all fairness, and I plan to get an extra set to modify for use when mounted.
All told, this is an absolutely fantastic instrument!! It’s a deserving addition to the ED Ultra line and a worthy successor to the legendary BA8 Ultra. As a proud Oberwerk Owner (including LW, Deluxe, Sport ED, SE, Ultra, and ED Ultra models) I jumped on the 12x50EDU right after Oberwerk listed them for sale on the site. Before getting the 12x, I’d been matching a 8x42SED (handheld) and 10x50U (monopod) with my favorite 20x70EDU (tripod) for binocular observing. While the 8x42SED is great and the 10x50U is a legend, I wasn’t completely satisfied with this 3 bino setup for general binocular observing. I hoped that reducing to two primary instruments by matching the 12x50EDU on a monopod to it’s tripod mounted big brother 20x70EDU would be the combo I was looking for (made sense anyway). Turns out that these two binos cover a lot of observing and leave very little to be desired…. definitely the best 2 instrument do-it-all setup I’ve ever owned or used!!