PowerView 10x50 Wide Angle Binocular

Not much to dislike at all about these. I have found the Bushnell (model 131056) PowerView 10x50 porro-prism wide angle binoculars to be of excellent quality, and an outstanding value for the price: I bought mine for $48.72, including shipping and tax, through Amazon.com. What I liked: - Multi coated optics and Bk7 prisms (borosilicate crown glass) result in a very clear, sharp image. The large 50mm objectives gather light well even in low-light level conditions. I have used them for moon- and star-gazing, birdwatching and general outdoor use. In all circumstances they have performed exceptionally well. - Image quality. In my opinion, image quality is as good as what I remember with the Steiner binos I was issued when deployed to Anbar Province and Baghdad, Iraq on a US Army Military Transition Team (MiTT) mission in 2006-2007 - if I recall correctly, they were a Steiner 7x50 porro-prism bino with a mil-scale reticle - what the Army refers to as an M22 bino. The civilian version of these Steiners sells for $800.00+. The Bushnells also compare favorably with some of the expensive Nikon, Zeiss, Zeiss/Jena, Leica and Hensoldt/Wetzlar binos I have had the opportunity to use during a 24-year career in the US Army. However, I do NOT believe that, for most use, the relatively marginal increase in image quality in those far more expensive binos justifies paying 10 to 20 times the cost of these Bushnells. - Toggle lever focus system. Bushnell calls it "InstaFocus", works well, I have found it precise enough for small focus adjustments once I got used to it. Particulary useful for tracking/identifying moving objects such as ground vehicles, aircraft in flight and personnel moving across terrain at varying distances. I have also found it works exceptionally well for tracking moving animals in the field and birds moving through trees and in flight. - Rubber armor. Covers the entire body of these binoculars - makes them easy to grip even when wet and should serve well to protect the internal optics from damage if they see some rough use. - Wide woven neck strap. Works well for my use, does not dig into neck/shoulders during field carry. For those wanting increased comfort and utility, buy an upgraded strap or even a bino harness system. - Padded nylon case. Suitable for average use, same as what came with some far more expensive Nikons I bought recently. For more protection, recommend buying a case that is more water/humidity/dust resistant, better padded and shuts more completely with a zipper. Most of these, such as the FieldLine tm brand models are reasonably priced and often come with additional internal and external storage pockets. Other notes: - I have noticed some minor color fidelity issues (called chromatic aberration) under some conditions, as well as slight image distortion/bluriness at the edges of the field of view. Be aware that this is an inherent problem with any optics. Routing light through any lens system will cause this, thus it also occurs in more expensive binoculars to varying degrees. It is not an indication of any manufacturing or design flaw. Everything in the center of the field of view is in color-correct crisp focus with no distortion, so I do not find these issues objectionable given the relatively large field of view of 341 feet @ 1000 yards. - Lens covers. The ones that come with binos work well to protect lenses, fit tightly. Problem is they are not attached to bino body, so one could conceivably lose them. I bought lens covers that stay attached to bino - available at Amazon and at most optics stores and online optics vendors. - Close focus distance is 20 feet. You cannot bring anything into focus that is closer than this. Note that this not a flaw or malfunction, this is just how Bushnell designed the optics on these particular binoculars. I personally have not found this to cause any problems as I seldom have had the need to look at anything that is closer than 20 feet. - 5mm exit pupil. Makes prolonged use of this bino easy on the eyes. - 26 oz weight. Among the lightest 10x50 binos you will find (Our family-use Nikon 8x40 binos weigh more than these, and they are smaller.) Light enough to be easy to carry for prolonged periods of time. While hiking, walking: if I'm not planning on using them soon, I keep them in my bino case on my belt or slung over my shoulder until I need them; I find this makes it easier to carry them. - Fold down eyecups and 10mm eye relief allow those who wear glasses to use these easily. I wear glasses but I personally find it easier to remove my glasses before using binos, so I leave the eyecups up. - Right side adjustable diopter. Makes it easy to adjust to your individual eyesight requirements. - Even though these binos are not waterproof or fogproof (ie: not O-ring sealed and dry-nitrogen purged) I have not experienced any internal fogging in the rain, warm humid conditions or in situations when they went from warm to cold temperatures. If you want a waterproof and fog-proof binocular, highly recommend the Bushnell Legacy series porro-prism binoculars. They also have the more newly developed BaK4 (Barium Crown Glass) prisms, can focus closer (18 ft for the 10x50 model) and come in three models: 8x42, 10x50, and 10-22x50 Zoom. You can find them for around $100.00 +/- at Amazon. Bushnell also has many other porro-prism and roof-prism binos in a wide price range to suit your needs.

I purchased my 10x50 Powerview binoculars ... after using a pair similar to these (Bushnell Permafocus 10x50). I liked the quality of the Permafocus, but not the price or the lack of focusing adjustment...you'll need it eventhough the are "perma-focused", so I decided to buy the Powerview. I'm glad I did because they are built better, have a slightly better case, and you can see objects that are closer, something that the Permafocus is not capable of. Initialy, Bushnell was not my first choice, but after research, they were my only choice. Buy these binoculars for the quality, price, lifetime warrenty, and ease of use. One thing to keep in mind about high power binoculars, you may want to think about getting a tripod and adapter (I made one out of a piece of angle-iron) if you want to see a steady image. Lastly, if you are just getting into astronomy and can't decide weather to get a higher power than the 10x50's, I'd say start with the 10x50's for the field of view and the more stedy image, and then if you still want more power get the bigger ones (Bushnell 16x50 Powerview are available at Target for around not much more than these 10x50's are priced at...worth checking out).

I recently enrolled in an Ornithology class and binoculars are required. I went out and bought a cheap $13 one. Sure it can zoom up just fine, but I kept thinking something was wrong. A lot of my classmates can see birds and their field marks so clearly while I often just see a blur edge. So I decided to cough up some money and buy this one due to all the good reviews. I was a little hesitant since some people says that it's very heavy. Well, I don't regret it at all. The quality is very good. I can see a lot of details on the birds. Even on cloudy/rainy days, I can see better using this binoculars than my old one. Also, regarding the weight, it's not really that heavy. It did give me wrist pains on the first day though, but after I get use to it and not let it hang on my neck for too long. I don't like the strap very much though, it can cuts into your neck. I usually wear it over my hoodie. So overall, good product, fast shipping and happy customer :]

Having the Bushnell 8x42 legacy model to compare it to, I wanted a little more zoom and light gathering ability for astronomy. I can tell you that the legacy has better optics and imagery. These tend to have flares at dawn and dusk from internal reflections; in full sunlight and astronomy conditions you don't notice it. I'd probably have gotten the 10x50 legacy model instead, but these work well and were cheap. The focusing system is fast and accurate, and does focus better than the legacy models I have.

These binocs worked really well. I used them at the shooting range and it was easy to spot bullet impacts out to 200 yards or so. Clear optics and easy to focus. The downside is the durability. My 5-year-old dropped them onto concrete, probably about an 18" drop. They were facing down, and the impact was on the rubberized portion of one objective barrel only. When I picked them up, the left and right images no longer aligned so I sent them back for repair ($10 S&H). Bushnell responded that due to a bent objective barrel and prism damage, they were a total loss. Really? From an 18" drop? To Bushnell's credit they offered to sell a replacement at only $38. I passed and bought the Legacy version with zoom. Another disadvantage is the flimsy cloth case that it comes with. You should probably upgrade, esp given the durability questions.

Bushnell used to have a quality wide angle product, but these were unusable the first time I tried to use them. I could not get them to focus. Furthermore, part of the binoulars fell apart when I tried to use them at a football game today.

Good quality. Ten X needs a tripod mount to steady the image. High [power does that! Bushnell has a nice steady adapter. Well made! Button on front center removes, showing attachment point!

I love these and use them regularly for astronomy. They are sturdy, but not too heavy (They can make your arms tired if you are looking up for extended periods, but what doesn't?). The rubberish coating on the body gives a good grip and makes them durable. The optics are good, giving sharp images from edge to edge. There is a little bit of coma distortion but generally I don't notice it. These give about a 5degree field of view, which is great for looking at star clusters and nebulae, and I've seen several galaxies and other deep sky objects. The 10x power is enough to find Uranus and Neptune, too. The focus bar works nicely with good control for pretty fine adjustments. The lens caps are just a bit loose, so they pop off a little too easily. The strap that comes with is also crap, so get a nice wide camera strap, and you're good to go.