BRESSER WAVE 10X50 £175

When it comes to birding binoculars, 8x42 (or thereabouts) remains the default size, because it offers a balance of magnification, field of view, size and ease of handling.

But there are reasons to opt for larger bins. If your patch contains mainly wide-open vistas, and not a great deal of woodland, then the 10x magnification comes in handy.

At 758g, they’re heavier than 8x42s, but they really feel very well balanced in the hand.

They look smart, with easy to grip rubber armouring, and a wide focus wheel that moves very smoothly and moderately stiffly, taking 2.25 anti-clockwise turns from close focus to infinity. So, focus is easy to find and maintain.

Close focus is quoted as 5m, and while it felt rather closer than that to me, you’re not really going to be buying these with bug-watching in mind.

The eyecups are covered in rubber, but were comfortable in extended use, and twist up and down to three positions – they stayed in place well, too. They offer 18.2mm of eye relief.

The dioptre adjustment is a twist-ring on the right barrel, and although it isn’t click-stopped, it’s stiff enough to stay in place well in use.

So what about the optics? Well, as you might expect with 50mm objective lenses, the image produced is bright, and does well in low-light conditions. The colour is impressively natural, and the image is very sharp, too, although there’s some fall-off towards the edge, but this softness is never really distracting.

Field of view, at 91m@1,000m, is narrower than that of a 8x42, but isn’t restrictive or claustrophobic. There is a certain amount of colour fringing, but I had to go looking for it.

VERDICT

Seriously impressive binoculars, offering good optical performance in a well-designed package. If you want a bit of extra magnification these are an affordable option.

SPECS: Eye relief: 18.2mm Field of view: 91m @ 1,000m Close Focus: 5m Weight: 758g Length x width x depth: 170mm x 135mm x 63mm

RRP: £175 Supplied with: Fabric case, neoprene strap, rainguard, tethered objective lens covers Web: bresseruk.com