Nikon Action EX

Price £179 • Weight 1,069g • Extras Wide, nylon strap with soft anti-slip neck patch; tethered rain-guard, tetherable objective caps; lightly padded fabric case • Supplier Wex • Tel 01603 486413 • www.wexphotovideo.com

From the moment you take these binoculars out of their lightly padded case, they ooze quality. They have a robust feel in the hand and everything – hinge, focusing, twist-up eye-cups – works smoothly with just the right amount of stiffness to prevent accidental readjustment. The eyepiece rain-guard is tethered, and the objective caps can be secured to the binoculars’ strap to prevent you mislaying them.

They are just as impressive under the stars, which snap to focus anywhere in the central 85 per cent of its 6.5° field of view, giving a bright, crisp, highcontrast image. Colour rendition and control of false colour are both very good. There is just enough eye relief for spectacle-wearers to be able to see the entire field of view. They are well-balanced and hence relatively easy to hold steady, and the chunky lugs on the right eyepiece dioptre make adjustments easy, even when you’re wearing thick gloves. The rubber armour stops them from becoming slippery when wet with dew.