Why I Bought This Product
I bought the Nikon Action EX Extreme 10 x 50 All Terrain Binocular as a general purpose binocular but with a special emphasis on using it in amateur astronomy as a telescope substitute for quickly scanning the night sky. Night usage dictated the need for the waterproof/fogproof design.
General Characteristics
This is a 10 power binocular with 50 mm objective lenses. Based on my previous use of an 8 power binocular for astronomy, I had decided to get a binocular with slightly more magnification. This level of magnification is just about right to encompass many interesting parts of the sky in the field of view (e.g. Orion's belt) without overly narrowing what is seen. My old 8 power binocular most often showed me a field much wider than I really wanted to see. For terrestrial use, the 10 power is great for bringing birds and animals up close, much better than the old 8 power.
What I really wanted, though, was more light gathering power. The 50 mm objectives gathers 56% more light than my old 40 mm objectives and more than twice as much as the common 35 mm objectives. I'm able to clearly see the Orion Nebula (and others) as well as the Andromeda Galaxy, various other nebulae and star clusters. For terrestrial use, the added light gathering power allows use well into the evening.
This binocular has a normal field of view 342 feet wide at 1,000 yards. It's not a wide angle binocular, but the advantage is it doesn't have wide angle distortion.
Other Characteristics
The binocular has center focusing and a conveniently placed right-eye diopter to allow optimal focus for both eyes. It accomodates inter-ocular distances of 56 - 72 mm, a pretty good range, but not suitable for smaller children or people with really big heads!
The binocular is suitable for people with and without glasses. The eyepieces twist in and out to a glasses position and a no-glasses position, much more convenient than the more common stowable rubber eye cups.
The binocs are covered in a very grippable rubber armor. They are supposedly rain and fog proof, and so far that seems to be true.
The optics are multi-coated and the high index prisms yield a very bright image.
Accessories
The binocs come with a plastic and cloth adjustable neck strap, a high quality paddes soft case with a belt loop (but no shoulder strap).
There are also caps for all four exposed optical surfaces. These caps work great as caps, but they're supposed to connect to the neck strap so you don't drop them or have to put them in your pocket when you take them off. Unfortunately, the connections to the strap don't work all that well, so I end up just putting them in my pocket anyway.
Finally, the binocs have a standard screw mount for an L-shaped tripod bracket.
Overall Impression
This is an excellent reasonably priced, medium and above quality binocular suitable for terrestrial viewing, including low light conditions, as well as astronomical viewing. The optics are clear and bright, focusing is easy, and the grip is good. The weight (36 ounces) is a bit heavy for continuous use, but fine for most other situations.
Useful Links
Nikon also makes a great low cost camera that's nearly perfect for astrophotography. Check out my review of the
FM10.
Adorama
B&H Photo Video Pro Audio
