RRP: £345
Review by Matt Merritt
Winter birding really lets you get a good idea of a binocular’s strengths and weaknesses. The light’s rarely good, but even when there is bright sun, it’s generally low and from the side. Meanwhile, the weather will test your optics’ ability to shrug off water, and your ability to operate moving parts while wearing huge gloves.
Which is all a way of saying that these bins from Ace Optics (you’ll know them well as a retailer as well as for their branded products) got put through their paces more than most. December was warm but wet, and then the snow and ice arrived…
Let’s start with the design. These Japanese-made bins have the same elegant, unfussy lines that Avians have boasted in the past – they’re really nicely balanced in the hand and so feel even lighter than their 615g (which seems pretty light to me, considering the size of the lenses).
The black rubber armour is solid and robust, and the rubber eyecups twist up and down to four very distinct positions – they stay in place perfectly I extended use, and the eyecups are comfortable to use for long periods, too.
The focus wheel is a finger wide, and first impressions were that I’d have liked it to be a bit more textured or ridged, but in practice, I found it easy to find and use accurately, even when I was bundled up against the cold. It takes just short of 1.5 clockwise turns from close focus to infinity, and moves very smoothly and slightly stiffly. That made it easy to find and maintain exact focus.
The dioptre ring is on the right-hand barrel and isn’t click-stopped or lockable, but it stays in place well and it was easy to find the right setting.
So what about the optics themselves?
Well, the image is bright, very sharp, and always felt more than wide enough – always reassuring when you first pick up bins with higher magnification. Even in low light, that ED glass makes the most of the available illumination, and the colour is very natural.
The extra punch in the magnification is useful, too, as much at close range as over wide expanses. For example, it helped me to pick out the tiny but diagnostic white spot on a Marsh Tit’s bill, at close range but in murky woodland light.
I did find a bit of colour fringing at times, especially when viewing against low sun or when there was a lot of side lighting, but generally it was a case of adjusting my eye position slightly to get rid of it, and it wasn’t a real problem at all.
Close focus is quoted as 3m, but felt far closer to 2m to me. That’s not outstanding, but it’s more than adequate for most occasions.
Accessories are a fabric case, a good rainguard which fitted snugly but was easy to remove, an excellent neoprene strap, and removable tethered objective lens covers, which didn’t bounce up to obscure the view (I’d still remove them, though).
Specs
Eye relief: 15mm
Field of view: 117m@1000m
Close focus: 3m
Weight: 615g
Size: 148mm x 133mm x 52mm
RRP: £345
Supplied with: Neoprene strap, rainguard, fabric case, removable tethered objective lens covers
Web: www.aceoptics.co.uk
Verdict
I was impressed by how well these bins did in some testing conditions – I enjoyed using them, especially for the extra magnification, and didn’t miss my regular pair on some varied birding expeditions. But I was even more impressed when I saw the price – for less than £350 you’re getting really good all-rounders that are well built and straightforward to use. Give them a try if you’re looking to upgrade to ED bins, or need a second pair for emergencies.
Ratings
Optics 4
Design 4
Value 5
Overall 4.5