After extensive research into high end binoculars in this category (8x30 or 8x32), I walked into my local camera shop (Cambrian Photography, Colwyn Bay) and discovered these wonderful little bins.
I struggle with Binocular Vision Dysfunction and astigmatism, and need to use my bins with my spectacles, and only certain ergonomics seem to work for me. The moment I put these to my eyes I knew I had made an optical friend. The view wasn’t just spectacular but also wonderfully restful. And they really live up to their name, “Companion”, because I wouldn’t be without them. I have other optics, but these are the ones I pick up and use on a daily basis. (Full time voluntary ornithological recorder).
Not only are these bins a joy to look through, but they’re a pleasure to use with or without spectacles, as the diopter adjustment is so easy to quickly dial in or remove and yet is nearly impossible to alter accidentally. And the adjustment is so positive, slick and quick, once you’re familiar with your own diopter setting.
They’re called Companion because they’re reasonably light and compact, but without compromise in optical quality. They’re incredibly rugged and, along with the tough lens covers, can be stowed in a rucksack without the carry case.
Despite being only 30 objective lenses I use them well into dusk because the light gathering quality is second to none. This is due to very high end lens glass and coatings that you notice the benefits from instantly even if you don’t understand the technicalities. They’re extremely bright, with a warm but sharp, crisp image right to the edges and authentic colour rendition.
And all this comes in a beautifully styled and well thought through design, that just make them a pleasure to use. A marvellous little package and I wouldn’t change them for anything.
I’m so grateful to the owner of Cambrian Photography for introducing me to these amazing bins which I know will be lifelong companions in my love affair with birds. She allowed me to spend nearly an hour after hours, trying them outside the shop, comparing them with far more expensive binoculars. Everything else I’d tried over the previous year of research has simply confirmed what I knew almost instantly, that these were made for me.
Cons: the only annoyance was the strap attachments, which you have to fiddle about with when you first get them out of the box and which take a little while to get used to as they swivel and this can cause the strap to twist and tangle until you get used to them.
However, this is a minor, initial annoyance, and once you’ve got used to them, you appreciate the benefit of being able to very quickly remove or replace the straps without altering the adjustment, so that I’d conclude that although this feature is probably an unnecessary complication, I don’t really notice it any longer. It does make the straps really easy to adjust in the field, which can be useful.