Olympus Outback 8x21 RC1 Binoculars

My son used the binoculars to view the night sky and was very surprised at what he could see with them. He is an astronomer so knows the sky and what he wants to find. He's very pleased. Next he'll use them at the San Francisco Symphony when he sits up high in the cheaper seats.

We bought two pairs of these binoculars for a trip to Costa Rica, wanting something lighter than our beautiful but heavy Zeiss bins. When they came, one was defective - one side didn't focus - so we had to replace that just before departure. In use we found them lightweight, easy to use and the optics are quite OK for such cheap binoculars. I like the close focus and their pocketability. The right-eye diopter adjustment is quite loose so you need to tape it in place.

Main problem is, in CR it rains...and rains! There are so many opportunities for bins to get wet. Within a few days, both had moisture inside the left barrel. It took us a while to figure how to clean this out.

First you prise off the silver plastic shells, underside then topside, using a knife or small screwdriver in the seam where they snap together. (The plastic is tacked to the metal inner barrels with spots of glue, so this takes a bit of force). Only then can you twist off the eyepiece assembly and mop out the moisture. You have to get all glass surfaces, especially the prisms, scrupulously clean with lens cleaner and lint-free lens tissue, or else there will always be some cloudiness. Watch out for the little black plastic slider that goes diagonally thru the middle of each set of prisms - moisture gets in there too, you may have to yank it out and clean inside that slot.

Then put it all together and make sure it isn't hanging round your neck NEXT time you fall in the river or sea!

This fix worked for us, but don't try it unless you are fairly methodical and handy at fixing things

After ridding myself of the cheapy binoculars that I had for years, I decided to dive in and get some "good" ones. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that these went way beyond good. These binoculars are fabulous. Everybody should have a pair like these!!

These binoculars are small and weigh very little, but they are quality!! Although they don't magnify as much as I would like, it sure beats lugging around the large binoculars that I also own.

Very disappointed in the quality. They received high marks in Consumer Reports and that is why I chose them, however the zoom was terrible. I had to send them back.