The Viking Vistron 10x50 binoculars come in a nice soft carry case equipped with an internal pocket useful for storing a cleaning cloth.They are very compact at only 145mm long, and lightweight at just 735g.
The front lens caps are rubber and are attached to the front of the barrels so they can’t be lost.
The Vistron has smooth twist-up eyecups with snug-fitting lens caps, while overall, the binoculars had a rubberized surface for a firm grip.
Interpupillary adjustment was a little stiff but manageable, as was the click-stop dioptre adjustment; there was some play in the latter too.
The multicoated optics kept ghosting on bright stars down, but we did notice that the stars were a little soft.
This was a small effect though.
When we checked the field of view with Altair it was okay across 65 per cent, degrading slightly out to 75 per cent and dropping off in quality for the remainder of the view.
Turning the binoculars skywards, we spotted our test galaxies, clusters and nebulae, but the contrast was not quite as good as some models.
The double star Albireo was just about split, but we got a good view of Nu Draconis.
The Andromeda Galaxy’s disc stretched across at least half of the 5.5° field of view and the starfields of the Milky Way were enjoyable.
Overall, despite some drawbacks, the Vistrons delivered acceptable views of the night sky.
- Price: £196.79
- Aperture: 50mm, 5.5° field of view
- Weight: 735g
- Supplier: Rother Valley Optics
- Telephone: 01909 774521
- Website:www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk
