As more astronomy retailers move into developing their own in-house brands, the market is quietly filling
with alternatives to the familiar big-name optics.
Rother Valley Optics is among the latest to expand its range, with its RVO Horizon label offering telescopes and extending into binoculars.
More binocular best-offs
Among the five inaugural models are these 15–30x80 observational binoculars, the first zoom model in the Horizon range.
We took delivery of a pair to see how they stacked up against other astronomy binoculars, particularly as adjustable magnifications can sometimes compromise the field of view.
Unboxing
We were excited by the generous 80mm aperture, which is quite an impressive size given the modest price tag.
The unit felt surprisingly light in the hand as we took them out for a daytime test, first focusing on a buzzard in a tree about a kilometre (0.6 miles) away.
Switching powers couldn’t be simpler, with a lever on the right side of the binoculars that moves fluidly between 15x and 30x magnifications.
It wasn’t long before we reached for our tripod to stabilise the view, as each adjustment required refocusing.
We did note some chromatic aberration around the tree branches, but we were still able to enjoy beautiful details on the bird of prey.
Turning to the Moon
Late-winter skies eventually turned cold and clear in time for a bright, 90%-illuminated Moon.
With the binoculars mounted on our own tripod and ballhead, we turned towards our closest natural satellite.
At 15x magnification, we noticed some internal reflections, but nothing that significantly impacted observations.
As with our daytime test, there was some chromatic aberration – blue and yellow fringing along the outer edges – although this didn’t appear to worsen as we stepped up in power to 30x.
of the eyepieces
We did have to refocus at each magnification change, but this quickly became intuitive.
At 30x magnification, one of the spectacle-wearers in our group felt he couldn’t get close enough to the eyepiece and ended up removing his glasses, but he had no issues at lower powers.
We’d have loved the eyepieces to be threaded so that they could take filters, as this would likely have optimised our lunar views, but we still enjoyed exploring the Apennine mountains and Tycho crater before picking up pleasing details from craters along the terminator.
We didn’t have a smartphone adaptor to hand, but couldn’t resist taking a quick handheld photo, which captured a little of the colour fringing we’d observed.
Jupiter and Orion
We moved the binoculars easily across to our next target, Jupiter, awaiting us 50° above the horizon.
The binoculars’ stabilisation bar proved an excellent addition here, ensuring no flex in the unit as we centred the planet in our field of view.
While we couldn’t discern any surface details, we were easily able to pick out three Galilean moons, Io, Europa and Ganymede.
Colour fringing was at its most obvious in views of the gas giant.
After a short hop to Orion, locating the Orion Nebula (M42) was straightforward, by starting at a lower magnification and using averted vision.
Despite some haze creeping in, the faintly glowing fuzz of nebulosity was clearly visible, albeit without any notable detail.
RVO Horizon 15-30x80 review summary
As our test of the RVO Horizon 15–30x80 binoculars came to an end, we’d come to a clear conclusion: when paired with a reasonably sturdy photography tripod, these out-performed any beginner telescope
kit we’ve used at a similar price point.
Not only that, but as a single unit without the need to swap eyepieces, they were a lot less cumbersome or fiddly for first-time astronomers considering a visit to an astronomy club or just seeking an easy, intuitive way to get observing.
Combine them with a planetarium app and we don’t think these binoculars would be left to gather dust.
They may be short on bells and whistles, but we would happily bring them along to outreach events and astronomy club nights as a supporting accessory for touring the night skies.
Adaptable and capable, they’re an excellent grab-and-go solution for curious newcomers.
Big aperture, no fuss
With sizeable 80mm objective lenses, the light-gathering abilities of the RVO Horizon 15–30x80 binoculars make them ideal for all starter astronomical targets, from the Moon to the larger planets and brighter Messier objects.
We were pleased to see circular BAK4 prisms – often found in more premium models – which help deliver an evenly illuminated field of view.
We didn’t experience any notable darkening at the edges of the field, even when stepping up to 30x magnification.
Despite the large glass objective lenses, we were extremely surprised by how light these 2.1kg binoculars felt, remaining comfortable for 20 minutes of handheld use (for daytime viewing or the brighter night-sky objects).
While these sub-£100 binoculars aren’t fitted with extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass and do show colour fringing on the brightest objects, they still exceeded our expectations.
Compared with beginner telescope kits at a similar price point, these robust binoculars undeniably offer superior views of the night sky.
RVO Horizon 15-30x80 best features
Central focuser
The large central focuser is easy to locate and access in the dark, making it perfect for first-time users. We found the twist motion particularly smooth, with minimal vibrations as we brought things into sharper focus. We were able to make fine adjustments even before resorting to the diopter adjuster on the right-hand eyepiece.
Zoom lever
The zoom lever on the right-hand side is a brilliant addition, allowing users to fluidly step up from
15x to 30x magnification with minimal movement, if the binoculars are on a tripod. Starting at 15x allows easy location of astronomical objects, while the lever provides enough tension to maintain your magnification.
Stabilisation bar
A useful touch for binoculars of this size and weight. Once attached to a tripod via the stabilisation bar’s standard ¼-inch mounting thread, we could easily balance the binoculars by slightly loosening the top screw. The bar kept the unit secure throughout our test.
Accessories
Supplied is a suite of basic accessories, including a carry bag, neck strap and lens caps to keep the binoculars portable and weather-proof. The bag’s strap is adjustable and can be used cross-body if desired, while the flexible rubber caps provide a snug fit to keep dust and moisture at bay.
Fold-down eyecups
The fold-down eyecups are a little fiddly, but useful for spectacle-wearers, providing enough eye relief for comfortable viewing. We personally prefer these soft rubber eyecups to twist up/down versions and during an hour-long observing session we didn’t experience any notable pressure around our eyes or nose.
RVO Horizon 15-30x80 key specs
- Price: £99.99
- Optics: Fully multicoated
- Aperture: 80mm
- Magnification: 15x–30x
- Prisms: Porro, BAK4 glass
- Angular field of view: 2.4°
- Focusing: Centre and diopter
- Eye relief: 18mm
- Interpupillary distance: 54–72mm
- Weight: 2.1kg
- Supplier: Rother Valley Optics
- Tel: 01909 774521
- www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk
