Hawke Frontier HD X 8x32 Binocular - Green

Product Information

It's not surprising that in aiming at a lower price point the Frontier ED x32s have a simpler optical configuration than the x43s. Instead of the semi-flat 426ft view you get a 400ft view with field curvature. I'm perfectly fine with that as I like the improved perceived DOF field curvature provides in lower powered models. However some will be disappointed at the size of the sweet spot as this is a particular feature of the bigger models. I admit our expectations were high and we hoped that, after our test, we would present to our Readers another interesting and completely recommendable pair of binoculars. Its range finding capabilities include: Distance, Rain, Hunt, Near, Horizontal Distance and Angle modes. The display brightness can be manually adjusted between 6 levels of brightness. The LRF requires a 3V CR2 battery and will automatically turn off after 15 seconds of no operation to save power.

Following on from a hugely successful Frontier ED family, the new Frontier ED X had a lot to live up to and it thrived in almost every area. The optical and build quality is a grade above the Endurance ED binoculars, but so The simple answer, as expected, is the new Frontier ED X is superior. With dielectric mirror coatings, more light reaches your eyes and the difference is immediately noticeable. On this grey day, that little bit of extra light helps It's not the end of good news.The binoculars look very sturdy, with their magnesium chassis. It is completely waterproof and, at the same time, it is supposed to weigh just 692 grams, a very good result in the 42 mm class. The accessory kit you get is impressive, the warranty period - quite long. Inside the instrument you get low dispersion ED glass and prisms which feature phase correction and dielectric coating. All of that for a very sensible price of 400 Euro. ED glass reduces chromatic aberration while increasing colour reproduction. Lenses feature a hydrophobic coating to repel water. As you see there are a lot of complaints but their number doesn't mean the binoculars don't have any assets, quite the contrary. Let's look at the transmission graph, presented below.

As one of the numbers in their name indicates, these Hawke binoculars have 32mm objective lenses, which for a mid-sized instrument is the most common size and for a binocular in this size class offers a good balance between light-gathering ability versus keeping the size of the instrument down. The Frontier ED X don't feature field flattening lenses (and aren't expected in this price range), so some softness and field curvature can be seen, but I was still more than pleased with the performance. Being the same size as that used on the 42mm versions, it means that for a mid-sized instrument it is on the large end of the scale which has the advantage of being easy to reach and use, no matter the size of your hands. Whilst at first this may not seem to be a big deal, this is the area the most often gets damaged, especially when dropped and so the fact that they are more robust is certainly worth highlighting.

Colour feels extremely natural and true to life, with perhaps the merest hint of a warm tone, and try as I might, I struggled to find any colour fringing, even on snow-covered branches viewed against bright winter sun. That’s an indication of just how far binoculars have come in the last decade or so. Quoted eye relief for the 8×32 Frontier HDX is 16mm, which should work for most glasses wearers. If you need longer eye-relief the 42mm model offers a very generous 18mm. Weatherproofing Used to calibrate the binoculars and thus allow for any differences in vision between your left and right eyes, the diopter ring is once again the same as that on the 42mm model.

Weight: 19.6 oz (557 g)—that’s about 1.9 oz (55 g) heavier than the average for compact binoculars in our review. Compare binocular sizes and weights At this point in time I would want to remove the tethered objective covers altogether. These don't want to stay in place when needed and the stiffness of the material means they don't want to drop away out of the view when they're not. The rain guard is quite nice though which I find more important in practice. Looking to upgrade your equipment? Get competitive prices on major brands with our part-exchange service. So try them. Hawke have already made an excellent name for themselves. Now they’re ready to take it to the next level. Build-wise, I find the ER feels a bit loose, though it seems to stay in place. The diopter adjustment is pretty stiff and makes adjustment hard without shaking the point of focus all over.