OM SystemOLYMPUS 8-16 x 40 S Standard Zoom Binoculars

I ordered these binoculars because I have my daddy's binoculars from the 1940s or 1950s and they are just too heavy for me to carry or use. These are very good binoculars that do everything I want them to do and then some, and I can use these without paying for it with shoulder and arm pain from an old injury.I also was impressed by the fact that these are made by Olympus, long-time maker of high quality binoculars, and I trust that company to give me good service or help if and when I need it. I'll use these primarily for bird watching, starting with our bird feeders at home for now, because it's too hot to go outside very far, and then this fall hopefully my dog and I can go to the trails in the National Forest nearby and see something different.If you ask my dog about bird watching, he'll tell you he likes and enjoys it very much and that his favorite bird watching moment was the day last week when a cat got on our patio and a hummingbird very effectively chased it away. I wish I had had these handy when that happened, because it was funny and would've made a good shot.I also was impressed by the binoculars having Porro Prism technology, which I now know gives you a high-tech stereoscopic view and edge to edge clarity. I don't know how that works, but these binoculars give me a wonderful view and are easy to hold no matter how long I hold them.I don't know anything about optics, binocular technology, or 8-16 X 40 S viewing, but I do know that these binoculars are of excellent quality and let me see things I didn't know were out there. They do have excellent optics, and I can use them for as long as I want because the binoculars are lightweight and have a new anti-slip grip that lets me hang onto them easily.These binoculars come with a soft case, a neck strap that is of good quality and is a lifesaver for me, and eyepiece lens caps as well as objective lens caps, but I don't know what those really mean.Excellent set of lightweight binoculars that have an anti-slip grip, which is wonderful for me because of an old arm injury, and have very good picture quality. I've never had binoculars before, except for my daddy's binoculars from the 1950s or 1960s, and now I can barely pick those up. These 8-16 X 40 S Olympus binoculars come with a neck strap, a soft case, and eyepiece lens caps as well as objective lens caps, whatever those two may be. I know what lens caps are, but that's as far as I go. Due to the severe heat, I've only been able to watch birds on our patio, but we have a large population there, and my dog and I will venture further, out to the National Forest nearby, when the heat goes away. This is an excellent pair of binoculars that are easy to use and lightweight and would make an excellent first pair of binoculars for an older child.

We recently put up a couple of bird feeders in the backyard and have wanted to find a way to get a little closer to the action -- optically, that is.We obviously know and respect the Olympus name, although I imagine it's not the same company it was years ago during the height of the film camera age. But we suspected the optics and build quality should generally be good.My first impression when opening the box was that I was a bit underwhelmed by the quality of the accessories -- specifically the case and the lens covers. The case is a lightly padded soft case with a velcro closure that feels like it couldn't have cost more than a couple of bucks to manufacture -- and I'm not sure how well it will actually protect the binoculars in a fall. The lens covers are simple plastic cups that I'm sure will get lost relatively quickly. I'm not a binoculars expert, so I don't know what better solutions other manufacturers use, but these just felt like a cheap afterthought.So after first impressions of the less important things passed, I got to play with the binoculars themselves. Overall, I'm pretty happy with them. They are definitely not lightweight, so I wouldn't want to hold them up for too long -- but I'm familiar with the concept that optically quality typically is connected to more glass, and more glass typically means more weight.When looking at birds through these, there is a very nice foreground separation that looks pretty three dimensional. Of course, these have no image stabilization, so you need a steady hand, a tripod, or just a place to prop up your elbows if you want a non-jumpy image. And the more you zoom, of course, the harder it is to have a steady view.Speaking of the zoom, I've never had binoculars that zoom before. I like the feature, but I find that I have to readjust the diopter a bit every time I fully zoom in or out, so that's really annoying. I end up just leaving it as is, since it's usually not worth the effort. Also, most of the time I'm fully zoomed in -- want to see those birdies up close -- so I don't really want to mess with the clearest settings for my most frequent use. But if you frequently expect to zoom, be aware of this. But maybe that's just my pair.The other thing I'd say is that they are really hard to use with my glasses on. So typically, I'm just removing my glasses first. I'm not sure if it's the design of the eyecups or what, but It's just hard to get a good view that way. If you don't plan to use these with glasses, you will be fine.So overall, when you get a clear, focused view, and you can stabilize yourself, you get a really nice image (from a non-expert's perspective). I would have expected at this price point for other non-optical factors to be better thought out or higher quality. But maybe that's just inflation for you...

As an avid birdwatcher, I really appreciate the zoom feature on these full-size Olympus binoculars. It allows me to spot a bird in a bigger field, then adjust the lever to zoom in on it. It also allows me to focus on a closer bird — and then one farther away — by changing the magnification. Think of it as a zoom lens on a camera. Not surprisingly given the Olympus brand, the optics are precise with impeccable clarity. Probably the most complicated part of these binoculars attaching the included strap. Really, all you need to know is that the center dial focuses and the lever by the right eye zooms in and out. I find it easy to zoom with my right hand as I focus with my left.The maximum 16x magnification surpasses my other binoculars. I love that the rubber around the eyepieces can be folded back to allow for eyeglasses. The binoculars I was using before these had a flat eyepiece, without the surrounding rubber. While that allowed me to use with glasses, it didn’t keep light from coming in the sides when I wore my contacts.These Olympus binoculars come with four lens covers, a strap, and a padded case. Because the binoculars are full-size, they are not ideal for travel, although, depending on the circumstances, they might be worth making room for. (I take a compact Steiner pair on trips.). For day birdwatching trips, they are just about perfect.— Debbie Lee Wesselmann