pearlyww from United States, MA Public Profile

These binoculars are no lightweight, but the clear, bright images seen through these binoculars is remarkable. Clearer than our 40 yr old Zeiss 7 x 50s that have been well cared for and maintained. Weather proof, very easy to hold, although a bit heavy, optical quality requires some mass to the glass. Lens caps snap on nicely and the tether arrangement has never interfered with visibility. The narrowest inter pupillary distance (about 56 mm) is barely adequate for a petite woman . I am opting to go with the non compass version as the compass adds quite a bit of bulk to the set. The compass is very easy to read and the reticle seems as though it would be useful if navigating without GPS, but for our purposes the smaller non compass version will be the most useful. The individually focused eyepieces have yellow markers that can be set to secure the main users settings, although my recommendation would be to tell other users to use the watch captains binoculars and leave mine alone. The clicklock strap attachments (similar to a pack waist strap) are a nice feature if you frequently bring your binoculars ashore for sight/birdwatching and want to ditch the bulky float strap. The XP model has silver focus knobs, whereas the Commander V has black focus rings and a more ergonomic light button on the compass than the XP. The Steiner site says the new Commander Vs have the same coatings and Nitrogen fill as the XPs, which I am told are no longer in production.