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Pros - Very compact form factor - Durable construction - Phase correction coating on prisms Cons - Limited field of view - Poor light transmission - Stiff focus wheel

Welcome to my review of the Opticron BGA T PC Oasis 10x28mm Binoculars. Opticron is a new name, to me, so I was hesitant to put down my own money for these binoculars. However, having read some great reviews of other models, I went ahead and took the plunge.

These compact binoculars measure 4.2 inches by 4.1 inches, and weigh a mere 9.2 ounces. The interpupillary distance on these binoculars is 36mm to 71mm, making them perfectly suited for users of almost all shapes and sizes.

What Do I Get in the Box?

• Opticron BGA T PC Oasis 10x28mm Binoculars
• Soft leather carrying case
• Neck strap
• Lens caps

The carrying case is nice, but a bit snug. Still, I can easily fit the binoculars and neck strap into the case without too much stuffing. The neck strap is fairly comfortable, but I swapped it out for a more padded one early on. The light weight of the binoculars might make such a padded neck strap overkill, but I tend to have a sunburned neck much of the time and hate having something rubbing against it too much.

How Powerful Are These Binoculars?

The 28mm objective lenses on the Opticron Oasis binoculars provides for 10X magnification, and the image is sharp, clear, and of great resolution. You’ll be able to focus on objects as close as 12.8 feet, which isn’t the best close focus I’ve found on 10X bins but isn’t the worst, either.

The field of view on these bins is a bit limited because of the small 28mm objective lenses. You’ll only be able to see across 258 feet of terrain at 1,000 yards, which is fairly tiny considering the price point. Then again, that’s what you get for using such a small objective lens.

Eye relief is a comfortable 15mm, providing you with the full field of view with or without eyeglasses. To adjust the eyepieces, you can twist the eyecups up and down, but there aren’t any markings to show you what the eye relief setting is so you can easily get back to your preference if you have to change it. A diopter adjuster on the right eyepiece allows you to change the dioptric setting to accomodate difference between your two eyes. It clicks in place, but once again offers no markings other than neutral, +, and -. You’ll have to remember the number of clicks for your eyes or mark the correct setting by etching it with a knife.

How Good Are the Optics On These Binoculars?

If you could take the Opticron Oasis apart (you really can’t), you’d find a roof prism design that allows for a more compact size binoculars along with more durability. The optics appear to be either multi-coated or fully multi-coated, giving excellent light transmission. Furthermore, the BaK–4 roof prisms are coated with a phase correction coating to correct for sharpness problems as well as Opticron’s Oasis Prism Coating. The Oasis Prism Coating is a 64-layer coating process applied to the reflective surface of each roof prism. This delivers +99% light transmission over a broader spectrum compared to typical aluminum or silver coating often used. As near as I can tell, this Oasis coating seems to be an improved version of dielectric coatings. Overall, these binoculars offer quite a decent view for having such small objective lenses.

And therein lies the problem. With all of the antireflective coatings and other treatments, these binoculars simply do not fare well with light transmission. They simply don’t have enough aperture to let in much light to begin with, so trying to use them in low light conditions can be an exercise in frustration. For example, trying to look up in a tree at a bird, the bird was nothing more than a dark silhouette. Using another pair of binoculars with larger objective lenses, the bird displayed plenty of detail and contrast.

The center focus wheel moves smoothly, but offers just a bit too much resistance. It is also smallish and difficult to access with gloves on, so I wouldn’’t recommend these binoculars if you plan on using them in very cold conditions.

What About the Body?

I wasn’t able to find out what the chassis is made of, but I do know that the binoculars are covered in a black rubber armor. This provides plenty of protection against bumps, falls, and scrapes. The nicest thing about the body, though, is the double-hinged design. These binoculars, because of the dual hinges, can fold down small enough to truly fit in a pocket.

I wish the rubber armor had a bit more texture to it. While they do feel pretty “grippy,” as the manufacturer states, I’d like some texture to better secure my grip when I’m wearing gloves or have sweaty hands. I use my binoculars across all weather conditions, and I simply wouldn’t feel safe using these in extremely cold or deathly hot conditions.

How Durable Are the Opticron Oasis Binoculars?

The rubber coating makes these binoculars very durable, and they are advertised as being O-ring sealed and nitrogen-purged to make them waterproof and fogproof. I haven’t subjected these to quite as much abuse as other pairs of binoculars I own, so I can’t speak to how durable they really are, just how durable they look. They look very rugged, and I imagine they can handle a fair bit of hard use.