Olympus 8×42 PROS (many) and CONS (some).

Aside from the pun in the title, the abbreviation PRO in the world of Olympus optics (usually photographic) is generally given to high-end products also intended for professional use, distinguishing themselves from other products from the Japanese company for their even greater accuracy of construction, the technology they contain and the excellent optical qualities they express. While this instrument cannot be considered a top-of-the-range binocular for its price range, as we will see it still represents the Olympus brand well as the flagship binoculars in its catalogue.

For many years now, I've favored Olympus photography products, a preference that has always given me satisfaction, which is why I decided to equip myself, among the many others I own, with a pair of binoculars from this brand. As usual, my choice fell on the 8x42 version (there's also a 10x42 version in the PRO series), a format that I consider suitable for "universal" use and particularly suited to my primary observational activity, birdwatching.

Lens diameter	42 mm
Enlargement	8 x
Min.-max. interpupillary distance.	56 – 70 mm
Minimum focus distance	1.5 m
Pupillary extraction	18 mm
Optical scheme	9 elements in 7 groups
Real field angle	7.5°
Apparent field angle	55.3° (ISO method)
Weight	670 g
Dimensions Length – Width – Thickness.	140 – 131 – 53 mm
Other reference data	Specifications page from the Olympus website

The binoculars appear well-made, with good finishing, and are covered with an elegant black rubber coating; the single-color livery is varied only by small silver lettering that bears the Olympus logo, the name of the series, and the format; all for a very sober and elegant style. The rubber coating, substantially smooth to the touch, provides a good grip for a secure grip of the binoculars. Even the rainguard and the lens caps are black rubber.

The two optical tubes are held together by a short central monobridge, on which the focusing rotor is mounted on the eyepiece side. This well-sized rotor is also covered with a grooved black rubber coating that provides an excellent grip, thanks also to the binoculars' good ergonomics. Also on the central bridge, but obviously on the opposite side, under a screw cap with the Olympus logo, is the classic threaded hole for mounting the binoculars via an adapter on a photographic tripod. The dioptric adjustment control is located on the right eyepiece and is operated with a ribbed ring with a fairly firm movement, so as not to be uncomfortable but firm enough to make accidental adjustments impossible.

The lens hoods twist up The eyepieces are rubberized and can be pulled out to two positions; when lowered they still maintain a certain relief from the edge of the eyepiece, but thanks to the 18mm eye relief they allow me to see the entire apparent field of view of the binoculars even when observing with glasses (unfortunately this is not the case for the 10x42 format, which during a brief test did not allow me to exploit the entire field of view covered by the instrument).

Turning to the optics, the manufacturer claims to have used an ED optical element in the lenses; the air-glass surfaces are all multi-coated with Olympus's proprietary dielectric anti-reflective coating, called ZERO, already successfully used by the Japanese company on its photographic and microscopy lenses. Naturally, the lenses also feature phase correction on the prisms and an anti-dirt coating on the external surfaces of the lenses.

The whole thing is waterproof and nitrogen-filled. The “essential” design and the materials used make for a lightweight binocular for its size range, with a stated weight of 670 g (780 g with accessories). The supplied case is well-made, lightly padded, simple without being too minimalistic, and provides good protection for the binoculars. On the back, it has a loop for attaching it to a belt. A good neoprene shoulder strap with the Olympus logo is also “standard.” These binoculars are made in China.

Practical test

The description of the binoculars already introduces what later emerged from the practical test of the instrument: the care put into its construction leads to undeniably good results, but without overdoing it.

The image that the 8×42 PRO delivers to the eye is pleasant and "balanced", with a substantially neutral tone and no color casts; chromatic aberrations are noticeable in the center only in difficult conditions and become slightly more evident starting from about 50% of the field of view, but without ever creating obvious problems. The effective field of view of 7.5° is not exceptionally wide but still allows for an airy and pleasant framing.

The brightness I detected, even during some night tests, seemed decidedly good to me; compared to a Swarovski SLC HD of the same format, the 8×42 PRO was able to provide an image that was only slightly darker, a result that definitely impressed me favorably.

Sharpness is positive: these binoculars can't be considered razor-sharp, but the image they provide is clear and fairly well-defined. During a brief astronomical test, the pinpoint sharpness of the stars seemed satisfactory, although I can't say I observed pinpoint stars like higher-end binoculars might. These aren't flat-field optics, so from about the 75-80% of the field of view, you'll notice some softening of the image, but it's still usable. To be fair, during normal daytime use, the binoculars seem to provide a nearly perfect image all the way to the edge of the lens.

The geometric distortion of the image is very well calculated: observing vertical elements and bringing them to the edge of the frame I did not notice any particular curvature in them, and surprisingly during panning I did not notice any "rolling ball" effect either. These are signs that the relationship between distortion, field width and containment of the "rolling ball" effect is very well studied.

Good resistance to halos and ghosting when used against the light, which do occur when you get very close to strong light sources, but never enough to prevent a productive observation. For example, when observing a nearly full Moon, our satellite generates a faint ghosting light that is largely tolerable.

The focusing speed and smoothness are excellent, especially when switching from medium-close distances to infinity, which is reached in about a quarter of a turn of the dial. The focus range is a little longer if you want to start or reach the short minimum focusing distance of 1.5 m, but this is really good.

Conclusion

Ultimately, we have to give Olympus credit for designing a good pair of binoculars that fit perfectly into the €400 price range. The 8x42 PRO is well-built, compact, and lightweight, and delivers adequate performance across the board. It certainly can't compete with the classic top-of-the-line models (which, incidentally, cost more than five times as much), but anyone who chooses one will hardly regret it, as they can count on a tool that always gets the job done, perhaps without reaching top-of-the-line performance, but above all, without ever leaving you in trouble during your observations.

For more information on the binoculars in question:

https://www.olympus.it/site/it/b/binoculars/professional_binoculars/pro_binoculars/8x42_pro/index.html