There’s no getting away from it: the point that all of the top performing full-size bins are going to be on the heavy side. Packed full of goodies you see. Just have to look at all the best offerings from Zeiss(790g), Swarovski(840g) and Leica(860g) to realise the truth of this. Yet despite their gravitas, they deliver the most comfortable, immersive and engaging views of any binocular. The Sky Rover Banner Cloud (SRBC) 8 x 42 APO(883g) – which I consider the equal of any of the top European offerings- follows suit. 

I’ve been experimenting with ways to maximise my observing dreamtime using this instrument and tomfooling with a bino harness. A Cloudynights contributor kindly sent me one: a Rick Young model to try out. Nice! Let’s just say that I took to it like a duck to water. It takes seconds to set up: put it on like a jacket, it spreads the weight of the binocular across your shoulders rather than your neck. As an inveterate rambler aged 55, I walk at least 5 miles every day throughout late spring and the summer months, and more lately with the 8 x 42 SRBC around my neck, so it’s covered a great deal of terrain in the four months I’ve had the pleasure of using it. I’m now convinced that the harness does make transporting the instrument a lot easier, especially on excursions that take a few hours to complete. For shorter stints, I still use a comfortable, wide neoprene neck strap. Here’s some background on the Rick Young Harness. 

Here’s how it looks worn over a sweater.

And here it’s shown with a fleece worn over it.

You can even wrap the harness ‘round the barrels if you need to get back from out there at a moment’s notice. It also works superbly with my larger 10 x 50 SRBC which tips the scales at about 1 kilo.

Needless to say, I’d highly recommend it to all and sundry.

Why Go Back to a Super Wide Angle 8 x 42?

In a phrase: “the view.”

But to elaborate: the supreme comfort of a larger eye box, the majestic field of view without a sweet spot i.e. the entire field is razor sharp from centre to edge.  Just how big a field of view? Larger than the Zeiss Victory SF and rivalling the Swarovski NL Pure. The wonderful glare-free image with no chromatic aberration. And did I mention that super smooth and responsive focus wheel? A lethal combination of features for sure!

Try as I did to replicate the same portal in a smaller format, I have yet to see any 30-32mm instrument that comes close to offering the level of comfort afforded by the SRBC. Stack ‘em up: the Swarovski Habicht 8 x 30W, Nikon EII 8 x 30, Nikon Monarch HG 8 x 30, Zeiss Conquest HD 8 x 32, Leica Ultravid HD Plus 8 x 32, Zeiss SFL 8 x 30 – all fall short of what the SRBC 8 x 42 offers. All very lovely instruments but all compromise instruments nonetheless.

More News

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. APM is now taking orders for their own rendition of the SRBC in the 8x and 10 x 42 models also marketed by Bosma. So they’re now available from a European shop with a European warranty. Choice is good.

Sky Rover has brought out a dedicated iPhone adapter tailored for use with the SRBC binoculars. I’ve got one on the way. Should be great to show off the enormous fields served up by the SRBCs.

Rumour has it Sky Rover will shortly be adding 56mm models to the Banner Cloud APO line. These will undoubtedly cause a loud splash in the astronomy community. Would love to see a low power, low-light model with a large exit pupil and a higher power model for probing deep into the night sky or for use in longer-range terrestrial applications.

All Weather Instruments

The SRBCs are built like proverbial tanks. They’ve been out in all weathers with me and have coped admirably in every situation. Late August has brought very inclement weather to Scotland, with high winds and driving rain. The thick rubber armouring affords great protection and the excellent hydrophobic coatings applied to the outer lens elements on both the objectives and eyepieces have been shown to work splendidly in dispersing moisture in critical situations. This is the kind of instrument that I can depend on during our long, cold winters as no doubt you’ll hear about in due course. 

The March of the Seasons

Autumn comes earlier to Scotland than to more southerly nations of the UK. The leaves are already shutting down the production of chlorophyll in response to the rapidly shortening days. The Swallows are beginning to gather on the telephone wires. Soon they’ll be clearing off south to warmer climes. 

Scotland’s national flower, the thistle, is now ripe with seeds which serve as nutritious food for a whole host of small birds such as Goldfinches and Siskins. I’ve been enjoying watching their antics with great interest with the 8 x 42 SRBC, drinking up the views garnered by its class-leading field size in wonderful high-resolution detail. 

The roadsides are also arrayed with many species of wild flowers where I’ve been studying all manner of Warblers;  noisy Chiffchaffs, wee Goldcrests and common Wrens feasting on the early fruits of autumn. As the human world continues to fall apart in these End Times, I take solace from watching God’s winged creatures strutting their stuff in all their glory.

To be Continued…….

De Fideli.