A Work Commenced October 12 2024.

Product: Opticron Discovery SP 7 x 28

Country of Origin: China

Chassis: Aluminium & Polycarbonate overlaid by protective rubber

Exit Pupil: 4mm

Eye Relief: 18mm

Field of View: 136mm@1000m(7.8 angular degrees)

Dioptre Compensation: +\-4

IPD Range: 52-72mm

Coatings: Fully multicoated.

ED glass: No

Waterproof: Yes

Nitrogen Purged: Yes

Close Focus: 3m advertised, 2.76m measured

Tripod Mountable: Yes

Dimensions:15.4 x 10.5cm

Weight: 345g advertised, 380g measured

Accessories: Soft padded carry case, objective covers, ocular rain guard, padded neck strap, microfibre cloth, instruction manual

Warranty: 5 Years

Price(UK): £69.00

I’m delighted and excited to provide my initial impressions of a charming little Porro prism binocular newly launched by Opticron: the Discovery SP 7 x 28. I ordered a unit from the Birder’s Store, Worcester for £69, who I highly recommend, and two days later the package arrived. A small blue box greeted me inside, containing the instrument tucked safely inside a soft padded black case, together with a logoed neoprene neck-strap, rubber ocular rain guard, and tethered objective caps, a lens cleaning cloth, instruction card and warranty (5 years) details. Tipping the scales at just 380g, it weighs scarcely more than a typical pocket binocular, yet delivers a much more satisfying and comfortable optical experience than any pocket glass I’ve personally encountered. 

The accessories provided were all excellent too – something I rarely see in products costing many times more!

The Discovery SP 7 x 28 is small, sleek and good looking, with a very well armoured, thick rubber substrate protecting the aluminium and polycarbonate chassis. The central hinge is strong and holds your ideal IPD very well. It features modern, twist-up eyecups that work well for those who wear glasses and those who don’t. Three positions are offered and all lock in place firmly. The large, ribbed focus wheel on my unit operates smoothly with a fair amount of friction, turning through 1.5 revolutions anticlockwise from closest focus ( a decent 2.76m) to well beyond infinity. This will therefore be good news for those with very short sightedness!

The right eye dioptre is located under the right eyepiece, and is reassuringly stiff, ensuring it won’t easily move out of place during field use. There is also provision to mount the instrument on a tripod if required.

I detected only the smallest amount of play in the focus wheel which didn’t detract much from my visual impressions after testing it in dull, overcast conditions and in bright, sunny conditions. The view is very impressive: bright, accurate colours, tack sharp in the centre and only a little softer at the edges of its 7.8 degree field. Depth of field is also noticeably better than an 8 x 30 glass. Star testing showed precise collimation as well as excellent, pinpoint stars nearly all the way to the field stops, with only a trace of field curvature and astigmatism creeping in at the extreme edges. 

What really surprised me was the darkness around the exit pupils: truly remarkable for a binocular costing so little! Indeed, they were substantially better than those exhibited by the Kowa YF II unit I recently showcased. Control of internal reflections was also very impressive, as judged by observing a very bright light source across a darkened room. In addition, when I turned the glass on a bright gibbous Moon on the night of October 14, it showed a very impressive image, with Saturn just a few degrees away from it. Lunar details were crystal clear and sharp, showing remarkably little chromatic aberration, and with only a moderate amount of ghosting that didn’t bother me that much.

Briefly comparing the Opticron to the Kowa YF II, I formed the distinct impression that these were cut from the same cloth, so to speak, with similar build quality and overall optical performance, showing only moderate levels of pincushion distortion off axis. 

Like the venerable Kowa YF II, the Discovery SP feels great in the hands. It provides a very comfortable, stable and pleasant viewing experience, with its generous 4mm exit pupil. While the AFOV is noticeably smaller than the Kowa YF II( 55 vs 60 degrees), it never felt constrained to my eyes. Performance against the light is surprisingly good – even a tad better than the Kowa costing twice as much!

It is small enough to slip into an ordinary coat pocket.

I captured a few hand-held images through the Opticron Discovery SP 7 x 28 using my Canon Powershot Zoom monocular giving a power of 8.4x( See below):

It’s exceptionally easy to capture images with this feather light instrument.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Cor, Blimey!

What a delightful little instrument!

Who says you have to cough up a lot of dosh in order to enjoy a pleasant optical experience? Those days are well & truly behind us!

With its generous IPD range, the Discovery SP is ideal for kids and those with smaller faces. Optically very impressive and surprisingly well built, most anyone would be pleased with this little instrument. It’s an ideal travel binocular with its pocket-glass weight and diminutive physical dimensions, ideal for stowing away in a small space. Opticron has hit the ground running with this new arrival,  and I think it will prove to be very popular!

Very highly favoured!

Neil English delights in bringing exceptional binocular bargains to the masses. Please support his ongoing work by purchasing a copy of his latest book: Choosing & Using Binoculars: a Guide for Stargazers, Birders and Outdoor Enthusiasts.

De Fideli.