Vixen New Foresta 8x50 Binocular 14517

Vixen New Foresta 8x50 Binocular Review

The Vixen New Foresta 8x50 binocular is a full size 50mm binocular that, aside from objective size, feels more like an 8x42 binocular.  Aesthetically, it has a lot in common with some of the smaller models.  The New Foresta 8x50 binocular is the same open bridge design as some German-manufactured binoculars, and has more in common with the Minox Comfort Bridge design than the wide array of Chinese clones that we've seen so far.  On paper, the New Foresta 8x50 binocular is waterproof, fogproof, and utilizes HD dielectric coatings on BaK-4 prisms.  

On the topic of aesthetics, we're a fan of the open bridge design utilized on the New Foresta line.  As we've said, it has a lot in common with the Minox BL series of binoculars, which is one of the most comfortable open bridge designs we've found.  That's true with the Vixen New Foresta as well, and it just seems to fit in the hand perfectly.  The weight of the New Foresta 8x50 binocular is just over 27 ounces, so one-handed operation may not be as stable as we'd like to be, but that is a tradeoff of the larger objective size, and inherent light transmission improvements.  The index finger fits perfectly into the groove on the focusing knob, and with the pinky on the forward hinge, the middle two fingers just seem to naturally fall into place.  Two-handed viewing is preferable with this model, but it is still just so comfortable.  There are some raised braille-like "dots" on the underside for thumb grip.  

One thing about the weight of the New Foresta 8x50, and the entire New Foresta line in particular, is that it does give an indication of build quality.  The body is coated in rubber armor, and the body's construction (including hinges) does seem to be some sort of polycarbonate.  The center hinge is a little tighter on this model than some of the others, which may be good or bad based on your personal preference, but to us this means that the interpupillary distance stays exactly where you set it.  Center focusing is a breeze with one finger, and full focusing range takes about 1.25 turns of the knob.  The twist-up eye cups are four position (down, 1, 2, full extension) and are very comfortable.  They are also slightly loose - not loose in the sense that they will easily slip out of their intended setting, but they have some slight play.  

The most noticable quality of this binocular during optical performance testing was the brightness.  We don't typically do reviews of 8x50s, but wow.  There is a lot of light coming through the New Foresta 8x50s, and everything looks so vivid.  Clarity is nothing short of excellent, and sharpness is up there as well.  Sharpness is good edge-to-edge and appears to be about 90% of the field.  We don't have anything currently in-house to compare it to with equal magnification and objective sizes, but we can see the light transmission improvement from the larger objective.   Rolling ball isn't apparent.

Unfortunately, with an 8x50, there are some downsides.  On this particular model, the field of view is only 5.6 degrees, and it is noticable when compariing them to a pair with a wider field of view.  Also, the New Foresta 8x50 seems prone to moderate chromatic aberration.  It's especially noticable when viewing high contrast targets, and still somehow noticable even on low contrast targets.  Upon further investigation, it appears that one barrel is opposite the other in the color fringing department - where one eye sees purple fringing, the other sees green.  So in that respect, it has its compromises.

Maybe it's just the increase in brightness, or the amount of CA we observed, but the color appears to be warmer than other New Foresta models.  

Overall, the Vixen New Foresta 8x50 binocular offers a lot of light gathering ability, and may be more useful to the all weather open range hunter than the bird watcher.  You can see a lot with the 8x50s, especially in low light, making them great for dusk/dawn game stalking.  

Vixen Sport Optics 2013 Brochure

The Vixen New Foresta is a professional class binocular that competes with some of the biggest names in precision binoculars, at a price that puts the competition to shame.  Fully multi-coated lenses, waterproof and fogproof bodies, and a crisp, clear image under even the lowest of light situations makes the Vixen New Foresta the perfect outdoor companion for the discriminating hunter or nature observer.  Includes attached lens covers and rain guard.

All Vixen New Foresta binoculars are protected by Vixen's Lifetime Replacement Warranty, which protects your investment for the life of the product.