Celestron Ultima DX 10x50

The Japanese Ultima 8x56 and 9x63 were two of the finest binoculars around. The 10x50s had an edge of field problem that prevented them from reaching the performance of the others in the series. But in general the series offered premium quality at a reasonable price, as long as you were happy with a 50 degree field.

The new Chinese Ultima DXs at a lower price offer some potential for quality at an even lower price. The 10x50s have a wider field than the others so I had to see if the quality could be maintained with the 65 degree field.

Unfortunately, the edge of field is not very good. Fujinons these are not. On the plus side, the optics are very clean, multicoated all the way down the line, and sharp over about 40 or 50 degrees. Curvature of field and astigmatism out there at the edge is typical of inexpensive wide field binos.

Personally I prefer the original leatherette finish to the new rubber armoring.

>Personally I prefer the original leatherette finish to the new rubber armoring.
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Thanks for the review, Doug. I have owned the original 10x50s for many years now, and I think they are (were) one of the best values around. I got some Swarovski 10x50s about a year and a half ago, and they are better optically than the Celestrons, but certainly not in proportion to the difference in price.

However, I found the Celestron leatherette to be really nice when new, but after several years of daily use, the finish started to deteriorate and flake off. Now the binos have what you might call a "felt" finish, since the outer plastic coating is now gone. I hope the new rubber coating is more durable than the rather flimsy leatherette on the older ones.

The only other gripe I have with the Celestrons is that the objective lens on one barrel would occasionally get loose, and I would have to tighten it down. This is probably not one of those "completely waterproof, nitrogen purged" models.

How are the new ones on the waterproof scale?