Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 B Binoculars Review

10x50 Binoculars - why this configuration?
One of the downsides to increasing the magnification on a binocular is your perception of how bright the image that it produces decreases. That is unless you increase the amount of light that you collect:

This phenomenon can be explained with the size of exit-pupil that any configuration of bin theoretically creates. For example your standard and most commonly used configuration of 8x42mm delivers nice large 5.25mm (42÷8) shafts of lights from each ocular lens that then goes into your eyes. Whilst with a 10x42, you are already down to 4.2mm (42÷10), which is still fine for most uses, but in dark conditions can be a little more limiting and thus less than ideal.

To get around this you need to collect more light with larger objective lenses. Thus if we take the 10x50mm configuration as is used on these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 binoculars, you now see that the exit pupil increases to 5mm (50÷10), which is now almost on a par with the 8x42 and will almost certainly seem just as bright assuming all other factors are equal.

However there is a price to pay as these larger lenses make for a slightly larger and heavier instrument. But if you really want that little more image detail without sacrificing on low light performance then this is a great solution assuming small size and low weight are not critical requirements.

Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 Binocular Review

The 10x50 Eschenbach Arena D+ is priced so that it sits at the lower end of the BBR mid level scale which is the most competitive range as this contains the largest pool of binoculars. For this amount of money, users also expect a high level of performance and as such it can very difficult to get it right as manufacturers need to balance the expectations of the customers against production costs.

So just how well have Eschenbach done in this regard? To see please take some time to read my full Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 binocular review below:

Important Details:

• Mid Price Binoculars
• 50mm Objectives
• 10x Magnification
• Fully Multi-Coated Optics
• Silver Coated BaK-4 Roof Prisms
• Waterproof & Nitrogen filled for anti-fogging
• Tripod Adaptable
• Diopter Adjustment
• Field of View: 282ft @ 1000yds
• Minimum Focus Distance: 10ft
• 12mm Eye-Relief

The Body

Shape
These Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 Binoculars have a very typical shape and overall design to that of a modern roof prism binocular with a few small twists that I will go through in more detail below.

A small point to mention is that it has a single bridge, that is not centered and by that I mean it sits a little closer to the ocular lenses than that of the objective lenses. This affects the binocular in a couple of ways:

Firstly and on the positive side, it leaves a little more of the front part of the barrels free to hold onto for a better grip when you are carrying the bins about.

Secondly it positions the focus wheel a little further away from the center of the instrument. On a normal sized 42mm binocular this is often good as it places at a distance that is easy to reach from where you ideally hold it at the balancing point. However because this bin has larger 50mm lenses, I found that these bins are a little more front heavy and as such the balancing point is a fraction further forward. Thus when glassing, if you want to hold it at the point where it is balanced, it makes the focus wheel a little more of a stretch to reach. Note, this is not really a major issue, but is just something that I noticed.

Exterior
Most of the exterior surface of the Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 binocular is covered in a hard, smooth and quite thin black rubber coating. Because it is both hard and smooth (lacking any texture that many manufacturers choose to apply to the rubber), there is less grip and is a far more shiny surface, which is a very minor detail, but if you need to remain concealed this can be important.

Chassis
Unfortunately Eschenbach make no mention as to the material(s) that they use to fashion the main chassis from. My guess at this price level would be a polycarbonate plastic as it has many good properties like being lightweight, long lasting and low costing. However it is not quite as strong or luxurious as the aluminium or magnesium ones that are usually found on more expensive products.

Weatherproofing
Whilst I did not test them to see if it is true, Eschenbach advertise these as being 'absolutely watertight', although they do not go on to quantify this with a recognized standard or depth. However It should mean that you an be quite confident that they will survive use in the wettest of days.

Also remember being fully sealed also prevents any dust from getting into the chassis in dry conditions.

These Eschenbach Arena D+ binoculars also have a dry Nitrogen gas and not air inside of them, which will prevent the internal glass surfaces from misting up.

Interpupillary Distance (IPD)
Adjusting the eyecups so that they match the distance in between your eyes, is as usual, achieved by opening and closing the central hinge.

The Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 binoculars have an interpupillary distance (IPD) range of between 5.8cm and a maximum of 7.4cmwhich is fairly standard.

Tripod Adaptable
I can happily report that these 10x50 Eschenbach's are tripod adaptable. By that I mean the dust cap located on the central hinge in between the barrels can be removed and a tripod adapter screwed into it.

This can be very handy if you want to set up your optics at a static location like a hide or on a balcony and ensures that you get the best possible results when digibinning.

An important point to mention is that the larger 50mm objectives on these bins mean that there is less space in between the barrels than what you normally find on a 42mm bin. Thus it is important that the tripod adapter that you choose is quite narrow in order for it to fit. For example take a look at the photo of the Vanguard one that I was using to test, it only just managed to fit inbetween the gap.

Focusing
As is the case with almost all bins, the focus wheel is positioned in between the barrels near the eyecups. It has a diameter of 30mm which is pretty standard for a full sized instrument of this type.

I like the fact that Eschenbach have added a rubberized and ridged track around it which improves grip. Under normal use this is perhaps not that important, but with gloves on it can help ensure that you can still accurately adjust the wheel. This along with the very smooth action that I experienced with sample also helps in this regard.

In terms of style, the wheel blends in with the rest of the instrument with their embossed logo only just visible on the face plate. This is in contrast to many bins that print details like the field of view or other highlights onto this space which can look rather garish and cheap, so whilst it is very subjective I refer the understated look of these. However I will say that some bins (usually expensive ones) will have a metallic wheel as opposed to plastic which adds a touch of class as well as being more robust.

The wheel takes 1½ turns (540°) to go from minimum to maximum focus distance, which is what I would describe as being fairly standard gearing in that it does not take too much turning of the wheel to make large adjustments and it is not so quick that it makes fine adjustments difficult.

Diopter Adjustments
Also standard is the ring located just under the right eye piece that enables you to make dioptric corrections and thus calibrate the binoculars to allow for any differences between the sight in your left and right eyes.

Because this adjustment only needs to be carried out very infrequently (unless you share your bins) it is important for the ring not to move from your desired setting and if it does, it should be easy to relocate it without having to re-calibrate.

Thus the best bins have lockable diopters, which unfortunately the one on this Eschenbach Arena D+ is not. It also does not have a scale to make it easier to remember your setting. However these is just enough resistance to movement to reduce the chances of it accidentally being moved out of position. However I would still make a small mark with a pen or a small etch with a blade to make it easier to remember your setting if it is not neutral.

Eyecups
The eyecups have reasonably thick rubber covering and a reasonably large diameter of 30mm, which both combine well to make them quite comfortable even if you push your eyes quite firmly against them for longer periods.

The twist-up mechanism on my sample was excellent, nice and tight without any free play. On top of this you also get three fixed stops in between the fully extended and fully retracted positions, making 5 stops in total when adjusting your correct eye-relief which is far more personalization options than what you find on the vast majority of other bins out there.

Indeed if you take these factors into consideration these eye-cups are about as good as it gets in my experience.

However they have one very slight negative in that you 'only' get 12mm of eye-relief. For those who don't wear glasses this will be not at all an issue, but for those who do, I usually recommend getting a bin with about 14mm or more to make sure you can use them with your spectacles on an still see the full field of view.

Body Quality Score: 7/10

Dimensions
If you take a look at the table below you can see that compared to the other 50mm roof prism bins that I have tested, their dimensions are fairly standard.

As you would expect they are also a fair bit more compact than your average 50mm porro prism bin.

However also interesting to note that whilst it is not a massive amount, they are a little larger than the standard 42mm roof prism binocular that most people will be familiar with:

Weight
Weight wise, Eschenbach advertise these as weighing 740g (26oz), however as you can see from the photo, I actually measured them at 786g and that is without the neck strap or lens covers attached.

Whatever the case, they are actually quite a lot lighter than any other 50mm bin that I have used, be that a roof or porro prism design and whilst they don't specify what material the chassis is made from, this fact along with their mid level price tag makes me pretty sure that it is polycarbonate plastic and not aluminium or magnesium which is what more expensive bins will use.

As I have also demonstrated on the table above with the mid-priced Celestron Trailseeker 8x42, which is a fairly typical example, they are a little heavier than your average 42mm bin which is as to be expected.

Body Stats Rating vs other 50mm Bins: 8/10

The Optics

10x50 Binoculars - why choose this configuration?
One of the downsides to increasing the magnification on a binocular is your perception of how bright the image that it produces decreases. That is unless you increase the amount of light that you collect:

This phenomenon can be explained with the size of exit-pupil that any configuration of bin theoretically creates. For example your standard and most commonly used configuration of 8x42mm delivers nice large 5.25mm (42÷8) shafts of lights from each ocular lens that then goes into your eyes. Whilst with a 10x42, you are already down to 4.2mm (42÷10), which is still fine for most uses, but in dark conditions can be a little more limiting and thus less than ideal.

To get around this you need to collect more light with larger objective lenses. Thus if we take the 10x50mm configuration as is used on these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 binoculars, you now see that the exit pupil increases to 5mm (50÷10), which is now almost on a par with the 8x42 and will almost certainly seem just as bright assuming all other factors are equal.

However there is a price to pay as these larger lenses make for a slightly larger and heavier instrument. But if you really want that little more image detail without sacrificing on low light performance then this is a great solution assuming small size and low weight are not critical requirements.

Lenses

Eschenbach do not elaborate as to the exact makeup of the compound lenses, be that the objectives or the oculars. Thus all I can really state is the obvious in that the objectives have a diameter of 50mm and by measuring I found the ocular's to be 17mm, which is a little interesting as it is a fair few millimeters less than that used on most full sized and even some mid sized bins.

Prisms

As we have already touched on in this review, these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 B Binoculars use roof prisms to correct the image. These are great in that they are more compact than porro prisms (the other commonly used design), but in order for them to perform at the same level do need to be treated with a number of specialized materials, which I will go through below.

Before that it, it is worth noting that the glass used to make the prism is known as BaK-4, which is common and for the most part more ideal than BK-7 that you also often see used.

Optical Coatings

What and how many layers of coatings that are used on the lens elements and the prisms makes a big difference to both the brightness and image quality:

Firstly these are described as having 'Full multi-coating', which I will translate and assume them to mean that they are Fully Multi-Coated.

This is what we want to hear as it means all outer glass surfaces through the whole optical pathway are coated with an anti-reflection material, multiple times. This treatment ensures that less light is reflected away, thus more light passes (higher transmittance) through each optical element for a brighter image. Unwanted reflections and other abnormalities are also prevented so you also get a better quality image than those that have fewer elements coated (Multi-Coated) and those that only have a single coating on all elements (Fully-Coated).

Prism Coatings
The roof prisms on the 10x50 Eschenbach Arena D+ binoculars have a silver mirror coating, which boosts the reflectance off the surface that does not naturally reflect all the light that hits to more than 95%.

This is good, much better than aluminium coated prisms and at this price range is about what I would expect to find. However it is worth noting that it is lass than the +99% that can be achieved with dielectric coatings that you find on high end bins.

Not Phase Corrected
Within this price level, I was a little disappointed to learn that the prisms are not phase corrected, which many others will be. In simplistic terms, these coatings keep the individual wavelengths in the correct order and thus treated prisms will be able to deliver a better resolution than those that are not.

Optical Components Quality Rating: 6/10

Optical Stats

Field of View
If having a really wide field of view is really important to you, then you will almost always be better off reducing the magnification a little and opting for an 8x or even 7x instrument. So by choosing a bin with a 10x power, you are already making a statement that more power and greater reach is a higher priority than the width of the view.

But even so, you can see below that these are fairly narrow when you compare them to most other full sized 10x binoculars, be that roof or porro prism designs:

Close Focus
Eschenbach state that the 10x50 Arena D+ has a 'near point' of 3m (9.8ft) which as you can see from the table above is not brilliant for a 10x roof prism bin. Although I measured the minimum focussing distance on my test sample to be quite a bit closer at 2m (6.6ft) which is far more acceptable. However in terms of scoring them I will have to go with the official distance.

Optical Stats Rating compared to other 10x Binoculars: 6/10

Image Quality

Image Brightness
The main reason for choosing a bin with larger than the normal 42mm objective lenses is for their potential to capture more light and thus transfer more of it through the system and into your eyes for a better low light performance.

However whilst the configuration is a very important starting point, the quality of the build and optical components used are also major factors. As we have already discussed, these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 B binoculars are fully multi-coated and whilst not quite up there with the best dielectric coatings in terms of transmittance, the silver coatings on the prisms are still very good.

Taking all these factors into consideration, I was expecting them to perform well in low light and I was not to be disappointed.

Indeed at and just after sunset, I thought the image was as bright as my mid-level 8x42 mm binoculars that have slightly larger 5.25mm exit pupil which is impressive.

Colors & Contrast
To me both the color reproduction and the level of contrast were good and true to life. With some binoculars you get artificial looking tinting or too much contrast which can make the image seem unreal, this is most certainly not the case with these.

Softening& Image Flatness
Image sharpness right across the field and all the way to the edges is excellent with far less softening than I observe in almost all most binoculars, no matter the price.

During my time using and testing these Eschenbach binoculars, I also never became aware of any distortions that can make it seem like the image curves either inwards or outwards.

Color Fringing
Also very surprising to me was the low level of color fringing that I observed through this instrument. Indeed they perform better in this area than many ED bins in this price range where the ED glass is supposed to reduce this specific type of chromatic aberration.

Whilst it is true higher end bins may perform slightly better, this for me was another clear sign as to the excellent workmanship of the optical system in these bins when you consider their price level.

Image Quality Rating: 8/10

Supplied Accessories:

Carry Case
At this price level, many manufacturers will save on production costs by supplying you with a very simple and often substandard carry case.

Happily in terms of the materials and build quality this is not the case with these Eschenbach Arena D+ binoculars and whilst the case may not quite match the level of top end optics, it is an improvement than what I expect to find in this class.

Made from a tough nylon like material, the stitching looks very good and I am sure that it will be more than durable enough to last many years.

The case has it's own carry strap, un-padded, it can be removed via the quick release clips and can also be length adjusted. On the rear is a belt loop, which for some users makes for a more comfortable way to carry the case.

However there are a few details that I feel let the case down a little:

The padding is quite lightweight and as such this case won't offer as much protection from impacts than I would ideally like to see, especially for a lager and heavier 50mm binocular.

Access to the interior is via a flip over lid that is held closed with a Velcro strip as well as a full length Zip that goes around three sides of the case. Whilst there is no doubting the security of this, I do feel that having both is a little bit of an overkill and takes that little bit of extra time to access your instrument - crucial if that once in a life time sighting is about to take flight!

The binoculars fit well inside the bag... if you twist the eyecups back down! To get it in the case with the eyecups extended and your lens covers on is possible but it is really quite difficult to get it in as it is a very tight fit. Whilst not a big deal this is a little annoying and once again a little time consuming either having to twist your eyecups in and out every time you want to use your optics, or having to struggle to get them in with them twisted out.

There is no extra pocket either internally or externally. These can be useful for carrying and separating your cleaning cloth or personal items like money or keys from the bins.

Neck Strap
The Eschenbach Arena D+ neck strap is far superior to the vast majority you get within this price range.

The main section is slightly curved to fit more ergonomically over your shoulders and is also very well padded (over 5mm thick) using a soft rubberized material that is exposed on the inside and thus is not only really comfortable, but also provides a good level of grip so that it slips around your neck a lot less than more simple straps do.

The strap connect to the bins in the standard way using a couple of sliding buckles so that the length can be adjusted.

Lens Covers
Objective - Made from a flexible plastic, there is no doubt that these well fitting and substantial objective lens covers do a great job of protecting the lenses.

However they are not the best looking and it is a shame that they are not tethered to the binocular like those found on most other modern binos as this just makes them far more accessible. However they do have loops on the sides that enable you to thread the neckstrap though, but I fond this method can get a little cumbersome and often tangles up the strap unless you are careful.

Ocular - Like the objective lens cover, the rain guard is made from the same material and also fits very nicely over the eye-cups. It has a flexible bride allowing you to fix them to the bin at any IPD setting which is good.

Lens Cloth
The Eschenbach binoculars come supplied with a typical and somewhat simple cleaning cloth. It is perfectly fine for cleaning the body of the instrument and only lightly brushing the lenses if you have to, perhaps when out in the field in an emergency.

For thorough cleaning of your lenses, I suggest a optical cleaning kit, these don't have to be expensive, but will enable you to carefully clean the lenses without fear of damaging the sometimes delicate coatings.

Warranty & Manual
The user manual is extremely basic. In fact it is probably one of the least comprehensive ones that I have ever come across. with each language only taking up a page giving the most basic of information on "safety instructions, focussing, setting the eye distance, note for wearers of spectacles and care".

I could not find any information on a warranty and their website only states that these do not come with the WarrantyPlus offered with more expensive Eschenbach binoculars.

Extras Rating: 7/10

Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 Comparisons

Conclusion:

On the whole these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 B binoculars are a really nice pair of binoculars and fill their remit of delivering a nice and bright image at a cost that is accessible to most people.

Strong Points: In general, I really like the overall quality of the instrument, which to me also looks and feels to be more expensive than it actually is - never a bad thing.

For a 50mm bin they are lightweight and details like the excellent twist-up eyecups and the smooth operation of the focus wheel are important and worth keeping in mind.

Image quality for me is the major highlight on these Eschenbach Arena D+ 10x50 B binoculars. They do deliver a really bright and somewhat surprisingly excellent quality view that in my experience will be really hard to improve on at this price level. I say surprising because they omit a few of the coatings that I would have expected to have seen used at this level (see weak points below).

There is also no denying the quality of the neck strap and carry case, which are easily on a par with the best in this price class. However it is a little bit of a shame that some of the finer details like the lack of an extra pocket and it being a little to tight when trying to store the bins with eye-cups extended has been overlooked on the carry case.

Weak points? The optical specifications on the 10x50 Eschenbach Arena D+ like the field of view, eye-relief and close focus do fall short of the best in this class which is a shame. Although as I have discussed the minimum close focus distance of my sample was much better than the official figure.

I was surprised to discover that the prisms are not phase corrected, which for a roof prism binocular at this price is now quite common. This omission should in theory make for a lower quality of view, but as I have already mentioned, in my opinion the view on this bin is excellent. This goes to show that a well designed optical system is more than just materials and coatings, but a very complicated mixture of these and the physical design that all add up to produce the image that you finally see.