Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus Roamer 8x21 DPC I Compact Porro Prism Binocular (Black)

I gave this item 4 stars based on it's price. Even for $55 list this wouldn't be such a bad buy, but you can get them for substantially less. I am not a binocular expert by any means, but I'll give you my opinion. The binoculars are lightweight and small. Probably even smaller than you would envision from the dimensions. They come with a soft case (with a belt attachment) and a strap. The strap only connects to one side, so if you wear them around your neck they hang sideways. They have a diopter adjustment which adjusts the focus to each eye, and a central focus knob. They are split down the middle and fold a bit to adjust to the width of your eyes. The build is definitely 'plastic-y' which is one reason they are so lightweight. They say "Made In China" on the bottom, which for some reason cheapens their appearance a bit. Comparing the performance of these to a $100 pair of fullsize binocs I bought my father in law, I'd have to say they are just okay. Of course, due the lens diameter & cheaper optics they aren't as bright or as clear. The images also seem to lack dimentionality. A tree, for instance, appears flat almost like cut out of construction paper. But it is still raised above the background, Giving you the feeling of watching a cheap 3D movie. The diopter adjustment is a bit stiff, making it difficult to fine tune. It also isn't stepped, so it can go out of adjustment. Finally, the lens covers fall off very easily.

Does this all mean that I regret buying them? Not at all. They were inexpensive, and unlike my father-in-laws large heavy binocs, they are lightweight & small enough to wear on your belt or put in your wife's pocketbook. The image quality is decent (if not good). They wont look ridiculous at a play or a concert & are probably decent all around traveling binoculars (for casual use). And although they are not weather or water proof they are cheap enough to replace.

I have not purchased this item; however, I wanted to inform westwindtalker2 how to use these binoculars (or any other normal pair of binoculars). First step, take off your eyeglasses. Second step, look through the binoculars at a stationary distant object, close your right eye and adjust the focus until the object is in focus for your left eye. Third step, while continuing to look at the same object, open your right eye, close your left eye and adjust the diopter correction until the object is in focus for your right eye. Fourth step, open both eyes, adjust the distance between the eyepieces so the image is seen as a single object and adjust the central focus knob. (You could also try reading the instructions supplied with the binoculars--they are available in pdf format from amazon.com from this item's webpage.)

I read the reviews, and the consumer reports for the roof prisms, and because I was buying 2 pair for Chrismas, I got both the porro, and roof prism roamer 8x21.
I also compared them to my own Steiner Safari 8x22.
Really, very nice binocs. I could not tell a difference between the roof prism, and porro prism, if there was a slight edge, it would go to the porro prism.
I compared them in daylight, normal daytime house light and also in the basement in moderately low light. Both Olympus did better in light gathering in the lower light situations than the Steiner.
I looked at leaves, and license plates to compare close up and farther away.
They are plastic, and as such are light weight, but I am concerned that the sturdiness of the Olympus may not match that of the boys who are the recipients. Time will tell.
So, because the porro prisms are significantly cheaper, I would go with these.

I have had this for over 6 months now and i cant really complain about it. Its compact and easy to use. However, people with glasses would have trouble using it. I use it without my glasses(there is a power caliberation that you can do to match ur eye power) and then its very clear.

Easy to carry around and solid. Very good for its price.

Well, I bought the bino for my 7 year old nephew to introduce him to birding. And he loves it, infact he pronounced it "Pretty Cool". Was a good buy considering its compact and does what its supposed to do.