Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80

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Brand and Model:Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
Price ($USD):$289.00
Attributes:un-checked Waterproof un-checked Armored
Objective Lens Size:80 mm
Magnification:20 x
Prism Type:BAK4
Coatings:Multi-Coated
Field of View:3.5 degrees
Eye Relief:18 mm
Near Focus:66 ft
Weight (lbs):7.75lbs
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:These seem like a good choice for people on a budget compare to the Orion Megaview's and the Celestron 20x80 Deluxe which sell for well over $400.

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Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
I've been using these about a month now. I like the optics, and I have seen some impressive images, but these binoculars do have a few problem areas.

Images are impressive. Rings of Saturn are clearly separated from the disk at the East and West ends. Gamma Delphinus is split at 9.6". The Orion nebula was outstanding with varying brightness of nebulosity. Three of the four stars in the Trapezium were easily seen. M33 the face on spiral, stood right out.

They are really heavy, too heavy for the unimount deluxe. They will stay in position, but the mount will not stop shaking. They do much better on a very stable tripod with the fluid motion adjustments very very tight.

The right eye diopter adjustment on my pair needs to be all the way towards the minus position EVEN WITH GLASSES ON! The right diopter is very limited in the maximum adjustment plus or minus. I cannot use these without glasses. Oberwerk 15x70s that I own have the same diopter problem. Three other binoculars, Pentax12x50, Minolta7x35 and Orion16x80, were right on the center diopter indicator when used with my glasses on. All three could be used without glasses. As I stated, in the 20x80s, I reached the end of the adjustment even with glasses on. In the other three pair mentioned, when used without glasses, my right diopter is set at - 2.5. Both the Pentax and the Orions had adjustment equivalent to about +/- 4 to 5 diopters.

The manufacturer's stated fov is 3.5*. My actual field measured field of view is 3.2 degrees.

They do put more faint stars into the field of view than the Oberwerk 15x70s, as would be expected.

Images are difficult to get really focused sharply. You need to really work at focusing. The Pentax12x50 and the Orion 16x80 came to a fine point focus very easily.

Sharpness of field does not get poor until out beyond 80% from center to edge. This is very good performance and is similar to that seen in the Oberwerk 15x70s. Its much better than Orion 16x80s, which exhibited poor images 60% out from center and unusable images at 80% out.

Overall, it's nice to have 20x80 binoculars. But Oberwerk has a few bugs they need to work out.

edz.

edited 2-4-03

I've had these out many times now in side-by-side comparison with a number of other binocs.

These have the most reflections off the objective lenses of a dozen binoculars tested. There appears to be at least one element that is not coated. A bright reflection shows detail and color of the object reflected. Ghosting was noted on bright planets. This may be caused by an image reflection bouncing around inside off of an uncoated surface.

The insides of the barrel reflect light almost as if the barrel were coated with a reflective material.

Barrel reflections and the lens reflections noted above are reducing contrast considerably. In tests on faint stars and dense clusters, better contrast in Orion Giant 16x80 provides a little more and Fujinon 16x70 provides substantially more resolving ability.

The 20x80s have the edge only on splitting close doubles. But when it comes to faint objects and the need for contrast, they fall down quickly.

I have reduced all of my previous ratings by 1 point.

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:6 Value:7
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=141964 

I have the same problem you have mentioned on various occasions with the oberwerks right diopter adjustment.
I have the 22x100 model. I ordered the regular eypiece and still have trouble even with my glasses on.
I have not had the opportunity to take these out in truly dark skies in the three months I have owned them due to the foul seeing conditions this winter in Southern California, but if they give me problems under dark sky conditons such as the Death Valley Area once the weather gets better I will return them.
I also find there is an unacceptable amount of coma or astigmatism on stars. Can't focus them completely. I wonder if it is a collimation problem or something more complex?
I am also not happy with the stiffness of the focusser and the eye width setting stiffness.
One Question.
Since you have had problems with the Oberwerks right diopter with previous models why did you get another pair of Oberwerks?

Harlan

>I've been using these about a month now.  I like the optics, and I have seen some impressive images, but these binoculars do have a few problem areas. 
>
>Images are impressive.  Rings of Saturn are clearly separated from the disk at the East and West ends.  Gamma Delphinus is split at 9.6".  The Orion nebula was outstanding with varying brightness of nebulosity.  Three of the four stars in the Trapezium were easily seen.  M33 the face on spiral,  stood right out.  
>
>They are really heavy, too heavy for the unimount deluxe.  They will stay in position, but the mount will not stop shaking.  They do much better on a very stable tripod with the fluid motion adjustments very very tight.
>
>The right eye diopter adjustment on my pair needs to be all the way towards the minus position EVEN WITH GLASSES ON!  The right diopter is very limited in the maximum adjustment plus or minus.  I cannot use these without glasses.  Oberwerk 15x70s that I own have the same diopter problem.  Three other binoculars, Pentax12x50, Minolta7x35 and Orion16x80, were right on the center diopter indicator when used with my glasses on.  All three could be used without glasses.  As I stated, in the 20x80s, I reached the end of the adjustment even with glasses on.  In the other three pair mentioned, when used without glasses, my right diopter is set at - 2.5.  Both the Pentax and the Orions had adjustment equivalent to about +/- 4 to 5 diopters.
>
>The manufacturer's stated fov is 3.5*.  My actual field measured field of view is 3.2 degrees.
>
>They do put more faint stars into the field of view than the Oberwerk 15x70s, as would be expected.
>
>Images are difficult to get really focused sharply.  You need to really work at focusing.  The Pentax12x50 and the Orion 16x80 came to a fine point focus very easily.
>
>Sharpness of field does not get poor until out beyond 80% from center to edge.  This is very good performance and is similar to that seen in the Oberwerk 15x70s.  Its much better than Orion 16x80s, which exhibited poor images 60% out from center and unusable images at 80% out. 
>
>Overall, it's nice to have 20x80 binoculars.  But Oberwerk has a few bugs they need to work out.
>
>edz.
>
>edited 2-4-03
>
>I've had these out many times now in side-by-side comparison with a number of other binocs.  
>
>These have the most reflections off the objective lenses of a dozen binoculars tested.  There appears to be at least one element that is not coated.  A bright reflection shows detail and color of the object reflected.  Ghosting was noted on bright planets.  This may be caused by an image reflection bouncing around inside off of an uncoated surface.
>
>The insides of the barrel reflect light almost as if the barrel were coated with a reflective material. 
>
>Barrel reflections and the lens reflections noted above are reducing contrast considerably.  In tests on faint stars and dense clusters, better contrast in Orion Giant 16x80 provides a little more and Fujinon 16x70 provides substantially more resolving ability.  
>
>The 20x80s have the edge only on splitting close doubles.  But when it comes to faint objects and the need for contrast, they fall down quickly.
> 
>I have reduced all of my previous ratings by 1 point.
Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
They are heavy and somewhat cumbersome because
of their lenght,but the optics are the excellent.
Saw the rings on Saturn and bands on Jupiter tonite
at twilight. Moon is fantastic with just the slightest
tinge of color. Deep sky: M81 and M82 were very prominent
in the same field,M51 also prominent with two bright
knots, M13 was really nice and well resolved. Saw more
and all looked really good. They have great eye relief
and a big field of view and really decent edge performance.
Mechanically they seem to be indestructable and the collimation
screws are easily accessable. Great binos, great price

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:10
Weight: 8 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=84169

Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
The Oberwerk 20x80 de luxe is ment to be tripoded.
I received this pair of binoculars together with a pair of 11x70 Oberwerks. They give what they promise to give.
Clear star fields and stunning good eye comfort.
The Oberwerk 20x80 feels like being part of my head, as if its made for my eyes: astonishing good.
It's a heavy load; you can't hold them in your hands.
I bought a Bogen tripod and the combination of tripod and glasses surprised me; steady with a magnificent view.
Unbelievable for that price.
Optics are sharp; I would say to the edge.
Perhaps the Fujinons are slightly better; okay but they cost a lot of money. I dind't see much colour fringe around the moon, just a slightly green and the view it gives is overwhelming.
I'm an Oberwerk fan; really fantastic instrument for a price thats unbeatable.

Jan Blei

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 6 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=132418 

>The Oberwerk 20x80 de luxe is ment to be tripoded.
>I received this pair of binoculars together with a pair of 11x70 Oberwerks. They give what they promise to give.
>Clear star fields and stunning good eye comfort.
>The Oberwerk 20x80 feels like being part of my head, as if its made for my eyes: astonishing good.
>It's a heavy load; you can't hold them in your hands.
>I bought a Bogen tripod and the combination of tripod and glasses surprised me; steady with a magnificent view.
>Unbelievable for that price.
>Optics are sharp; I would say to the edge.
>Perhaps the Fujinons are slightly better; okay but they cost a lot of money. I dind't see much colour fringe around the moon, just a slightly green and the view it gives is overwhelming.
>I'm an Oberwerk fan; really fantastic instrument for a price thats unbeatable.
>
>Jan Blei

Hi Jan:

Just wondering what kind of Bogen Tripod and head are you using with your Oberwerk 20X80 delux.  I've Orion 20X80s mount on my Bogen 3221WN and 501 head and I am very happy with the combo.  
However, edge sharness of the Orion is poor.  Thinking of getting  the Oberwerk 20X80 or something bigger the next time.

Erik D
Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
I got one just 2c what all the flap was about....$290 for a fmc wide field 20x80?...just my luck a postal clerk or airline mail handler got fooled by the considerable weight disparity of the box (the objective end is over twice as heavy as the eyepiece end) and dropped it...there was a large gash in the side of the shipping box. (It's very easy to do....almost happened to me when I picked it up off the Post Office counter). Anyway, it knocked the prisms outa whack. Called Kevin at Big Binos and he told me about the 4 collimation screws and that I shd give that a try b4 sending it back, so I did.Got it good enuf for a tryout (but not right on...musta taken a pretty good jolt, as I ran outa screw travel before I could get images completely merged...but yr eyes will compensate a little so I was able to give it a once-over to see if it was a keeper). After 3 days of daylite and nitetime use, my conclusion was....this is a compromise piece. There is nothing hi-tech, advanced or new here....my lasting impression was that it was built in a converted locomotive assembly plant. It is made of heavy metal and has real rubber eyecups and lens covers (that are so heavy they easily fall out when the glass is picked up....they fit inside the huge objective rings, not over the edges). I don't believe neoprene is yet known in mainland China. The eyecups are winged and don't roll down, they are just taken off if you need to get closer to the exit pupils. Eye relief is good....had to turn the rt diopter adj all the way to +4 to get focus (normally I need +1). Fov is listed as 3.5*, which would give about 70*afov....did a side-by with my Kowa 66 scope and 20x wide eyepiece (giving 3.4* or 68*apparent) closing an eye for comparison...the bino was a little narrower, but not much (although the image quality wasn't nearly as good, especially at the edges, and mine isn't the ED version). But considering the scope and eyepiece cost double what the Oberwerk cost, that's not surprising. The thing I noticed the most, tho, was the lens coating....the two sides weren't the same! On the left objective could be seen definite shades of green (and deeper reflections of faint magenta and yellow...and one white one, so something in there is uncoated). On the right side, the outer surface was purplish blue, with magenta and white deeper. Upon seeing this, I took a critical look at a very colorful billboard a few hundred yds away, and sure enuf, the left side was a little briter and a tiny bit better resolved (and thats allowing for the slight remaining misalignment in the optical paths. This mismatch also was somewhat noticable on the Orion nebula (only had 1 partly clear nite for a test), the rt side seeming a little more yellowish. The focusing was easy and didn't notice much slack, but the center hinge was very stiff (probably has 2b so when mounted on a tripod the barrels wont droop toward each other). The best test I was able to do was at a local lake on some large flocks of gulls, terns, pelicans, cormorants, etc. From about 300m the different species were identifiable (no mean feat even w/a good scope) and the wide field here was a real +. But the weight and the way the sliding bar mount adjusts made even the slightest movement of the tripod a problem and took a while to settle down. Another detriment is kind of hard to elucidate....suffice to say the view isn't..."easy". I think that's partly due to the slight misalignment in that particular glass, but also the design....v large objective placed out a long way from very dinky (probably 7x35 size) prisms then magnified considerably. I'm sure this is a cost measure, as big prisms are expensive, the performance suffers. The last item....the case...or I should say, suitcase...a huge rectangular canvas softside affair with a molded styrofoam insert that holds the unit...has straps to carry as a backpack but doesnt really work that well. But again, cost....so the whole thing has to be rated in that light...as such, if the budget is the main issue and high power is necessary, this will likely fill the bill (especially if u get one that was in alignment when it left the factory and was handled nicely all the way from Chunking or wherever to yr door). In the end, I returned it as it just didn't quite measure up, even at that price. Kevin was gracious enough to agree and gave me a refund.

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:6 Value:8
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=268060

Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
I've had the Oberwerk 20x80 for years, now, and I love mine. The nylon transport backpack is a bit flimsy, but, the binoculars have held up very fine to many nights out. Other reviews talk to the deficiencies and I concur they are accurate. When I first took mine home, quite honestly, I disassembled them. There was significant dirt on the inside of some optical surfaces. The collimation was not perfect, but, I quickly found the construction reasonable and I was able to change the right eye adjustment enough for my eyes, both, with and without eyeglasses. Collimation is adjustable and I found a setting to my liking. The flatness of field, FOV, optical quality, I consider very adequate. The value for cost is unbeatable in my opinion. The weight is significant and the straight through design were a problem until I got a Sim Picheloup, Couch-potato chair. Sim was great and modified the chair to accommodate my binoculars. With it, operation at near zenith is possible for long periods now, and, his chair's ease of setup and portability, are to be a recommended accessory for any binocular user.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=578168

Oberwerk 2002 Deluxe 20x80
I've just received my oberwerk 20x80 deluxe and i can't say enough for them -their exceptional value is tremendous as I took them out and i could read a license plate at 5 blocks just like it was in front of me .At night they really excelled and I just received today my bogen tripod with panhead combo and they are a great accessory to have for the 20x80 's I would also recommend the red dot laser finder as I use this on these binoculars to aid in my hunt for messier objects works well during the day to if your in to terrestrial viewing ! dennis aldeman

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=141883

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