Product review: Olympus' WideView binoculars

For a broader view of sporting events or concerts, give Olympus' WideView binoculars a look.<br><br>These compact binoculars have a big 70-degree field of view. We tried them out at a park, where we

Friday, June 16th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

For a broader view of sporting events or concerts, give Olympus' WideView binoculars a look.

These compact binoculars have a big 70-degree field of view. We tried them out at a park, where we were delighted to find that we could easily keep track of a bicycle race or a softball game without much changing of position. They measure a mere 5 by 4 by 2 inches, weigh just over 15 ounces and have rubber handgrips, making them easy to hold to your eyes for an extended period.

Other details are nice, too. Eyepieces are easily adjustable to correct for vision disparities of each eye.

Knobs and dials are logically located. Here's the technical stuff: The binoculars have multicoated lenses with UV protection and aspherical lens elements for minimal distortion. The high-index BaK 4 prisms are said to provide edge-to-edge clarity and brightness. If all that makes sense to you, cool. But what you really need to know is that the Olympus WideView binoculars are a great way to see more.

The WideView 8x25 model we tried costs $145; a 10x25 model is $155. See them at www.olympusamerica.com or call 1-877-337-1507.