New! The Powermaster ultra high-power binocular by Helios.

These state-of-the-art high-powered large-aperture rubber-armoured binoculars with their 13x to 40x continuous zoom magnification will bring distant objects into close-up view.

Click the link below to see our short video presentation of these stunning new binoculars:

A closer look at the Helios Powermaster zoom binocular range

State-of-the-art design features. The body design of the Powermaster uses a single high-pressure polycarbonate casting - it's light, unbelivably tough and has a superb seam-free contour. But that's only part of the story: the clever ultra-compact body shape conceales a brilliantly designed optical system that uses over-sized BK-7 glass prisms to deliver a unique and unrivalled (under £500) optical performance. The moment you hold this instrument in your hands, the first thing that strikes you will be its size and weight. It simply doesn't feel like the giant 80mm binocular that it actually is. In all our years of handling binocular optics, we've never seen a smaller 80mm high-power binocular that's so manageable and compact in the hand.

Lightest and most compact 'big' binocular on the market. The new Powermaster series zoom binoculars are the lightest and most compact binoculars in their class. Each model is significantly lighter and smaller than the best of the competition - the 80mm is an outstanding example. The 80mm Powermaster is over 750g lighter than its nearest rival - and that's a fixed magnification binocular! Don't forget, hand-holding any bino over around 15 to 20x magnification, for any length of time, is not recommended. The 80mm Powermaster may be much lighter than its competitors, but it still weighs 1,948g, and a binocular of that weight (at anything but its lowermost power) will need to be supported either with the observer leaning on something (wall, table-top, car etc) or a binocular bracket (not included see below left) and a good tripod.

Ideal for all long-range viewing Perfect for distant nature watching (especially from hides, targeting nesting birds etc), astronomy, plane- and ship-spotting. All of the Powermaster series are particularly suited to plane-spotting: the wide zoom range and light-weight design are virtually purpose-built for this task. The 13x magnification makes this bino easy for sweeping and scanning and making wide-angle observations, but simply push the conveniently-positioned slider with the thumb or finger to zero in on the detail, increasing the magnification smoothly all the way to a massive 40x. The high light-grasp 80mm optics make this binocular a good choice for astronomy too.

High quality BK-7 prisms and fully multi-coated optics.

The eyepieces have deep eye-relief and soft-rubber twist-up eyecups for the viewing pleasure and comfort of all users, including spectacle-wearers.

Finger-tip dioptre control. Another unique feature of the Powermaster binocular range is the easily-adjusted eyepiece dioptre control ring. The ring motion is very smooth, it has a raised boss top and bottom and allows the user to rapidly and easily set the dioptre compensation adjustment with just the tip of the finger or thumb.

A tripod adapter bush is incorporated so the binoculars can be easily mounted onto a photographic tripod with a binocular tripod adapter (not included).

SnS opinion. It must be fairly obvious by now that we like this binocular. The Powermaster binocular range have been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. We've not seen large-aperture binoculars with such a compact profile before. They are large binos to be sure - but just look at the specification; there's nothing to touch them in terms of power and aperture. We like the body shape, the smooth edge-free body and middle balance point combine to make this binocular feel half the weight it should be! The big eyepieces, twist-control soft-rubber eyecups and comfortable eye-relief combine to make the Powermaster feel like a - well, there's no better way of saying it - a normal top-spec binocular rather than a optical behemoth! Large-aperture binoculars often have a somewhat utility feel to the eyepieces - there's nothing basic about the Powermasters. The optical quality is outstanding and we've seen nothing to rival it in anything like this price range. If you need the best possible high-power viewing with top-notch large aperture optics, the Powermaster range gets five stars from us.

Supplied with neckstrap & case. Colour/material: black rubber

Specification

Helios POWERMASTER 13-40 x 80

Magnification: 13x to 40x

Object lens diameter: 80mm

Field of view: 2.7 to 1.3 degrees

Weight: 1,948 g