Many thanks to Terry and Tracey for these helpful responses. I’m still sniffing around for 7x50s, but they’re not common on land, and marine ones fetch boatie prices. The two I have found provide a dichotomy; any thoughts, particularly on the reputation of the brand and the retailer of the second option – are they well thought of in serious astronomical circles?
| Item | Option1 | Option2 | Notes |
| Retailer | Photo Warehouse | Telescopes NZ | |
| Location | CHC | AKL | Can try out and buy local in CHC |
| Brand | Nikon | Saxon | |
| Model | Aculon A211 | Wide Angle | |
| Design | Porro | Porro | |
| Prisms | BAK4 | BAK4 | |
| Coating | Multi | Multi | |
| Field of view @1000 | 112 | 119 | Nikon go up to 188, for a price and weight |
| Eye relief | 17.6mm | long | |
| Weight | 905g | 785g | |
| Other | Aspherical lens for flat field, rubber armoured | ||
| Price | $228 | $99 |