Vortex Razor UHD 18x-56 chromatic aberration

[KSDUCKHUNTER]

Hello,

I purchased a set of 18x-56mm Razor UHDs and to my eye, they seem to have massive purple fringing chromatic aberration on the outer 75% of the FOV. This is my first high powered binocular so I’m not sure if this is just the physics of high powered binos or there is a problem? The clarity is amazing, it’s just everything has a purple neon sign surrounding it in the periphery.

When I am inside looking around my house I do not notice the CA, it is only when I am outside. Now granted, everywhere I look is covered in Snow so it could be the high contrast from the snow that is causing it, but when I look through my Bushnell 8x42 I dont notice CA at all. Is this because of the relatively low magnification level of the Bushnells vs. the 18x UHDs? I have a GenII RAZOR 4.5-27x rifle scope and when I set it at ~18x there doesn’t seem to be as much CA, but this could just be an artifact of the relatively narrow FOV of the rifle scope compared to a binocular.

I guess my question is just how reasonable do my expectations have to be? If this is just a known fact of life that high powered binos in snowy environments have significant CA, then I guess I can live with it, but I almost prefer looking through my 8x42 Bushnells because the CA is so extreme with the UHDs. This this freaking snow would hurry up and melt so I could see if it really is just the snow.

 

[Rmdashrf]

That's odd. I have the Vortex UHD 12x and I don't notice anything like that. Only it's a little picky with having to look through it straight on to get the best picture. Hopefully someone with the 18x can comment.

 

[Glassaholic]

Snow is one of the best contributors to CA (high contrast with light next to dark), you will definitely notice more CA in that environment than you would looking at brown dirt or green foliage (unless it is against the sky). Since I live in an area where snow is frequent throughout the winter CA is especially bothersome to me. That being said it is worth sending a note to Vortex and asking them if this is common for the 18x UHD. CA is not something manufacturers identify within their specs; however, it is something every optics manufacturer is well aware of, and if your bino happens to be slightly out of spec (all it takes for CA to rear its head as it’s based on the alignment of lenses in large part) they will take care of you.