Any Opinions on Athlon Optics Cronus G2 10x42 UHD Binoculars

[Spiral Horn]

I was looking for a detailed review of this particular binocular but was unable to find any. There were several reviews of some of their Ares and Midas but not the new Cronus G2 UHDs that just came out within the past year.

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

Also interested in a review on these.


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[binoman]

Also interested in a review on these.


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If I’m not mistaken I believe the glass is the same as the previous version but with some cosmetic changes on the outside.
also curious about reviews. There doesn’t seem to be many

 

[Spiral Horn]

If memory serves, I seem to remember Doug from Cameraland posting something about meeting with the Athlon reps and the G2 UHD being completely redesigned. Just haven’t been able to find any PRO reviews - I’d even settle for a a birder review as they usually know good glass. But a company that seeks to be an up-and-comer like Athlon would benefit greatly from getting their stuff reviewed.

 

[Spiral Horn]

So with all of the Optics Aficianados here on Rokslide nobody has any experience with the Athlon Cronus G2 UHDs???

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I had a pair. Great glass for the money but the eye cups were not desirable for me. All the way up the field of view seem restricted and all the way down the eye relief was too much. In the middle they did not stay at all.

That was my only gripe with them because I really liked the glass for the money. I paid $400. The focus knob was very smooth and I lithe locking diopter.

I compared them side by side with BX4’s and the low light was about even but the Cronus seemed to have brighter colors on leaves and such.

The ergonomics on the razors are way better in my opinion.

These may fit some people well but I would recommend trying them out first because of the eye cups. Let me know if you have any other questions on them as I had them for about a month and took them to CO once.

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I have the Cronus spotting scope and have no complaints amazing glass. The binos just didn’t do it for me

 

[Spiral Horn]

Thanks. I was looking for a binocular to keep in the truck as a “reach for” or backup glass when I don’t have my Zeiss Victory SFs with me.

Bit the bullet and ordered the Cronus G2 UHD 10x42 today. Got a fantastic deal and looking forward to getting my hands on them. Will report back, although it might take a bit of time with shipping delays, weather, etc.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Received my Athlon Cronus G2 UHD 10x42 today. Bought them as a backup “reach for” glass to keep in the truck. Here are my initial impressions:

Packaging - These binoculars sell ~$500 street price (MSRP is higher) so I wasn’t expecting very much. But first impressions mean a lot and I was taken by the very professionally done packaging. High definition image of the binocular on the outside as well as specific logo designs for each of the major features - Ex-low Dispersion Glass, Dielectric Coatings, Edge to Edge System, etc; and a catchy marketing phrase on the side of the box “SHARP, TIGHT, AND PRICED JUST RIGHT.” Upon opening the box found it is magnetically closed. Inside are the binocular with attached ocular and eyepiece covers, a very nice padded codura case, manual and cleaning cloth.



The body of this center-hinge binocular appears to be made from magnesium with a fairly hard rubber coating. It looks rugged. Interestingly both barrels have a rather stylish stippling, which significantly enhances the grip. The center focus knob also appears to be rubber coated and works well with no play that I could see.



The only thing I found a bit unusual was the locking diopter adjustment which works with a spring loaded plastic button. Press the button and adjust, release to lock. The jury is out on how rugged this mechanism is. If it somehow managed to break would it just no longer lock or would the diopter remain permanently locked where it is?



Someone had mentioned the eyecups in the previous generation being a bit short. I found no issues at all with the multi-position eye cups.

Optics - this is just a first impression but I had them out twice today. First was lunchtime. Pretty much the same initial reaction that I had to the packaging - wow! For a glass in this price class I was not expecting optical performance at this level. The image was very crisp and I could pick out a lot of detail at distance. One thing I love doing is looking deep into shadows at distance and here it didn’t disappoint either. If there was a piece of a Muley visible behind that bush 300 yards away I would have found it.

The FOV is 338ft/1000 and is noticeably a tad wider than standard 10x. The image was very bright, the colors were fairly neutral and true. For a ~$500 glass they had near edge-to-edge clarity, and I could see the slightest bit of CA. The depth of field was also very good. No single optical feature was truly exceptional, but combined it was a nicely detailed and satisfying image.

I picked them up again just after 5pm when the sun was just setting and compared them to my old Zeiss Classic 10x40 T*. To my surprise they were holding their own with just about everything except brightness and handling. So, I quickly brought out my Zeiss Victory SFs - then the Athlons were obviously outclassed. The SFs were better in every category (but at 5x the price they should be). Most notably was brightness and handling as the SFs are simply a spectacular Alpha Glass. Where the Cronus showed most favorably (but the SFs were still clearly better) were resolution, ease of focus, depth of field, and for a ~$500 glass the edge to edge clarity surprised me.

Overall, I’m initially very impressed with the Athlon Cronus G2s. They appear very well constructed with a fairly detailed and satisfying image. I was hoping the Cronus G2s would make an acceptable knock-around glass to keep in the truck. In my opinion their build quality and optical performance are more typical of a glass well beyond their price point.

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

Thanks for the follow up and review


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[Spiral Horn]

Now that I’ve had them for a few weeks thought I’d provide an update. Overall I’m still very satisfied with the purchase - they are a great glass at this price point.

PROS:
- Build quality = they feel solid as a rock and substantial. I’m quite fond of the stippling on the barrels as it really enhances the grip. The objective lens covers also work quite well.
- Resolution is very sharp = excellent. Within a whisker my Alphas and leagues better than expected from this price class. Very impressive.
- Colors are vibrant and the overall image is bright and satisfying.

CONS - after a few weeks I’ve found a few:
- Diopter adjustment = not a fan of the spring-loaded plastic button on the central focus mechanism. Not only is it out of place with rest of the robust build quality, already noticed that I’ve had to adjust the diopter settings way more than I’m used to. An irritating design flaw on otherwise fantastic build quality - don‘t know what they were thinking.
- CA = noticed a slight bit more of it since the first day - not bothersome and most wouldn’t notice unless looking for it, but it is certainly there, especially in super bright sunlight.
- Depth of Field = after additional study this has faded since my first impressions; there is a noticeable difference and playing with the focus much more than compared to my Alphas (SLCs and others).

Being that I bought these primary as a knock-around glass to always have in the truck, they’ve far exceeded my expectations. If I forgot my main glass would be very happy to use these. They are the best binocular I’ve seen in the $500 or less category. Overall they are an excellent binocular (minus the diopter mechanism), with very high resolution and good overall optics that would compare very favorably to many binoculars in the $1000 and under price bracket.

 

[MThuntr]

I'm going to bump this one as I'm considering a pair for truck binos and/or backup binos since I had a Nikon HG failure last week.

Anyone have more to contribute to the Cronus info?

 

[justchel]

Hey all, new to the forum but have some feedback on the Cronus G2 10x42.

I've experienced some high end binos and appreciate good optics but I'm just a casual user and have never been interested in spending a grand or more on a pair.

Earlier this year I wanted to "upgrade" my Bushnell EDX that had served me well with 10x42s in the $500 category. I spent time with Endeavor ED-IVs, Monarch7s, BX-4 HDs, and Frontier ED-Xs, some of them were pretty good but non were significantly better from what I already had. Then I got to look through a first gen Cronus 8.5x42 and their image quality was distinctly better than the others I tested but lacked in brightness, they were also noticeably heavier.

So I ordered some new G2 10x42s and they have been excellent. The edge-to-edge image clarity is impressive, very good coloring and brightness, precise focus wheel, superb fit and finish, and they're much lighter than the G1 8.5s.

Several months after I bought mine I saw this comparison test. Seems like they stack up really well with more expensive binos, I'm surprised these aren't more popular.

26 Best Binoculars For Hunting | Backwoods Pursuit

Looking for the best binoculars on the market and aren't quite sure which ones to purchase? Maybe you are looking for the best binoculars for hunting or the

backwoodspursuit.com

 

[tmwtrfwler]

My 71 year old dad picked up a pair. Great eyes for his age. He’s absolutely no expert on optics, isn’t going to spend a lot on them, and only needs them for bean field deer hunting out east or in Arkansas. He loves them. Clear and great at last light. that’s all he needs and they fit the bill.

 

[richyrich408]

Thanks for the info


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[RK247]

If anyone is wondering about Athlon's warranty; I recently sent back my Athlon Cronus G2 10x42 after my kid dropped them out of the truck window. Athlon had a brand new pair to my door in a week. Pretty solid. I've been happy with the glass, I don't know much about high end glass but they suit my needs for deer/elk hunting. I also had a pair of the Cronus 15x56 which were awesome, just recently sold them to change up my glassing set up but were great for the money.

 

[dmcp]

Older thread, I know, but how is the long term durability of these binoculars?

 

[Spiral Horn]

Had mine for a few years now and used them a bit. Still give them a firm “thumbs up” for their quality and optics for a ~$500 glass. I haven’t found a better 10x42 for that price. Stand by my initial review comments from a few years ago. They are unexpectedly good optics for the money. A few consistent downsides that I’ve noticed over time = 1) the spring-loaded diopter is sometimes accidentally adjusted; 2) the eye relief is shorter than average (doesn’t bother me but I notice it); 3) the skin material is cold to the touch in very cold weather.

Overall, I have no regrets in buying them and knowing they are always in my truck I never feel under-gunnned if an unexpected glassing opportunity arises.

 

[dmcp]

Thanks for the update. That's interesting about the eye relief. It's listed as a massive 19.3mm and that was an attraction to me since I wear glasses.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Thanks for the update. That's interesting about the eye relief. It's listed as a massive 19.3mm and that was an attraction to me since I wear glasses.

Just to clarify my eye relief comments. The G2 may very well have 19.3mm of measured eye relief and that much should work well for eyeglass wearers that generally screw eyecups all the way down. However, I don’t wear glasses and the eyecups don’t extend out as far as I am used to. They seem just a bit short for me. It still works but just doesn’t easily fall right into my comfort zone behind the glass. A minor annoyance, but overall I still very much enjoy using them.