A wide field of view with an actual field of view of 7.5 degrees despite being 8x magnified. The D1 uses a luxurious eyepiece with 5 elements in 4 groups, providing a clear peripheral field of view and the central resolution typical of Hinode. The body is made of magnesium and the focus knob is made of aluminum, making it highly durable. Completely waterproof binoculars filled with nitrogen.
We, the members of Hinode, spent over half a year conducting visual tests before the product went on sale, and we feel a strong response to the D1. At this point, when I compared it with models in the same price range and similar specs, I can confidently recommend it.
When planning the "Hinode 8x42-D1" as 8x binoculars for stargazing, we kept the following three points in mind.
・There should be little color shift ・It should have a wide field of view, but the peripheral areas should be somewhat sharp ・It should not be too heavy
When the magnification increases to 8x or higher, chromatic aberration (color shift) becomes noticeable. When looking at particularly bright stars through binoculars, it is not uncommon for the star image to have color shifts, but if this is severe enough, it can be a nuisance. The D1 uses an ED lens, which suppresses chromatic aberration to an acceptable range.
I don't think you'll notice much chromatic aberration when looking at Venus or Sirius. The moon is visible to some extent in the periphery, but faint stars are almost completely invisible.
When looking at the stars, if you have a narrow field of view, it will be less impressive, but if you forcefully widen your field of view, the peripheral image will deteriorate, resulting in an overall unclear image. The D1 has a fairly wide field of view (7.5 degrees) while maintaining a certain degree of peripheral sharpness, which is a very good balance for stargazing.
Hinode 8x42-D1 weighs 688g, which may feel a little heavy for women. Compared to the lightweight 6x30-B2, it gives a heavy impression. However, the body itself is not large at 123mm in height and 127mm in width.
It doesn't have the convenience of a 20mm or 30mm diameter, but it's not unwieldy. In order to make the binoculars as light as possible, we used lightweight magnesium for the body material, making them lightweight for a 42mm diameter binocular.
