Just received an email from Orion. I guess I must be on their email list now that I picked up some items from their website. They have some new models. Nothing to get really excited about...two small 8x32 roofs and two 36 mm porros. The roofs aren't phasecoated but are inexpensive. The porros have a narrow field of view. Thought I would mention it regardless.
http://www.telescope.com/Shop-by-Br.../8/c/90/115.uts
I'm glad to see Orion still carries the 8x42 Ultraview, which at $149, might end up as my "car bins".
I owned the 10x50 Ultraview, and while the edges would have been fine for birding, they were under par (a good thing in golf but not for stargazing).
I didn't like the plastic armoring, which separated from the housing after only a few nights in cold weather.
At the time, the Ultraviews had fold down rubber eyecups, not sure about the facial fit of the newer twist-up cups, which tend to be rather large in wide field porros.
A long-time favorite missing from the Orion bin line-up is the 8x42 Vista. The armoring was made from fine "Corinthian leather". :-)
Whatever it was, the armoring was soft as a baby's bottom and holding the bins felt like wearing Italian leather gloves. Of course, I would imagine they would show wear more quickly than hard rubber armoring. I think these might have been re-badged Vixen Ultimas.
The new roofs seem like "clones" but most of what Orion sells under its brand name are re-badged clones. So that's nothing new.
I hadn't ordered from Orion in years but oddly last Christmas received a catalog from them. They used to send out catalogs at least three times or four times a year. That had to get expensive for them.
Brock