Leica Geovid rangefinder binocular

From John in Montana:

I purchased three sets if Geovids for a long term bird research project. Estimating distance is the foundation of most songbird monitoring projects as it allows biologists to calculate accurate density estimates for various bird species encountered on surveys. Having binoculars, rangefinders, thermometers, clipboards and whatever else is simply too much for an observer to handle and still have there head up enough to make good, accurate observations. Geovids are one of the best binocs out there for optical quality and a first rate rangefinder and allow the observer to get exacting distances on each bird in view...at much longer distances than standard rangefinders, and allow the observer to be "looking" not fumbling with equipment. The cost of a good set of binoculars and a decent rangefinder used separately is simply not that big of a savings given the serious handicap it presents. I would seriously encourage any biologist considering their budget items for a bird study involving distance estimation to invest in these binoculars.

Vortex Raptor 8.5x32

Review from a customer:

I have been in the market for a mid-sized porro prism for a few months. There aren't many models in the 8x30 range made today. I tried out the Leupold Yosemite 8x30 porro and the Celestron Nature 8x30 porro. I found both models unsatisfactory. I bought the 3rd model I tried- the Vortex Raptor 8.5x32. I am extremely happy with them- they are lightweight, have great optics and I love the feel of holding porros. The focusing knob is stiffer than my 8x32 Eagle Optic Ranger roofs, but the stiffness is in the acceptable range for me and perhaps will loosen in time.

Bushnell Legend Ultra HD

From Nancy in Chicago:

I actually bought a pair of 10x42s because the 8's were not available. The field of view (340 ft) is amazing for a 10X glass, almost as wide as my old 8's and the images are crystal clear, edge to edge. As impressed as I was watching the boats on Lake Michigan last weekend, what really knocked my socks off was how bright they were, long after daylight made it hard to see. The low light transmission is something special. I had read several articles about Bushnell's Rainguard coating that is supposed to keep external lens surfaces from fogging and we got a first-hand example of how it works. A spot shower, forced us to go inside the airconditioned Shedd Aquarium for a half hour while the storm passed. When we went back outside the sun had come back out and the humidity skyrocketed. When my friend put her glasses (monarchs) up to look at a sailboat, she discovered that all she could see was NOTHING; both front and back lenses were totally fogged over - my Legend's were crystal clear. Rainguard does work! There are a couple little things that I think are really cool. One is the soft padded area where your thumbs rest while using them and the other is the very nice padded/back vented, bino harness that comes with them. Lastly, while Bushnell extends an incredible offer of a full money back refund if I was anything but satisfied with my Legends, I don't think they will ever have to worry about seeing my pair coming back to them. They are the best I have ever owned.

Vortex Fury 6.5x32

From Curt in Colorado:

Compact and light, but very solidly built. This is a fine optic for birding in forests, with a very bright, stable, and wide field of view ---- very helpful when searching for small birds moving through shrubs or tree canopies. A great beginner's optic, or for eyeglass wearers needing maximum eye relief. But also sharp and solid enough to become your standard pair for birding at less than 100 yards. Super close focus, for those who like to look at flowers, butterflies, and bugs from a standing position. I now own two of this binocular.

Nikon Fieldscope 50

Review from Kathy:

Being a petite, elderly lady, I thought taking a scope on birding walks would be too awkward and heavy. But this scope has proved me wrong. I want to take it everywhere. With a lightweight Manfrotto tripod I can carry it on my shoulder for several hours. And I am totally delighted with its clarity, brightness and magnification. Also, the angled design allows others in groups to share it easily. During a recent group outing there were a half dozen of us petite ladies, and we didn't need to stand on tiptoes to see through someone else's monster scope. The only thing I don't like is the case -- difficult zipper and rather flimsy.

Swarovision 8.5x42

From Barbara in Texas:

My husband and I attended Featherfest in Galveston during the month of April. The Eagle Optics rep there carefully showed us the optics sold by Eagle, including the Swarovision 8.5X42. My husband bought one first from another source. But, I placed my order with Eagle Optics and the service was excellent.
The color and contrast are excellent--the white on the White-Winged Dove is white, white and the blue around the eyes is more beautiful than I remember before. The view is wide and the depth of field is excellent. The focus wheel is smooth. I love the close focus which is great for looking at wildflowers and butterflies. The clarity is amazing. I had a Nikon Monarch 8X42 which has served me well and is a great binocular for the price. But, the view through the Swarovision 8.5x is another dimension.

Kowa 884 Prominar

From Brock in North Dakota:

I had been planning on getting the Brunton 20-60x spotting scope since I have Brunton 8.5x Epoch binoculars. However, after researching spotting scopes online and reading reviews, especially Cornell University's Ornithilogical Lab's 2008 spotting scope review I opted for theKowa with the 20-60x zoom lens.

Yes, the Kowa is expensive, but you get what you pay for. Before dark one day I sighted the Kowa in on a pine tree sapling a couple hundred yards away. When it got too dark to see it with the naked eye it was still easily seen through the Kowa and it was bright enough that I could almost count the needles if I had been so inclined. Distant birds are brought in close with feather colors easily discerned.

Having two wheels for adjusting focus, one coarse and one fine, is very handy. When zooming from 20x to higher powers, very little adjustment is needed for the focus. One minor quibble which is probably endemic to all zoom lenses is at powers above 40x it is difficult to adjust the focus that last little bit for the sharpest view. But you can focus it sufficiently for all practical purposes.

Bottom line, if you want the best and can afford it, the Kowa is one spotting scope that you must consider.

EL Swarovision 10x42

From Clay in Vermont:

Without qualification, the finest binoculars I have ever owned. I wanted just a bit more power than my Swarovski 8.5x42's – particularly for working over fields and open water. Hesitated stepping up to the Swarovision 10X42's mainly because of the price, but found Eagle Optics staff encouraging with their answers and I finally "took the plunge". From the moment I put them up to my eyes for the first time - and through several extended field trips - I have had absolutely no regrets. Without qualification, the finest binoculars I have ever used – bar none. Excellent ergonomics. Superb resolution and amazing color. Just one small suggestion. Swarovski continues to ship world class binoculars with (IMHO) binocular cases totally impractical for hard field work. Plan on investing in a case that will adequately protect your investment. I find the well constructed (and padded) Vortex Viper 50mm Binocular Case (yes, 50 mm) an excellent alternative for both my Swarovski 8.5x42's and Swarovision 10X42's. All the other accessories work fine!

Zeiss 8x20 monocular

From Ben in Ohio:

This monocular in my opinion, after having owned it several years, is not anywhere near worth its asking price. It is good, but not great. Pros: lightweight, relatively sharp resolution edge to edge, durable and compact. Cons: very slow focus, have to twist it many times to go from far to close focus, I usually had to start twisting before I brought it up to my eye and keep twisting afterwards. Not even close to having its purported eye relief, I couldn't get satisfactory field of view with glasses on, so it was difficult to get on a target. The lubrication for the focus would leak out a bit around the edge of the eyepiece lens, messy. Not very bright or color rich view even in good lighting (compared to my new leica monovid). Not waterproof. So, this little guy has a lot of room for improvement. My main complaint was lack of eye relief.

Leica Monovid

From Ben in Ohio:

I've been using this gem daily as a professional Naturalist for over a month now. I love that I can wear the case on my belt and be unencumbered for daily naturalist duties such as carrying nets and buckets, wrangling wildlife and children during programs, and hiking the trails for research. In such situations I often felt burdened by my full size Swarovski Els. Now I can just quickdraw this baby out whenever a warbler, butterfly, dragonfly, turtle or mammal requires my attention. Excellent optics and good eye relief even with my glasses on (all the time). Of course, it is not bright enough for birding in dusk or very low light situations, but most of the time it is bright and beautiful to look through. I love how quick the focus is: makes going from infinity down to just under six feet a snap in just half a turn. The accessory lens is fun to play with and screws nice and safe in the case lid. The easy clean coatings do a good job of repelling dust, I hardly have to clean it, but the supplied tethered rainguard helps too. I have been very impressed with its performance for birding. Wouldn't call it a pocket spotting scope, but definitely a pocket field glass. Waterproof submersabilty is a bonus for the ruff and ready adventurer. The 8 power is a little hard to hold steady, but held deep in the webbing of the thumb it is very stable (do not hold in the finger tips). While in use in the palm it is so discreet many nature center visitors are fooled into thinking I have eagle eyes, picking out green herons or eastern Kingbirds in the back of the pond, and counting wood ducklings at 80 yards. Cons: Focusing requires two hands and the focus, while smooth and fast, is a bit tight, if the focus ring had less resistance to it, it would be possible to focus one handed. Bare metal scares me, but the wrist lanyard should prevent drops. I wish it was supplied with a neck strap as well for 500 bucks! The case, while nifty and protective, does not have a very re-enforced belt loop, so I fear it will fail after about a year or two of daily wear. I also wish it had an integrated objective lens cap. Low light performance is as expected for a 20mm lens, so its not going to replace full size bins in all situations. All of these cons are mere quibbles, this thing should be standard issue for all naturalists!

Minox BV 8x25 BRW

From Heather in North Carolina:

I purchased the Minox BV 8x25 BRW binocular for a recent trip I made to the Bahamas. I wanted a compact pair of binoculars that would be convenient for travel and also be good for birding. These binoculars were just the ticket! They were compact enough for me to easily carry in my purse and I was able to clearly see and identify birds in natural settings, just as I had hoped. I would definitely recommend this product to traveling birders.

Pentax 20x60 PCF WPII

From Luka in Minnesota:

This is a fantastic binocular for certain uses. I use it mostly for astronomy. It has a narrow, but very sharp 2.2 degree field of view(FOV). The whole FOV is very usable(sharp). With its 20x magnification, it can resolve some star clusters, and see many more stars than lower power binoculars. While it is very light and feels good in my hands, I have to mount it most days to enjoy it. It is powerful enough to see many craters on the moon, and some people have seen Saturn's rings with it. It definitely shows the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Since it is lightweight, it is much easier to mount and doesn't require a "heavy duty" tripod, though I would recommend one that can hold 2x this binocular's weight. The eye relief is very comfortable, and the twist out eyecups work well. The coatings are very good. I give it four stars because of its very specialized nature and very narrow FOV, think of two spotting scopes.(If this is exactly what you want, consider it 5-stars) If you're thinking of a 20x80 binocular, consider this one as well. It will be easier to mount and carry, and has better build quality than many of the cheap 20x80's out there (which are often effectively 18x72). With its high magnification, I can see some chromatic aberration, but its well controlled and I don't think it's problematic. This is visible on the moon, and in some high contrast daytime scenes.

Nikon 7x35 Action binocular

From Mike in Michigan:

These binoculars have been a joy to use. I bought them on the fly as "get me by" binoculars until I "shopped harder" and upgraded - but as I have used them in a variety of conditions I have come to love them. Primary use is birding in wooded settings - looking in trees - and focusing through thickets.

Why do I love them?
1. They are compact and feel good and solid in my hands.
2. The focus knob is smooth like butter. You can get where you need quickly yet the knob is so smooth that precise focusing is still EASY (and actually pleasurable).
3. Depth of field: there is so much depth of field with these that you will be in focus in a deep range of view - which is great for scanning trees front to back. This is a function of the lower magnification and quality of the optics.
4. Field of view: is very wide - you do not feel like you are looking through holes. Great for finding birds.
5. Brightness/clarity: crisp bright images - there is no dimming to remind you that you are looking through binoculars.

You don't really ever feel like you are looking through binoculars - and it isn't even like you have zoom vision either - it is actually just like BEING CLOSER. This makes the binoculars invisible to your viewing experience and this is what you want - so you can pay attention to what you are looking at and not what is in your hands.

For the price, this binocular is amazing. I don't feel myself wanting for more binocular at all. You might disagree, but if you do you didn't waste much money in purchasing them. Nikon is a really good brand with a global presence which gives them an economy of scale - they are big enough to offer products like this at such reasonable prices. You really con't go wrong.

Vortex Fury 8x42

From Jeff in Ohio:

I don't usually write reviews (I often read them) but feel compelled to let others know what a great buy I think these Vortex Fury 8x42s are. I’m not affiliated with any related business or company so my opinions should be unbiased. Being relatively new to birding and somewhat picky, I looked intensely for about two months for some decent binos that wouldn’t break the bank but also wouldn’t be a complete disappointment. After using these Furys for about 6 months now, I have to say I’ve extremely pleased with my purchase. I had compared every roof prism binocular for under about $550 that I could lay my hands on prior to deciding on the Fury and I still have zero regrets about my purchase. The build quality is excellent with a solid feel to all the components. Focusing is silky smooth and requires very little pressure to adjust. In fact, I’ve not yet found a pair of binos at any price with more effortless focusing than my Furys (including Leicas, Swarovskis, etc.). The right diopter adjustment, adjacent to the main focus knob, is also very nice with a raised knob on the silver ring and distinct clicks. Part of the appeal for me has been the very long eye relief (~20mm) that I need with my eyeglasses and the Furys provide a complete view whereas binos I’d tried with 18mm or less eye relief just didn’t provide the whole picture. For those who don’t wear glasses (e.g. my wife) the high-quality eyecups rotate and extend to accommodate their needs too. Image quality is really very good and a friend who has birded for 30+ years was very impressed at the image quality provided by this $300 pair of binos. While I’ve had no issues with my Furys, I did gain some firsthand experience with Vortex’s guarantee. I had bought some 8x28 Vortex Diamondback binos on eBay (as a compact to always have handy) only to find something wrong with the left-side optics. To be brief, I ended up shipping them to Vortex in Wisconsin (~$8?) where they evaluated them and then sent me a new pair within about a week! No proof of purchase or questions or anything, just a new fully functioning pair of binos. Wow. I’m officially a Vortex fan now and I think the Furys are a sweetspot in their lineup.

Pentax 80 ED

From Jake in California:

I was skeptical when I took a chance on this scope. I have looked through a Leica 77mm before and I knew what I wanted to see. At first I was concerned with the heat waves I was getting above 20/30x. However if you read the reviews on all high Euro scopes, they all pound sand on a hot day. I finally got this scope up in the hills at about 50 degrees and WoW! I zoomed in on a doe at about 800 yds. I could see where her hair was roughed up from walking through the brush. Sold! I was also skeptical of the angled eyepiece, but it makes it so easy to share from person to person and this scope easily rotates 90 degrees on its side for looking out your car window. Only drawback is size and weight.