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Nov 12, 2023

The Best Binoculars for Seeing the World Up Close

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A great pair of binoculars is an invitation to slow down and look at the world in greater detail. While they’ve always been a favorite tool among birders and hunters for spotting wildlife, binoculars can also add perspective to adventures and even prove helpful for stargazing at night. These nifty tools are hardy, compact, and—with proper care—can last a long time.

The best pairs are lightweight, packable, produce crisp images, and easily focus on subjects. Grab one of these binoculars for your next bird-watching trip or sightseeing adventure.

Bring more gadgets on your next outing. Check out our recommendations for the best duffel bags, headlamps, and tripods on Amazon.

The first number in a binocular size is the model's magnification. So, if a pair of binos is listed as 8x42, the object you view through the binoculars will appear eight times as close; if it's 800 feet away, it will appear as though it were 100 feet away. While finding a pair with the strongest magnification power is one way to shop for binoculars, it has its drawbacks. The higher the number, the more amplified any movement—like shaky hands or sudden jerks—will be.

The second number in a binocular size is the aperture, or the diameter. This refers to the lens farthest from your eyes that faces what you’re looking at. In a pair of binoculars listed as 8x42, each lens is 42mm across. A wider lens can take in more light. More light means, unsurprisingly, a brighter view. This is particularly important if you’re trying to use your binoculars in low-light conditions, like at dawn, dusk, or night, or if you aim to use them to look up at the stars. Of course, the wider the lens, the bigger, heavier, and more cumbersome the binoculars become.

If you’re buying your first set of binoculars, Hugh Powell, senior science editor at All About Birds, an online birding resource owned by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recommends reaching for 8x42 binoculars for a crisp, bright image. However, "if you have small hands or are concerned about weight, there are also very good, more compact options in 8x32 binoculars."

Powell also recommends trying binoculars in person to test fit, comfort, and adjustability—you’ll want to check how easily the focus wheel rolls and how the eyecups feel. If you’re looking for a pair of binoculars for birding, it's worth splurging on a good pair that will last a long time. "Most of the enjoyment you get from birdwatching comes from how great the birds look through your binoculars—so it's worth it to get a decent pair," he says.

Binocular product descriptions use terminology exclusive to optical lenses. Here are the most common words and phrases you’ll come across.

Field of View: This is the width of the area you can see 1,000 yards from the end of your binoculars. The higher the magnification power, the narrower this field will be. If you’re using binoculars to look for something—like, say, a deer—a narrow field of view may limit your ability to pick up on moving animals. While less detailed, a wider field of view will help you see that movement more clearly.

Eye Relief: The distance between your eyes and the binocular eyepiece lenses. If you wear glasses, look for a larger Eye Relief number to allow for more space between your glasses and the binoculars.

Prisms: These flip the image right side up within a lens; without them, images would come through upside down. Prisms also shorten the optical path, resulting in closer images. There are two types. Porro prisms are inexpensive but often only fit in larger binoculars, since the eyepiece is offset from the binocular tube to allow more room for prisms to flip the image on the way to your eye. Roof prisms make for slimmer binoculars, but they’re usually more expensive due to their more complicated manufacturing, allowing the prism to align with the eyepiece and the binocular tube.

Writer Will Palmer and I researched expert sources and consumer reviews to pick the best binoculars. We considered the ratings from reputable binocular and gear review sites, such as Hunting For Binoculars, Outdoor Gear Lab, All Binos, Field & Stream, and others. In addition to consumer guides, we consulted Powell's tested binocular list for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and I called in samples of the most popular binoculars according to experts for some personal hands-on testing.

I’ve also spent months as a casual birder and tested some of these binoculars out on the field. When birding, I prefer binoculars with easy-turning focus wheels and hinges, comfortable eyecups that work with eyeglasses, and lenses that offer crystal-clear color clarity. A wide field of view is also a vital binocular feature for birdwatching, as a wider scope makes it easier to follow birds in flight.

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Viper HD 8x42 Binoculars

$485.00

amazon.com

The Vortex Viper HD offers great clarity in a tight, convenient package. Low-dispersion glass helps all the wavelengths of color come into focus at the same location, resulting in bright, clear images with great contrast and superb clarity. The exterior sides of the lenses also have an anti-reflective coating to ensure light enters the binos instead of bouncing off. The Viper is also completely water- and fog-proof, and a rubber coating adds grip and durability.

I tested the Viper HD 10x42 and found its quality incredible, with a squeaky-clean image that didn't blur and enough heft to feel robust in hand. Its focus wheel is simple to turn. Plus the eye cups are very comfortable, even with glasses on. I live on the fifth floor of an apartment building, and I used the pair to look at a parking garage roughly half a mile down the road—the results were clear, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the texture on the concrete and nearby brick buildings in such vivid detail. They were also great for viewing birds and people in motion without any intense shakiness.

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FieldView 8x32 Binoculars

$89.99

amazon.com

A favorite among birders, safari-goers, and hunters, the Wingspan Optics FieldView comes up repeatedly on best-of roundups for its quality craftsmanship at an excellent price. The fully multi-coated lenses are made of ED (extra low dispersion) glass, which prevents chromatic aberration, or distortion, in color and clarity. And the FieldView is waterproof and nitrogen-filled (for fog-proofing). People who bought the binoculars appreciated its just-right size—6 by 5 inches—and not-too-heavy weight.

Reviewers who left feedback on Amazon like the adjustable eye cups and were pleased with the color quality. Be advised, though, that these glasses are made for daylight viewing; several users complained about ghost images when viewing objects like the moon after dark.

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Standard Issue 8x25 Binoculars

$95.00

amazon.com

The Standard Issue from Nocs Provisions is a fun pair for the budget-minded. The colorful binoculars feature water- and fog-proof lenses housed within a durable textured rubber that's both grippy and whimsically vibrant. You can grab a pair in fun colors like "Canary Yellow" and "Iris Purple." And they’re so easy to adjust and use, they’re perfect for beginners. They also come with a drawstring pouch, neck strap, and a cleaning cloth for safekeeping. And just in case you’re accident prone, Nocs backs them with a warranty that will cover all manufacturing defects for life.

I’ve tested an 8x25 pair out on a few trails for birdwatching and was impressed with their comfort and fit. The eyecups are comfy on the eyes and fit well when I pressed them against my glasses, thanks to their pliable rubber. The eye cups are also solid for phone photography, and I was able to push my iPhone 12 camera lens against them for a clear photo of a few birds I spotted.

These fun binoculars are ideal for first-time birders, children, and casual users. Image clarity is fine, with minor blurring on the outermost of each lens. If you’re more experienced with binoculars, though, you’ll find the aperture leaves more to be desired.

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Noctivid 10x42 Binoculars

$2674.94

amazon.com

If you can swing its price, Leica's Noctovid is probably the best money can buy. This slightly hefty pair of binoculars is built tough to withstand rugged conditions, dings, and harsh weather due to its water- and dust-proof coating. The magnesium housing lends more rigidity than polycarbonate, is able to withstand warping in extreme temperatures, and will dent when dropped instead of shattering or cracking.

While birding at a local mountain, I tested a 10x42 pair of Noctovids and was impressed by their clear image. The binoculars offer crystal-clear optics through the edges of each lens, with no blurring. They perform well with sharp resolution and color, even when subjects are in motion. They worked well in low-light conditions, too. During sunset, they never had trouble focusing on objects despite the fleeting sunlight—subjects were still clear and in true color.

They’re also comfortable, with standard barrels to wrap your fingers around, slight grooves to fit your thumbs into, and an easy-to-use focus wheel. I could operate them comfortably both with and without my eyeglasses, and the ability to adjust each eye cup individually felt like a premium touch.

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Monarch HG 8x42 Binoculars

$976.95

amazon.com

The Nikon Monarch stands out for its supreme image quality, with a hefty price tag to match. To justify the nearly thousand-dollar cost, Nikon claims it achieves that exceptional image quality by using low dispersion (ED) lenses, and its Field Flattener Lens system, which counteracts the curvature and wide field of view to the very edge of the image. This is an excellent pair of adventure binos thanks to a tough (yet light) magnesium casing, as well as scratch-resistant lenses and a water- and fog-proof finish. Several critics say the Nikon Monarch hit its mark with this pair, providing awesome performance and crisp images from the center to the edges.

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SkyMaster 20x80. Binoculars

$99.00

amazon.com

Rather than closing one eye to look at the stars through a telescope, get a full field of view with these giant binoculars designed for the heavens. The 20x80 version of the Skymaster stands out from others here with its 20x magnification power—great for stars but not for anything closer, like a sports game, as the nearest thing they’ll be able to focus on is 108 feet away. The enormous size feels comfortable in hand, and the large knobs are easy to manipulate. But at 5 pounds, these are hefty and will take a toll on your arms.

Thankfully, an integrated mount lets you attach the Skymaster to a tripod. Because of the great magnification, any shaking will send images all across the sky. The 80mm lenses bring in a ton of light and have a coating that prevents reflection. Amazon customers love how it cracks open the sky and provides a clear view in low-light conditions.

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Terra ED 8x42 Binoculars

$429.99

amazon.com

With the Terra ED, you get quality German engineering at a more palatable cost. The lenses bring in significant light to work well in dim conditions and are even hydrophobic to repel moisture and keep images clear. A wide field of view makes this pair great for spotting moving animals, but it's also ideal for getting a more detailed look at things nearby, as it can focus on objects a little over 5 feet away. The Terra feels great in hand and has a large, easy-to-operate focus wheel, as well as comfortable ergonomic features, like angled eye cups that actually match the shape of your face.

While reviews on this pair are generally positive, some people point out that the binoculars are surprisingly dark compared to other pairs. And some Amazon users reported blurred edges.

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Midas ED 8x42 Binoculars

$269.99

amazon.com

A crowd favorite, the Midas ED 8x42 uses ED glass to produce images that draw raves—numerous customers put it on the same plane as $1,000-plus models. Unlike many binos with roof prisms, the Midas has phase correction coating, which counters the shift that can mar an otherwise well-focused image. And the phase correction coating prevents low-resolution and -contrast images within the prism.

The Midas comes in a lightweight magnesium body and travels well, while argon purging—a type of gas in each binocular barrel that prevents fungal build-up—helps prevent water and fog from clogging the chamber. It has a slightly stiff focus knob, which may be a turnoff for some people. This pair is also a top pick among Wirecutter's testers for its exceptional durability and ability to withstand humid, dusty environments.

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Diamondback HD 10x42 Binoculars

$249.99

bhphotovideo.com

The Diamondback is another great entry-level option at just a few hundred dollars. The lenses and prisms are coated to limit reflection, and the optics provide excellent image quality and color contrast. Hardiness comes from an ArmorTek lens coating that resists scratching and damage from oil or dirt. It also has a rubber armor exterior that lends the already water- and fog-proof Diamondback some shock resistance. The focus knobs are easy to adjust once broken in, and although this pair of binos is compact (under 6 inches long), you can still mount it onto a tripod.

Online reviewers love the build and image quality, saying the Diamondback is very clear with the feel of solidly built glasses. Some reviewers on Amazon reported that the lenses pop off easily during use, though.

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