Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Compact Binoculars Review

 

Bushnell is an American company specialized in the field of optics and is based in Kansas.

Bushnell product list includes binoculars, telescopes, riflescopes, GPS devices, night-vision equipment, red dots, rangefinders, trail cameras, speed guns, camping tents, accessories.

It has been in the market for over 65 years and is well established in the industry.

I recently purchased Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide binocular to test it out and see how it performs in terms of optics quality and field of view optical instrument.

I have many binoculars with different magnifications, such as 20x, 12x, 10x, 8x and I decided to try 4x and especially because of Bushnell being extra-wide binoculars.

If you want to know how it performs and plan to buy one for you then this review is for you.

 

 

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Binocular Pros

• Lightweight
• Good image quality
• Fully multi-coated optics
• Extra-wide field of view
• Waterproof
• BAK-4 prism
• Durable
• Stable image

 

 

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Binocular Cons

• Not fog proof
• May be not suitable for all eyeglass wearers

 

 

 

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Binocular specifications:

• Magnification: 4x
• Objective diameter 30mm
• Eye relief 10mm
• Exit pupil 6mm
• BAK-4 porro prism
• Fully multi-coated optics
• Rubber fold-down eyecups
• Focus system: Free
• Field of view: 17.1° (900 feet / 1000 yds)
• Customer satisfaction 80%
• Weight 481gr.
• Not tripod adaptable
• Price: $49

 

 

 

 

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Binocular Review

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm is a medium class binocular suitable for sporting events, general use, stadiums.

In general, Bushnell optical instruments are high quality products and Bushnell spectator 4×30 is not an exception.

It’s a great optical instrument for its reasonable price.

 

 

Magnification power

Magnification power is 4x with objective lens of 30mm. I used it both at day time and evening time and was very happy performance of the optics.

It’s not super powerful but still has a good magnification power to be able to view objects at a medium distance.

BAK-4 prism and fully multi-coated optics provide good image quality and as a result you get very positive experience when looking through binoculars.

As I said, it’s not super powerful but still magnification power is enough to see objects as far as 5,6 km away from you.

 

 

Field of view

Field of view in Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Binocular is the most interesting and exciting part of this optical instrument.

It’a not as wide as I expected but compared to 8x and 10x binoculars, field of view is significantly wider.

As someone who has many different types of binoculars at home I can say for me personally looking through 4x extra-wide binocular is more exciting than 10x, 12x 15x, 20x binoculars.

Because 4x extra-wide Bushnell binocular is more suitable for a human eye thanks its 17 degrees field of view.

 

 

The only exception is 8x binocular which is powerful and has wider field of view than binoculars with magnification 10x and above.

I would say my favorite binoculars are 4x, 8x and 15x binoculars. You can see the difference between 10x and 4x binoculars when it comes to a field of view.

 

 

Waterproof/Fog proof

Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm is waterproof binocular but not fog proof which is totally understandable.

Because fog proof binoculars are often time used by hunters or travelers who travel and use binoculars in various weather and temperature conditions.

Bushnell spectator is mostly used at home or theatre or stadiums which doesn’t require fog proof feature.

 

 

Lens coating and prism type

Bushnell spectator 4×30 has BAK-4 prism and fully multi-coated optics which provides high image quality like in high-end binoculars.

I liked the image when looking through binoculars. It was clear, bright and sharp easily compared to the image quality of binoculars that cost around $200.

 

 

 

 

Suitability for eyeglass wearers

The binocular has exit pupil 6mm and eye relief 10mm. For eye glass wearers eye relief should about around 15mm. Still it’s not a big problem to be honest.

Most of the time eye glass wearers don’t experience any issues because optical instruments correct their eyesight and they get clear image.

In fact, most of the time you can use binoculars without glasses.

But for some people that have some serious issues with their eyesight it may be necessary to choose binoculars with eye relief 15mm at least to be able to use binoculars.

So, unless you have astigmatism you can buy Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide.

 

 

Tripod adaptability

Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide is not tripod adaptable and in fact you don’t need it because the binocular is super lightweight.

I used it and experienced almost zero hand shake. So, then image was very stable.

 

 

Ease of use

Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide binocular has no focus system or diopter to adjust binocular before looking through it.

It’s focus free system. You don’t need to adjust it. Just take it and use without any adjustment.

 

 

Affordability

The price for Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide is more than affordable for most people. It’s around $50.

I would say the price is very good for this type of binocular that delivers high image quality when looking through it.

 

 

Accessories

Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide comes in a small pack that includes nice branded strap with Bushnell name on it, cleaning wipe and user guide.

It has no lens cups like with other binoculars because there is no way to cover lenses due to binocular’s specific design.

 

 

Advantages of Compact Wide Angle Binoculars

Now I would like to say a few words about Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide binocular advantages.

The advantage of Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide over other standard binoculars is that it has extra-wide field of view, 17.1 degrees.

Standard 10x binoculars have field of view around 6 degrees. 8x binoculars have field of view around 7 or 8 degrees. So, numbers are significant as you can see it.

Visually the difference is significant as well. But it’s not like looking through a window.

For example, looking through 4x extra-wide angle binocular in my opinion gives a much better visual experience than looking through 10x binocular though 10x binocular is way more powerful.

If you want a binocular for general use I think 4x extra-wide angle binocular is an excellent choice unless you need a more powerful optical instrument, such as 8x or 10x binocular.

 

 

Overall quality of Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm

Overall quality of Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm is good. It’s made of quality plastic and the body looks very nice with quality neck strap.

It’s not shockproof but durable enough in case of accident drop.

 

 

New version of Bushnell spectator 4×30 extra-wide

You still can buy Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm online. It’s available on Amazon or other online eStores.

But Bushnell now promotes a new version of this binocular SPECTATOR SPORT BINOCULARS, 4X30MM for a little higher price, around $90.

In addition to all features mentioned above it is fog proof.

 

 

Warranty

Bushnell spectator comes with a limited lifetime warranty. It’s warranted to be free of defects in materials.

In the event of a defect Bushnell will repair or replace the product.

This warranty does not cover damages caused by misuse or improper handling or maintenance.