Recommended Binoculars
Recommended Binoculars from Binoculars Guides
I know firsthand that buying a good pair of binoculars is not the same like buying apples from a shop.
It becomes even more difficult with such a huge selection of binos one can see around online.
When I decided to buy my first pair of binoculars I did a lot of research and still I bought the wrong one.
The same day it broke and I had to return the next day. It was zoom binoculars, the worst you can buy.
The main issue was because I didn’t know how to do my research. I had no idea from which side to start my research and that’s why I bought the wrong one.
It was a complete disappointment for me. Thanks to that wrong buy I started to do more research and since then I love optics.
I now have many binoculars and buy a new optics from time to time for my website to write a review and help you make the right decision.
Rest assured I will recommend only quality binos. Most of the binos that I recommend are based on my personal buy or test.
Sometimes I just do an in-depth research on the internet. I read blogs, customer reviews and based on my personal experience I give you the best and the most accurate info.
But as you understand, I can’t buy all the binoculars available on the market. No one can do it neither physically nor financially.
Binoculars don’t differ much within one brand but may differ if they belong to different brands.
For example, if you have one or two Zeiss binoculars you don’t need to buy all other Zeiss binoculars to understand what type of optics Zeiss manufacturer does produce.
I try to buy at least one or two pairs of binoculars from each brand to give you the most accurate opinion about binoculars.
In this section of my website I will be adding info about binoculars that I recommend to the best of my experience, knowledge and research.
You don’t need to spend your precious time. I do it and I do it properly. My recommendations will be based on certain aspects, such as
- Optics/Image quality
- Ease of use
- Design
- Affordability (price aspect)
- Overall score
All other features, such as binoculars being waterproof or fog-proof are not important for me because these features may hold value for certain group of people, hunters, fishermen and the like.
You may have a question: Can I trust you and really on your recommendation? My simple answer is YES, you can and I will explain why.
First, when you buy something online and do a research you have to rely on someone else’s recommendation whether you want it or not.
As I said above, I try to recommend binoculars to the best of my experience, knowledge and research.
I try to buy new binoculars as often as I can to provide you the most accurate info so you can make the right choice.
If you think that true recommendation can come only from someone who’s actually tested binoculars I have to disappoint you.
It’s not always so. Someone who has a pair of binoculars and tested it out still can give you not so accurate info.
It’s always better and wise to see what most people tell about certain type of optics.
That’s why aside from my personal recommendation I also show you an overall score for each binoculars based on Amazon customer reviews.
It’s a proven way to do the right buy. Also, keep in mind that when you see that most customers are happy with the product and some give negative feedback it doesn’t mean that the product is bad.
Some people are just always unhappy. Even if you give them the best binoculars in the world they will find something wrong with it.
I buy from Amazon very often and of course I read customer reviews. From my experience I can tell if a product has 4 or 5 stars it means it’s a good product.
I’ve never been disappointed with my purchase from Amazon.
I have no reason to recommend you a bad pair of binoculars. I recommend only good optics.
I will never ruin reputation of my website because I love what I do and feel happy when I can help others buy a good pair of optics.
There are different types of binoculars available on the market, expensive, cheap and mid-priced optics. On my site you can find info about all of them.
If you want cheap binoculars there is always something that I can recommend and the binoculars will be of good quality.
You can find optics by magnification power, by price, budget binoculars, astronomical, fake binoculars.
Modern technology allows to get high quality image in the binoculars.
If you buy optics from a reliable optics manufacture and the magnification power of the binoculars is up to 12x then you can rest assured that optics will be of high quality in all respects.
The major problem starts when magnification is higher than 12x. Anything higher than 12x can’t produce the same image quality as with magnification up to 12x.
But still you can get high quality optics if you choose from a reliable high power optics manufacturers, such as
- Pentax
- Nikon
- Orion
- Bresser
- Levenhuk
- Oberwerk
- Maven
- Vortex
- Swarovski
- Gosky
- Celestron
I will be adding recommended binoculars to this page. Remember to visit it for an updated info about quality optics.
Bresser-10×50-High Definition Binoculars. German quality optics with a powerful magnification. Easy to use eye cups and central focus. The binoculars deliver high quality clear, bright and sharp image, fully multi coated, Waterproof, porro types, BaK-4 optics from Bresser Opticals. Field of view: 6.5º/340 ft. 1000 yds
Other Bresser high quality binoculars:
- National Geographic 10x 42mm Binoculars
- Bresser Pirsch 10 x 42 Binocular
- Bresser 17-02100U Everest Binocular, 10x 42mm
- Bresser Condor Binocular, 10x 42mm
Baigish 10×40 – Soviet high quality optics. High quality clear, bright and sharp image. Fully multi coated porro prism, BaK 4 optics. Field of view, : 6.5°, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 340
Levenhuk Karma PRO 12×50. High quality image. Waterproof/fogproof binoculars. Bak-4 roof prism optics. Fully multi coated lenses. Field of view, °: 4.7, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 246
Leupold BX-1 Rogue 10x25mm Compact Binoculars
– Wide field of view (Field of view, °: 5.6, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 294)
– Magnification power 10x
– BaK-4 prism
– 91% Customer satisfaction
– Price: $94.79
Bushnell H2O Waterproof Compact Roof Prism Binocular 10×25
– Wide field of view (Field of view, °: 5.8, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 305)
– Magnification power 10x
– Prism type: BAK-4
– Waterproof and Fogproof
– Customer satisfaction: 76%
– Price: $56.89
Pentax SP 20×60. Multilayer coatings. Waterproof binoculars, Bak4 porro prism optics from a reliable manufacturer of high quality high power optics. Field of view, °: 2.2, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 115
Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Compact Binoculars
– Extra-wide field of view binocular ( Field of view, °: 17.1, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 900)
– Magnification power 4x
– Field of view is amazingly wide
– BaK-4 prism
– 84% customer satisfaction
– Price: $47.95
Orion 4×21 Super-Wide Angle Binoculars
– Extra-wide field of view binocular ( Field of view, °: 18, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 945)
– Magnification power 4x
– Magnification power 4x
– Field of view is amazingly wide
– BaK-4 prism
– 100% customer satisfaction
– Price: $67.27
Carson VP Series Compact High Definition Binoculars 8×42
– Wide field of view
– Waterproof/Fogproof
– Magnification power 8x
– High quality optics BAK-4
– 92% customer satisfaction
– Price: $124.55
Celestron 71426 Cavalry 15×70 Binocular
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 15x
– Fully multi-coated high quality optics BAK-4
– 70% Customer satisfaction
– Price: $129.95
Leupold BX-1 McKenzie 12×50 Binoculars
– Wide field of view ( Field of view, °: 4.6, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 242)
– Magnification power 12x
– BaK-4 prism
– 88% Customer satisfaction
– Price: $165.29
Levenhuk Karma PRO 16×42 Waterproof Fogproof Binoculars
– Field of view: 3.6°, Field of view, yds/1000 ft: 189
– Bak4 Prism
– Magnification power 16
– Customer satisfaction: 100%
– Price: $103.95
Nikon Monarch 8×42
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 8x
– Prism Type: Eco-Glass Lenses
– 95% of customers are happy with the quality of the product
– Price: $239.28
Nikon 7247 Action 16×50 EX Extreme All-Terrain Binocular
– Prism type: Eco-Glass Lenses
– Magnification power 16
– Customer satisfaction: 86%
– Price: $185.03
Wingspan Optics Willow UltraHD 8X32
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 8x
– Extra-Low Dispersion ED Glass
– Waterproof, Fogproof
– 94% customer satisfaction
– Price: $97.92
Wingspan Optics Voyager 10X42 High Powered Binoculars
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 10x
– BaK-4 prism
– 94% Customer satisfaction
– Price: $69.92
Vortex Optics Crossfire Roof Prism Binoculars, 8×42
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 8x
– Fully multi-coated high quality optics
– 91% Customer satisfaction
– Price: $139
Vanguard Endeavor ED 10×42 Binocular, ED Glass
– Wide field of view
– Waterproof/Fogproof
– Magnification power 10x
– High quality optics BAK-4, ED glass roof prism
– 93% customer satisfaction
– Price: $169
Zeiss Terra ED Binocular 8×42
– Wide field of view
– Magnification power 8x
– High quality ED glass optics
– 100% customer satisfaction
– Price: $389
Oberwerk 15×70 LW Binocular
– Wide angle of view
– BAK-4 Prism
– Magnification power 15
– Customer satisfaction: 92%
– Price: $144.95
Oberwerk 20×80 LW Binocular
– Bak-4 Prism
– Magnification power 20
– Customer satisfaction: 83%
– Price: $219.95
Levenhuk Bruno Plus 20×80 Powerful Astronomy Binoculars
– Bak-4 Prism
– Magnification power 20
– Customer satisfaction: Yes
– Price: $184.95
About the Author: Adam
We review and recommend quality binoculars so you don't waste your money on useless ones. 
I use binoculars for my job. I am sent to scout potential opposing football teams. I have a vision problem in my right eye which makes it difficult to use most brands. I use them primarily at night. I read through the recommendations but you mentioned you have used these. Is there one or two that are better to use in the evening under the circumstances I described? Thank you
I have binoculars with magnification 8x, 10x, 12x and 20x and so far I haven’t noticed any issues when using binoculars in the evening time. Even with magnification 20x. Instead high quality binoculars manufactured by brands improve your ability to view objects when it’s dark outside. If you are talking about complete darkness then you probably need to stop on night vision binoculars that cost between $120 and up to $700. But they are heavy because hold 8 batteries. It’s a very specific product. I think traditional binocular is the best one to choose.
Thank you so much for your post and explaining what you do in great detail. You are right, it would be impossible financially and physically to buy all the binoculars out there to test and review, but I feel safe in your hands, knowing that you have put so much time and effort into researching everything you recommend. Thanks so much for being a trustworthy resource!
Of course, it’s impossible to test them all out and there is no need for that. Because I own many binoculars and have a good knowledge and experience regarding optics. I spend a lot of time for testing binoculars and research. I think my recommendation will not disappoint you.
I found your site to be very informative and you definitely sound like you know your binoculars. You go into a lot of detail about the various brands and after going through everything included here, I didn’t feel the need to have to look elsewhere before making my decision. Thank you for all the in depth information!
Thank you for the comment Shannon. I appreciate it.
The options are endless it seems like when it comes to binoculars, so it is extremely helpful to have a website such as yours available to help weed through them and get to the quality and price points that someone like me is looking for. I just left a comment on another of your posts for just that reason. I needed some straight solid advice and got it.
Reading through the first portion of this article, I now understand where you are coming from as a fan and it gives me confidence in what you are recommending. Having a few sets of binoculars might seem odd to some people, but not to me.
If I had more money, I likely would buy more of them. As a kid, we had some cheap sets and even at that age, I was hooked. In the subsequent years, I have purchased quite a few pairs and given many away to friends and family (and replaced them with new ones).
Of the ones that you listed on this page, the Vortex Optics Crossfire Roof Prism Binoculars, 8×42 model is one that catches my eye. The price is decent and the score you have awarded it is good too (4.8 out of 5). That is one that I would jump on, but since I am already going for a considerably more expensive model that has image stabilization capabilities, I will wait.
I have bookmarked this website. There is a lot of valuable information you have published, and as a fan of binoculars, its a place I want to stop in and browse around often. Thanks!
I agree Dave. For someone having a few sets of binoculars may seem strange but not for me. In my opinion, every binocular has its advantages over others. Vortex is an excellent choice. It’s over $100 but it’s worth that price. If you plan to buy image stabilization binocular then you better wait and buy it when you can afford. They are really fantastic optical devices and way better than traditional binoculars. They give you a totally different experience and feelings.
Hi Adam! Thank you very much for this post. I had first landed on your site where you have all the binoculars and was struggling to make up my mind. But here it has been much easier to decide. And I believe the best option for me is Wingspan Optics Willow UltraHD. There are 6% of unsatisfied customers that have purchased this. Do you have a clue to what’s their main point?
I have to inform you that this binocular has ED glass which makes them different from a standard BAK-4 optics. ED Glass delivers better image, brighter and clearer. The price though increased from $64 to $97. Amazon increased the price. I think it’s because first price was wrong. ED glass can’t cost $64. Regarding unsatisfied customers, don’t pay attention to that. There are always some people that are unhappy with everything. Even if you give them the best product in the world they will find something wrong with it. I’ve seen it many times as a frequent Amazon customer.
Hi Adam,
thank you for your webside and the information you share.
I want to ask you where you have product prices from, because when I search I always find about ca. 30-50% more expensive. I am from Slovak Republic.
Thanks and kind regards
Hi Juraj! All prices taken from Amazon.com