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2004 Full-Size Binocular Roundup

(To view the 2004 Optics Roundup for mid-sized binoculars, click here.)

These were some of the spontaneous remarks the judges made as they tried, for the first time, the newest model binoculars we'd received for review. It was an ideal summer day for testing, with alternating clouds and sunny weather-an Iowa specialty. We had 99 of the best birding binoculars in the world lined up on tables overlooking a border of flowers and bird feeders (for close testing), a field of mixed tall grasses (for midrange viewing) sloping down to a pond, with a range of forested hills behind (for distance), all beneath a prairie sky (for infinity). Inside, under controlled lighting, we had an Edmond Scientific resolving power chart and a tripod-mounted beanbag platform on which to rest two binoculars side by side for careful comparison. Outside were miles of trails for field tests in woods, meadow, and wetlands. All in all, a perfect setup. We'd invited birders from around the state to come and give us their judgments about the latest and greatest optics. We had 15 judges in all.

This time we had far more binoculars to evaluate than in previous reviews. We received three times as many as in our first binocular survey for Bird Watcher's Digest, in 1993. So many, in fact, that to do them any justice we broke the review into two parts.

In Part I, we discuss regular full-sized binoculars, with objective lenses of approximately 42mm. In a subsequent article we'll discuss midsized binoculars, with approximately 32mm objective lenses, and larger binoculars, with 50mm objective lenses.

On our main testing day, looking over the army of binoculars that stood shoulder to shoulder along the tables, one of the judges commented, "Those binoculars sure do look a lot alike."

Indeed, binoculars have been converging toward a new standard. Most of these in our survey are new, developed in the past five years, with a good number having come out during the past 12 months. And they do appear to be variations on the same theme-similarly rubber-clad, mostly roof prism, waterproof, and nearly all black.

A New Standard

The new standard of binoculars incorporates many of the best traits we noted in a few pioneers a decade ago. Most of the new binoculars are roof prisms, with two straight barrels. Only 11 of the models on the accompanying chart use the wider-bodied Porro prism design, in which each barrel makes a jog midcourse. Birders have been voting with their dollars for the compact, elegant-looking roof prism design. And manufacturers have responded by putting their development genius into advanced roof prism binoculars.

The new standard also demands that binoculars be waterproof and nitrogen purged. Birders expect to be able to watch birds even in drizzle or from the deck of a boat. Furthermore, they want to take their binoculars anywhere, including the humid tropics, without the optics fogging up internally. Today one can choose among dozens of waterproof binoculars. Most, but not all, waterproof binoculars are also nitrogen purged as further insurance against internal condensation and fogging.

More and more birders also use their binoculars to watch butterflies and dragonflies. And many enjoy examining minute details of birds up close at feeders and birdbaths. These users want close-focusing optics. Manufacturers must have heard the call, because half of the binoculars in this survey focus at 8 feet or less. (Compare this with a mean of 15 feet in our 1993 survey.) If you already own a good pair of binoculars but are looking for an excuse to upgrade, the new close-focusing models reviewed here may provide all the reason you need.

Although close focus has shortened, eye relief has stretched out. Nearly all the full-sized binoculars we reviewed have at least 16mm of eye relief and hence work for most people who wear glasses. For people who do not wear glasses, the eyecups can be extended to provide the correct distance from the eyepiece.

A few years ago eyecups were generally made of soft rubber that could be folded up or down to accommodate sharing between people with different eyeglass status. With many binoculars, folding or unfolding the eyecups was a two-handed task that could cost several seconds (and might make a birder miss the bird). Today's new eyecups pop up or twist up on helical tracks in the eyepiece housing. Many of the twist-style eyecups have click stops that let the user choose the degree of eye relief needed to place the eyes at the optimum distance from the eyepieces. Only a few of the new binoculars still make a person struggle to fold down tough or floppy eyecups.

High magnification is in demand. For years, 7x binoculars were the standard, because many people find it easier to handhold them than something with higher magnification. But birders want to study details on small, distant objects. As the popularity of birding grew, manufacturers came to meet their customers with higher-magnification optics. For this survey, manufacturers sent us only three binoculars of less than 8x.

Nevertheless, 7x binoculars are still useful when you need a wider field of view. For instance, it may be easier to spot elusive warblers among foliage with a 7x binocular than with one of higher magnification.

In general, binocular ergonomics has come a long way. Today's binoculars are pleasant to handle, offering a rubber-armored, friendly surface to the hand. Rubber armoring also protects the binocular against bumps and scratches, and it makes for silent, clank-free operation. Gone are the hard, brittle surfaces of a decade ago.

Lens covers too have improved. Many are tethered to the binoculars, to the delight of people who customarily lose the lens caps the first time they use their new binoculars. (The best-designed do not get in the way of the view.) Straps are softer than they used to be. Many are wider than of old, and some are contoured for neck comfort.

Binoculars used to be heavy. Now many binoculars utilize strong, lightweight magnesium alloy and space-age polymer materials that have dramatically reduced the weight. Binoculars no longer have to be a pain in the neck.

Of course, any binocular intended for birders has to be centrally focused. You would think this would go without saying, but to our surprise we did receive a few binoculars that required each eyepiece to be focused separately. (We didn't include them in the review, because we don't believe that they meet the minimum requirements for birding binoculars.) All the binoculars included in the reviews and chart have a central focus wheel.

The full-sized binoculars we reviewed are a distinguished group. The high-end manufacturers have managed to top their own achievements. But less expensive binoculars have made great strides, too. You can still tell when you have a superior binocular in your hands, but our judges commented that the difference between $1,000-and-up glasses and those costing half as much is less noticeable than in the past. Often it's more a matter of ergonomic details than optical quality. In several cases our judges singled out binoculars they liked primarily for the pleasure and ease of handling, and sometimes even for aesthetic appeal, almost as if binoculars were art objects.

Which binoculars make for the best birding experiences? The top binoculars have become so good that it's impossible to say that one is the best binocular over all. In ordinary usage, the subtle optical differences might go unnoticed. Often the most important factors are close focus, speed of focus, how a binocular feels in your hand, how well the eyecups work with your eyebrow ridges or your glasses, or how much the binocular weighs. One thing about selecting binoculars hasn't changed: It still pays to try 'em before you buy 'em.

To quantify the optical differences, we put the binoculars side by side on tripods and looked for attributes such as brightness and edge-to-edge sharpness. In ordinary use, a birder would not be likely to be disappointed in any of the binoculars described. Space limitations prevent us from reviewing in detail every worthy binocular from our survey, but those not mentioned below can be found in the accompanying chart.

All of the following binoculars are waterproof and nitrogen purged, fully-multicoated, and phase corrected. They are arranged in alphabetical order.

BINOCULARS OF NOTE

• Alpen Apex
• Audubon Equinox
• Brunton Epoch
• Celestron Regal
• Eagle Optics
• Kowa BD 42
• Leica Ultravid
• Leupold Wind River Olympic
• Nikon Premier LXl
• Pentax DCF SP
• Steiner Peregrine
• Swarovski EL
• Zeiss Victory FL

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Alpen Apex

We love well-tethered lens covers, especially ones that don't get in the way. Alpen has seen to this and other details to make their Apex binocular a pleasure to use. The dark green body offers hand-friendly rubber armoring. The focus knob turns smoothly. The eye relief is long enough for eyeglass wearers (16mm for the 10x42 and 20mm for the 8x42), and the eyecups twist and lock up to accommodate the glasses-free. The Apex comes with a comfortably padded and shaped neck strap.

Optically, the Apex is very sharp at the center of the field of view. Butterfly watchers will appreciate being able to focus as close as 5 feet. The Alpen Apex comes in 8x42, 10x42, 8x32, 8.5x50, 10x50, and 12x50. We looked at the 10x42 and the 8x42.

Audubon Equinox

The Equinox, from the National Audubon Society, costs less than any other waterproof, phase-corrected, roof prism binocular in this review. It features twist-and-lock eyecups and has good eye relief of 16mm in the 8x42 and an excellent 19.5mm in the 10x42. Focusing as close as 5 feet, the Equinox would serve well for butterfly watching. It's available in 8x42 and 10x42.

Brunton Epoch

Going all out to compete in the high-end optics market, Brunton has created a remarkable instrument. The Epoch's great breakthrough is the variable focus mechanism. From 3 feet to 30 feet, it is tuned for precise focusing. At greater distances, the gear ratio changes to a faster focus, allowing you to go almost instantly from extremely close to infinity. It's an idea that other manufacturers may imitate.

The Epoch is also the closest-focusing binocular we looked at-a mere 3 feet. It's actually closer than you can comfortably converge on through the barrels of the binocular. But if you close one eye, you can focus on the scales of a butterfly that has landed on your sock.

And as one of our judges (who happens to be an interior designer) remarked, "Just from a design perspective, it is gorgeous!"

The Brunton Epoch has a pleasant rubber-armored surface and a locking diopter adjustment. It comes in a hard, sturdy travel case. It's available in 7.5x42, 8.5x42, and 10.5x42, and in gray or Mossy Oak Break-Up Camo.

Celestron Regal

Although the Regal is a medium-priced binocular, everything about it says top quality, including excellent optical resolution. It focuses as close as 6 feet. In your hands, the binocular communicates its excellent quality with the smooth, sure action of the focus knob and central hinge.

The Regal comes in 8x42, 10x42, and 10x50. We looked at the 10x42.

Eagle Optics Platinum Class Ranger

Compact and lightweight (less than 23 oz.), the Ranger has a lot going for it. It focuses fast and as close as 5.2 feet, making it a good candidate for butterfly watching as well as birding.

Smooth-turning focus knob, hand-friendly rubber armoring, and a central hinge with just the right amount of resistance for quick adjustment make this binocular a pleasure to handle. The eyecups twist up. The resolution is good-remarkably good for such an inexpensive binocular. We recommend it.

The Eagle Optics Ranger comes in 12x50, 10x50, 10x42, 6x32, 8x42, 10x32, and 8x32. We looked at the 10x42 and the 8x42.

Kowa BD 42

The 10x42 Kowa, which costs less than half as much as the most expensive binoculars, performed quite well on our optical tests. Kowa, long admired for its birding scopes, also has extensive experience and expertise as an optical manufacturer of medical devices for ophthalmology and security. This binocular showcases Kowa's intent to compete in the birding-binocular market, and it's a worthy entrant.

Of all the 10x binoculars we tried, the field of view of the 10x42 BD is the widest (349 feet at 1000 yards). The Kowa focuses as close as 6.6 feet, closer than many much more expensive binoculars.

A possible drawback is that the eye relief of only 14.2mm may not be sufficient for birders who wear glasses, but it should be quite adequate for anyone who does not. (The 8x42 model features 18.3mm of eye relief.)

The rubber-armored covering, although offering neither so secure a grip nor so luxurious a finish as some of the higher-priced binoculars, is good enough to protect the instrument from bumps. These binoculars are available in 10x42 and 8x42, in gray or blue. At this price, they are a bargain!

Leica Ultravid

Leica has improved on its highly esteemed Trinovid Ultra with the new, slender, celestially bright Ultravid. Because of its superb optical resolution and contrast, the Ultravid belongs in any list of the top binoculars of the world. Look through a Leica Ultravid, and you're immediately struck with how bright and clear the image is from the center of the generous field of view to the outer edges, and how true and free from bias are the colors.

With magnesium housing and a titanium central hinge shaft, this binocular is strong and rugged as well as lightweight. The distinctive, precise diopter adjustment on the central column makes it easy to check the setting at a glance. The diopter can also be easily found by feel, but it locks and won't get accidentally knocked off its setting.

Leica offers all the Ultravid models with a pleasing-to-the-hand, nonslip, bump-resistant black or green rubber covering (labeled BR). The 10x42 and 8x42 models are also available in elegant-looking leather (BL). The leather version is slightly slimmer and 2 or 3 ounces lighter than the rubber. At 24.5 ounces, the Ultravid 10x42 BL is remarkably lightweight for a binocular of this superior optical quality. Among the top binoculars, the 10x42 Leica Ultravids tied with Zeiss and Swarovski for wide field of view (330 feet at 1,000 yards).

The Ultravid comes in 7x42, 8x42, 10x42, 8x50, 10x50, and 12x50. We tested the 8x42 and 10x42 for this review.

Leupold Wind River Olympic

The featherweight Olympic weighs just 21.8 ounces. The rubber-armored surface is pleasant to touch, and the compact body fits nicely in the hand. Our judges liked everything about the focus: it's close (7.5 feet); it gets from near to far fast enough; and the focus wheel is nice and smooth. The eye relief is a generous 18mm. The bright image is remarkably sharp at the center of the field of view.

OK, the image does not have the sharpness out at the edges that you would find in the top-end binoculars, and the field of view is narrower than some binoculars. But take a look at the price, and you'll see why we were so impressed. This one's a bargain.

The Wind River Olympic comes in 8x42mm, 10x50mm, and 12x50mm. We looked at the 8x42.

Nikon Premier LXl

We used to recommend the Nikon Venturer LX for birders who wanted 10x in a top-quality binocular but who wore glasses-including people whose glasses ride a long way from the eyes. With its enviable 19mm of eye relief (20mm in the 8x42), even the hardest-to-fit eyeglass wearers had the pleasure of seeing the full field of view. No need to press your binocular against your glasses in the effort to get the whole picture with the Venturer LX!

Only trouble was, it was heavy. Some of our judges in previous binocular trials said they didn't want to carry that much weight.

This fall, Nikon came out with the Premier LXl. It looks the same as the Venturer LX. Same outstanding resolution and contrast. Same comfortable contour and pleasantly textured rubber-armored exterior. Still has that rapid, precise, outstandingly smooth focus wheel that we love to turn.

But the new Premier LXl weighs 6 ounces less than its predecessor (a 19 percent reduction). Thanks to a magnesium-alloy body, its 28.2-ounce weight is comparable to the other top birding binoculars. This time, our judges wanted to try the new Nikons over and over again. "Wow," said one. "This Nikon goes wham, and the picture pops out at you!"

The Premier LXl features Nikon's Eco-Glass, which is friendly to the environment: no lead, arsenic, or polluting vinyl chloride used in its manufacture. The eyecups are made of non-chloroethylene, soft-touch silicon rubber.

We tried the 10x42 and the 8x42. Nikon plans also to bring out the new Premier LXl in 10x32, 8x32, 10x25, and 8x20.

Pentax DCF SP

Sharp all the way to the edges, this binocular shines for its outstanding ergonomic qualities. It focuses as close as 6.6 feet and it's compact and lightweight (25 ounces), with a magnesium-alloy body.

Pentax did a lot of things right on this one. Eyecups twist up, with three click stops to let the user select the needed degree of eye relief. The objective lens covers are tethered to the binoculars in a way that doesn't let them get in the way of the view but keeps them from getting lost. The 8x43 model has exemplary eye relief of 22mm (17mm on the 10x43). The diopter adjustment locks. The dark green rubber-armored surface is pleasantly easy to keep a grip on. Exposed lenses have a special coating that resists moisture condensation, to keep the binoculars from fogging up outside as well as inside.

Oh, and by the way, it costs about half of what the other top binoculars do.

The Pentax DCF SP comes in 10x43, 8x43, 10x50, and 12.5x50. We looked at the 10x43 and the 8x43.

Steiner Peregrine

Several distinctive features keep the Peregrine from looking quite like most of the binoculars we reviewed. The soft, rubber fold-down eyecups flare at the sides, to reduce extraneous side light, at least for a person who does not wear glasses. The objective lens covers attach to the barrels with rubber hinges and can be removed if one wishes.

On this well-crafted binocular, the focus knob is smooth and sure. The dark green rubber armoring feels invincible. Several of our judges remarked favorably on the extraordinarily quick focus, adjusting from close up to infinity in one quick motion of the finger. Good resolution, contrast, and brightness. Comes in 10x42 and 8x42. We looked at the 8x42.

Swarovski EL

With the EL binocular, Swarovski made the design leap of eliminating the bridge. Instead of a solid central shaft like other binoculars, the EL has a hollow place between the two barrels. Reach out and pick up your EL by one slim barrel: your hand slides easily down into the empty space, for an easy, secure grip. You can effortlessly hold the EL to your eyes with one hand and focus, leaving your other hand free to close the door behind you or silently motion your companion to come see the great bird you're observing.

Tethered objective lens covers, a locking diopter adjustment that won't get accidentally knocked out of place, and twist-up eyecups (removable for cleaning) are a few more details that make EL owners such advocates of their chosen binocular. The EL is guaranteed watertight to a depth of 13 feet.

Our judges appreciated the close focus and moderate weight (thanks to a magnesium-alloy body) and noted outstanding color fidelity, contrast, and brightness. When we compared how well binoculars performed in bright and in dim light, we found the EL's high-resolution image held up exceptionally well in dusk-like conditions.

Among the top binoculars, the 10x42 Swarovski EL tied with Zeiss Victory FL and Leica Ultravid for wide field of view (330 feet at 1000 yards).

The EL is available in 10x42, 8.5x42, 10x32, and 8x32. It is manufactured in Austria.

Zeiss Victory FL

Zeiss released its new top-of-the-line binocular late this year-the Victory FL. When one of our survey judges looked through the new Zeiss FL, he said it was as if the binoculars weren't there at all, but that he had been magically transported up close to what he was looking at.

Besides superior optical qualities, the Victory FL has a pleasant, hand-friendly rubber armoring, twist-up, click-stop eyecups, and a locking diopter adjustment. Even though all three models focus as close as 6.6 feet in all models, it's fast to get from close to far. The focus wheel is intelligently geared so that a birder can focus from 30 to 150 feet (usual distances at which birds are viewed) with only slight finger motion and without having to make a new reach. From anywhere in that range the extremes of close or far can be achieved with one more finger reach. The Zeiss Victory FL has an excellent field of view, exceeding or equaling Nikon, Swarovski, and Leica.

The Victory FL's color purity and freedom from fringing are partially due to the fluorite glass (containing fluorine ions) used in the objective lens; the unusual Abbe Koenig prisms contribute to the instrument's exceptional brightness.

Glass-fiber reinforced polymer body with alloy reinforcements help keep the weight low. Zeiss uses lead- and arsenic-free glass in its binoculars.

The Victory FL is available in 10x42, 8x42, and 7x42. It is manufactured in Germany.

Michael and Diane Porter are avid bird watchers who operate the website birdwatching.com.

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