Choosing the best binoculars can be a difficult task. Binoculars might do just one job, but they are multipurpose. Essentially, the job of a binocular is to see what’s far away, usually in a great detail. For example, birds that are very far.
Quite incidentally, the main purpose of modern binoculars is nature observation, wildlife observation, birdwatching, and so on. Binoculars are also used in hunting, but those usually have two components fused into one: a rangefinder and a binocular. The rangefinder relays information like a line of sight distance, angle-compensated distance, and so on, between the user and the target.
Binoculars come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and from many different prestigious brands. Some are extremely small while some are built for hunting in the wilderness.
Usually, you need to choose a binocular if you need to see various feet away and focus on that object. It doesn’t have to be something living. You can also observe manmade entities like construction sites or edges of a bridge.
Either way, you want to choose the best binoculars.
Top 6 Best Binoculars
Nikon Prostaff 7S 10×42
The Nikon Prostaff 7s 10×42 is the standard go-to pair of binoculars if you need the right mix of amazing clarity and color with the durability and look-and-feel that one would instantly fall in love with.
The Prostaff 7s has 98% 5- and 4-star reviews on Amazon.com and those ratings are not lying. We consider the 7s to be the best binoculars.
Our Rating: 98/100
- Whether you're looking at wildlife or scenery, 2 things are important: color and clarity The PROSTAFF 7S brings you both, thanks to Fully Multilayer Coated lenses and Phase Correction Coated Roof Prisms
- Even eyeglass wearers will enjoy looking through the PROSTAFF 7S The turn and slide rubber eyecups allow anyone to adjust the space between their eye and the binocular's eyepiece, ensuring a full field of view
- The PROSTAFF 7S is comfortable to hold, even in wet conditions, thanks to its rubber armored body The rubber armor also protects the binocular in case it is dropped or handled roughly
Nikon Prostaff 7S 8×42
The Nikon Prostaff 7s 8×42 is the ideal companion. Not only is it blessed with a clear, colorful, and fog-less vision, but also with a durable build and great grip. Brilliantly made and executed, the 8×42 doesn’t make customers, it makes returning customers because of its high quality.
Our Rating: 94/100
- Whether you're looking at wildlife or scenery, two things are important: color and clarity The PROSTAFF 7S brings you both, thanks to Fully Multilayer Coated lenses and Phase Correction Coated Roof Prisms
- Even eyeglass wearers will enjoy looking through the PROSTAFF 7S The turn-and-slide rubber eyecups allow anyone to adjust the space between their eye and the binocular's eyepiece, ensuring a full field of view
- The PROSTAFF 7S is comfortable to hold, even in wet conditions, thanks to its rubber armored body The rubber armor also protects the binocular in case it is dropped or handled roughly
Nikon Monarch 7 10×42
The Nikon Monarch 7 10×42 is a higher-end product. Exceptional color reproduction, clarity, and contrast. Nice build quality. Rugged exterior thanks to rubber armoring. Very powerful prisms. Great magnification. Need we say more? The Monarch is always in demand and there is a reason behind that.
Our Rating: 89/100
- The MONARCH 7 10x42 provides an exceptionally wide field of view that makes it easy to find your subject.
- Dielectric High-Reflective Multilayer Prism Coatings are applied to all lenses and prism coatings to provide high-contrast images and accurate color reproduction.
- Thanks to a durable rubber armored coating, the MONARCH 7 is comfortable to hold and rugged enough to stand up to any conditions.
- Size (Length x Width) 5.6 x 5.1 inches
Nikon Laserforce
The Nikon Laserforce is a rangefinding binocular. And an excellent one at that. The Laserforce comes with exceptionally clear lenses that work very well in low-light conditions like the evening and the early morning. Besides that, there’s so much more to aid you in your hunting.
Our Rating: 87/100
- Rangefinder Binocular with 10-1900 yard range
- Reflective Target 1900 yards Tree 1400 Yards Deer 1100 Yards
- Incline/Decline Technology. FOV at 1000 yards: 320 feet
- Display in .1 yard increments to 100 yards / 1 yard increments over 100 yards
- Bright and clear red OLED display with 4-step intensity adjustment
Vortex Fury 10×42
The Vortex Fury 10×42 is a great combination of an advanced rangefinder and a powerful pair of binoculars. Both the components work really well. The Fury comes with many amazing capabilities. The only weak point would have to be the lower visibility compared to the competition (usually costing much more).
Our Rating: 81/100
- The Fury rangefinder binocular combines high quality optics and long Distance ranging capability to form a convenient and efficient dual-purpose binocular. Glassing up game and ranging with confidence or calling out ranges, The Fury delivers.
- The primary hcd mode displays an angle compensated distance that is ideal for the majority of hunters and Shooters with either rifle or bow. An advanced Los mode provides the option to calculate long distance, high angle shots with increased precision.
- A scan feature gives continuous range readings to pan across a landscape or Track a moving target. Three brightness settings keep the display visible in various lighting conditions while a Battery life indicator is always visible in the display.
- Xr fully multi-coated, HD lenses and dielectric phase-corrected Prisms serve up clear and impressive views from dawn till dusk.
- Nitrogen purged for water and fog proofing, along with a rubber armored housing for a solid grip provides a binocular that will stand up to extreme weather conditions.
Zeiss Conquest HD 10×42
The Zeiss Conquest is a high-end nature observation binocular. You can observe the wildlife all you want without fatiguing yourself – that’s the best part of the Conquest. Very mildly fatiguing due to a good design. The clarity and color reproduction are both very good. We recommend the Conquest for those who can shell the bucks.
Our Rating: 78/100
- Compact lightweight ergonomic design for ultimate comfort in the field
- LotuTec water shedding outer coatings for all weather use
- Designed and manufactured with traditional German quality
- Rotating and lockable eyecups for eyeglass or non eyeglass wearers
- The largest field of view in its class
The best brands in the world of binoculars
There are many brands. When you want to buy the best binoculars, you need to be extra careful. Not all brands offer the same things. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to quantify what brands have which unique features because the date would be overwhelming, and it is changing all the time.
Yet, there are certain traditions and certain mechanisms in certain brands are more specialized and more efficient than their counterparts from other brands.
The best brand that comes to our mind for someone beginning the journey to a ”zoomed-in” world is Nikon. Nikon’s lenses are already famous. Their prisms are also very powerful. The visibility through the eyes of a Nikon binocular is extremely clear and colorful.
Other brands like Vortex and Zeiss also have great contrast, near-perfect color reproduction, and powerful magnification. For rangefinder + binocular combinations, these brands are equally matched. The accuracy of the readings, the quality of the displays, battery usage, etc. – everything is closely comparable.
Some higher-end models are more sophisticated and offer better brightness. All popular brands make such models, however, not all of us need those. More brightness also means better performance in low-light conditions. For that, Nikon is quite well-known.
What should you keep an eye out for when you’re buying?
This is a usual question when people want to find the best binoculars. Essentially, there’s not a lot you need to take care of. For starters, you need to know what kind of lenses are being used and whether they would fit your needs. If you are going to be in areas where splashes and moisture would be abundant, don’t go without a binocular that has nitrogen-filling. Additional waterproofing might be necessary.
If your aim is basically birdwatching and natural observation in simple regions without any extreme conditions, you can be flexible and instead focus on other constraints like brand support, budget, and so on.
Low-light performance is another thing you should pay attention to, especially if you are going to be hunting. Twilight time offers a huge load of a challenge. Some binoculars and rangefinders can cope with this problem, while some can’t. Those that can also differ in how much they can.
You also need to know other things like what you will be spending most of your time doing, your personal situation, and so on.
Walking? Binoculars that are very light and/or very small might be a good idea. Watching? Then you need lightweight but less fatiguing binoculars. Do you wear eyeglasses? Choose a binocular with a good deal of space for adjustment between your eyes and the binocular eyepiece.
Conclusion
All that being said, know that not all binoculars will serve the purpose. Some will work better in low-light but break down sooner, while some will be long-lasting but too heavy to carry. Some might be light to carry but taxing on your eyes because of a poor design.
In the end, you need to make the best decision for yourself, that can’t be done for you. So, read reviews and test things out in the field before making the final decision.
Now, one fact deserves mention. Some high-end binoculars are so good that they will fit any purpose, environment, and person. But they are rare and they cost a lot.
If you need good comfort and that’s the number one priority for you, feel free to go for those.
Price doesn’t always relate to the quality. Some of the binoculars offer less clear vision than others that are costing less, sometimes way less. Take that into consideration when trying to find the best binoculars.
