Most popular
Vortex Viper HD 10x42
- Most popular of the 6 compared
- 341 ft view, wider than the typical 335 ft
- 17 mm eye relief, enough for glasses
Binocular chart: compare 554 binoculars side by side
Type a size into the binocular size decoder or compare 554 models from 22 brands by field of view, weight, eye relief and close focus.
Top picks
Lightest
Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42
- Lightest of the 6: 21.3 oz
- Focuses as close as 5 ft
- Takes a tripod adapter
Widest view
Celestron Nature DX 8x42
- Widest view of the 6: 388 ft
- 22.2 oz, lighter than the typical 22.5 oz
- 17.5 mm eye relief, enough for glasses
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8x42 means 8x magnification and 42 mm front lenses.
A subject looks 8 times closer than with the bare eye. Each front lens is 42 mm across; a larger lens gathers more light and adds weight.
The exit pupil is 5.3 mm (42 divided by 8). That suits dusk, dawn and night use: Nikon puts the eye's pupil at about 7 mm in the dark and about 2 mm in daylight.
A 42 mm front lens makes it a full-size binocular. 8x is within the 10x the British Astronomical Association gives as the limit for hand-held use.
The chart holds 75 8x42 models with a median view of 393 ft and a median weight of 24.2 oz: every 8x42 binocular compared.
Popular binoculars compared
Six of the most popular models side by side. The full binocular comparison chart holds all 554, and the best binoculars list explains the picks.
| Model | Size | Field of view | Eye relief | Close focus | Weight | Exit pupil | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vortex Viper HD 10x42 | 10x42 | 341 ft | 17 mm | 6 ft | 24.9 oz | 4.2 mm | Check price on Amazon |
| Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 | 10x42 | 330 ft | 15 mm | 5 ft | 21.3 oz | 4.2 mm | Check price on Amazon |
| Celestron Nature DX 8x42 | 8x42 | 388 ft | 17.5 mm | 6.5 ft | 22.2 oz | 5.3 mm | Check price on Amazon |
| Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42 | 10x42 | 325 ft | 15 mm | 6 ft | 23 oz | 4.2 mm | Check price on Amazon |
| Vortex Triumph HD 10x42 | 10x42 | 334 ft | 17 mm | 15.3 ft | 22.9 oz | 4.2 mm | Check price on Amazon |
| Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 | 8x42 | 335 ft | 19.5 mm | 8.2 ft | 22.2 oz | 5.3 mm | Check price on Amazon |
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Binoculars by size
20 sizes have five or more models in the chart, each with its exit pupil and median field of view.
- 10x4287 models, exit pupil 4.2 mm, median view 336 ft
- 8x4275 models, exit pupil 5.3 mm, median view 393 ft
- 10x5040 models, exit pupil 5 mm, median view 315 ft
- 12x5036 models, exit pupil 4.2 mm, median view 277 ft
- 8x3228 models, exit pupil 4 mm, median view 408 ft
- 10x3227 models, exit pupil 3.2 mm, median view 339 ft
- 10x2526 models, exit pupil 2.5 mm, median view 297 ft
- 7x5024 models, exit pupil 7.1 mm, median view 367 ft
- 8x2521 models, exit pupil 3.1 mm, median view 357 ft
- 15x5611 models, exit pupil 3.7 mm, median view 234 ft
- 8x3010 models, exit pupil 3.8 mm, median view 428 ft
- 10x3010 models, exit pupil 3 mm, median view 346 ft
Best binoculars by use and price
- Best binoculars12 popular binoculars with field of view, eye relief and weight side by side
- Under $1008 models, fields from 261 to 432 ft, weights from 6.9 to 27.3 oz
- $100 to $20010 binoculars with a maker list price of $100 to $200, from 9.9 oz to 48 oz
- $200 to $50010 models at $200 to $500, fields of 168 to 426 ft, median weight 23.3 oz
- $500 to $1,00010 models in the $500 to $1,000 band, from 13.9 oz to 140 oz
- Over $1,00010 models over $1,000, fields from 194 to 472 ft
- Bird watching10 models at 8x with 375 to 456 ft fields and 5 ft to 8.2 ft close focus
- Hunting binoculars10 waterproof 10x42 models, fields from 304 to 363 ft, most popular first
- Stargazing binoculars10 binoculars with 50 mm or larger lenses and a 5 mm or larger exit pupil
- Compact binocularsTen pocket pairs with 28 mm objectives or smaller, from 6.9 oz to 13.7 oz.
- Eyeglass wearers10 models with 16 mm or more eye relief, all with 42 mm lenses
- Marine binoculars10 waterproof 7x50 models, fields from 267 to 420 ft
- Image stabilized4 stabilized models, 13.9 oz to 45.9 oz, 210 to 342 ft field of view
Calculators
- Binocular field of view calculatorConvert degrees to feet at 1,000 yards or meters at 1,000 meters.
- Exit pupil calculatorType a size such as 8x42 and see its exit pupil in mm.
- What do the numbers on binoculars meanType a size such as 8x42 and see what each number means
- Binocular size comparisonPut two sizes side by side: exit pupil, twilight factor, view and weight.
- Binoculars for eyeglasses: eye relief checkEnter eye relief in mm and see if it clears 16 mm for glasses
- Binocular finderNarrow 554 binoculars to the ones that fit your choices.
The chart by the numbers
- Binoculars compared
- 554
- Brands
- 22
- Field of view range
- 141 to 563 ft
- Median eye relief
- 16.4 mm
- With 16 mm eye relief or more
- 337 of 529
- With an Amazon listing
- 244 of 554
Binoculars by brand
- Nikon binoculars76
- Celestron binoculars50
- Hawke binoculars47
- Bushnell binoculars41
- Steiner binoculars41
- Vortex binoculars36
- Opticron binoculars34
- ZEISS binoculars28
- Maven binoculars25
- Minox binoculars25
- Fujinon binoculars19
- GPO binoculars18
- Leica binoculars18
- Athlon binoculars17
- Kowa binoculars17
- Swarovski binoculars17
- Leupold binoculars15
- Canon binoculars10
- Burris binoculars7
- Pentax binoculars7
- Meopta binoculars4
- OM SYSTEM binoculars2
Guides
- How to choose binoculars: the five figures that decide it
- Roof prism vs porro prism binoculars
- How to use binoculars: eyecups, eye spacing and diopter
- Eye relief on binoculars explained
- Binocular field of view explained
- How to clean binoculars without scratching the lenses
- High power binoculars and tripods: when 15x needs a mount
- Monocular vs binoculars: weight, brightness and view width