Binoculars mean the difference between seeing a little gray bird and identifying a titmouse, cheering a home run and seeing the epic catch, or realizing that the 10-point buck is actually a doe standing in front of dead branches. Whether you're scouting terrain, watching birds in your backyard, stargazing, or getting season tickets at Fenway, binoculars bring the world closer.
If you're looking for binoculars for bird-watching, check out our guide All the Gear You Need to Start Birding. Be sure to check out our other guides, including The Best Gear to Make Your Backyard More Fun, The Best Hiking Gear, and How a Birdfeeder Can Bring You Joy.
Updated June 2025: We've added Zeiss's new SFL 50 high-powered binoculars, along with specs tables and more testing notes. We've also updated prices and links throughout.
What Do the Model Numbers Mean? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Binoculars are usually listed with two number specifications; for example, our top pick, the Nikon Monarch M5 are 8x42 binoculars. Here's what that means: The number 8 refers to the magnification power. Objects seen through these binoculars will be eight times bigger than when you look with your naked eye. Newcomers should stick with 6X or 8X. They have enough power that you'll see things clearly, but they don't magnify so much that you'll struggle to find what you want to see or have trouble following fast-moving objects (though all binoculars take some practice). The 42 refers to the size of the front lens in millimeters. The larger the front lens (also called the objective lens), the more light reaches your eye. That means the image will be bigger, brighter, and clearer. A pair of 8x42 binoculars should be significantly brighter and offer a better viewing experience than a pair of 8x32 binoculars, even though both provide the same magnification. But the larger you get, the more glass they will use—so they'll weigh more. The weight difference between an 8x32 pair and a 10x42 pair is significant if you're wearing them all day. We suggest sticking with lenses in the 26-50 range. Our top pick is roughly in the middle, at 8x42, generally considered the sweet spot for most people. Common Binocular Terms AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron While knowing that 8x42 means 8x magnification with 42mm objective lenses is a good starting point for choosing binoculars, there are a number of other terms it helps to understand. Objective Lens : This is the big lens, at the opposite end from from where you look. The size of the objective lens determines how much light reaches your eye. All other things being equal, a larger objective lens gives you a brighter image.
: This is the big lens, at the opposite end from from where you look. The size of the objective lens determines how much light reaches your eye. All other things being equal, a larger objective lens gives you a brighter image. Field of View : This refers to how much you can see. The wider the field of view the more you can see. The standard measurement is how many feet wide the viewing area is at 1000 yards. This can then be translated to degrees. You’ll see field of view (also often just, FOV) listed in both degrees and feet, which can make it hard to compare. It’s also abstract and can be difficult to wrap your head around, which is why I like the FOV visualization tool on Cornell’s All About Birds website.
: This refers to how much you can see. The wider the field of view the more you can see. The standard measurement is how many feet wide the viewing area is at 1000 yards. This can then be translated to degrees. You’ll see field of view (also often just, FOV) listed in both degrees and feet, which can make it hard to compare. It’s also abstract and can be difficult to wrap your head around, which is why I like the FOV visualization tool on Cornell’s All About Birds website. Eye Relief : Eye relief refers to the ideal distance from your eye to the eyepiece glass. The ideal distance varies, but for most binoculars it’ll be in the 10mm to 20mm range. In order to see the full view provided, your eye needs to be at the right eye relief spot. Too close and you’ll see black shadows, too far and the FOV shrinks. This is only an issue for those of us who wear glasses, as some binoculars make it nearly impossible to get a full field of view when wearing glasses. I try to always note how each model is wearing glasses, but since every pair of glasses is different, it's worth heading to a local shop to try before you buy.
: Eye relief refers to the ideal distance from your eye to the eyepiece glass. The ideal distance varies, but for most binoculars it’ll be in the 10mm to 20mm range. In order to see the full view provided, your eye needs to be at the right eye relief spot. Too close and you’ll see black shadows, too far and the FOV shrinks. This is only an issue for those of us who wear glasses, as some binoculars make it nearly impossible to get a full field of view when wearing glasses. I try to always note how each model is wearing glasses, but since every pair of glasses is different, it's worth heading to a local shop to try before you buy. Roof Prism : This refers to a type of binocular design, the alternative being Porro prism (see below). Roof prism design puts the objective lenses directly in line with the eyepieces, giving you the H-shape common in binoculars these days. This design makes for a lighter, smaller, more streamlined binocular.
: This refers to a type of binocular design, the alternative being Porro prism (see below). Roof prism design puts the objective lenses directly in line with the eyepieces, giving you the H-shape common in binoculars these days. This design makes for a lighter, smaller, more streamlined binocular. Porro Prism: Porro prism binoculars use offset objective lenses that are not in line with the eyepiece—think the wider, bulkier binoculars you sometimes see. Porro prisms are often sharper, but bulkier (a birding friend of mine has a pair of 1950s Zeiss Porro prism binoculars that have one the sharpest images I’ve ever seen). Porro binoculars often produce a more 3D image with better depth perception, which is why they’re still common in hunting and military applications. Nikon has a nice visualization showing how the different designs actually bounce light to your eye. Why Big Price Range? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron You may have noticed that the binoculars in this guide span a huge price range, from under $100 to over $3,000. This comes down to two main factors: the quality of glass and coatings, and the engineering behind them. Most of the binoculars listed here share the same BaK-4 roof prism design, which is a glass designation used by the German glassmaker Schott AG. However, within that design standard, there is still a significant range in quality. The unfortunate truth is that the more you spend, the better the image quality will likely be. That difference is very obvious when comparing high-end Leicas or Swarovskis to $300 models like the Monarch M5. The difference between the Monarch M5 and similarly priced 8x42 binoculars is much less obvious. For this reason, I highly suggest visiting your local store and trying some of these, if at all possible. Some people will see little difference between a $300 pair and a $500 pair, but you'll never know unless you try them out. If you can't get to a store, stick with our top pick. It may not be the absolute best that money can buy, but it will be good enough for most people and will leave more money in your pocket. How We Test AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron I look at a number of factors, including the optical quality, AKA sharpness and clarity, the brightness (taking into account objective lens size), color rendition, eye relief (where your eye needs to be to see the entire field of view), weight, and comfort. In the end I will admit I am biased toward sharpness and clarity. If it isn't sharp, nothing else matters. Lately though I've also been carefully testing eye relief not just for human viewing, but also for digiscoping (a fancy neologism for sticking a camera up to the lens). I am very fortunate to be able to go birding nearly every day. Most of my testing is done birding, though if you ever see me at baseball game with four pairs of binoculars around my neck, please try not to laugh. I test in conditions ranging from the deep, dark forests of the north woods, to the dry desert canyons of the west, to the harsh, glaring sun of the Florida panhandle. I also spend plenty of time out hiking, subjecting these binoculars to life in a bag, life around my neck to get a sense of their durability. Since a number of readers have asked, I personally own a pair of Nikon 8x42 Monarchs (the older version of our top pick), a pair of Celestron 10x42 Regal ED. When I head of hiking and I don't have anything to test, I use the Celestron Trailblazer ED 8x32.
Best Overall
WIRED TIRED Good optical quality for the price Narrower field of view than some other 8x42 models Excellent coatings and ED glass Bright with large eyepieces, good if you wear glasses
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