Vanguard 8.5x45 Endeavor ED Binoculars Review

Awards: Best Value For Money Binocular 2010

Vanguard describe their newest top of the range Endeavor binoculars as "Not your typical binoculars" and with this promise, I eagerly looked forward to being one of the first people to review the Vanguard 8.5x45 Endeavor ED before it was released on the open market. The combination of the ED Glass ( Extra-low dispersion glass ), the larger than 'standard' 45mm objective lenses and a slightly stronger than normal 8.5x magnification really intrigued me:

Endeavor ED Optics

The excellent Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's which are some of the best binoculars I have ever reviewed also have a 8.5x magnification, but have smaller and more standard 42mm objective lenses. Whilst another excellent binocular, the Swift 8.5x44 Audubon also has an 8.5x magnification and larger than 'standard' 44mm objective lenses, which are still slightly smaller than the 45mm ones on the Vanguard Endeavor. Because of their similar specifications, I will use the Swarovski El's and Swift Audubon's as points of reference in this review.

The Endeavor ED's larger objective lenses along with the ED Glass that offers extremely low light dispersion means that they should produce bright, sharp images, from edge to edge that is far superior to standard optics.

Lens Coatings
Vanguard Endeavor ED 8.5x45 DCF binoculars have fully multi-coated lenses including anti-reflection coatings and what they call V-Max lens treatments that are said to further improve the image quality and contrast. Fully multi-coated means that all air to glass surfaces have received multiple layers of antireflection coatings, and this is what you want in your binoculars.

Prism Coatings
The BaK4 roof prisms on the Endeavor feature Vanguard's exclusive P2 phase coating. BAK-4 prisms are made of superior optical glass that produces clearer images. These are what you want in your binoculars and are far superior the BK-7 prisms that are usually used in lower priced binoculars.

With all these excellent features, I was not to be disappointed, right from unpacking them and taking my first view through them, I thought that the quality and brightness of the image was excellent. To my eyes, these are as bright as any pair of binoculars that I have ever reviewed and the quality and sharpness of the image produced was truly stunning.

The Main Body

The Vanguard ED 8545 feature an open bridge design, similar to the Swarovski El binoculars that I really like because they are really comfortable to hold up to your face and this design also makes it easy to grab hold of one barrel, wrapping your fingers right round them without a bridge being in the way for a secure grip, which is for me very useful when walking through thick vegetation. The exterior is wrapped in a rubber armour, and they are Nitrogen-charged and o-ring sealed, ensuring that the Endeavor ED is both waterproof and fogproof.

45mm - Too Large?
I had a slight fear before testing them, that because of the larger 45mm diameter objective lenses, the Vanguard Endeavor ED 8545 would be bulky and feel much larger and possibly heavier than your more standard 42mm versions. Obviously if one of your main features that you are looking for is a small compact binocular, then these, or any full size binocular are not what you need. But compared to other full size 42mm binoculars, they feel and look pretty much the same and the extra 3mm makes much more of a positive difference to quality of the image than to any negative weight and size difference.

These full size binoculars weigh 770g (27.2 oz) which is pretty good, especially when you consider the larger 45mm objective lenses. Their dimensions of 130x159mm is also really good and compares very well with other quality full size binoculars. 45mm gets a big thumbs up from me!

Long Eye Relief
These 8x Endeavor ED's use twist up eyecups and you get a massive maximum 20mm of Eye-relief making them one of the longest that I have ever tested, which is great news for those of you who wear glasses as they provide you with plenty of room for adjustment to ensure that you view the complete image without having to remove your glasses: More on Long Eye Relief Binoculars.

Focusing
Focusing is via the large center focus knob and was both fast and very smooth. I also felt that it is very well positioned, meaning that you can focus without having to change your grip on the optics. The diopter ring adjustment is located on the right barrel near the eyepiece. To adjust the setting you pull it out and twist. It locks in place preventing accidental movement. This adjustment ensures that you can allow for any differences that you may have in each of your eyes and is an important part in correctly focusing your binoculars to your own eyesight.

Main Stats
The field of view @1000m is 114m (340ft at 1000 yards) and they have 6.5 degrees of view angle, which is less than the very top of the range Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's (390ft at 1000 yards) but just beats the similarly priced Swift 8.5x44 Audubon's (336ft at 1000 yards)

The close focus distance is 2.5m (8.2ft), which is excellent and matches or beats most binoculars with similar specifications.

Accessories
The Endeavor comes with a useful carry bag that is stylish and pretty well constructed, very comfortable and good quality neck strap as well as a lens cleaning cloth.

Conclusion

In short these are very good binoculars, with top quality optics and a tough waterproof exterior. Their field of view matches binoculars with similar magnifications in their price range, but does fall slightly short of the very best binoculars. They are both light and well balanced to hold and I love the feel of the comfortable and 'grippy' rubber coating in the hands. The small touches like the comfortable thumb indents, very smooth and well placed focusing wheel and the padded neck strap also reinforce the feeling that you are holding quality optics. If I have one small reservation, it is the lens covers - they are made of pretty flimsy rubber, which are a little fiddly to put back on, but on the plus side, they will not easily fall of as they do on some other optics I have reviewed.

Price
The recommended retail price for these 8x Endeavor's is £369.99 in the UK and $399.99 in the US, which puts them on a par with binoculars like the the Swift 8.5x44 Audubon, which I think these Vanguard's compete very well with. It also means that they are far, far cheaper (a 5th of the price) than the very top of the range binoculars like the Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's and whilst they may not quite match up to the lofty height's of the Swarovski's, they are still in my opinion at this price a great pair of binoculars and very good value for money.

Customer service
Last, but not least I would like to thank Vanguard Binoculars for providing me with their binoculars to review. This review is completely independent and I have no preference over which brand of binoculars people buy on Best Binoculars Reviews, but I would like to say that both the European and US branches of Vanguard got back and dealt with my request to review their products and all questions that I had very promptly. This is in sharp contrast to many other popular binocular brands which in my opinion is a big plus.

Best Binocular Reviews Ratings:

Awards:

Best Value For Money Binocular 2010

Main Specifications & Features:

• Magnification: 8.5x
• [explain objective lens]Objective Lens Diameter: 45mm
• [explain exit pupil]Exit Pupil: 5.3
• [explain twilight factor]Twilight Factor: 19.56
• [explain eye relief]Eye Relief: 20mm
• Size: Full Size Binoculars
• Weight: 27.2ozs (771g)
• Length: 5.1in (13cm)
• Width: 6.3in (16cm)
• [explain prism types]Prism Type: Roof Prism Binoculars
• [explain real field of view]Real field of view: 6.4°
• [explain apparent field of view]Apparent field of view: 54.0°
• [explain field of view]Field of View: 113m at 1,000 meters
• [explain field of view]Field of View: 340ft at 1,000 yards
• Close Focus Distance: 8.2ft
• [explain waterproofing]Waterproof: Yes
• [about fogproofing]Fogproof: Yes
• Image Stabilization: No
• [about Lens Coatings]Lens Coatings: Fully Multi-Coated
• [about Phase Correction]Phase Correction Coatings: Yes
• [about ED Glass]Extra Low Dispersion Glass: Yes
• Auto Focus: No

Video Review of the Vanguard 8.5x45 Endeavor ED Binoculars