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I recently came across an article that incensed me so much that I just had to do something about it.
Written by and published on an optics reviews & buyers guide, it contained a list of their Recommended Top 5 Best Binoculars Under 100.
What really annoyed me was that it was immediately obvious to me that whoever wrote it knew almost nothing about binoculars by the wording that they used.
On top of this, I am sure that they had never even seen, tested or reviewed any of the binoculars that they were recommending on their list! (You can take a look at it, with my own opinions and recommendations added here: OpticsHunt's Best Binoculars Under 100)
Entry Level Binoculars
What if you were new to optics and perhaps looking for the best entry level binoculars that you can afford? You may not realize that the advice and recommendations that they give are complete rubbish and thus could easily be persuaded into buying what you were told were the best cheap binoculars available. But in reality you were looking at nothing more than a random selection of binoculars costing less than $100!
Worse still and at this cheap price range in particular, you would most likely end up with a complete dud, little better than a toy and which would probably put you off off using them or indeed any other binoculars for life.
Unfortunately I see this kind of thing all to often as there are many fake review sites out there which is a real shame
For those looking for the best budget binoculars of 2024, but who also want real advice and genuine, honest recommendations with reviews that were written after thorough testing by a user with years of experience and who has literally tested and compared hundreds of binoculars, then look no further!
I have put together my own list of what I believe are the very best binoculars under $100 (£/€) in a range of different size and style categories.
Please note: My shortlist was created using ONLY the best affordable binoculars that I have actually reviewed and not every single binocular under $100 on the market.
Whilst this does mean that the available pool is not massive, through experience I am completely confident that all are about as good as it gets within this budget and their particular size or class and therefore have no hesitation in recommending them as some of the best low price binoculars for under $100
List Filter
Too many results above, or not quite what you are looking for? To help you a little more in your search, you can filter the list in a number of ways to get the size or type of instrument you require:
The binoculars below are a selection of the very best, highest scoring budget binoculars that I have reviewed on BBR.
Note that all have been chosen from my cheap and low cost price categories and so at the time of my review cost less than $130 / £130. I realize that this does mean that some may cost slightly more than $100, but at the same time many could have had price reductions since the review and so now will cost less than $100 and so making them an absolute bargain, so feel it is well worth checking them out.
Compare all the main features of all the Low Cost binoculars below Side-By-Side
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Excellent value for money 8x42 binoculars that are both reliable and lightweight.
Highlights include a surprisingly good image quality and brightness, Multi-Coated Optical system with BAK-4 Roof Prisms, and a wide field of view making them a good option for the birder, outdoors, or nature enthusiast shopping on a budget. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Updated with a fully multi-coated optical system the Pentax Papilio II is now better & more versatile than ever. With their incredibly close minimum focusing distance these are ideal for the close observation of things like butterflies or flowers when out in the field or for use in a gallery or museum. Other optical highlights include quality BaK4 reverse Porro prisms and aspherical lens elements for a quality and brightness of view that is impressive for a compact binocular at this price level. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Comfortable, easy to carry about and with a bright, good quality image, I love using these Opticron Savanna WP 6x30 binoculars, which I think this will also be the case for many people looking for an inexpensive, easy to use binocular as I feel they offer a good compromise between size, weight and image quality, and brightness. Highlights include an excellent price to performance ratio, a wide field of view, steady 6x magnified image and a huge amount of eye-relief. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These reverse Porro prism compact Vortex binoculars perform at a level that way exceeds their budget level price tag. Highlights include an image quality and brightness that really surprised me and a build quality with a level of components that matches and even surpasses many mid level instruments. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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For a binocular with a price tag of less than £100, these Tom Lock binoculars show an impressive level of components. Highlights include: A Fully Multi-Coated Optical System, Roof Prisms made from BaK-4 Glass, with Silver Mirror Coatings and Phase correction Coatings. These features combined with a high attention to detail goes beyond what I normally expect at this level. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Price wise these Carson binoculars hover right on the boundary between mid range and low cost instruments. However in terms of the components and features these sit comfortable amongst many mid level binoculars and thus look to offer some more than decent value for money. Highlights include BAK-4 roof prisms, fully multi-coated optics, plenty of eye-relief and a more than decent field of view. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Low cost 8x42 porro prism binoculars with a good quality and bright image, very wide field of view and plenty of eye-relief. In my opinion, you are easily getting your money's worth and then some with the Levenhuk Sherman Plus binoculars... Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These low cost 8x42 Helios binoculars come with a number of features and components that I would not normally expect to find at this price. This includes phase correction coatings on the prisms, which when combined with the silver mirror coatings and the fully multi-coated optics help deliver a view that I believe is on a par with any other at this price level. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These low cost binoculars from Meade Instruments come with features that those in the mid level would be proud to have. This includes phase corrected and silver coated BaK-4 roof prisms, fully multi-coated optics and a tough nitrogen filled waterproof housing. Combine these with a wide field of view, good amount of eye-relief and close focus and you have a very capable and versatile binocular that at this price offers excellent value for money. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These low cost binos from Tom Lock come with a surprising selection of higher specification components and coatings that surpass the majority of others in this class and equal that of many mid range instruments. Examples of this include the all metal focus wheel and eye-cups, phase corrected and silver mirror coated BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated optics. If you are on a tight budget and are after a great all-rounder, this 8x42 Series 2 is well worth taking a closer look at. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These low cost 50mm porro prism Celestron binoculars possess many components & features that are better than I would expect to see at this price point: This includes an aluminium housing that is fully fog & waterproof, twist-up eye cups, BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated optics. These all combine well to deliver a great value for money large aperture instrument that performs well in all weather conditions, but which excels in low light when compared to others in it's class. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Low costing compact binocular from Levenhuk that comes with a number of higher end features including a water and fog proof shell that protects fully multi-coated optics within. Highlights also include a very wide field of view and a close minimum focusing distance. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Designed as a useful fashion accessory to take to the theater or opera, these Levenhuk Opera Glasses with their all metal construction and high quality finish both look and feel far more expensive than they are. Optically these Galilean type binoculars are fully multi-coated and use BaK-4 glass, which beats many others in this class. Price: (1/6) Cheap Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Low cost Hawke binoculars that feature a single open hinge body design that is very lightweight as well as water and fog proof. Optics are fully multi-coated and the roof prisms are made from quality Bak-4 glass that results in a very good quality image that matches or beats most in this price range. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These low cost 10x Vanguard binoculars feature a lightweight rubber coated, water and fog proof body that protects good quality BaK-4 roof prisms and multi-coated lenses. The also feature a unique offset hinge and focussing wheel that is designed to make adjustments more comfortable as well as helps them fold down to a compact shape for easy storage, making them a great take any and everywhere binocular. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Priced to appeal to those on a fairly tight budget, yet they they still manage to pack in a good amount of higher specification components and features which include very good quality BaK-4 glass and fully multi-coated optics which are protected in a fully sealed and waterproof Polycarbonate body that is filled with nitrogen gas to prevent fogging of the lenses.
The result is a tough, well priced binocular that produces a more than decent view which is as good as or better than most in this price range. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Compact Porro prism binoculars with multi-coated optics and an incredibly close minimum focusing distance that is ideal for close observation of birds, flowers, butterflies, bees and other insects and objects both out in the field or in a gallery or museum. Their compact design makes them easy to carry about and so like any other compact bin, they make great hiking, camping, and general travel companions, as well as for taking to most spectator sports. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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This 8x30 Kowa YF Series binocular is great low cost mid-sized porro prism binocular with fully multi-coated optics that produce an excellent quality image. The body is tough, fully waterproof, fog proof and very lightweight. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Featuring excellent quality phase coated BaK-4 roof prisms, combined with fully multi-coated lenses and a tough waterproof exterior and all at a very reasonable price. These Barr & Stroud 10x42 Sierra binoculars really are excellent value for money.
Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Compare all the main features of these Low Cost binoculars Side-By-Side
The binoculars above are a selection of what in my opinion the very best binoculars under $100 that I have reviewed. It is important to remember that this guide is to help you make a shortlist and there will be many others out there on the market equally as good that I have not tested.
However sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing, making it difficult to make any sort of decision. So what I can say is that any of the above are about as good as it gets at this cheap price range and within their class.
List Filter
Too many results above, or not quite what you are looking for? To help you a little more in your search, you can filter the list above in a number of ways to get the size or type of instrument you require:
Price & Where to Buy
Price & Where to Buy
