Best ED Binoculars under $350 / £350

Hawke Endurance ED 8x32 Binoculars

Scoring an "Outstanding" 80% on the BBR scale, these mid-sized Hawke binoculars are for me the perfect match for your need and the best bit is not only do they use ED glass, but also come in way under budget!

Their small size not only makes them a perfect companion to easily carry to sporting events, but on any travel adventure. Indeed for my test, I took them on safari with me to Africa and came back very impressed.

In my review I remark that the quality of glass as well as the coatings used on the Endurance ED is as good as you are ever going to see within this mid-level price range.

Add to this an impressive build quality, that includes a full magnesium chassis and small attentions to detail like flush fitting lens covers

Main Highlights:

• Fully Waterproof and Nitrogen Filled Magnesium Chassis
• ED Glass
• Fully Multi-Coated Optics
• Bak-4 Phase Corrected Roof Prisms
• Field of view: 129m wide at 1000 meters
• 18mm of Eye-Relief
• Close focus: 6.6ft

Price Range

The last time I checked, these had a retail price of around $210 in the US, £150 in the UK and around €200 in Europe, which for me makes them easily one of the best vale mid-sized bins currently on the market:

• Buy & Compare Prices for these Hawke Endurance ED’s

Minox BL 8x33 HD Binoculars

Not only are these Minox binoculars bang on budget and come with ED (HD) glass, but they also come with a whole host of other very high end features that you would expect for a top spec bin that is not only made in Germany, but each one is individually finished off by hand employing the highest level of quality control inspections:

Main Highlights:

• Made & Designed in Germany
• Waterproof as well as Nitrogen Purged body
• Extra-Low Dispersion glass
• Fully Multi-Coated Optics
• Phase Coated Roof Prisms
• Field of view: 140m wide at 1000 meters
• 17.5mm of Eye-Relief
• Close focus: 8.2ft
• Minox Warranty: 30 Years

Price Range

At the time of writing these were available for about $350 in the US or £380 in the UK, however I also expect this price to drop as this was not long after their release so are well worth checking again:

• Buy & Compare Prices for these Minox BL HD Binoculars

Vanguard 10x42 Endeavor ED Binoculars

• List Price: $429.99 / £379.99
• Current approx Price: $292.86 / £240.39
• Save $137.13 (32%) or almost £140!

As well as the Celestron’s above, I have decided to highlight these Vanguard Endeavor binoculars over the rest as they usually are way over your budget, but are currently being offered at a cracking price and is way less than many equivalent ED binoculars.

Scoring an outstanding 85% on the BBR scale these went on to win the award as the Best Value For Money Binocular in 2013 and they come with all the high end features of those listed below and more:

Main Highlights Include

• ED (extra low dispersion glass)
• Fully Multi-coated Lenses
• Phase Correction Coatings on the prisms
• BAK-4 Prisms
• 100% Water & Fog Proof

Where to Buy
To Check and compare the current prices quickly at a number of on-line retailers both in the UK and the US, use the link below:

• Buy & Compare Prices for Vanguard Endeavor ED Binoculars

Carson 3D Series 10x42 Binoculars

When I reviewed these Carson binoculars they had a street price of around $300 / £250, which not only brings them within budget, but I thought was good value. However since then the price on these has dropped to around £220 in the UK and $260 in the US which is now truly excellent value when you consider their image quality and everything else that you get.

Note: The 10x magnification on this model does mean you get a narrower field of view, which especially for sports may not be ideal, unless you have seats right at the back of the stadium. If this is a problem, consider the 8x42 version instead.

Main Highlights Include

• Bright & High Qulity Image
• Compact and Lightweight Body for a 42mm Bin
• ED Glass Lenses & Fully Multi-coated Optics
• Phase Correction Coatings on the BaK-4 prisms
• FOV: 105m at 1000 meters
• Comes with the excellent Wrap around BinoArmor Case and a Binocular Harness!

Where to Buy
Current prices of these Carson ED binos are around £220 in the UK and $260 in the US, to check and compare use the link below:

• Buy & Compare Prices for Carson 3D Series Bins

Theron Wapiti APO ED

• They are a bit heavier than the rest, indeed they weigh more than the the Vanguard Endeavor ED which has larger 45mm objective lenses.
• The have a nice wide field of view
• They use APO (apochromatic) lenses with three elements that are potentially better at reducing both chromatic aberrations and spherical aberrations than the much more commonly used achromat lenses.

So the Theron’s look like a nice binocular with great quality glass and coatings a nice wide FOV, which is perfect for your needs, but as I said, I cannot comment on the view through them or their build quality.

But having said that, the fact that they use APO lenses, which adds a lot of cost to manufacturing, but also usually improves the quality of the image is a good sign. This also explains why these Theron binoculars are a little heavier: glass is heavy and the extra set of elements in the APO objectives do add weight to the instrument.

Celestron Granite 8x42

• Has the widest field of view of all, which combined with all of their other features makes them an excellent choice as a full sized birding sports bin.

Choose this bin if you are after a well priced, great quality bin and a really wide FOV is important to you .

Vanguard Endeavor ED 8.5x45

• Has a slightly higher powered 8.5x magnification, for just that bit more detail
• Uses larger 45mm objective lenses, which will take in more light. This combined with their high quality coatings and glass translates to a brighter image in low light. Perfect when out birding or hunting at dusk or before sunrise.
• The scored an impressive 9/10 for both the body quality and the quality of the view through them when I tested them.
• Very large amount of eye-relief. (Only really important if you wear glasses).

Choose this bin if you are after a very high quality image and excellent low light performance, but you are not too worried about weight or size.

Vanguard 8x42 Spirit ED

• Is quite a bit cheaper than all the others
• Is the lightest of all the binoculars on the list
• But at 330ft @ 1000yards, they have the narrowest FOV of all the bins on this list.

Choose this bin if a wide FOV is not that important to you, but price is, as the Vanguard Spirit ED is much cheaper than the rest. The fact that they still come with ED glass and high spec coatings makes them excellent value for money.

Vortex 8x42 Viper HD

• Is more expensive than the rest, but:
• At 85%, it has the highest overall score
• Scored an outstanding 9/10 for the quality of the image
• Excellent close focusing distance
• Very large amount of eye-relief. (Only really important if you wear glasses).
• Build quality is excellent and is a popular choice amongst serious hunters and birders.

Choose this bin if you are willing to pay that bit extra to get a really high quality binocular that performs very well in just about every department.

Hawke Sapphire ED 8x42 Binoculars

• Current approx Price: $410 / £349.99

I have included these Hawke binoculars especially for those in the UK, as not only are they a cracking set of bins, but also just come within budget. However in the States, they are still just a little over the $350 mark, but I expect the prices to come down in time as they have only recently been introduced.

BBR’s choice as the Best Birding Binocular in 2013 they not only produce an excellent quality image, but also very wide field of view and so makes them ideal for a wide range of uses including birding, wildlife observation and hunting.

Also Need Advice?

Can’t decide between two or more binoculars, or do you want to know more about a technical term or particular feature that I have not already covered on BBR: I would love to try and help you out – Follow this link to Ask