Comparing Cheap Compact Binoculars

Levenhuk Energy PLUS 8x25 Binoculars

When I reviewed these they had a price tag of only £80 ($70), which considering the number of higher spec components and features is really impressive and is why they achieved such an impressive score on my scale:

The majority of compacts at this sort of level will only possess single or perhaps multi-coated optics, whilst these Levenhuk binoculars have been fully multi-coated which tells us that every glass surface in the whole system has multiple layers of anti-reflection added to them and not just on some. This is important as it really does make an observable difference to the quality and brightness of the image that they produce.

In addition to these coatings, these 8x25 compact binoculars from Levenhuk also deliver a very wide field of view. The image that you see is 126m wide at a distance of at 1000 meters away which is up there with the very best and even better than the Nikon’s that you like. This has many advantages, but most importantly it makes finding and following (if it is moving like birds) your target that much quicker and easier.

Pentax 9x28 DCF LV Binoculars

With a price tag of around £180 ($200), these Pentax binoculars are a little more expensive than the rest, but I have included them to show you that if you can increase your budget by a little, just what difference in terms of improved coatings and components you get.

All the other bins on the list, except these and the Levenhuk’s above are only multi coated which means only some of the glass surfaces in the system have been treated with layers of a special anti-reflection material. Whilst these come with fully multi-coated optics, meaning ALL are coated, which does make a fairly large difference to not only the brightness, but the quality of the image as well.

What is more, these are also the only pair that have special phase corrected prisms and that is the main reason for the slightly higher price. These special coatings on the roof prisms make sure that the light waves remain in the correct color phase after passing through the prism and thus these will produce a sharper, better quality image than equal roof prisms that don’t have these coatings.

With a full 18mm, these Pentax 9x28 DCF binoculars also have by far the most eye-relief. Combine this with their twist-up eyecups as opposed to the simple rubber ones on the Steiner’s then these are far more ideal for those who wear glasses and most should be able to use them, whilst keeping their glasses on by twisting the cups fully in.. Even those who don’t wear glasses will appreciate the far higher quality eye-cups.

The downside to these for those looking for a true pocket binocular will be the single central hinge design. Whilst they are still compact, they cannot fold down into as smaller shape as the Nikon’s or Steiner’s that have a duel pivot body.

Vanguard Orros 10x25 Binoculars

With a price tag of around $90 / £90, these low cost compact Vanguard binoculars could also fit into just what you are looking for, because after fully testing them my overall thoughts were that within this price range these are a great little pair of compacts that punch well above what their price tag suggests.

Compared to the others they compete in most areas and they have the closest minimum focusing distance and apart from the Nikon and Levenhuk, they have a reasonable wide FOV. This means that they will be good for birding, scanning wide areas as well as taking a closer look at nearby objects like flowers and butterflies.

For this price bracket, they come with some reasonably good quality glass and coatings, which translates to a relatively good quality view. As you would expect, these optics are protected in a very lightweight (only 280g) rubber coated, water and fog proof body.

This body with it’s offset hinge, may not be able to collapse in a shape that is quite as small as most duel hinge compacts like the Steiner’s or the Nikon’s, which may be a consideration However it should still fit into most pockets and the upside is that the offset and large focus wheel makes then feel far more like full sized bins and thus less "fiddly" than some compacts.