When I am walking in the bush, I always like to have a pair of binoculars with me, but I also sometimes want to have my camera with me as well. Obviously on these walks a compact binocular makes sense, but there is more to it than just a small binocular as being able to pop the binocular into my shirt or jacket pocket, rather than have it dangling round my neck where it can get in the way when I am trying to photograph something is important.

So if like me you want a small compact binocular that easily fits into your pocket, you could just go for the binocular with the smallest advertised dimensions. This would make sense, but when it comes to size, not all compact binoculars are created equal:

Porro vs Roof Prism Compact Binoculars

Many compact binoculars, especially the cheaper ones are built using porro prisms,
where the objective lenses and the eyepieces are not in line with each other. At the cheaper end of the market, porro prisms tend to be optically superior to the roof prism design as they are easier and therefore cheaper to make and get right.

The main problem with compact porro prism binoculars regarding their size is, especially if like me, you want to keep them in your pocket rather than have your binoculars hanging from your neck is that even though their width and length dimensions may be smaller than a roof prism compact, they often have a very rounded shape that can make them awkward to fit into your pocket. Obviously this depends on your pocket and if you have a large jacket this will be no problem.

The advantage of the porro over the roof design is that they are cheaper and easier to manufacture and so if you are looking to buy a cheap pair of compacts, I would probably opt for the porro design.

Ok, so for small binoculars that are easy to fit into your pocket, you go for a roof prism, easy! Hold your horses.. not all compact roof prism binoculars are created equal either!

Single vs Double/Duel Hinge Compact Binoculars

If you take a look at the main picture of this article right at the top, on the left is duel hinge Compact, the Steiner Wildlife 10×26 and on the right is the single hinge Barr & Stroud 10×25 Sahara, both are great little compacts, both have roof prisms and a 10x magnification and even though the Steiner has slightly larger objective lenses, you can see that once they are folded to their smallest possible size, the Steiner is much more compact.

So for the Best Compact Pocket Binoculars, choose a double hinge roof prism design and below are a few that I highly recommend:

Eschenbach 10×28 Farlux B Silver Binoculars
High quality compact binoculars from Eschenbach that feature phase coated Bak-4 prisms, fully multi-coated lenses and a tough waterproof exterior.

Leica 10×25 Trinovid Binoculars
Leica compact binoculars with a powerful magnification and optical performance make the 10×25 Trinovid binoculars perfect for carrying anywhere.

Steiner 10.5×28 Wildlife Pro Binoculars
Steiner Wildlife 10.5 x 28 Binoculars are the powerful outdoor all-rounders.

Pentax UCF x II Binoculars

The are 4 magnifications within the range, all with a compact 25mm objective lens and using the porro prism design:

• 8×25 UCF X II
• 10×25 UCF X II
• 12×25 UCF X II
• 16×25 UCF X II

Price

Whilst they all have a list price of between  $120 and $140 (£50 and £120), they can usually be found at a much cheaper cost and Amazon in the US and UK are currently offering them at  pretty hefty discount, from about $80 (£70):

US Shoppers:
Pentax UCF x II Binoculars on Amazon.com

UK Shoppers:
Pentax UCF x II Binoculars on Amazon.co.uk

For me this price range puts them in the category of Low Cost Binoculars ($50 – $130) and that is why I feel that they are impressive as in this range their stats are pretty good:

Described by the manufacturer as durable and rugged, they do have a solid feel to them and are said to have a once piece construction to improve sturdiness and strength. Whilst I have seen far tougher optics, these should withstand most day to day knocks and bumps with no problems. The black rubber armor has a nice feel to it and will also help in protecting them. Their lightweight and compactness, makes them convenient to carry anywhere.

Fully Multi Coated Lenses
The UCF X II’s also have Fully multi-coated optics that  improving light transmission for high contrast images with no glare or flare and will remove harmful ultraviolet rays. ”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 as opposed to just “Multi Coated”

BAK4 Prisms
High-quality BaK4 prisms that transmit more light at the edges to enhance illumination. Again this is what you want as BAK 4 Prisims are produced with superior optical glass and are much better than the cheaper BK 7 prisms.

Techical Specifications:

Pentax 8×25 UCF X II Binoculars

• Field of View at 1000m: 108m / 324ft @ 1000 yards (Angle of view 6.5°)
• Exit pupil: 3.1 mm
• Eye Relief 15 mm
• Dimensions Depth 115 mm
• Dimensions Width 110 mm
• Dimensions Height 56 mm

Pentax 10×25 UCF X II Binoculars

• Field of View at 1000m: 87m / 261ft @ 1000 yards (Angle of view 5°)
• Exit pupil: 2.5 mm
• Eye Relief: 15 mm
• Depth: 115 mm
• Width: 110 mm
• Height: 56 mm

For Compact binoculars at this price range, the stats that jump out for me are the 15mm of eye relief, that should be enough for most eyeglass wearers and an impressive field of view that beats most other compact binoculars that I have reviewed.

So to sum up, if you are looking for a cheap, compact pair of binoculars, you could do far worse than a pair of Pentax UCF X II’s

With the state of the world’s environment featuring more and more in peoples awareness, it was only a matter of time that binocular manufacturers cottoned onto the idea that if they produce Eco Friendly Binoculars, not only would they be helping to save much of the nature we are looking at through their products, but also score some brownie points with the environmentally concious consumer in the process – everyone is a winner.

10×25 Nikon Ecobins Binoculars
Nikon are one of the first to realise this with the release their Nikon 10×25 Ecobins compact binocular.

These neat little compact binoculars are not only made with lead and arsenic-free Eco-Glass, a non-chloride rubber body uses no harmful inks or dyes, but also come in environmentally friendly packaging that is produced from sustainable Eucalyptus forests and manufactured with minimal waste and have a travel binocular case that is 100% all-natural Lenzing TENCEL® fiber.

For more and to find out if they are actually good binoculars, take a look at my detailed review of the: Nikon 10×25 Ecobins Binoculars