The article aims to give the reader advice on choosing an affordable pair of binoculars ideal for viewing wildlife with.

Which Binoculars they Recommend?
They say that “After checking out several binoculars, we found a couple that have crystal-clear optics at a reasonable price.” and below are their two recommendations:

Brunton Echo 8×25 Binoculars and these are their reasons why:

At the top of the list stands Brunton’s Echo Compact series. The Seattle times writer says that they recommend the 8-power version (8×25) since 10-power compacts can be difficult to hold steady (the extra magnification also magnifies any vibration/hand shake, creating an unstable image). – Which is true, but unless you really have unsteady hands you should easily be able to hold a 10x compact steady enough to be able to look through them and get a good stable view. For me the main reason for choosing an 8x binocular over one that has a more powerful magnification would be their wider field of view. That is not to say that 10x and even more powerful optics don’y have their uses.

They also say that the “Echo 8×25 glasses proved remarkably comfortable in the hand, and the lenses were sharp through the field of vision — we noticed just a hint of fuzziness at the extreme edge of the field of view. The light transmission was very good, presenting a bright view, even at dusk and dawn when wildlife is most active. We used these while watching young bighorns scamper in the twilight above Umtanum Canyon in Central Washington, and to spy on ospreys hunting trout in the Yakima River Canyon.” This is great, I am really glad to see that they took into account a binoculars light transmission, especially for wildlife when as they say a lot of your observation will take place late afternoon or early morning when a lot of wildlife is most active. So some great advice here – I then just wonder why they did not also consider larger mid-sized or even full sized binoculars? There are plenty of these that are affordable on the market and their larger objective lenses have the potential to let in more light and therefore, have the potential to produce brighter images than a compact.

The article then goes on to say that “The Echos even earned praise from our hardest-to-please binocular tester: Donna has a small face, and frequently finds she can’t bring binocular barrels close together enough to allow easy viewing. The Echos, though, fit her well, while also working wonderfully for our bigheaded, wide-eyed lead tester (yours truly).”

The Brunton Echo 8x25s weigh 38 ounces and sell for $120. Click here to Buy & Compare Prices for Brunton Echo Binoculars

Pentax Papilio 8.5X21 binoculars
Their second recommendation are the Pentax Papilio 8.5×21 binoculars:

“For a smaller, lighter pair, we recommend the Pentax Papilio 8.5×21 binoculars. These compact optics fit comfortably in the hand, adjust to fit a wide variety of faces (including Donna’s) and weigh a mere 10 ounces. The optics are sharp and clear — not as bright as the Bruntons, but nearly as sharp. What’s most remarkable about the new Papilios, though, is the focusing range. These binoculars have a close-focus distance of just 19.5 inches, meaning you can zoom in on that bee sitting on the flower right in front of you. You can examine the patterns of pollen on its legs, and count the hairs on its back as it flies over to sting you! No other binoculars we’ve found — or even heard of — offer this ability to act almost as a microscope on your wilderness adventures.”

This is very true and that is why I highly recommend these, if you plan on spending a lot of your time viewing the smaller wildlife out there like butterflies. View my article on Butterfly Binoculars, where I also take a look at these Pentax Papilio Binoculars.

The Pentax Papilio 8.5×21 binoculars sell for $149 Click here to Buy & Compare Prices for Pentax Papilio Binoculars

Best Binocular Reviews Recommendations

With so many binoculars out there, I am always interested in how they get to such a small short list of choices. Sure, if you are looking for cheap compact binoculars, the Brunton Echo Compacts and the Pentax Papilio 8.5×21 binoculars are not bad choices, but there are so many others out there, that in my opinion are as good or even better.

So which affordable binoculars, ideal for wildlife observation would I recommend?

Well If you are specifically looking for compact binoculars, that cost under $130/£130 take a look at this list of binoculars that I have reviewed: Low Cost Compact Binoculars.

For a larger selection and a better pair of optics, take a look at these Mid Priced (still under $300/£300) Compact Binoculars.

But what I would really recommend is getting a pair of mid-sized binoculars – these are still compact enought to easily carry about with you, yet offer far better light gathering potential:

Mid Priced, Mid-Sized Binoculars

More Information

About The author: Dan Nelson is a Freelance writer and a regular contributor to Backpacker magazine, and an author of outdoor guides with The Mountaineers Books.

Click here to view the original article on the Seattle Times.

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