Wide Angle 10x42 Binoculars

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A binoculars magnification and field of view (or angle of view) are connected, that is the more powerful the magnification, the narrower your field of view tends to be. So there is always a balance to be made between how much detail you want to see versus how much of the scenery you want in your view at any one time.

Wide FOV vs Magnification

There are many situations where a really wide field of view (FOV) is preferable to a powerful magnification. For example when you need to scan over a large area looking for something, so for instance if you were looking for a deer or stag on the side of hill across the valley. It also really helps when for example you see a bird and quickly lift your binoculars up to your eyes. The wider your view, the more likely that the bird will be in it immediately. A wide FOV is also important when observing small and fast moving objects like birds that never seem to stay still, especially if they are well camouflaged, like in a forest or thick vegetation. In these situations, something like an 8x binocular with a wide field of view would be a better choice than a more powerful binocular.

However as I discussed in detail in an article entitled, 10x42 Binoculars for Bird Watching, there are also quite a few situations where a more powerful magnification may be more preferable to binocular with a really wide field of view, even when birdwatching.

For example a really wide field of view may not be that important if you are bird watching or observing wildlife or indeed almost anything else out in the open, like at the side of a lake, at the sea, on open fields or on marshes. Here the birds and other wildlife is often quite easy to locate and to follow. A wide FOV is also less important when you are observing larger, slower or predictable moving birds and animals, many water birds and raptors falling into this category as do most larger land mammals. So as you can see there are some areas, even in birding where it may not be essential to have a very wide field of view.

However this does not mean that the field of view is now not important at all and it still makes sense that if you do choose a higher magnification like 10x, to also choose a binocular in your chosen magnification with the widest angle of view (field of view) as possible. In this way you are ensuring that your binoculars are as versatile as possible, giving you plenty of detail, but also making it relatively simple to spot and follow fast moving birds or search for wildlife aver a wide area in the distance.

Wide Field of View 10x42 Binoculars

To help with your search, I have listed the best full sized 10x bins that I have reviewed in order of their fields of view with the widest first. Note all have a FOV >= 330ft @ 1000 yards:

 

Hawke Frontier APO 10x42 Binoculars Review

Aimed at those more serious about wildlife observation, birdwatching, and outdoor adventures, these very high-end Hawke binoculars feature APO lenses with ED glass elements, providing bright, excellent-quality views with minimal chromatic aberration.

The compact design, magnesium chassis, and mostly metal components ensure durability.

Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 8/10 85%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 9/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 8/10

 

Kite Lynx HD+ 10x50 Binoculars Review

These high-end 10x50 binoculars from kite Optics are only slightly larger and heavier than most 10x42 binoculars, yet at the same time they offer the user a superior quality and very wide view with an image brightness and low light performance that match many high-quality 8x42 binoculars.

other highlights include Aluminium Twist-up Eye-cups, Phase Corrected Schmidt/Pechan Roof Prisms and lens with Scratch Resistant & Water-dirt Repelling Coatings.

Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 8/10 83%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 9/10
Optical Quality: 8/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 7/10

 

Maven B1.2 10x42 Binoculars Review

Updated from the B.1 series, the 10x42 B1.2 binoculars are smaller, more lightweight, come with improved optics, a much wider field of view, longer eye-relief, a closer minimum focus distance as well as other improvements.

The fact that Maven Optics has managed to do all this and keep the cost at the same level results in a high-performance binocular with an incredible performance to price ratio.

Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 88%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 9/10
Optical Stats: 10/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 8/10

 

Vortex Razor UHD 10x42 Binoculars Review

Ideal for nature lovers, wildlife observers and hunters alike. Vortex Optics new flagship binoculars, the Razor UHD uses the very highest level of body and optical components and coatings to deliver a truly superb performance.

Highlights include an APO Lens System, Phase Corrected Abbe-Koenig Roof Prisms that deliver an extremely high quality image with a wide field of view. Optics are protected by an Argon purged, waterproof Magnesium Chassis.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 92%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 7/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 10/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 9/10

 

Celestron LandScout 10x50 Binoculars Review

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
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 7/10 72%
Excellent
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 7/10
Optical Stats: 8/10
Image Quality 7/10
Extras & Details: 6/10

 

Swarovski EL 10x50 Swarovision Binoculars Review

The big brother of the extremely popular Swarovski EL range of binoculars, the 10x50 version offers the user some very interesting advantages over the more standard 42mm versions and makes for a very interesting choice.

There is no question about the quality, so in this mini review, I take a close look at these advantages as well as the draw backs and compare them to the other Swarovski EL binoculars that I have tested to see what kind of user and which uses these are most suitable for.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 93%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10

 

Levenhuk Atom 10x50 Binoculars Review

Highlights of these cheap large aperture porro prism binoculars from Levenhuk include a very wide field of view for a 10x bin and a good low light performance, making them well worth looking at for birders and most wildlife observers on a very tight budget.

Price: (1/6) Cheap Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 6/10 60%
Very Good
Body Stats: 7/10
Optical Quality: 6/10
Optical Stats: 7/10
Image Quality 6/10
Extras & Details: 4/10

 

Vanguard 10x42 Endeavor ED Binoculars Review

Vanguard`s top-of-the-line Endeavor ED binoculars features include an ergonomic, open-bridge design, a wide view angle, BaK4 roof prisms, anti-reflection coatings end ED glass that all help to deliver exceptional light transmission to produce a excellent quality image.

The body is Nitrogen-charged and o-ring sealed making them both waterproof and fogproof to take on the most challenging weather conditions.

Price: (4/6) Mid-High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 83%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 8/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 8/10
Extras & Details: 8/10

These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: Vanguard are currently offering a $50 Mail-In Rebate on these bins in the US and a £20 cashback in the UK
>> Check Prices
 

Minox 10x42 BV BRW Binoculars Review

Designed as Minox put it with an outstanding price to performance ratio, these binoculars with quality features like fully multi-coated lens elements, phase corrected prisms & a tough fully water & fogproof body do indeed offer plenty bang for your buck.

Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 8/10 75%
Excellent
Body Stats: 7/10
Optical Quality: 7/10
Optical Stats: 8/10
Image Quality 8/10
Extras & Details: 7/10

These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: These Minox 10x42 BV binoculars are available at a discount on Amazon.com, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics in the US as well as Warehouse Express in the UK.
>> Check Prices
 

Athlon Ares 10x42 Binoculars Review

Mid to high end binoculars from Athlon that include many of the components and coatings found on the very best high end optics:

A fully water and fog proof chassis that is made from magnesium protects a Fully Multi-Coated Optical system with ED glass elements, BaK-4 phase corrected and dielectrically coated roof prisms...

Price: (4/6) Mid-High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 8/10 80%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 7/10
Optical Quality: 9/10
Optical Stats: 8/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 7/10

 

Alpen Teton 10x42 Binoculars Review

The Alpen Teton binocular incorporates many metal components and magnesium chassis that protect very high-end optics at a price well below what you would usually expect to pay for an Abbe-Koenig bino.

The result is a tough, versatile instrument that delivers a high-quality image and what I consider an excellent low-light capability for a 10x42 binocular.

Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 87%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 9/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 8/10

 

Upland Optics Perception HD 10x42 Binoculars Review

These lightweight and compact 42mm binoculars from Upland Optics feature a tough, waterproof Magnalium chassis that protects an impressively high level of optics at this price range

This included ED glass lenses and BaK-4 roof prisms that are both phase corrected and dielectrically coated which all contribute to offering up an impressive view.

Another highlight is that these have really nice wide field of view,for a 10x42 binocular.

Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 7/10 77%
Excellent
Body Stats: 9/10
Optical Quality: 8/10
Optical Stats: 8/10
Image Quality 8/10
Extras & Details: 6/10



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Comments & Opinions

I would love to get your comments and well as your opinions, have I missed out anything or do you think that some of opinions or assumptions that I have made are wrong? Do you want to or do you already own the ideal pair of 10x42 binoculars? If so please let us know what you think:

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