10x50 Binoculars for Birding, Wildlife & Astronomy under $260

Vortex Diamondback HD 15x56 Binoculars

Whilst these 15x56 Vortex Diamondback HD binoculars don’t quite match the 18x56 Maven above or the Vortex Kaibab HD below both in terms of their power or their level of optics, they do cost a whole lot less and yet Vortex has still been able to include a whole host of high end features and optical components and thus after fully testing, I came to the conclusion that they managed to achieve that very difficult balancing act of producing a reasonably priced, reasonably high power, reasonably high performance binocular that delivers a bright, high-quality image.

For all the details, take a look at the full Vortex Diamondback HD 15x56 Binocular Review.

Main Features

• Powerful 15x Magnification
• Large 56mm Lenses
• Magnesium Chassis – Water & Fogproof
• Fully Multi-Coated Optical System
• Dielectrically Coated & Phase Corrected Roof Prisms
• Field of view: 77ft at 1,000 yards
• Weight: 34.8ozs (987g)
• ArmorTek® Protective Exterior Lens Coatings
• Included Tripod Adapter
• Included Vortex GlassPak Bino Harness / Case

Hawke Endurance ED Binoculars

The Endurance series from Hawke Sport optics is a mid priced range ($210 to $300 / £110 / €150 – £290 / €300) that in my experience, in terms of features and the quality of components and coatings delivers way more than would you most often find at this level.

On most of the models this includes the use of fully multi-coated optics with phase corrected BaK-4 prisms.

The inclusion of ED (extra low-dispersion) glass on the full sized models is really impressive for this price class and in my opinion (see my full Hawke Endurance ED 8x32 Binoculars Review Here) really does help lift them above much of their direct competition.

The Hawke Endurance series consists of a wide range of configurations. Indeed there are five different sizes on offer (25mm, 32mm, 42mm, 50mm & 56mm) and each is available in a selection of magnifications (8x, 10x & 12x) as well as color variations (green or black).

Sizes & Models Available:

• Compacts
  8x25 & 10x25 Endurance (Non ED)
• Mid Sized
  8x32 & 10x32 – Read my full Hawke Endurance ED 8x32 Binoculars Review Here
• Full sized
  8x42, 10x42 Endurance ED – Read my full Hawke Endurance ED 8x42 Binoculars Review Here
  10x50, 12x50 8x56 Endurance (Non ED)
  

Current Prices & Where to Buy:

Athlon Midas Binoculars

The Midas series from Athlon is an interesting one to me as I believe it is probably the series where you get the biggest bang for your buck from within their stable and here is why:

The single bridge body has a chassis made from a magnesium alloy that as you would expect is both waterproof and filled with Argon gas to protect inner optics from fogging.

The fully multi-coated optical system includes ED glass lens elements, BaK-4 roof prisms with both dielectric coatings and phase correction ones and you get extra protection coatings on outer lens surfaces.

Thus as you can see, apart from the body shape, you are getting pretty much the same level of components and features as the Ares, but at a substantially lower price!

So whilst I think the Ares is good value, these Athlon Midas Binoculars look to me to be EXCELLENT value for money binoculars.

Indeed as you can read about in this article, they are what I believe to be the very Best Athlon Binoculars for the Money.

Models & Specifications

As with the Ares series, the Midas comes in the standard 10x42 and 8x42 models, but rather than two mid-size versions, you now have the choice between two large aperture versions, a 10x50, that will excel in low light and a more powerful 12x50 for long distance observation:

• Midas 12x50 – Athlon Midas 12x50 Binoculars Review

Prices & Where to Buy

• Buy & Compare Prices for Athlon Midas Binoculars