CelestronNature DX 8x42 Binoculars – Ideal for Birding and Outdoors – 42mm Objective Lenses – Wide 7.4° Field of View – BaK-4 Prisms – Fully Multi-Coated – Waterproof and Fogproof

These have turned out to be my favorite pair of binoculars. The view is really nice, they fit very well into my hands, the focus is buttery smooth, and they seem really well made.I was on the search for the best 8x42 I could find in my price range for bird watching and nature viewing, and in the process I've tried quite a few different brands/models. I did tons of research, reading every review, test, and recommendation I could find. My budget was up to $400, but I still tried more expensive binoculars just to have a good basis for comparison. The above-budget binoculars I tried were Vortex Viper, Vortex Razor, and Zeiss Conquest HD. Again, those were just for comparison and "benchmarking". These were tried in a store only, but it was a large store with many bright and also shadowed areas... plus lots of "stuffed" wildlife mounted high on the walls (deer, etc.).The following binoculars were compared outdoors, I had each pair of these for one to two weeks, so I had time to do very thorough comparisons in many different lighting situations. Included were: Vanguard Spirit ED, Olympus Magellan EXWP I, Carson HD, Celestron TrailSeeker, and Atlas Intrepid ED. I also had/have some other sizes for comparison... Sightron Blue Sky II, 8x32 Alpen Apex 8x32, Alpen Shasta Ridge 10x42, Atlas Intrepid ED 7x36, and Kenko UltraView 10x42.I have used many other pairs of binoculars for my other hobby, stargazing. Many of you already know that stargazing is very demanding on binoculars in terms of brightness, edge distortion, and resolution. I only mention this to show a bit more of my background, as some binoculars that are great for astronomy aren't the best for daytime... and vice-versa. These 8x42's were going to be strictly daytime use for me, so only casual testing at night was performed to get a better idea of resolution, brightness, and edge performance.Ok, one of the BIG things I learned from all of this is that YOU have to try any prospective binoculars yourself. Just because an expert reviewer says a certain pair are fantastic doesn't mean they'll be fantastic for you. Everyone's eyes, face shape (which can affect required eye relief), priorities, etc. are different. The other big thing, for me anyways, is that resolution is king. It doesn't matter how great the edge performance is, or how bright the binocular is, or how much depth of field there is if what you're viewing won't come into sharp focus. I thought my Olympus Magellans were sharp and was totally happy with them, but after experiencing a bit more sharpness I can hardly stand using them. Those are considered really nice binoculars, especially in their "day". Now, saying that, the Celestron Nature DX were not the sharpest binoculars I tested when performing strictly resolution testing (using fine print, barcodes, etc. at close and far distances). They were very close compared to the sharpest of the group, though, and I doubt most people would notice any difference. However, in real usage, they're as sharp as any of the others and I couldn't notice a difference at all.To cut to the chase, the Nature DX's were the only binoculars that really made me smile every time I used them. My eyes just seemed to effortlessly relax into the image. I would take several binoculars into the field at the same time, viewing everything from birds to pinecones, to clouds, to airplanes, to people. Each time, when I looked through the Nature DX's, I found myself actually enjoying the image, instead of just focusing on how well it looked from an analytical perspective. Every other binocular I spent the whole time adjusting focus and diopter settings, trying to get that little bit more of "great" view. Then I'd try the Nature DX's again... and again I'd sink into the image, being amazed by that Acorn Woodpecker and actually intently watching what he was doing, forgetting that I was testing all these different binoculars. THAT is what a great pair of binoculars for YOU will do... you'll feel like you're actually there, instead of just viewing from afar. Solely scientific testing won't determine the best for you. Like I mentioned, at first I wanted a bit more resolution, but found that in real world use they had just as much resolution as any of the others, even the ED models. They do everything very well, it just all comes together with these. Plus you can't beat the price. I was happily willing to spend the full $400 of my budget if I needed to, and to be quite honest if these were $400 I would've paid it, I absolutely love them. To top it off, they're very compact and lightweight, about the size of most other 8x32's. I'd buy another pair in a heartbeat if mine were ever lost.Just for your info, I'm really happy with my Alpen Shasta Ridge 10x42. Fantastic resolution, great feel, and a great price (got them on sale for $99). Close runner ups for me after all this testing were the Atlas Intrepid ED 8x42 (very nice view and resolution, just a tad too long for me, plus I've found out I like the top hinge vs. the Atlas' open hinge design), the Atlas Intrepid ED 7x36, and the Celestron TrailSeeker (which are very close to the Nature DX... a tad bit sharper, but my eyes didn't sink into the image as much as they did with the Nature DX).So, out of all of the ones I tested, the Nature DX 8x42 and the Alpen 10x42 are the ones I kept... not because of their lower prices, but because they were the ones that I really enjoyed using.I hope this helps some of you!

The first part of the review is for the 8x42 binoculars which are terrific. Scroll down to read my experience with the 8x32 smaller brother.The optical performance these binoculars (8x42) provide is incredible for the price. I tried some others costing more, but so far none work as well with my eyeglasses (correcting for distance and astigmatism). Everyone's face and (if applicable) glasses are different, so your mileage my vary, but for me the optical performance of these (8x42) binoculars is wonderful. You might be tempted to point out that with the diopter adjustment one might just use the binoculars without glasses but, from my experience, that wouldn't be an optimum solution. Your glasses are probably correcting a number of your eyes' visual defects beyond just focus. When you use your glasses with the binoculars, all the defects are corrected and the resulting image is much clearer. To get this happy result, the binoculars must have sufficient eye relief and a set of adjustable eye cups. Wearing your glasses when birding also helps you find the birds in the first place.I have used these binoculars for about 12 months, including a daily average of about one hour of walking per day. I use a binocular harness to make wearing them more comfortable and I don't find them to be a burden when carried that way.I did have a problem in that several of the small internal screws that attach each eye cup have (over 8 months of careful use) backed out and fallen out, allowing both eye cups to become detached from the binoculars and allowing the screws (which are smaller than a short pencil lead) to fall out. The binoculars can't be used without the eye cups, but I found I could tape the eye cups back on with black masking tape. That worked fine in the lowered "eyeglasses" position, but since I really love the binoculars, I was disappointed in the way they looked with masking tape wrapped around both eye cups and anyway that solution wouldn't work for someone using the eye cups in the extended position.I ended up calling Celestron Customer Service and they issued a return authorization and an address in Torrance, California, where I could send the binoculars. So far so good. These Celestron's binoculars have a "Limited Lifetime Warranty" which covers "defects" but not "normal wear and tear" and to their credit they promptly sent me a new pair. They are just as optically excellent as the prior pair and I haven't had any problem with the eye cups, although I keep them taped down to reduce movement and avoid the previous problem. By the way, I noticed that a few other Amazon customers have reported eye cup screws falling out, so I think this may be more than an isolated quality issue. I bought two more pairs of Nature DX 8x42 binoculars for family members and I expect those users to be just as pleased.8x32 Nature DX. Encouraged by the performance of the larger 8x42's, I ordered a pair of Nature DX 8x32's. After much side-by-side comparison I have concluded that the performance of my particular 8x32's is not up to the standard of the three pairs of 8x42 I have purchased and personally examined. The eye relief specs are the same, but my subjective conclusion is that I find myself pushing the 8x32's into my glasses trying to get a little more eye relief. I also notice that the dark rings that are see around the edges of the optics are fuzzy rather than sharp. I believe this is also due to slightly less eye relief. I would have expected the main advantage of the 8x42's to be optical performance in low light, but the 8x32's are noticeably less bright, even at midday. Finally, the 8x32's are just not that much smaller and lighter, so it isn't worth it to me to give up the optical performance of the 8x42's. Check out my photos for a size comparison.

I got these a year ago when I started getting into birding. I did a lot of research and they seemed to be the best quality for my budget. I had only ever used crappy binoculars and was absolutely blown away by the difference. It actually took a little while for me to get used to the clarity, they weirdly made me a little nauseous at first but I got used to it fast. They use baK-4 prisms which are the highest quality porro prisms and are usually found only in higher end binoculars. The image is crystal clear with a great field of view as well as incredible light transmission and vibrancy of colors. I used someone’s much more expensive Nikon Monarchs the other day and was shocked to see how much better the light and color are with mine in lower light settings - which is great for birding given dusk and dawn are the best times to go. They’re also lightweight with a sleek design and feel very nice in your hand. I highly recommend these. Also this is a fantastic price. The only issue I’ve experienced is one of the eyepieces fell off a couple days ago which is an issue I’ve heard of- it screwed back on and is fine but no longer adjustable without falling off again. Given I’ve had them a year and that’s my absolute only issue I’d say they are well worth the price.