The Best Affordable Compact Binoculars (8×32): Our Review

An excerpt of this article appeared in the Autumn 2023 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now.

It’s an age-old birding conundrum: how to find binoculars that deliver a great image and excellent portability, all without breaking the bank. The smaller lenses found in compact binoculars help make them light and comfortable, but those smaller optics usually meant you’d have to settle for a dimmer image than in a “full-size” 8×42 binocular. At least, that was the conventional wisdom.

Now, with a new generation of excellent and affordable optics, we’re finding some great options among compact binoculars—models with an objective lens between 30 and 34 mm (that’s the “32” in “8×32”). In fact after conducting this review, we’d argue a few compact models can stand on an even footing with similarly priced full-size binoculars, all while saving weight and reducing fatigue. So let’s take a look at compact binoculars and find out which pairs can give your birdwatching a boost—without taking up a lot of room.

Here’s How We Rated 24 Pairs of Compact Binoculars 

We tested 24 models of compact binoculars. With more than 60 compact models currently on the market, we were selective, and we focused on relatively affordable options ranging from around $100 to more than $500. 

This graph shows our ratings and the list price of each binocular in our review. (For our review and analysis methods, see the end of this article.)

Hover over or tap each point to bring up details about the binoculars.   

The rating score is a combination of the binocular’s image quality, comfort/feel, and perceived build quality (see Review Methods at the end of this article). Binocular prices vary through time and from retailer to retailer. For consistency, we quote prices as MSRP as of August 2023. Mobile users: rotate your device for a better view.

Caveat: binocular rankings are inherently subjective. We do everything we can to make them objective—multiple testers, clear ranking criteria, data analysis—but people’s needs and preferences differ in ways that no single number can capture perfectly. So don’t worry too much about exactly where each binocular sits on the graph, and be sure to try out multiple pairs.

Our Top Picks

Five compact binoculars made our Top Picks list. All five offer a very bright, colorful image and pleasing ergonomics. Holding them up to our eyes, they all produced big, sharp images without the tunnel vision effects mentioned above. These are binoculars that bring out the joy in birdwatching. They find focus easily, the lenses cut through glare, and images fill your eyes with sharpness and color virtually from edge to edge. Whether you’re drinking in the details of a lifer you’ve waited years to see, or simply appreciating the subtle markings and interplay of colors on your favorite common birds, these Top Picks will remind you each day of why you love looking at birds.

In virtually all light conditions, these binoculars hold their own optically against similarly priced 8×42 designs—and they may actually top 8x42s in matters of comfort and ease of carrying.

Here’s how we ranked them (highest to lowest):

• Nikon Monarch M7 ($480)
• Celestron TrailSeeker ED ($340)
• Tied: Hawke Frontier ED X ($560) and German Precision Optics Passion ED ($580)
• Kowa BDII ($400)

Honorable Mention: Best of the Small

If you’re looking for binoculars to be as light and unobtrusive as possible, we recommend the Opticron Discovery WA ED ($289). Though they’re not in the top tier optically, these bins are tiny—just 4.25 inches long and a full 3.5 ounces lighter than an average compact (11 oz lighter than an average 8×42). They provide a clear, relatively bright image, great close focus, a wide field of view, and a comfortable focus wheel. Our runner-up is the nearly-as-small Vortex Diamondback HD ($260)—its image is noticeably brighter than the Opticron Discovery, but it’s also a bit heavier and does not adjust to fit narrow-set eyes as well.

Honorable Mention: Best Budget Pick

The Nikon ProStaff P7 ($180) is a sturdy, if a bit bulky, binocular with a consistently bright image and wide field of view. It’s not perfect—there’s some distortion at the image edge and when panning—but at less than $200, it’s an excellent value for feeder watching and quick spotting. 

Solid Choices

Some binoculars provide a great image but the feel is just a little off—perhaps the focus wheel is a little stiff or the eyecups are fussy. Or the reverse: they might offer a lovely feel, but the image is a notch below perfect. We rate these as our Solid Choices—binoculars that don’t quite match up to our Top Picks but provide an overall very good experience.

In our testing, we were impressed by many aspects of the Solid Choices—the brilliant color and crispness of the Maven B.3, or the lovely balance and feel of the Vanguard Endeavor, for example. Some of our testers found the Maven’s focus wheel a touch stiff, while others wished for just a bit more sharpness in the Vanguards.

We enjoyed birding with all our Solid Choice picks, and your own individual preferences could well tip some of these into your personal Top Pick. That’s why it’s worth getting your hands on as many of these models as possible to put them through their paces. (Click through to our individual reviews for more details on each binocular.)

Here’s how we rated the eight binoculars in our Solid Choice tier (highest to lowest):

• 3-way tie: Celestron TrailSeeker ($280), Zeiss Terra ED ($400), Maven B.3 ($550)
• 2-way tie: Nikon ProStaff P7 ($180), Kowa SVII ($239)
• Vortex Diamondback HD ($260)
• 2-way tie: Vanguard Endeavor ED II ($270), Opticron Discovery WA ED ($289)

Note: tap the links to see our full review notes for each model. Check back soon for more full reviews.

Middle Ground Options

The Middle Ground features binoculars that make some compromises in image quality or build, typically in favor of a lower price point. These binoculars may still be perfectly suited to situations such as watching bird feeders—where birds are at medium to close range, out in the open, not moving around too much, and generally in strong light. If this describes your typical birdwatching setup, there may be no strong reason to spend more. 

Here’s how we rated the eight binoculars in the Middle Ground tier (highest to lowest):

• 2-way tie: Bushnell Prime ($120), Opticron Savanna R PC Oasis ($169)
• Celestron Nature DX ($160)
• 3-way tie: Alpen Wings ($130); Hawke Nature-Trek ($200); Bresser Pirsch ($220)
• 2-way tie: Opticron Adventurer II WP ($129); Eschenbach Arena D ($240)

We judged three of the binoculars in our review as not well suited to birdwatching. Given the many demands of birdwatching, including brightness, sharpness, ease of focus, wide field of view, and long-term comfort, it’s hard to get the tradeoffs just right. After in-depth, side-by-side testing with other models in the review, we did not feel that the combination of features in the Alpen Magnaview ($80), Eschenbach Sektor D ($420), and Snypex Knight D-ED ($620) were suitable for birdwatching—though they may perform adequately in other pursuits (such as at sporting events).

Note: tap the links to see our full review notes for each model. Check back soon for more full reviews.