VortexOptics Diamondback HD 10x42 Binoculars - HD Optical System, Non-slip Grip, Waterproof, Fogproof, Shockproof, Included GlassPak - Unlimited, Unconditional Warranty

Cannot say enough great things about these binoculars. We bought the 8x42 and 10x42 in anticipation of a safari we booked. The trip was amazing and the glasses performed flawlessly. We also appreciated being able to field test the difference between the two different models.What was really impressive, though, was the follow up service. When we got back from Tanzania, the glasses were understandably dusty. I contacted Vortex to inquire whether I could pay to have them cleaned by their techs. I couldn’t believe what they said - yes, send them in, it’s covered under warranty. Including shipping. I said, no, they aren’t broken, just dirty. They said we will inspect them, repair what need repairing, replace what needs replacing and clean them, under warranty. It will take 2-3 weeks.Just got them back, and sure enough, they are like new. You just don’t find that kind of customer care these days. I wish I needed more, I’d be buying from them!!

Bringing the hills into the interior

These binoculars are my first foray into roof prism lenses. Porro prism binoculars are most common in the marketplace for generic binoculars sold in department stores, and are what most people are familiar with, but they are often so bulky (especially the higher power models) that these Vortex 10x42 binos are such a treat for their power, compactness and relatively light weight.Most every single negative or below 5 star review of the Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 binoculars is from someone who didn’t do their due diligence on product research or to determine whether the binoculars are right for their use or not. The rest of the sub 5 star reviews seem to be complaints about the shipper, shipping damage or they received used or a pre-damaged product but that is up to the vendor to resolve. Some reviewers appear to have broken the binos themselves then said they were fragile and cheap but they never described how they were broken. One reviewer gave them one star because he felt the instructions and the product was too complicated for him to figure out but did say the optics were good. These are binoculars, not a rocket science kit. I will address some of the concerns reviewers had: The strap loop on the left side of the ocular lens cover is split down the middle on purpose (molded that way, not torn) so it can detach and dangle by the solid loop on the right. This is so the lens cover isn’t dangling right in front of your nose and mouth. That is a pretty clever feature. The captive lens covers are a great feature so you never lose them and remember to use them.The instructions on assembling the case straps could be better illustrated—I had to look up how to run the straps through the Fastex style "ladder lock" buckles but that is a minor hassle. I didn't attach the binocular straps to the case, I kept the case and the binoculars separate, not toggled together as the instructions say. These binoculars are not the top-of-the-line binoculars sold by Vortex Optics even though people reviewed them like they are. The precision binocular world is littered with binoculars costing 4 figures ($1,000 USD) and up so these are not the absolute best 10x42 binoculars you can get. Lastly, these are NOT zoom binoculars but have a fixed 10X magnification with a regular focusing knob so people believing they “zoom too slow” are a bit off the mark. The focusing knob IS a little slow compared to what I am used to but I believe it was designed that way for maximum precision (fine focus over coarse focus). I'm still evaluating these optics but they are miles higher than $50 10x50 binoculars in brightness and optical clarity.

Love these binoculars. I was hesitant to spend this much on them but there is a clear difference between these and a $100 pair I bought. These are clearer and the color is sharper.

Replaced an old pair and these were the perfect option. They’re clear and just the right size for my use.

They arrived quickly and without damage.I really like being able to focus them on nearby things (like 8 or 10 feet away) and the far away distance also focuses quite well. Not a bad pair of binoculars for this price point. I would recommend to friends and family. Not as powerfully as some but not so heavy to carry either. Great birding binoculars.

First, I'm a Swarovski fan, I own the superb 15X56HD, and the pretty darn good CL Pocket 10X25. If I spend real money on binoculars I get Swarovski. What led me to purchasing the Diamondback 10X42 was I wanted an inexpensive 10X42 or 10X50 casual astro bino to supplement my telescope viewing. Something that performs pretty well but I wouldn't be too worried about fumbling around with it in the dark on my hard unforgiving driveway.There are many candidates but the first I tried was the Maven B1 10X42. Now this isn't exactly cheap, I got mine for $780 during the last Prime Day. Briefly, it was a dog - mainly roof angle error, if you can believe that in this day and age. And the color correction was just weird. It went right back - I'm not impressed with Maven because of that experience.The next candidate was the Celestron Granite 10X50. This is a pre-current model still available on Amazon. I have had good luck with other Granites, an 8X42 and a 9X33, that I have since gifted to family members. The 10X50 I got had a horrid focuser - stiff and the lost motion was almost 1/8 of a turn, which made focusing a lot more difficult than usual. One barrel was soft - the resolution was noticeably degraded. If I can notice a lack of resolution at the native magnification I want nothing to do with it, so back it went.Then I got what is arguably the most popular unit in this low price point group of candidates - the Vortex Diamondback 10x42. There is a reason for the popularity as the performance is good, along with being ergonomic and stylish. At 10X both barrels are dead sharp in the middle of the field. On my optical bench the right barrel is close to diffraction limited with the main aberration being moderate coma. The left barrel is not as good with it having more coma. The resolution of the left barrel is still good enough that there is no degradation at the native 10X. Color correction is quasi ED - that is, it is closer to ED than to achromatic. The Bekay fringes (fringes on objects just out of focus) are green/magenta and not too terrible. The main detractor is limited field performance. It's not terrible but the sweet spot is pretty small, I would say its about 40 percent of the field. There is both blurriness (field curvature) and pretty strong lateral color (green/magenta fringes). I'm not too obsessed with field performance and this level of field performance is acceptable to me at this price point. One nice positive I didn't expect is glare control. I was able to look pretty deep into the sun corridor and have remarkably good contrast on backlit objects. In fact, it clearly out performed my Swarovski 10X25 in this regard.I'm keeping these, at least till I give them away some day. There are a lot of other candidates in this price range, and at $100 more there are a bunch more with flatter fields and better color correction. But the unknown factor is quality control. I think you can get a dog with all of the name brands and models. I would think that as the price goes up the possibility of getting a bad unit goes down, but the worst (by far) of the units I tried was the Maven B1 10X42, basically a thousand dollar model. I found it frustrating to get a binocular this way without trying it out before buying. But this is the world we live in now, and Amazon's return policy does facilitate the process. I must say I was beginning to get a complex about returning these high price items though.