11.7.2014

I spent an afternoon trying several quality 8 x 42 binoculars by different manufacturers, at Lakeside Optics near Bristol, UK, looking at wild birds, views across the water and close up dragonflies. I cannot stress enough the importance of actually being able to test-drive several 'bins' in the hand with experienced retailers on hand to answer questions and give advice rather than just reading reviews and buying on-line. I paid a bit more than the Amazon price but think the service was worth it and the retailers merit their premium for being so helpful and patient and offering this great facility. I left the shop with the bins I wanted rather than waiting for them to hopefully arrive in the post,thoroughly satisfied they were exactly what suited my needs and the best within my budget.From careful comparison I am quite sure the Diamondbacks offer the best value and optical quality in their price range. I give them 8/10. They are far superior to bins costing about £20 to £40 less, such as Hawke Nature Treks or Vortex Crossfires, the premium is worth it. They are also visibly better than competitors at the same price such as Hawk Endurance or Opticron Discoveries. To get better viewing of 9/10 you will need to buy ED glass, typically at twice the price or more. Vortex Vipers or Hawke Sapphires are superior with a brighter crisper ED image if your budget will stretch to it, but its a big jump in bucks. The unconditional lifetime warranty is exceptionally generous and unique, this alone makes Vortex a manufacturer you should seriously consider.I also tried Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski, which are quite scintillating 10/10 optics; bright, sharp, great depth of field, but at up to £1700 beyond the budget or needs of the occasional casual user.As a general purpose binocular, perfectly suited to birdwatching and nature viewing, the 8 x 42 Diamondbacks are excellent quality and exceptional value. They have a very wide field of view enabling easy capture of moving subjects and really excel in low light, the image being far brighter than the unaided eye sees. They are also good for watching insects such as butterflies with a close focus down to as little as 4.5 ft, depending on the users eyes. Construction is solid and robust so they will cope with a degree of rough handling, they do not feel as 'plasticy' or vulnerable as the others I tried. The Diamondback 10 x 42's were also excellent, due to the higher magnification they show a bit more detail but are probably more suited to longer range viewing in good light such as views or estuaries, hand shake is more apparent, they have less depth of field on nearer subjects, slightly dimmer and are a fraction more tiring on the eye.The Vanguard Spirit Ed or Endeavour ED is probably the nearest competitor, currently a very good price on Amazon, but I didnt have the opportunity to try them, they cost a bit more, and they don't have the amazing Vortex warranty.Very satisfied and highly recommend the Vortex Diamondbacks.

9.9.2016

It's hard to believe that you can get such a high quality product these days for a price point that rivals competitors at 3-4 times the price. This product does exactly that. Before I purchased these particular binoculars, I did quite a bit of research on many different review sites and forums trying to find the best possible bang for the buck. I had heard of the company named "Vortex" before and I also read that they were a branch of another popular, but much larger optics company.I had never owned a Vortex product and I was definitely weary at first, but after reading hundreds of articles and reviews, I decided that it was time to give them a shot and boy was I extremely satisfied.The product shipped extremely fast and arrived in a very well packaged box. From the moment I opened the box, I knew the product I was holding was of very high quality. The case that they came in was wrapped in a soft black velvet fabric, with a hard shell exterior that felt like it could take a beating without losing any structural integrity or risk damaging your binoculars. The zipper on the case was of high quality and looked like it would take a large amount of force to actually break the pin connectors.Once inside of the case, there was an included neck strap that was made of a stretchy fabric. It was comfortable and hardly noticeable when you were wearing it. The only drawback of the strap itself were the metal connector loops; these connectors were too large to actually fit correctly on the binoculars themselves. This was not a huge deal for me, since I already owned another strap system that was purchased at Cabela's and it fit perfectly.The binoculars themselves were the perfect size and the feel of the texture is awesome. They are grippy, and do not feel like they are going to fall out of your hands. These are the 8x42 size variants, and I feel like these are the perfect size to keep steady and also not have to carry around 10 pound binoculars unnecessarily. The dials on these binos are top quality, and very easy to get accustomed to. When I first dialed my vision to them, it took about 30 seconds to nail it down. The glass is so extremely clear it's incredible and I'm comparing them to a pair of $2000 Swarovski's. They let in more light, they had a better feel, they were lighter, they felt more durable and the warranty on these things is by far the gold standard of what any person with common sense would consider to be the absolute best. This is why I mentioned that you can get an amazing product for such an great price if you just take the time to read the reviews and find the best possible deals.I will be purchasing more of Vortex's products and I am glad that I made this purchase. Very recommended set of binoculars! 5 stars!!!

25.4.2015

Although not particularly knowledgeable about binoculars I am someone who researches thoroughly when making a significant purchase.I wanted to replace several pairs of compact binoculars that just knock around the house and invest in a really decent pair for bird watching both in my own heavily wooded gardens and also the more open rural surroundings locally. Despite higher magnification lenses being available, my enquiries told me that 8 x 42 is a well regarded formula for my purposes and has less risk of 'shake' than the higher powered 10x.Having set a budget of up to £200 there seemed to be a mind boggling amount of choice and of course reviews can become very technical on the one hand and subjective on the other.

7.10.2019

Following a fair amount of online research including some independent product assessments done by well respected birding organisations I decided the vortex 8x42 were coming in ahead of the field in their price range in nearly every test out there, even comparing well to binoculars at 4 times the price. My prime interest is wildlife photography so I’m more interested in ‘spotting’ than pure viewing of birds etc but I have to say I’m extremely impressed with these and they’re making my trips out a lot more enjoyable.They’re light weight with a bright light gathering image, wide field of view, feel well protected by the rubber coating, comfortable to use and a nice subdued green.I occasionally spend a fair bit on high end camera lenses,

22.1.2017

I'm comparing these to a pair of Athlon Midas 8x42 binoculars, both of which I have in my possession right now. I realize that the Athlons go for a hundred dollars more than these Vortexes. However, I just can't bring myself to get excited about these Vortex binoculars, based primarily on ergonomic/fit factors. Here are my notes:Focus on Diamondback is too fiddly for me. Corollary: it’s totally clear when you’re in or out of focus on the Diamonbacks. So someone who wants that would be happier with the Vortex binoculars. I dislike this effect.General clarity: Undifferentiated (the same between the two).Somewhat better close focus on the Athlons.Better eye relief on the Athlons.

4.1.2018

Please are so much better than my old 800g Miranda (20x50 porro) set that it is difficult to be ‘objective’. They are clearer, brighter, with no noticeable vignette, wider pupil distance and bigger eye relief.They come well equipped with cleaning cloth and a zipped carrying case with its own dedicated strap - I guess a generic case because my smallish 8×42 bins rattle around inside when being carried. I may put in a soft cloth for padding.The strap is a bit fiddly to fix to the bins out of the box and I have passed the strap through a hoop on the eyepiece cover to avoid dropping it. I used the right-hand hoop as the left-hand hoop is split (see photo).

1.1.2018

When it comes to purchasing binoculars you should consider the fact that trying to stabilize your view through any hand held binocular is very difficult if not impossible. You really have to use a tripod for a good solid stable view. There are some very good binoculars with internal electronic stabilization example (Canons 10x30 IS II binoculars) that do an excellent job of hand held Image Stabilization and if you can spend the extra money for that kind of binocular I recommend you go for it. However if you don't mind the image shake of regular binoculars and you have the ability to hold your binoculars rather steady then stay with an 8x or 7x resolution binocular.

7.10.2011

I spent some time researching binoculars before I decided on this brand and model. I wanted them for watching wildlife but weight was a consideration, as was ruggedness. I have been delighted with their performance so far - they are comfortable to hold and feel well-balanced, with good grip and I am not having any problems with focus, whether or not I am wearing my glasses. I have not experienced any misting, despite having just been in the tropics. They seem to function well at differing light levels - bright sunlight, dawn and dusk. I have been very pleased with their performance whether watching small finches in a bush or whales at sea. They are supplied with a good quality rigid case - a slight disadvantage if space is at a premium,

8.8.2015

I got my Diamondback 8x42's after taking an introductory bird watching class. They went through optics and recommended this set as a first choice for value and overall quality. I have had them now for about a year - and they have never ceased to impress me and my friends (who like to borrow them). The only thing I wish was that they were just a little lighter than they are - after a full day of bird watching they get a little heavy around the neck. I now like to carry them in my hands, and wrap the neck strap around my wrist a few times so that even if I drop them they won't really hit the ground. They are really rugged too - I've banged them on rocks and other things while hiking and scrambling - all in all a great set of binoculars!

6.8.2011

The Vortex Diamondback 8 x 42 glasses are great for the money. You can spend serious bucks for binoculars ($2,000 and more). But you need to consider what you are buying the glasses for before you decide on an amount to spend. If you want binoculars for bird watching, for example, you could not do better than the Diamondback.That is not to say, however, that these glasses are limited to bird watching usage. My wife and I live by a relatively large lake. It's about a half mile across the lake from our home and we can see in detail everything on the other side of the lake with these glasses. They're pretty cool.One thing I particularly like about them is that they are waterproof.

9.12.2017

The binoculars are A+ but the included hard case is way unnecessarily large, and they will allow the binoculars to wobble around inside. The optics are great, even looking hard for negatives, the is no color fringing at all. The picture is sharp all the way from the center to the fov edge. The binoculars also seem rock steady, build quality is also great. Despite the case's cavernous interior, I'll give it 5 stars for how great the binoculars themselves are.One note is I bought these as a warehouse deal, the description was that the box it comes in could be slightly damaged but that it was inspected and the product was deemed undamaged,

12.5.2017

I have just got a pair of these and I think they are excellent.I read in one of the comments that they returned them because they weren't good for people wearing glasses.I wear varifocals and have no problems. I have the 12x50's which despite reports I don't have trouble with.The weight is good and the focus is easy. The eye correction is precise. They feel solid,sturdy and well made.There is one thing that I feel I should point out to the unsuspecting and that is the VIP warranty. I looked into this before buying and it turns out the full warranty is only valid for purchases from approved dealers otherwise 'We fully honour the warranty with sales through our 'Authorised Dealers', as our website says.

22.1.2012

I bought the Vortex Diamondback 8x42 after I lost my Nikon Monarch 8x42. Here are comments based on my experience, after a few weeks of birding with the Vortex.Vortex Diamondback 8x42 <-> Nikon Monarch 8x42================================Life time warranty <-> Limited warranrty.Sturdier case <-> Floppy case, however more compact.18mm eye relief <-> 15.5mm eye relief. Vortex are better for me as I wear eyeglasses. (Let me know if the values are not correct).Heavier <-> Lighter; less strain on the neck.Focus knob stiff <-> Focus knob does not require much torque. This is important when trying to focus on a fidgety bird.Cheaper <-> About $50 more expensive.Good colors <-> Better,

8.6.2016

This is the first pair of binoculars I have purchased. I needed a pair for an upcoming trip to Borneo but my budget was limited.I compared many pairs in a shop before I settled on the Diamondbacks and several factors influenced my choice.-they are really comfortable to hold and lighter than some other pairs with the new 2016 design-brilliant field of view and sharp crystal clear image-easy to focus-great in low light - important for me in the jungle-waterproof and anti fog-the best guarantee I have come accrossI am very happy with performance and value. Whilst I had the opportunity to try other binoculars before my purchase, and some were slightly better performers than the Diamondbacks,

24.12.2015

I love my Vortex Diamonback 8x42s. I bought them as a step up from my old tascos for a Montana hunting trip. I have no complaints besides the fact that the lens covers (for both the objective and the eye cups) are pretty bad. I lost one of the objective lens flip down covers somewhere on a mountain in a snow storm. Also, in blowing snow or rain, you need to wipe the lenses constantly to keep a clear picture, but I can't imagine it's much different than with any other bino. I used mine with the Vortex tripod adapter, which is excellent if you need to setup your binos as a spotting scope stand in. I can honestly say that during using these heavily for 8 days I experienced no eye strain whatsoever.

Vortex Optics Diamondback 8x42 - Reviews

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