Celestron - Nature 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.

I like the image thru these binoculars but after less than one week of use, the eye glass adjuster has failed. Instead of it turning in and out extend, to allow for glasses or not, it just spins in place. I purchased these for a once in a lifetime Alaska cruise. The only good thing is it failed neared the end of the trip. Of course I purchased this a little over a month ago, so no replacement or return option. If this is the overall quality then beware, it won't last for any rigorous sports. I should have followed up sooner. The company did replace my binoculars with a new pair. They seem very nice. I.age again is spectacular. I was remiss in not reporting that they fixed the issue. I assume this pair is here to last.

TL:DR - 8x42 NatureDX. Some eyeglasses wearers can use without glasses on(!). Loved & fit 80yr old to 9yr old. Weight = two 12oz cans. Fast adjustments. Great optics. Excellent value. Daughter, with glasses off, rates them 10 out of 10 (Adjust them for “wow”). Paid $115. Awesome. My parents are in their 80’s and their ~1972 Tasco/Kmart 7x35 binoculars they used finally gave out. So I researched binoculars that were a similar weight as those (or less preferably) that they could use for backyard animal watching. These seemed perfect and for $115, I felt were a very fair price. I had these shipped to my parents and they absolutely raved about them. The image quality is light years ahead of what they had before and the weight is just right. They were so impressed I order a pair for my family of five the next week. We love them too. I love high end optics but only had a cheap pair of house binoculars for my own family (ie if the kids break them I don’t care). But that pair drives me nuts because the quality is just terrible. So I was very interested in getting a better pair. Wow. These do not disappoint. These are much better than I would expect for $115. They comfortably, and quickly, adjust from my smallest kids (9yrs) eyes to mine. Our old kinky binoculars the kids had always mentioned about black spots appearing, it had to do with the difficulty in easily adjusting the settings. My 9yr old was the first to dial in the Nature DX 8x42. He was looking out the back window at birds commenting “Nature is cool”. So I pulled out the binoculars and suggest getting them setup for him. So I had him: * Turned out eyecups * Adjusted for pupil distance * Covered right lens * Focused using left eye * Covered left lens * Adjusted right eye piece diopter * Removed left lens cover He then: * Literally exclaimed “Wow!! Dad this Is awesome”. When my daughter set them up I suggested she could try them without eyeglasses on (which she always has to wear). It took a little to get the pupil distance set but after she did she dialed in the focus, then the diopter. When she was done and took the right eye cup off and looked through them and was silent for a few seconds. I thought there must be something wrong and asked. She never took her eyes from them and just whispered: “This is incredible!” Then more excitedly “It is so sharp it almost hurts my eyes”. “Dad if you are still writing that review please say I give this a 10 out of 10”. My experience with using them with a very strong prescription for eye glasses. When I dialed them in for myself they were great. But I have a strong prescription (20/400) compounded by permanent double vision. So I decided to try to see just how far these binoculars could be pushed. I took off my thick glasses and turned out the eyecups. I closed my right eye and adjusted the focus. By turning it fully counter clockwise I was on the cusp of things being in focus. I closed my left eye and adjust the right diopter. I was genuinely surprised, actually shocked, that I was able able to get quite a sharp image. Combined with the comfort of not having to wear glasses while looking through the binoculars and the relative sharpness I can see myself using these binoculars like this. Just for the joy of being able to use something without glasses. The *very slight* trade off in edge to edge sharpness (no default of the optics, that is 100% my eyes) is nothing compared to the relief of not having to wear glasses looking through something. My opinion is that if you have a light to medium prescription you should be able to easily & quickly dial these in to use without your glasses. But even if you choose to wear glasses while using them, the image is fantastic. The only thing I would like to see (but find it unlikely at this price point) for a family focused set of binoculars is engraved numbers of the focus wheel, diopter, pupil distance. Then in one of the caps have a place where family members can jot their numbers down so if passing them back and forth one could easily have it quickly dialed in for the next user.

I have zero complaints about these. If you're deciding between various magnifications, I would say just go with the 8x to start. I have these, and also a Vortex Diamondback 12x50, and I wouldn't say the Vortex's clarity isn't any visibly better. These Celestrons are what I was using when I found my first owl roost, resulting in photos like the one shown! Paid for themselves right there. :) 8x is also the best focal length to start with, because there's no distracting shake or depth of field issues like you get with longer focal lengths. With 8x, you feel like you're seeing with your normal eyes, just farther away. 10 and 12x, you start to get compression and shallow depth of field blur in front of and behind your focal point. So you are manipulating the knob a lot more. This 42 is a good diameter as well, I've found with 50 I can get more haze as more light gets in from different angles. I got mine from Amazon Warehouse, and there's nothing wrong with them. I imagine people return these because they don't know how to use it, and think the black "blobs" they see mean something is wrong. That just means you've shoved the eye pieces too far into your eye socket with no eye relief. The "eye relief" cups should be extended, you only leave them retracted if you wear glasses. I use them with the top of the eye cups just lightly touching my face, just below the eyebrows. It even works well if it doesn't touch your face. And adjust the sides of the binocular as close together as you need for the two circles to become mostly aligned. Update 12/9: Not trying to write War and Peace sequel, but I returned the Vortexes and kept these. Just couldn't like Vortex but I tried both Crossfires and Diamondbacks. They seemed washed out and difficult to get the diopter adjusted well. Now, Leupold BX-4 Pro Guides.. wow. That's clear glass. They edge out the Celestrons but I wouldn't say the difference is a $400 difference. My daily carry is the Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 10x42 now. Still use the Celestrons when I need to scan lots of area, because the 8x depth of field gives the biggest area coverage. They're really all you need, I'm just a binocular fanatic.

Celestron is a high-quality brand, recommended by independent and knowledgeable reviewers. I am completely satisfied with the performance of these binoculars. They are solid, easy to focus and produce clear sightings. This particular model is a little heavier than I would have liked, but that is not a criticism. If you are looking for a lightweight pair of binoculars, Celestron offers other models.

I began shopping for binoculars a few months before my purchase. I wanted binoculars that would be useful in kayaking as well as for astronomy. My first criteria was picking out the size. Binoculars have two main specs you will want to use for this. The first is the magnification and the second is the objective lens size. These are 8X42 so you have 42mm objective lens and the binoculars magnify the image 8X. You should also realize that not only the image is magnified but also any motion, bumps, waves, bounces etc. You can always mount binoculars to a tripod for astronomy but this would not be very practical on the water. Normally people might want a large magnification for astronomy but smaller magnifications will reveal a larger swath of the sky in your view and the image will also appear brighter. 8X seemed like the best compromise for both hobbies and 42mm seemed adequate for astronomy as well as kayaking. Another very important option from my experience in astronomy is the dew and moisture that you will encounter. These binoculars are nitrogen purged and water resistant. This will be sufficient for the occasional splash of water (possibly even a dunking but I don't want to test that out) and the dew that forms as the nights get cold. I finally got a chance to take them out on the water at Lake Wickaboag in West Warren Massachusetts. The day was unfortunately windy and the water choppy. These binoculars luckily come with attached lens rubber lens covers. They got a work out as I paddled out and where covered with splash marks but the eyepieces where nice and dry whenever I opened them up. The one issue I do have is the objective covers are held on by a small strap and at the end of the day I was missing one until I found it under the seat of my kayak as it had slipped off the end of the binoculars. I had originally thought the motion of the kayak and bouncing around would not be too noticeable with just 8X binoculars. It took some getting used to. I found I could minimize the rocking and steady myself a bit if I hunched down low (low center of gravity) and pressed my back against the seat. This made for steadier viewing. It is disconcerting being jostled and trying to view a still object on land when the bouncing is magnified. 8X seems to be perfect for use on a small craft. These binoculars brought in objects I could not or could just barely see with the unaided eye. Distant radio towers, a jetski being put in the water across the lake, individual feathers on an egret around 50' distant where all crystal clear in the view! I haven't spent as much time with these on the night sky as I have using these during the day. But all you have to do is point these straight up, focus on a bright star and you can't help but be impressed. Where you might only see small handful of stars it will look as if someone spilled salt in the sky as you will see many many times more stars! My first big test was to locate the Andromeda galaxy. Cassiopeia is easily visible from my site and it pointed me in the right direction. It took around four minutes to locate Andromeda. Some nebulosity was clearly visible with these little 8X42's! The Pleiades area also a site to see that look great in these binoculars. I did attempt to resolve the double star Mizar and was not able to resolve it as being a double. Perhaps if I mounted the binoculars as even small 8X42's seemed to bounce around a bit more than I'd like. I found it easiest to hold the binoculars snugly in the palms of both hands instead of using my fingers. The focusing is extremely easy to use and has a nice buttery feel to it. Setting up these binoculars is a fairly easy process. The left hand has its own focusing to account for any differences in your eye. Cover up the left hand objective (using the lenscap) and then focus it so that the view appears clear in your right hand eye using the main focus on the top. Next, swap the lens cover to the other side and use the small fine focus for your left eye. The last step is to insure that both your eyes are looking straight thru by widening the binoculars as needed. Once everything is perfectly in focus and you are looking straight thru you will see that objects up to several hundred yards now `pop' in and appear dimensional. As I mentioned earlier, I researched binoculars for a couple of months before making this purchase and was NOT disappointed. I was leaning towards a pair of Bushnell Legacy WP 8 x 42 Binocular Size: 8x42 due to the great reviews and similar specs. What pushed me back towards Celestron was how impressed I was with the Celestron 52268 C90 Mak Spotting scope (Black) , Celestrons website with the compare option and of course Celestrons limited lifetime warranty! Any company that can offer this kind of warranty and still make a profit has to have a good & reliable product!