While that raptor is largely searching for dinner—a chipmunk, a vole, or the occasional lizard—you, as a human being, have all kinds of spectacular things to observe, from a bald eagle in full flight to the stainless steel spire atop the Chrysler Building to Knicks forward OG Anunoby skying for a game-winning tip-in at Madison Square Garden.
And you truly can appreciate these wonders—natural and otherwise—so much better with great binoculars. Peer inside them and you instantly vault forward from the cheap seats.
In a world crammed with obsolescence, they’re built to last, too. Treat them with a modicum of respect and they’ll be tried and true travel companions—well-sealed, water-resistant, and primed for big trips and big games alike.
They don’t need batteries or charging. Grounded in technology that dates back more than 400 years, they require no software updates, no cutting-edge computer chips, and no extra RAM. The pair you buy today immediately becomes a family heirloom.
And so, I recently went searching for a pair of binoculars with my daughter Emma.
She’s a serious birder who earned her wings leading walks as an intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Bethel, Alaska. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, she earned a full-time job as a ranger at Paterson Great Falls National Park in New Jersey.
Me? I’m not only a longtime binocular fan, who’s tested high-quality glass for magazines like National Geographic Adventure, but also an experienced photographer whose work has been published in a variety of national magazines, newspapers, and websites. So I know a thing or two about optics.
Together, Emma and I reviewed a handful of binoculars at prices ranging from about $140 to over $1,000. Spoiler alert: Each of these carefully selected models performed admirably, although some did provide superior performance and value.
