eitanaltman
Well-known member
Taking a trip next week (first time in a long time!) and so was looking to grab an inexpensive, compact pair of binoculars I could tote around with me when sight-seeing and casually walking around vs "hard core birding".
I wanted to try the Dback 8x32 HD since they are SO short and light, and when I saw a pair on Amazon Warehouse for $150 it was an easy decision to give them a shot.
I've had them for a few days, and I have to say I'm very impressed with the optics and overall quality for the price point.
They are pretty bright, tending to slightly "warm" so they have very nice, saturated color and strong contrast. And they are VERY sharp on axis for the price. Not quite as sharp as my much more expensive glass, but much sharper than most budget glass I've tried.
Handling and finish is quite nice for the price point, the focus knob is smooth in operation (if a little "goopy" from what feels like thick grease to dampen the rotation), the eyecups have sufficient friction to hold their position well (a problem with many cheap binoculars).
The latter point is especially important since they have pretty short eye relief, and the eyecups bizarrely have a raise rim around the edge. Although I don't wear glasses, it seems these would be virtually useless for those who do since the raised rim (and the fact that they don't seat fully flush with the ocular lens) robs several mm from what is already skimpy eye relief. And even for me, without glasses, I cannot see the full FOV with the eyecups fully extended.
If the eyecups didn't have the raised rim, and instead were a bit flatter with some more taper, it would probably be perfect at full extension. But thankfully they hold tightly at an intermediate position that works well for me.
The accessories are perfect for the price, a nice hard case, a standard neoprene strap, and nice soft rubber ocular covers and rainguard. Simple and effective.
They are also extremely light and compact -- I weighed them at ~444g naked, which is slightly less than the ~450g specification. They are also slightly shorter than my Ultravid 8x32 HD, which is a very compact 32mm binocular.
My only complaints are nitpicks that are not problematic given the $200 retail price point. The sweet spot is fairly small and edge performance mediocre, but I wouldn't expect that for the price and the FOV is very wide and immersive to counterbalance that. There is of course a decent amount of pincushion, and CA control is also just OK, nothing special. In direct comparison to more expensive binoculars, it's obvious they are behind in brightness / clarity and look a bit "dingy" in contrast.
All told, they are a very nice option at the $150-200 price point, with good resolution, a very wide FOV, above average, good color and contrast, and pretty solid build quality backed by that Vortex warranty. Definitely an easy recommendation if you want something cheap, featherlight and compact to tote around when you don't want to carry something larger (and, like me, absolutely hate 20-25mm compacts!).
I wanted to try the Dback 8x32 HD since they are SO short and light, and when I saw a pair on Amazon Warehouse for $150 it was an easy decision to give them a shot.
I've had them for a few days, and I have to say I'm very impressed with the optics and overall quality for the price point.
They are pretty bright, tending to slightly "warm" so they have very nice, saturated color and strong contrast. And they are VERY sharp on axis for the price. Not quite as sharp as my much more expensive glass, but much sharper than most budget glass I've tried.
Handling and finish is quite nice for the price point, the focus knob is smooth in operation (if a little "goopy" from what feels like thick grease to dampen the rotation), the eyecups have sufficient friction to hold their position well (a problem with many cheap binoculars).
The latter point is especially important since they have pretty short eye relief, and the eyecups bizarrely have a raise rim around the edge. Although I don't wear glasses, it seems these would be virtually useless for those who do since the raised rim (and the fact that they don't seat fully flush with the ocular lens) robs several mm from what is already skimpy eye relief. And even for me, without glasses, I cannot see the full FOV with the eyecups fully extended.
If the eyecups didn't have the raised rim, and instead were a bit flatter with some more taper, it would probably be perfect at full extension. But thankfully they hold tightly at an intermediate position that works well for me.
The accessories are perfect for the price, a nice hard case, a standard neoprene strap, and nice soft rubber ocular covers and rainguard. Simple and effective.
They are also extremely light and compact -- I weighed them at ~444g naked, which is slightly less than the ~450g specification. They are also slightly shorter than my Ultravid 8x32 HD, which is a very compact 32mm binocular.
My only complaints are nitpicks that are not problematic given the $200 retail price point. The sweet spot is fairly small and edge performance mediocre, but I wouldn't expect that for the price and the FOV is very wide and immersive to counterbalance that. There is of course a decent amount of pincushion, and CA control is also just OK, nothing special. In direct comparison to more expensive binoculars, it's obvious they are behind in brightness / clarity and look a bit "dingy" in contrast.
All told, they are a very nice option at the $150-200 price point, with good resolution, a very wide FOV, above average, good color and contrast, and pretty solid build quality backed by that Vortex warranty. Definitely an easy recommendation if you want something cheap, featherlight and compact to tote around when you don't want to carry something larger (and, like me, absolutely hate 20-25mm compacts!).
