Well 10 favourite binoculars are a lot of favourite binoculars!! I’ll name 10 binoculars I like, but I’ll split the list in two halves, as you will see.
I’ve had quite a few binoculars over the last years (yes, way less than many forum members here, but enough to have developed a taste of the things I like the most), so here it goes:
1. Zeiss Victory FL 7x42. I think this is the binocular that has given me the most pleasurable views, such sharpness, such a crisp image, and so bright it looks surreal (like in "beyond reality"). Not perfect, but well is there actually a perfect binocular? I'm starting to think binoculars are a bit like people! 😀 Life looks more beautiful through the 7x42 FL.
2. Swarovski 8x32 EL SV (pre FP). My favourite 8x32. Again, not perfect (some glare and a brightness in the view that sometimes seems to wash the image a bit)... but what-a-view. I’ve done a pilgrimage through most top 8x32 (Leica, Zeiss, not EDG, the weight simply defeats their purpose) and these are my favourite. I love the handling, so easy to single hand. Fan-tas-tic. I could see this as my only binocular. Bonus track: I know 8x32 would not be anyone’s favourite astro bin… but these perform so well under my night sky. And the flat field really pays off here. Yes, I’ve had 7x50 Fujinons, some 8x56, 10x50 and other astro-oriented flavours, but these 8x32 are just a joy. And then there's something special and importan: these are the 8x32 that feel more “8x42” that I’ve used, and that I think is the best compliment to a 8x32. The view is "big", and I don't mean FOV. It's hard to explain.
3. Nikon SE 10x42. The binocular that opened the 10x world to my eyes (I’ve had other 10x42, and praised ones for that matter, the likes of the Zeiss 10x42 FL or the Endeavor II, on two sides of the price ladder, but never felt I could take advantage of 10x until the SE). Sharp and really sweet image, vivid, lifelike. For some reason, I seem to get a perfect grip and holding position with these. Sometimes I go without using them for a few days... and then I put them to my eyes again and go wow. Not the latest or the fanciest, but they feel so comfy.
4. Nikon EII 8x30. The truth is that since I have the ELSV I don’t use these that much. I’ve actually been tempted to sell them (I’m no collector, I have what I use), but whenever I hold them in my hand again I feel they are just right. The view is immersive, probably together with the ELSV 8x32 are the compacts that feel more full-size. These make me think of those old and trusty dogs, like an old Bloodhound sitting quietly by the chimney, with the long ears spreading over the floor, always close to its lifelong master. Yes, I think you can get attached to binoculars 😀
5. Opticron Traveler ED 8x32. I could have written Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 instead, since the performance and user experience is very similar: they’re very sharp, very bright and all in all great performers for the size and price. Just like with the ELSV 8x32, if I was ever forced to sell everything else, these could be my only binoculars for everything. They’re so light and small that they just become a part of your hand, so to speak. Ever since our baby was born a few months ago, I like to take long walks with the baby on a front carrier (with her face resting on my chest) and do some birdwatching, so I carry the Travelers without any strap. I can walk for many kilometers/hours, I just don't feel I’m carrying anything on my hand, they disappear. And if I have to suddenly take care of something, the Traveler disappear inside my jacket pocket. And single-handing them is a breeze: I press them against my eyebrows and the view is so steady.
6. Kowa YF 8x30. These are the binoculars that I’ve bought more times (as presents) and that has to mean something. For little over 100 € (sometimes less) you just get so much as a packages. To begin with I love the shape, the weight and the way they feel in my hands (which makes them usable by so many different people to whom a 8x32 Kowa BD XD feels "heavy": seriously, been there). The optical performance is really something for the price; obviously there are endless binoculars that have way better performance in every single aspect, but when you look at sharpness, sweet spot, CA, vignetting, etc... they do pretty well in every area. They live in my glovebox (which is quite an ordeal, since I live in a pretty sunny and warm place and the car is always parked under the sun, and it's dark), and after nearly 2 years there, they hold up pretty well. Yesterday I had a chance to use them again, and I felt they gave me basically everything I needed to enjoy those flamingos and that marsh harrier hoovering over my head.
I think the 5 models above are some of the ones I’ve enjoyed the most, that fit my needs and my taste. Not the best, in some cases not the most expensive, but my personal favourites. Now here are other 4 binoculars that I really like, but that, due to some of their characteristics cannot be called favourites, since some flaws simply make them unusable for me, and hence are or will be sold.
7. Leica Retrovid 7x35. I simply LOVE the view through these. Probably the best I’ve seen (to my taste, not talking about pure optical performance): the image is sharp, full of contrast and life. A dream come true. The 7x gives them this sense of space, this immersiveness, the x35 makes them sooooo light and small (I mean, really, smaller than many 8x32). This would be not my “favourite”, but actually “my perfect” binocular, if it was not for those terribly narrow eyecups. I've tried changing the grip, I’ve tried using other eyecups, but it’s fussy and messy (they fall when taken out of the case in a hurry, and are not that comfortable), they just don't fit, and I feel that, just like with clothes, fit is everything. It can be the best, but if there's no fit, there's nothing. I actually like the view through these way more than through the ELSV 8x32 (but then, I love 7x), enough said.
8. Swarovski Habicht 8x30. It's all about the view: the central part of the view through the little Habicht is something that everyone should experience at least once: so utterly, terribly, incredibly sharp and full of contrast. I couldn't wish for a better image. And then there’s the shape factor (I love how Porro prism binoculars feel in the hand). But then, there’s also the terribly uncomfortable eyecups, the constant glare and the rock-hard focus wheel that annihilates their “birdwatching capabilities”.
9. Vixen Foresta 7x50 CF Porro. One of the sharpest and most pleasurable images I’ve experienced. Not as bright or immersive as the 7x42 FL, but for a sixth of the price, a real bargain. Contrary to its smaller sibling, the 8x32, whose ergos I adore, the 7x50 Foresta feels a bit clunky, and the eyecups, for once, are just too large.
10. Nikon Action EX 7x35. These are the binoculars that made me discover the magic of 7x binoculars. I’ve had two units, I’ve sold them both… and I’ve regretted it on every occasion. So much so, that I’ll get another one at some point, just because the view is so nice. Yes, they’re big and feel like a brick, I have regular hands and I can just use the focus wheel (forget about single-hand them), but there’s something in the view: a wide angle 7x Porro, you just can’t go wrong.
