Excellent porro binocs for money - Vortex Vanquish 8x26mm Porro Prism Compact Binoculars

After doing a lot of research into how to best replace my previous (finally broken) economical binoculars, I became convinced that reverse Porro prism design offers the greatest advantages for the money. The Vortex Vanquish 8x26 Porro prism binoculars were recommended at birdwatching.com and so I took a chance on them. I had looked at the Nikon Monarch and Travellite and some time ago at compact Zeiss roof prism binocs. I knew that the Monarch rated right up there with the expensive German binocs. I was also attracted to the Vortex brand because of the unmatched no fault and transferable Lifetime warranty.

Got the binocs for Christmas 2007 and want to convey my impressions.

First impression was that the optics provide a stunning view. The image is very bright, sharp and clear and, in my opinion, compares well in the center sweet spot to the Monarch binocs. If I want to quantify it, I was easily able to resolve low contrast lines spaced 0.75 mm apart at a distance of 25 feet at dim tungsten room ambient light (the lines were part of the fabric on a beige lamp shade). I could not resolve the lines using a pair of cheap ($35.-) 7x22 sub-compact pocket binoculars I had recently purchased.

Clearly, the Vanquish are inferior in that they have a sweet spot and sharpness drops off towards the edges. I was able to resolve the lines up to the field-of-view edges by refocusing the binocs. It turns out, based on my usage, that I can live with that since sharpness drops off gradually and my brain pretty much integrates the total image anyway so that the edge effect is not a problem for me. The field of view is totally flat (no bending of lines on the edges) and only sharpness is affected.

I much prefer the weight (12.7 oz.), handling, and feel of the waterproof Vanquish to the heavier Monarch, which to me felt too bulky (I wanted a light weight pair of binocs agreeing with reports of fatigue factor during usage and when lugging them around all day).

The focus and diopter adjustment is firm, definite, and yet smooth without having any slop in it. The binocs are weather and water proof.

I was totally impressed with the brightness, which was exactly what has been reported for Porro prism type binoculars with high density glass prisms and fully multi-coated optics. I have had zero difficulty using the binocs in dim light situations or in darker areas (as in pine trees, for example). The binocs clearly and cleanly resolve features in shadow areas to the point where I am awestruck.

Thus, picking a reverse Porro prism type of binocular has paid off for me and previous findings have been confirmed in my mind. I feel that even at a modest budget ($100.-) I have obtained a very competent pair of binoculars due to the latest advances in optical technology.
Pros: Brightness, resolution, weight, construction, mechanical
Cons: none for budget binocs

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.