Celestron TrailSeeker 10x42 Binoculars

Probably the best binoculars all round. Use them now all the time. They have transformed my hillwalking and even just using them to watch birds and wildlife in the garden (despite NOT being a birdwatcher). They are ridiculously cheap for the quality. I conducted a huge amount of research before purchasing these and all the "experts" rated them very highly. I see why. They are so good that I ended up getting another pair for my wife as it was so irritating having to share them on walks. They are very sturdy, obviously well made and I cannot recommend them highly enough. My friend has a set of Opticron binoculars which cost vastly more and was amazed when we compared them. I laughed, he cried.

Excellent Binoculars

I bought these binoculars after seeing some excellent reviews. They are way better than my budget binoculars. Frankly, I was shocked at how much better they are. I don't have a ton of experience with binoculars but I know good optics through my photography experience. I got the 8x42 binoculars. The field of view is great for general use and especially birding. The optics are sharp and bright allowing me to clearly see a barred owl perching and hunting in the low light just after sunset. I could not see this activity with any clarity with the naked eye. I noticed some color fringing on a couple of occasions but a slight shift of my eye cleared it right up. I would highly recommend these binoculars and they are an excellent value.

Excellent Value!

I just bought these amazing Celestron 8x42 binoculars and am astounded at the quality, finish, and comfort of these optical wonders at this price point! I use optical aide for both nature (birding) as well as astronomy and I own several pairs of binoculars as well as telescopes for both hobbies. These binoculars are lightweight, have excellent optical clarity, and excellent eye relief (I wear glasses), they are achromatic and glare-free, and feel great in the hand when observing the night skies and birds. They compare very favorably with my Swarovski 8.5 x 42 mm binoculars, and the only significant difference I see between these two binocular brands is the edge-of-field sharpness, which is better in the Swarovskies (however, those are also 3x the price!). For the ... MoreI just bought these amazing Celestron 8x42 binoculars and am astounded at the quality, finish, and comfort of these optical wonders at this price point! I use optical aide for both nature (birding) as well as astronomy and I own several pairs of binoculars as well as telescopes for both hobbies. These binoculars are lightweight, have excellent optical clarity, and excellent eye relief (I wear glasses), they are achromatic and glare-free, and feel great in the hand when observing the night skies and birds. They compare very favorably with my Swarovski 8.5 x 42 mm binoculars, and the only significant difference I see between these two binocular brands is the edge-of-field sharpness, which is better in the Swarovskies (however, those are also 3x the price!). For the mid-priced binocular user, I dont think you will find a better pair of excellent binoculars than the Celestron TrailSeekers in terms of build, comfort, and optical quality.

Excellent replacement by Celestron

The Eagle Optics Rangers by Celestron was a very well made, moderately priced roof prism binocular for general outdoor & birding activities. Eagle Optics Inc. closed its doors a few years ago and the Rangers were no longer available. Celestron has produced a very good replacement for the Rangers in the form of the TrailSeeker ED binoculars. As with the Rangers, the TrailSeekers are nitrogen purged (waterproof) and armor coated. Their specs are close to the Rangers. Close focus is around 6.5 feet whereas the Rangers were at 5.3 feet. Other specs have generally the same small differences. The optics are quite sharp and clear, acceptable for general birding. Celestron has also reduced the price from the Rangers ($380+/-) to $270 +/- for the TrailSeekers.Overall, the ... MoreThe Eagle Optics Rangers by Celestron was a very well made, moderately priced roof prism binocular for general outdoor & birding activities. Eagle Optics Inc. closed its doors a few years ago and the Rangers were no longer available. Celestron has produced a very good replacement for the Rangers in the form of the TrailSeeker ED binoculars. As with the Rangers, the TrailSeekers are nitrogen purged (waterproof) and armor coated. Their specs are close to the Rangers. Close focus is around 6.5 feet whereas the Rangers were at 5.3 feet. Other specs have generally the same small differences. The optics are quite sharp and clear, acceptable for general birding. Celestron has also reduced the price from the Rangers ($380+/-) to $270 +/- for the TrailSeekers.Overall, the TrailSeeker is a fine field binocular and the lower price makes this binocular much more affordable.

Great Binoculars but Couple of Issues with B&H

Purchased at recommendation of NYTimes Wirecutter. They are excellent, but not as fabulous as my old, lost or stolen Zeiss 10X40s. The back harness was not a Celestron branded item (as shown on Celestron website) and the oculars safety cap was slightly broken but still quite usable. Still, I expect 100% on a (presumably) new item. I have made an inquiry with B&H but haven't heard back yet (holiday).

Outstanding Brightness, Clarity and Contrast

I've owned my Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker ED Binoculars for over a month now and am still amazed at their brightness, clarity and contrast. I've field tested them against my Swift Audubon 8.5x44 porro prisms with ED Glass, my Mirador Ultra Wide Angle 7x35 porro prisms with BAK-4 Prisms, My Nikon Action Extreme Wide Angle 7x35 and my Meade 8x42 MasterClass Pro ED. My Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker EDs were brighter than all of them! They were even brighter than the Meades with the exact same specifications, but it was close. I cannot say enough about what you get for your money for such an outstanding, high end instrument. Fully Multi-Coated Optics, ED Glass, Phase and Dielectric Coatings on the BAK-4 Prisms make all the difference. These binoculars take brightness, ... MoreI've owned my Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker ED Binoculars for over a month now and am still amazed at their brightness, clarity and contrast. I've field tested them against my Swift Audubon 8.5x44 porro prisms with ED Glass, my Mirador Ultra Wide Angle 7x35 porro prisms with BAK-4 Prisms, My Nikon Action Extreme Wide Angle 7x35 and my Meade 8x42 MasterClass Pro ED. My Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker EDs were brighter than all of them! They were even brighter than the Meades with the exact same specifications, but it was close. I cannot say enough about what you get for your money for such an outstanding, high end instrument. Fully Multi-Coated Optics, ED Glass, Phase and Dielectric Coatings on the BAK-4 Prisms make all the difference. These binoculars take brightness, clarity and contrast to another level. They are worth every penny and more. I am more than satisfied! Fantastic binoculars!!

Really impressive!

Took a shot in the dark on these I had never even heard of Celestron much less owned any but through a little research discovered they are well known in astronomy optics. I have a pair of Bushnell's currently that are incredibly useless, some of the darkest most unusable optics I've ever owned. So I started pricing around. Ended up ordering these trailseeker 10x42's. The packaging is very nice if it matters to you. The case and harness seem to be very nice quality but what blew me away was the optical clarity of these. I've owned many Leupold, Nikon, sightron, and vortex optics most of which In their mid range. These binoculars have that level of optics. I have not had them out hunting yet but they will this deer season so I can't report on the for proof/waterproof ... MoreTook a shot in the dark on these I had never even heard of Celestron much less owned any but through a little research discovered they are well known in astronomy optics. I have a pair of Bushnell's currently that are incredibly useless, some of the darkest most unusable optics I've ever owned. So I started pricing around. Ended up ordering these trailseeker 10x42's. The packaging is very nice if it matters to you. The case and harness seem to be very nice quality but what blew me away was the optical clarity of these. I've owned many Leupold, Nikon, sightron, and vortex optics most of which In their mid range. These binoculars have that level of optics. I have not had them out hunting yet but they will this deer season so I can't report on the for proof/waterproof claims as of yet but the clarity of these is way above what I expected for the money. Also the build quality seems very impressive they are not heavy but they don't feel plasticy probably because they are not but usually in this price point that's what you get. Just feel really solid in the hand and they are surprisingly compact for a 10x42. In short in impressed with the fact that I got much more than I expected which is a rare occurrence. I would buy them again.

Upgrade for a backyard birdwatcher.

My purchase of the 8x42 TrailSeeker ED was a bit of an upgrade for me. I'm very happy and satisfied that I did that. I guess I'm a 'backyard bird-watcher' that includes my front yard, too. I try to identify everything I see moving and these binoculars help me do that. I've had them less than a month and I'm sure I'll find other advantages besides the light weight, excellent light gathering and brilliant colors. I'm quite satisfied.

bright and handy

I selected this item because the reviews were excellent and they particularly praised bright visual field.I found that the review was correct. It has bright visual field and very good resolution. I own a Nikon Aculon A211 (10X42) which I bought several years ago. I liked the Nikon, but it is bulky and heavy. Besides it has a shoulder strap that cannot be easily removed. In that regard this Celestron is much more compact, light and easy on arms and hands. The shoulder strap does not need to be attached. Particularly for in-door birds viewing we don't need any shoulder strap.The Celestron's resolution and magnification are about the same as those of the Nikon. I believe that price of the Nikon is much lower than this Celestron. So if one goes by price alone, I ... MoreI selected this item because the reviews were excellent and they particularly praised bright visual field.I found that the review was correct. It has bright visual field and very good resolution. I own a Nikon Aculon A211 (10X42) which I bought several years ago. I liked the Nikon, but it is bulky and heavy. Besides it has a shoulder strap that cannot be easily removed. In that regard this Celestron is much more compact, light and easy on arms and hands. The shoulder strap does not need to be attached. Particularly for in-door birds viewing we don't need any shoulder strap.The Celestron's resolution and magnification are about the same as those of the Nikon. I believe that price of the Nikon is much lower than this Celestron. So if one goes by price alone, I would choose the Nikon, but convenience-wise, this Celestron is better. In particular if a child is to use, this one is more handy, and easy to maneuver.

xtra-sharp & bright w/ wide FO

Spent an unseemly amount of time researching binoculars before buying these for my fiance's birthday. They seemed like the best combination of options for the price point and a fair bit beyond. They are about the lighest in their class and have the widest field of view of any of the other 10x42s that I found. That part really helps especially when seeking out smaller subjects like birds. Other binoculars I tried had a hazy appearance unless the light was perfect these ones are much more forgiving for use under tree cover or on cloudy days. There's long eye relief and a good grip. It would be nice to have a higher quality case at this price point. My Nikon prostaff 3s cost less than half the price and have a nicer case. But, you're not buying these for the case ... MoreSpent an unseemly amount of time researching binoculars before buying these for my fiance's birthday. They seemed like the best combination of options for the price point and a fair bit beyond. They are about the lighest in their class and have the widest field of view of any of the other 10x42s that I found. That part really helps especially when seeking out smaller subjects like birds. Other binoculars I tried had a hazy appearance unless the light was perfect these ones are much more forgiving for use under tree cover or on cloudy days. There's long eye relief and a good grip. It would be nice to have a higher quality case at this price point. My Nikon prostaff 3s cost less than half the price and have a nicer case. But, you're not buying these for the case you're buying them for the excellent optics and for that they are a perfect choice I would definitely buy Celestron trailseekers again. They may have spoiled me for anything lower quality.B&H shipped quickly and I had them in time for my partner's birthday and she loves them even more than I do.