Vortex Optics Diamondback 10x42 Roof Prism Binocular

Excellent on all fronts. Love them.

This binocular from Vortex has very clear glass, the eyepieces have great eye relief (16mm) and the right-eye diopter placement worked absolutely perfectly for me. The compact design feels very good in hand and the middle finger of my right hand easily accessed and worked the center focus wheel as needed. With a good field of view (345 feet at 1000 yards) and an almost 3D quality true color view, we were impressed by the Vortex Diamondback 10 x 42 Binocular and would recommend it to others.This Vortex binocular is now on its way to a friend who is a world-class collegiate archer, as he wants to test against his Leopolds. I will return here to add comments from his review as completed, and offer the following from my week's worth of testing so far:To begin with, the binocular was shipped quickly in a well packed box, and arrived in perfect condition. The binoc comes with a rainguard, lens covers, carry strap and a semi-hard clamshell zippered carry case. The exterior of the binocs is made of a waterproof, rubberized green and black material that is very comfortable to hold, and the compact size adds to that comfort.Within just a few minutes I had the eye relief of both eyepieces adjusted to my liking, and then set the right-eye diopter to my vision needs. Very easy to do... so we headed out to the back forty. Right away we had a great test experience; we have a family of Barred Owls that live near the creek that runs through the property, and papa owl was sitting right there in a tree surveying the land (looking for dinner, we surmised). I was standing on a little hill, and Mr. Owl was in a tree about 40 yards away. Between us there were various trees and undergrowth, including a beautiful dogwood tree (purple/red fall time leaves) sitting in a small swale.With this Vortex Diamondback 10x42 binocular, I could see the fine detail of the owl's brown, gray and white feathers and seemingly peered right into the dark black pools that were his eyes. Very cool; like a staring match seeing who would blink first (am sure he won). Yet, with an easy turn of the center focus wheel I could back off of the owl and focus in quickly on the dogwood tree, seeing the vivid red-purple leaves, and every vein running through them. Even though the tree was 30 feet or so away, this binocular made it feel as if I could reach out and touch the leaves and small berries.That was my first experience with the Vortex Diamondback Binocular, and the rest of the day, the rest of the week, followed suit. Am very happy with the performance based on the following:* Clarity: Very good; better than any other binocular under $400 that I have experienced* Color: Absolutely true color came back to us through the lens* Ruggedness: The rubberized armor coating helps make them tough, but also makes them easy to hold* Water & fog proof: The lenses are multi-coated and the binoc is argon gas filled, so we had no fogging. Temps ranged from 68 to 16 on our test days* Design: Outstanding compact size, easily adjusting to the distance between my eyes, with controls that are easy to reach and use* Eye relief: One of the best features of all, allowing my eyes to have the space needed to see the full field of view* Field of view: Very good 345 feet at 1000 yards, or about 6.6 degrees* Size & weight: Just right for our needs at about 6 inches long, 5.5 inches from side to side, and just under 1.5 lbs* Warranty: You can't get better than a Lifetime Warranty...Having purchased other Vortex gear (such as their StrikeFire) and been impressed, this Vortex Diamondback 10x42 Binocular maintains the great Vortex track record.This binocular has a fantastic price-to-value ratio and you really have to spend some time comparing it to other units in order to gain full appreciation for how good a deal this is. The VIP Unconditional Lifetime Warranty coverage that Vortex provides also adds value; given that warranty, if an issue ever arises I will return here to update the review and let you know what the issue was and how resolution was handled. I did receive this binocular gratis from the manufacturer and put it to immediate use to objectively find out how well it performed. My statements here reflect that testing, and will be updated when the archery team finishes their review too.If you are looking for a 10x42, waterproof, fogproof, binocular of this style, size, power and price, for use similar to what I have described above, then I highly recommend this Vortex Diamondback 10x42 Binocular to you based on our experience with it. This binocular seems well built and easy to use, and has worked very well for me.Highly recommended. Go for it.(PS: By the way, the fleece hat is nice, soft & warm too)

Great ccompany! Superior quality! All I use!

I hunt for deer, pig, bear and turkey. After using a Bushnell 10 x 50 binocular for several years, I was looking for something more compact, lighter in weight, easier to hold the image, and not as heavy. I researched various manufacturers for several months before selecting the Vortex Diamondback. I just needed to determine whether I wanted the 8x32, 10x42 or 10x50 model.I happened to be at a large catalog retailer store and checked out all three. For me, the 10x42 was exactly what I needed. I couldn't believe the clarity of the optics in the store. But as we all know, the proof comes when you are out in the field.I just returned from pig hunting at Lake Sonoma in California. I put these binoculars through their paces from pre-dawn to dark. I have to say I was able to clearly see movement at distance approximately 45 minutes before sunrise. Throughout the day I was continually amazed at the clarity and ease of use. I was bow hunting, and with my bow in my left hand and the binoculars on a chest harness I was able to effortlessly hold the image still and focus with my right index finger to search under every tree and every clump of manzanita for pigs. I also was able to clearly see detail at distance after sunset, when I could not see detail by eye. In my humble opinion I would say that the low light capability of these binoculars is really good--good enough for this 52 year old hunter that has worn glasses since age 16!!!I was able to comfortably use these binoculars with the eye piece cups in all positions. I tested this just to make sure. I did find that It is easier for me to keep the rubber eye piece and objective lens covers in my day pack, rather than deal with putting them on/taking them off multiple times per day.Once you set the diopter you are good to go, with no further adjustments needed, other than focus for varying distance.These binoculars even have a threaded connection for a tripod, if you need to use one. I had previously asked this question on Amazon and had received several replies saying it didn't have a threaded connection, but when you read the instructions included with the binoculars, you will see that all you have to do is unscrew the cap located below the focus wheel--and there it is.The binoculars come with a very comfortable neck strap, rubber objective and eyepiece covers, and a nice zippered storage case with shoulder strap. The case is large enough to accommodate the binoculars with the chest harness attached. The binoculars are both fog-proof and waterproof.I read another review on Amazon that said these binoculars aren't as good as some $600-$1,500 models. Well, I wouldn't know about that and it might be true, but as a blue collar hunter, I was able to purchase these binoculars for under $200 on Amazon (the vendor had a screamin' deal), and this put me in to a whole new world of hunting! More scanning, less hiking, and more meat on the table!One major reason I decided on the Vortex Diamondback binoculars over other manufacturers is their unconditional lifetime warranty. I saw other manufacturers had a "limited lifetime" warranty. For me, if a manufacturer is willing to stand behind their product 100% unconditionally, I will choose them over the other "limited lifetime" manufacturers--100% of the time.In closing, if you are a hunter or outdoorsman that needs a high quality pair of binoculars at a very reasonable price, I very highly recommend you take the time to evaluate the Vortex Diamondback 10x42 binoculars. You will be pleased you did---year after year, after year, after year!!!!!!!!!!I purchased these for myself for the upcoming Christmas, and I can tell you that after using these binoculars while hunting, this will be a Christmas to remember!! I am serious-if you are a blue collar hunter like me without a lot of money to spend, GET THESE GLASSES---you will be very happy you did!

If your looking for binoculars that aren't overly expensive but a step up from average, these are good.