Reddit reviews Nikon 7245 Action 10x50 EX Extreme All-Terrain Binocular

Just did a bunch of binocular research last year. I was looking for a pair for similar things as you, though mostly stargazing and hiking. Personally, I wound up buying a pair of Pentax PCF II 10x50s, which are waterproof, well-built, steady, sharp, and ~$150.

8x vs 10x is a personal thing. I'd heard people say 10x was harder to hold still, but I found the difference there to be negligible and the extra magnification very nice to have. I'd go to a store and try out models that come in both magnifications (e.g. comparable 8x and 10x Nikons or something) to figure out which you like more and what you can hold steady comfortably. The field-of-view difference is there, sure, but again it's a matter of taste; to me, 5º for my set vs 6.5º for some others wasn't a deal-breaker.

It sounds like you're leaning towards mostly daytime use, which makes things a little easier, because the other big variable with binoculars is the exit pupil (= objective diameter / magnification), which controls how much light gets to your eyeballs. For the same magnification, a bigger objective size gives you more light-gathering power at the expense of more size & weight (& cost, usually). As an example, "standard" 7x35 binoculars have an exit pupil of ~5 mm, which is a good balance of weight and dusk-time visibility. 7x50s, on the other hand, sometimes get called "night glasses" because they're so much better at gathering light than your eyes that they really bring out detail well in crappy lighting. If you're going to be using these exclusively during the day, you could get away with a 4mm exit pupil, but I'd consider something larger if you're thinking about astronomy use or if you might be attending night-time games (especially poorly-lit high school or collegiate games).

So, in your 8x vs. 10x case, that means your choices are really 8x40 and 10x50 in a 5mm, or 8x56 and 10x60 in a 6mm. There's lots of good pairs in all of those categories; I'd skip the 7mm-exit-pupil pairs, since they get heavy fast at 8x or 10x. Generally you get better quality at a lower price point with porto-prism binoculars than roof-prism pairs, so that's a consideration, though the Monarchs are consistently well reviewed (they were also above my own price-point). Nikon does make a very-well regarded pair called the Action Extremes, though. I'd also look into Pentax and Oberwerk models. Oh, and if you wear glasses, make sure you get something with adequate eye relief so you don't have to pop your glasses or shades on and off every time you want to use the binoculars.

Good hunting! =)

These tend to get a lot of praise as really good Binoculars for Astronomy. Thinking about buying a pair myself.

Nikon Action EX

For hiking you can do a lot worse that a pair of compact lightweight birding bins such as the Celestron Nature 8x42s. They're waterproof and rugged and the 8x42 will give you a nice bright, wide field of view for birding and landscape vistas.

If you want them more for Astronomy purposes, I'd recommend a 10x50. However unless you're quite experienced at using bins you might get a bit of distracting hand shake with that much power. You can remedy that with a cheap retractable monopod but that's one more thing to carry. My personal favorite 10x50s are my Pentax SP's, which I find myself using more often than any of my scopes.

The Nikon Action Series is also a very popular budget bin.

The simple solution is to select binoculars which can be used without removing your glasses. Specifically, binoculars which have long eye-relief. If the eye-relief is too short your glasses will prevent you from placing your eye close enough to the eyepiece in order to see the entire field of view.

Manufacturer-listed eye relief measurements aren't always accurate, but typically you want at least 16mm to ensure compatibility while wearing glasses.

For example, I own a pair of Nikon AE 10x50 binoculars (17.2 mm listed eye relief) and I can use them comfortably and see the entire available field of view without removing my glasses.

Edit: The same concept applies to telescope eyepieces.

My guess would be that the cost of making one is much higher than the expected demand for that product making it uneconomical to pursue. Nikon for example makes high quality binoculars as well as camera lenses and they haven't made a cross over.


I think it comes down to the quality of the optics. With binoculars, you only need the center of the image to be in focus for your eyes, since you can only focus on one spot at a time. Also, your eyes have a much smaller focal point then say a camera image sensor, and your natural lens can do some focal adjustments that would need to be mechanical for a camera.


I found this Nikon 7245 binoculars which have a 50mm objective and a magnification power of 10x. To get the same "zoom" with a camera lens, you would need a 500mm lens which has a massive amount of glass, weights a ton, and costs thousands. Of course, the camera lens will give you an image where the entire field of view, from corner to corner is sharp, which the binoculars can't.

Nikon 7245 Action 10x50 EX Extreme All-Terrain Binocular https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001HKIK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lwSzyb9FMP803

I use http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7245-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIK4 Nikon 10x50, works great. You can not see details on Jupiter tho.

For these binoculars, should I go for the 7x50 or the 10x50?

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7245-Extreme-All-Terrain-Binocular/dp/B0001HKIK4

If you're going real cheap(almost disposable), Celestron Upclose, or anything that's 1)not zoom, and 2) not ruby coated. Better yet is preferabley fully multi-coated with BaK-4 Prisms. Optics is one area where more money can definitely buy you much better veiws.
But really one sweet spot is the Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 for $130(but NOT the plain Action).
Nikon AE 10x50

You might also consider the $15 Galileoscope.

Are these the ones you're talking about? They do sound nice, and well within the OP's price range at around $140:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7245-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIK4/

(not an affiliate link, just being helpful!)

Less than $200 CAD would get you a nice pair of binoculars.

https://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Action-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIJK/

If you can bump the budget to $328 CAD (overpriced but I only did a quick search), you can get 10x50 which is a little more magnification to bring out some of the Messier objects in more detail.

https://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Action-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIK4/