Best value compact binoculars

If you are looking for compact binoculars and don’t mind giving up a little of that “compactness”, your best bang for your optical buck is still one of the oldest compact binoculars design, namely the reverse porro prism. I’ve recommended several of these best value compact binoculars to friends and they all love them. These include the Nikon Travelite 8x25, the Pentax 8x25 UCF X II, the Nikon 8x25 Prostaff, the Bushnell Legend Ultra 8x26, the Vortex Vanquish 8x26 and more. Can’t bet any of them for the price.

For those that want to go right to the top in this binocular design, though, you get the awesome Bushnell Elite 7x26 Custom Comapct, formerly the Bushnell Custom Compact 7x26 which replaced the original in the Bausch & Lomb 7x26 Custom Compact. In terms of optics and build quality, any version the Bushnell Custom Compact binocular will please the fussiest optical purist and do it at only a fraction of the cost of those much more expensive premium roof prism compact binoculars. I know, because I own a whole case full of expensive roof prism compact binoculars as well as the original Bausch & Lomb Custom Compact 7x26 (in mint condition, mind you). Yup, I still love using my Custom Compact and, no, it is not for sale.