Pros: Breathtaking magnification in a light, compact and well built binocular.
Cons: Unavoidable shaking artifact decreases the detail of images at the higher magnifications.
The Bottom Line: Small, lightweight, with remarkable magnification. Despite the unavoidable shaking artifact, they still bring in distant objects with remarkable clarity.
stevehalaska's Full Review: Nikon Travelite V (8-24x25) Binocular
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I wanted a lightweight, compact but powerful binocular to bring distant scenery and animal life closer. It is fairly small, (in inches) 5.0 long x 2.75 wide x 2.2 thick. With the rather bulky padded case, the size increases to 5.75 x 5.0 x 3.25, with weight listed as 12.3 oz. The diopter adjustment is on the left eyepiece, and the zoom is over the right eyepiece, with the central focus in the middle. The zoom adjustment is a little stiff, but can be worked while looking through the eyepiece; the central focus (but not the diopter) has to be adjusted as the magnification changes. The zoom is continuous from the 8x to 24x, with no stops at a certain magnification. The binos are easy to hold, with appropriate molded in grips on the sides and center.
The zoom is just amazing. While in Yosemite, I saw a tree on a granite ridgeline that was just visible as a small dark protuberance with the naked eye, about 1-2 miles away. The 8x magnification enabled me to see it as a windblown pine tree, and with the 24x magnification I could count the branches. The binos work best is bright light, but during a very hazy dusk I could still make out hikers on El Capitan from about two miles away. The optics are remarkably clear, but any haziness in the air dims the clarity of the image at 24x. At the higher magnifications, it takes some skill to move the central focus the tiny amounts needed to get the image in focus; a less coarse central focus, or an alternate fine focus, would be helpful. It is sometimes necessary to find an object of interest with the lower power magnifications, and then adjust the zoom up as you keep sight of the object of interest, and then readjust the focus.
The major limitation at the higher magnifications is the amplification of any shaking, however minor, as one holds the binos. Even when I lay prone and braced my arms on the ground, there was still enough quiver to make fine detail in the image impossible at 24x. The shaking effect diminishes as the magnification decreases. I would have liked to have a lightweight monopod that I could stick in the ground and attach to the binos to really take advantage of the zoom power, but there is no appropriate site for attachment. However, the ability to see with such magnification, even if the fine detail is obscured by motion artifact, is still worth it.
A minor quibble is very loosely fitting caps for the eyepieces alone, and none for the field end. I would have like tight fitting caps on both ends and not have to take the case along to protect the lenses. Also, with the neck straps attached to the sides, the binos hang also perpendicular to the body and not straight down.
Advanced zoom control quickly goes from 8x to 24x magnification Multicoated optics BaK4 high-index prisms Compact rubber-coated design for easy grip Q...More at Amazon
The Nikon Sport Optics Travelite V 8x25 weighs in at nine ounces with a tough, rubberized body and fine Nikon optics, these compacts work as well on t...More at Rock Creek Outfitters
These binoculars have precisionground, multicoated optics with highindex BaK4 prisms in a lightweight design. Electronics > Optics > BinocularsMore at Cabela's
Features: Bright multicoated optics: Multiple layers of anti-reflective compounds offer excellent brightness and resolution. BaK4 high index prisms: ...More at Newegg.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.