Vortex Diamondback HD vs Vortex Viper HD

Binoculars look good all accessories were included but heavily concerned that the box I received was the retail box not a brown cardboard Amazon box, retail box was not sealed, anybody could have open the product and take or change the contents. This is an expensive item, vendor should be more careful on how they ship their product

Usually around $250 for solid optics and good warranty. But also I like the Nikon Monarch M5 or M7 (Check REI or B&H Photo for possible deals).

Best ratio of price to weight to magnification/scope. Happy to dive in further if requested.

I use a 85mm Vortex Razor HD for shorebirds and perched raptors. A 12x binocular is more comfortable to use and has a more pleasant, ‘bigger view’, but it isn’t going to compete with the sheer reach that a scope is capable of. I generally use my scope with a fixed 30x eyepiece, but if the atmospherics are right it can be very sharp over long distances up to 40x-45x with a zoom eyepiece.

And the Diamondback’s optics were brighter, bigger, and quicker to focus. The larger 8x36 Pentax are smaller than full sized binoculars, but heavier than the other two. They might gain a little more light in dim conditions? But the field of view of the Diamondback seemed almost as good or better than the larger pair. Every birder needs a bigger pair of 8x42 quality binoculars, like our older Pentax binocular that has continued to work well for many years

I found it difficult to see thru these binoculars. The field of view is small with blurry edges. The view improves if the eye cups are resting on my eyelids, but that leaves smears on the lenses. I tried it with the eye cups extended but then needed to press more firmly into my eye sockets, and still get smears when my eyes are close enough

At handheld 8x42 full zoom, these binocs' edge chroma is nothing compared to the image bounce. If you are a hiker, the size/weight is the real drawback. I'm satisfied I didn't fork out the $450 for the next better model.

Next I bought a vortex viper hd 8x42 and was very pleased. I sold it because I wanted something lighter and bought the Nikon monarch HG 8x42. The HG is great, lightweight and for about 800$ it’s pretty decent.