The Best Pocket Binoculars You Should Consider in 2023

Whether you enjoy observing wildlife such as animals, birds and bugs, or want to be able to sightsee or enjoy stunning views in greater detail whilst on the move, compact binoculars will allow you to do just that.

Designed to be easily transported for use on the go, lightweight pocket binoculars are ideal for taking hiking, sightseeing or indeed along with you on any outdoor pursuit where small binoculars that aren’t too cumbersome will allow you to enjoy your surroundings in greater detail whilst not weighing you down.

Often called mini binoculars, compact binoculars can be tricky to design as they need to offer a perfect balance between portability and performance. This means that they need large enough lenses to allow as much light as possible to get to your eyes, whilst being as compact as possible so that they can be comfortably worn around your neck or in a pocket or small backpack. Optical manufacturers are continually improving their designs to offer great compact binoculars that produce sharper images with low dispersion, crystal clear images in a sturdy body.

There’s a whole range of compact binoculars on the market, from cheap binoculars that won’t be much better than your naked eye, to high end binoculars that will produce bright, clear images and open up a whole new world of observing. In this guide we’ve done the hard work for you and put together a list of the best compact binoculars on the market right now. Take a look at our range of mini binoculars below where we’ve considered key factors such as optical quality, lens size, weight, low light performance and durability when putting together our list of the best small binoculars available in 2023 in a range of different price brackets. As part of our round up we’ve also suggested a couple of mid sized binoculars that are still quite compact but offer more of a compromise between lens size and light gathering ability and have a slightly larger lens for use in low light.

Our Top 10 Choices for Compact Binoculars

• Zeiss Victory Pocket 10x25 Binoculars
• Vortex Diamondback HD 8x28 Binoculars
• Vanguard Vesta 10x25 Binoculars
• Olympus 10x25 WP II Binoculars
• Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 DCF Binoculars
• Tasco OffShore 10x25 Binoculars
• Nikon Aculon T02 8x21 Binoculars
• Bushnell H2O 2 10x25 Roof Binoculars
• Kowa SV-32 II 8x32 Binoculars
• Vixen Apex 12x30 DCF Binoculars

Zeiss Victory Pocket 10x25 Binoculars

Arguably the best pocket binoculars on the market right now, these awesome compact binoculars from Zeiss come with a high price tag but once you put them to your eyes you can see why! Built with exceptionally good quality low dispersion SCHOTT fluoride glass, these mini binoculars produce sharper images than many of their 25mm counterparts on the market. Thanks to their lightweight and compact format these awesome binoculars even fit in small jacket pockets, and are so light that you will hardly know they are there.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• SCHOTT fluoride glass produces 91% light transmission
Small and compact
ZEISS T* multilayer coating
Asymmetrical bridge for compact design
LotuTec weather resistant coating
• Waterproof
• 2.5mm exit pupil diameter
• 105m field of view
• 16.5mm eye relief
• 1.9m close focus
• 290g

Pros:

• Wide field of view for the magnification
• Very lightweight
• Exceptional quality, multi coated optics
• Good close focus
• The unique folding design allows for a small inter pupillary distance which is great if you have a small face, close set eyes or are a child

Cons:

• Not the cheapest binoculars on the market
• Not the best eye relief but still quite adequate for most

Vortex Diamondback HD 8x28 Binoculars

Featuring high definition glass, these awesome binoculars from Vortex have good sized 28mm lenses that offer a perfect balance between compactness and brightness. Waterproof and durable, you can trust them to perform in all conditions. And if they don’t? They’re covered by the very best warranty on the market.

Key Features:

• 8x magnification
• 28mm objective lenses
• High definition glass
• Waterproof
• Fully multi-coated lenses
• Dielectric multi-layer prism coatings
• ArmorTek ® scratch-resistant coating
• 18mm eye relief
• 2.8mm exit pupil
• 2.4m close focus
• 101m field of view
• 396g

Pros:

• Lenses are on the larger size for compact binoculars which provides a good balance between weight and brightness
• Exceptional Vortex warranty
• HD glass for bright and clear images
• Good eye relief
• Wide field of view

Cons:

• On the heavier side

Vanguard Vesta 10x25 Binoculars

Relatively new to the Vanguard line, the Vesta binoculars were designed to fill a gap in the market for an affordable waterproof compact binocular. Fully multicoated 25mm lenses offer a pretty wide field of view and they have a nice lightweight design.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• Fully multi-coated lenses
• Waterproof
• 2.5mm exit pupil
• 10mm eye relief
• 110m field off view
• 2.5m close focus
• 236g

Pros:

• Low price
• Wide field of view
• Good weight

Cons:

• Limited eye relief

Olympus 10x25 WP II Binoculars

From the well regarded Olympus brand, these 25mm binoculars offer a waterproof design, a wide field of view and bright, clear images due to numerous coatings. A great option for all outdoor pursuits.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• Phase coating for better colour fidelity
• Waterproof
• 1.5m close focus
• 12mm eye relief
• 114m field of view
• 260g

Pros:

• Wide field of view
• Rubber armoured and durable

Cons:

• Short eye relief

Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 DCF Binoculars

Great for keeping in your coat pocket or around your neck, the Sportstar binoculars from Nikon are great for travel and more. Pretty lightweight, they’re waterproof too.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• Waterproof
• 86m field of view
• 10mm eye relief
• 3m close focus
• 2.5m exit pupil

Pros:

• Waterproof
• Folding design for easy transport

Cons:

• Minimal eye relief
• Field of view could be wider

Tasco OffShore 10x25 Binoculars

The Tasco Offshore compact binoculars are a great entry level model for people who want waterproof mini binoculars that don’t cost too much. They have a decent field of view so will be good for scanning the landscape.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• Waterproof
• Fully multicoated optics
• 2.5mm exit pupil
• 9.3mm eye relief
• 108m field of view
• 6m close focus
• 284g

Pros:

• Waterproof
• Good quality for their price
• Not too heavy

Cons:

• On the lower end of the quality range so optics won’t be as good as higher priced models but they’re good for their price bracket
• Very short eye relief so no good for glasses wearers

Nikon Aculon T02 8x21 Binoculars

The Nikon Aculon compact binoculars come in a range of colours and make a great gift for someone who’s about to go on a traveling adventure like a city break.

Key Features:

• 8x magnification
• 21mm objective lenses
• Come in a range of colours
• 2.6mm exit pupil
• 110m field of view
• 3m close focus
• 10mm eye relief
• 195g

Pros:

• The different colours add some novelty to them making them a great gift
• Very lightweight and compact

Cons:

• Not waterproof
• Minimal eye relief

Bushnell H2O 2 10x25 Roof Binoculars

Designed for use on or near water, you can trust the Bushnell H2O binoculars to stand up to even the harshest conditions on your next tramp. Easy and comfortable to use and hold, the soft texture rubber coating on these binoculars allows for a sure grip even when you’re wearing gloves. A dual-hinge bridge allows you to fold these binoculars to make them even smaller in size when you’re carrying them.

Key Features:

• 10x magnification
• 25mm objective lenses
• Waterproof
• Dual-hinge bridge
• 107m field of view
• 2.5mm exit pupil
• 10mm eye relief
• 5m close focus
• 303g

Pros:

• Durable and waterproof
• Good field of view
• Foldable design to fit in pockets

Cons:

• A bit heavier than some models
• Minimal eye relief

Kowa SV-32 II 8x32 Binoculars

The Kowa SV32 binoculars have slightly larger, mid sized lenses than the other models suggested here. If you’re looking for a binocular that will produce slightly brighter images and a wider field of view and don’t mind a little extra weight then these are a great option.

Key Features:

• 8x magnification
• 32mm objective lenses
• Waterproof
• 4mm exit pupil
• 148m field of view
• 4m close focus
• 15mm eye relief
• 564g

Pros:

• Wide field of view
• Mid sized lenses for brighter views
• Longer eye relief than some models

Cons:

• Larger lenses make them heavier

Vixen Apex 12x30 DCF Binoculars

These awesome mid sized binoculars are made in Japan and offer fantastic quality of glass for their price. They have a slightly higher magnification than the other binoculars we’ve suggested so they’ll get you up close with things of interest.

Key Features:

• 12x magnification
• 30mm objective lenses
• Waterproof
• Adjustable eye cups
• Rubber armoured for a firm grip
• Made in Japan
• 12mm eye relief
• 2.5mm exit pupil
• 73m field of view
• 5m close focus
• 270g

Pros:

• Fantastic Japanese glass
• Waterproof
• Higher magnification than some other brands for a closer view
• Mid sized 30mm lenses to balance out magnification and let in more light

Cons:

• Minimal eye relief so not great if you wear glasses

What to Consider When Choosing Compact Binoculars

Let’s take a look at the key features to consider when choosing mini pocket binoculars. You can also read our full guide to compact binoculars here. 

Weight and size

When it comes to travel, hiking or even just being outdoors, the amount of weight that you are carrying can be a really important factor. After all, nobody wants to be carrying an extra kilogram or two in weight just to transport their binoculars if they don’t need to. When choosing compact binoculars pay close attention to their weight and go for the lightest weight possible whilst not compromising on the lens size too much. A great balance can be a lens size of around 25mm or 28mm. Don’t be fooled in to thinking that all binoculars with the same size lenses weigh the same, as design, material quality and construction all play an important factor in weight and it can be surprising how varied the weights of similar sounding binoculars can be.

Magnification

In general, the best magnification for compact travel binoculars is either 8x or 10x. This is because their small size limits the size of their objective lenses and magnifications any higher than these, when coupled with small, 20mm to 30mm lenses will have a very minimal field of view and small exit pupil which will result in restricted, pretty dark and views. If you decide to go for a slightly larger 30mm or 32mm lens then you can get a way with slightly more magnification. 


Strap

Compact binoculars are nice and lightweight and easy to carry around your neck as long as you have a decent neck strap. Ensure that any binoculars you purchase come with a carry strap and a carry bag. Rest assured that all of our suggestions come with both of these. 


Prism type

There are two types of binocular design; porro prism and roof prism. Porro Prisms are the more old fashioned way of designing binoculars. Due to the positioning of the internal prisms that make up their construction, roof prisms tend to be narrower and more compact than the alternative and more traditional porro prism design. Due to this, compact binoculars pretty much always use the roof prism design to keep size and weight to a minimum.


Lens coatings

To help binocular lenses and prisms to direct as much light as possible to your eyes they have a special coating added to them. Some cheap binoculars only have one coating added to their lenses, whereas other, higher end binoculars have multiple coatings of very high qualities added to their lenses. In general, the better quality and the more coatings binoculars have applied to them, the better correction the lenses have for light deflection and colour. Always opt for fully multicoated optics and choose those with phase correction where possible. 


Objective lens size

The front lenses (furthest from your eyes) of a binocular are called their objective lenses. Objective lenses come in a variety of different sizes from mini 20mm lenses through to huge 80mm lenses. In general, the larger the lenses, the more light the binoculars can take in and the brighter the images they produce are. In addition, binoculars with larger lenses also perform better in lower light conditions. Unfortunately, with lens size comes weight and bulkiness. That is, the larger the lenses, the heavier and larger the binoculars will be. Due to this, binocular users are continually having to compromise between lens size and weight. For people looking for compact binoculars to use on the move, it’s important to look for some that are pretty mini in design and are easy to transport and lightweight. In general, the best objective lens size for compact binoculars for hiking, sightseeing and travel is somewhere between 20mm and 30mm in diameter.

When choosing the best objective lens size, glass quality is also an important factor to keep in mind. The better the quality of the glass, the more light binoculars will be able to take in and direct to the eye. This means that in many cases, binoculars with smaller lenses of a higher quality, may perform better than those of a lower quality with larger lenses.

Glass

Binoculars come in many different price brackets with plenty of choices depending on how much you wish to spend. The main governing factor that dictates the cost of binoculars is the quality of the glass that they are constructed with. That is, the better the quality of the glass, the more expensive they will be. But with binoculars you definitely get what you pay for so we always suggest getting the very best quality glass that you can afford. But what constitutes good glass and how can you tell the different types of glass apart? The main things to look for are BaK4 glass at the very least, or the even better quality HD (also known as XD) and UDH glass if you can afford it. These different types of glass will each have different light gathering and reflection levels. The aim is to get the very best quality glass so that it has as little internal reflection as possible and directs as much light as possible to your eyes for the sharpest, brightest and clearest views. In addition, the coating used on the binoculars glass also effects their performance.

Best Pocket Binoculars FAQs 


What is a good magnification for compact binoculars?

The best magnification for compact binoculars is usually either 8x or 10x. This offers a great balance of magnification, field of view and exit pupil. If you were to go any higher with the magnification with such small objective lenses, you’d loose brightness as the exit pupil would shrink a lot. In addition, the images may suffer more from handshake.

What are the best compact binoculars for bird watching?

If you plan on buying binoculars purely for bird watching then we’d suggest opting for either full sized binoculars with a configuration of 8x42, or if you want a bit less weight then something like a mid sized 8x30. This is because these binoculars will let in more light and will usually offer a slightly wider field of view too which is great for scanning the landscape to look for birds. If you want to buy binoculars for tramping or hiking that can be used for general observation, enjoying views and looking at the occasional bird whilst you’re there, then compact binoculars are a great option as they’re designed to be lightweight so you won’t have as much to carry. If you think that one of the things you’ll be most interested in whilst hiking is the bird life then we’d suggest opting for binoculars that are on the larger end of the compact range such as those with 28mm objective lenses as these will offer a good compromise.

Why choose compact binoculars?

Binoculars are a great addition to any walk, hike, travel trip, sightseeing adventure and more. But all of those things involve being on the move, so it’s unlikely you’ll want to be carrying any additional heavy equipment around with you all day. This makes compact binoculars a great choice for these types of activities. They offer a good balance between magnification, lens size and portability and won’t weigh you down. They’ll provide up close and clear views of the world around you that you wouldn’t have seen without them.


What do the numbers on compact binoculars mean?

Binoculars always have two numbers in their name. These are usually shown as something like 10x25. The first number always represents the magnification offered by the binoculars. This refers to how many times closer the binoculars will bring you to something compared to your naked eye. So these binoculars would bring something 10x closer than your eye. The second number always refers to the size of the front, objective lenses in mm. In this case it’s 25mm. Binoculars with 10x25 specifications are classed as compact binoculars as they have some of the smallest lenses available. You can read more about binocular basics here. 


What is the best size of binoculars?

Ordinarily, the size of a binocular refers to the size of their objective lenses. Binoculars with objective lenses of around 20mm-30mm are classed as compact, 30mm-40mm are classed as mid sized, and 40mm to 50mm are standard or full sized. Over 50mm starts to move in to the larger end of the scale and are often referred to as giant. The size of binocular you choose should be dependant on the activity you plan to do. This is because larger lenses let in more light that’s needed for some activities, but they’re also larger which is a downfall for some activities. If you want binoculars for bird watching or hunting then full sized binoculars are great. For astronomy you’ll need giant binoculars. For travel or hiking we’d suggest compact or mid sized binoculars.


How much should you spend on compact binoculars?

Sports optics such as compact binoculars come in a range of price brackets which are mainly affected by the quality of the binoculars construction and the materials used to make them. That means that the more you spend, in general, the better you can expect the binoculars to perform. We always suggest spending as much as you can reasonably afford on binoculars to get the very best you can. We also encourage you to take a good look at the binoculars specifications of two different binoculars that on the outside sound like they could be the same but have very different price tags so that you can decipher exactly what it is that causes that difference in price. You’ll often find that the lower priced one may have standard glass with only one lens coating and aren't waterproof, whereas the more expensive one may be fully waterproof, have fully multicoated lenses that are phase coated and more, and be built with high definition glass. In addition, the more expensive one will likely be much lighter. We’d suggest setting a budget and then trying to find a binocular in that budget that has the best quality of everything. If you want some help deciding which binocular offers the best value for money in a certain price range then let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

Where to Buy the Best Compact Binoculars?


If you’re looking for good compact binoculars that are lightweight, ergonomically designed, have bright, clear glass and are durable then you’re in the right place. All of our mini travel binoculars are brand new, sourced from the authorised NZ importer and come with a full New Zealand warranty. If non of the items above have taken your fancy today then you can check out all of our compact travel binoculars here. Or, if you’ve realised that you actually want some other, more standard sized binoculars for activities like bird watching or hunting, then you can check out our full range here. Our buyers guides for other activities are super helpful too.