The Bottom Line: A good pair of multipurpose binoculars at a reasonable price. But birders will want a different size and better optics for viewing birds in dim light.

We like to birdwatch here in Delaware. While this small state is mostly known for chemicals and agriculture, there is a famous migratory sanctuary, Bombay Hook National Bird Sanctuary. Waterfowl of all types migrate down the coast here, and we wanted a wider view binocular to take in the sights. We also see birds and other wildlife from our back window, and it's nice to keep a pair of binoculars on the table for a quick peek at a new bird.

The Bushnell 10X50 are relatively inexpensive. They are a multi-purpose binoculars, can be used for sports, hunting, or birding, though birders often have recommendations for other sizes of binoculars, like 8X40's or 7X42 which are lighter and quicker to use. And maybe a bit brighter. But we do a lot of different things, sports, outdoors sightseeing, and we wanted a bit larger magnification. So bear that in mind, if you are strictly a birder, you'd want to invest MORE on a BETTER and BRIGHTER pair of binoculars, especially to see birds in trees, where they are obscured by shadows. For us, out on the seashore or bay, these suit our purpose.

Feature and Specifications

Magnification: 10x
Objective lens: 50 millimeters
Focus system: InstaFocus (move lever on top)
Prism system: Porro
Lens coating: Fully-coated
Field of view (at 1000 yards): 300 feet
Close focus: 25 feet
Exit pupil: 5 millimeters
Eye relief: 9
Eyecups: Fold down
Weight: 27 ounces
Waterproof/fogproof: No
Adaptable to tripod: No
Comes with accessories: Carrying case and neck strap
Warranty: 2 years
Rubber coated, but NOT waterproof

We found these to be average in optics--there is a bit of chromatic aberration (color fringing) around the edges of the field. In dimmer light, this is not as apparent. The lenses mist in bad weather (no anti-fog coating.)

The strap is inferior thin plastic; if you are going to wear these around your neck, you'll want to replace this thin plastic strap with some nylon webbing.

The focus bar works quickly and easily. The adjustment spreads the binoculars apart for wide-set eyes and down far enough for my relatively narrow-set eyes. There are fold down eye-cups to accommodate your eyeglasses.

The rubberized coating makes for comfortable use. But be sure to note these are not gasketed and waterproof. The rubberized coating just protects the surface. So if you do boating, duck hunting in marshes, or other water activities, you might want a waterproof pair instead.

For night use, we did look at a lunar eclipse and at Mars when it had a close orbit to Earth. While not a night 'scope, these worked well enough for back-porch astronomy of the casual kind.

Conclusion

These are inexpensive, reasonably bright binoculars of average optical quality--they are not Leicas or Swarovskis or Zeiss and the optics show this. But for the price, these are fine to tote around for various outdoor uses. If you are serious about birdwatching, however, you will want a better pair in a more birdwatching standard size such as 8X40. By the way, in binoculars, the first number (here, it's a 10) is the magnification, and the second number is how large the objective lens is in millimeters (here, 50 across.)