6 Best Binoculars Under $300 of 2024

Whether for sightseeing, birdwatching, stargazing, or hunting, a pair of binoculars is a must have item for your hobbies. There are a lot of binoculars under $300 on the market, you may be confused about which one will fit you. So I write this review to help you.

Here are the best binoculars under 300 (Apr 2024 Update):

• Best Overall: Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars
• Most Lightweight: Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 10x42 Binocular
• Best Weather-Proof: Bushnell Trophy Binocular
• Best For Stargazing: Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars
• Most Versatile: Nikon 8252 ACULON A211 10-22x50 Binocular
• Best For Eyeglass Wearers: Athlon Optics Midas Roof Prism UHD Binoculars

Best Overall: Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars

Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars

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Vortex Optics Diamondback has a standard magnification power for general purposes like sightseeing or hunting - 10 times. Great things about this binoculars are the innovative design and the high-quality prism system. It has a sleek, short hinge design that is easier for small hands to hold it, with rubber armor and thumb indents for a more secure, non-slip grip.

The lenses are made from dielectric material, and are multi-coated to transmit more light, providing you with sharper and brighter images.

Vortex Optics Diamondback has multi-position eyecups that allow you to adjust it to fit your preferences. The eye relief distance is medium - 16 mm, comfortable enough for eyeglass wearers. It is also featured with a right eye diopter, so you can adjust the focusing for each eye individually.

Besides, argon purging and rubber armor ensure the binoculars are 100% waterproof and fog proof.

The field of view is medium - 273 feet/1000 yards (5.1 degrees). But the objective lenses are quite small - just 28 mm, which means the lenses would allow less light to go through, and you won’t be able to see in low-light condition. This is quite a big drawback. However, for general-purpose, Vortex Optics Diamondback is still my favorite so far.

Most Lightweight: Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 10x42 Binocular

Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 10x42 Binocular

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Nikon has some of the most lightweight binoculars on the market. Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 is one of them, with only 1.35 lbs and a compact design that will fit into your palm. Bring it along with your hiking or hunting trips.

Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5's lenses are something that has to be mentioned. Nikon calls it the premium ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) Glass that is fully multicoated for more light transmission, providing you with a sharper, clearer and more brilliant view.

For your convenience, Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 is featured with Turn-and-Slide rubber eyecups, an extended eye relief distance, a smooth central focus knob, and flip-down lens caps. It is also waterproof, fog proof for extreme weather conditions.

Nikon 7577 MONARCH 5 has a medium field of view and doesn’t come with an eye right diopter, which is a big minus since its price is quite high.

Best Weather-Proof: Bushnell Trophy Binocular

Bushnell Trophy Binocular

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If you are about to have a long hunting trip in some extreme place, you’ll need a heavy-duty binoculars. Just need to look at the design, you’ll know Bushnell Trophy Binocular is made especially for pro hunters.

It has a rugged construction with textured, non-glare, non-slip rubber armor that absorbs shock and gives you a confident grip. It meets IPX-7 waterproof standard, 100% waterproof/fog-proof even when exposed to water.

It has a standard prism system, with 10x42 lenses - 10 times of magnification power, and 42 mm of objective lenses for more light to go through. The BAK-4 prisms are made of lead-free glass and fully multi-coated for extended light transmission. No kinds of environment can create difficulties for you with Bushnell Trophy Binocular.

It has a very wide field of view - 330 feet/1000 yards (6.2 degrees), making it’s much easier for fast-tracking the prey while hunting. Bushnell Trophy Binocular also comes with a large center focus knob and 2-step twist-up eyecups for more convenience for users.

However, the eye relief distance is only 15.2 mm and there is no eye right diopter, making it difficult for eyeglass wearers to use it.

Best For Stargazing: Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars

Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars

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If you want to view the sky at night, to observe those beautiful stars, you will need binoculars with a massive magnification power and giant objective lenses. Celestron SkyMaster is the one - it has a 20x80 prism system, allowing to view an object 20 times closer, and maximizing the light going through the prism.

The multi Coated optics provides you with an ultra-sharp focus across the field of view. The field of view is quite narrow, only 195 feet at 1000 yards, but this is not a big deal since the binoculars are designed only for terrestrial or astronomical viewing

Besides, Celestron SkyMaster is covered with rubber for a comfortable and secure grip. The eye relief distance is very long, 18 mm, which is ideal for eyeglass wearers.

Most Versatile: Nikon 8252 ACULON A211 10-22x50 Binocular

Nikon 8252 ACULON A211 10-22x50 Binocular

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Nikon 8252 ACULON A211 must be the cheapest but high-quality zoom binoculars on the market. It has a Zoom Lever that allows fast magnification changes from 10x to 22x. You can use it for muli-purposes.

The Eco-Glass lenses are multicoated to deliver a bright and clear view. The objective lenses are 50mm in diameter, allowing more light to go through the prism. The binoculars work great in dark environments.

Nikon 8252 ACULON A211 also has turn-and-slide Rubber Eyecups and a durable rubber-armored coating for more convenient.

However, other specs are not so good. Narrow field of view - 199 feet at 1000 yards, short eye relief - 8.6mm at 10-time magnification.

Best For Eyeglass Wearers: Athlon Optics Midas Roof Prism UHD Binoculars

Athlon Optics Midas Roof Prism UHD Binoculars

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Athlon Optics Midas's lenses are made from ED Glass with no fringe. They are ESP dielectric coated that helps reflect nearly 100% of the light through the prism system. The lenses are also fully multi-coated which gives you better light transmission. The result is that you'll get a sharp, clear, bright, and color-accurate view through the binoculars.

Athlon Optics Midas has a very wide field of view - 426 feet at 1000 yards (8.1 degrees). A medium magnification power - 8x. And standard objective lenses - 42 mm. An argon purging system ensures that the binoculars is 100% waterproof and thermally stable.

Athlon Optics Midas has a long eye relief, 17.2 mm, allows eyeglass wearers to see the entire field of view, and twist-up eyecups for more comfort of use. It is also equipped with a right eye diopter for you to adjust the focusing for each eye individually, which allows you to use the binoculars without eyeglasses.

How To Choose The Best Binoculars Under $300?

First, you need to understand some important specs of a binocular.

• Magnification power: The first number you need to care about. If your purpose is sightseeing or hunting, 8x - 10x is sufficient. If you want to watch the sky at night, you may need above 20x binoculars.

• Objective lens: The bigger it is, the more light that can go through the lenses, and the brighter the image is. 42mm is the standard number for a general-purpose pair of binoculars.

• Field of View: This is the longest distance from the last surface of the binoculars to the user’s eyes. Within this distance, you can get the full viewing angle.

• Eye relief: This is the maximum distance from left to right of the scene that you can see at 1000 yards through the binoculars. It can be measured by degrees, which is the same as when measured by feet.

Other features that you should consider are Eyecups (for more comfortable), Right eye diopter (for near/far-sighted people), Waterproof and shockproof.

Which Brands Make The Best Binoculars Under $300?

Vortex Optics

• Vortex was founded in 1986, and remain an American owned, Veteran owned, and Family owned company. They produce lines of scopes, including riflescopes, red dots, and binoculars.
• With the philosophy "The Customer is King", Vortex really cares about customers. They offer a great unconditional and unlimited VIP Warranty that can cover a very wide range of problems.

Athlon Optics

• ATHLON is an American optics and outdoor accessory distributor. They have good quality products with competitive prices, from binoculars, riflescopes, red dots, to rangefinders. They have an innovative engineering design team, strategically cooperate with quality manufacturers, and have developed a streamlined fully integrated supply chain.

Nikon

• Nikon, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the biggest optics and imaging brands in the world. They make all kinds of optics products, such as binoculars, lenses, cameras, microscopes and rifle scopes.
• The best things about the Nikon lens are the sharpness and color-accuracy of images, ideal for those want to birdwatching, sightseeing, or stargazing.

FAQs

Conclusion

With $300 you can find a really good pair of binoculars for all kinds of purposes. Hope that my article can help you to choose the suitable one.