Vortex Vanquish 8x26 Binocular

I have looked at a number of reverse porros through the years. 8x is pretty much the limit of use of these 25mm or 26mm pairs. I had a Nikon, very similar, but starting to be dim on cloudy days at 9x. The 10x of Vanquish or Nikon is definitely dim.

Sharpenss is good, fov is enough, though the wider the better. Scanning over the scenery is not quite as pleasant as with a bigger binocular, like a 8x32. But this fits in a coat pocket.

I need this for travel or short trips where water proof is needed, like canoeing.

After a search for binoculars that would be durable for use by children, the Vortex Vanquish seemed to fit the bill. The optics are superior and the armoring helps keep the little hands from destroying them.
They are a bit stiff so adults need to help the children adjust them but this is another advantage as the kids can't tear the binoculars up as easily. (previous less expensive 8x42s fell apart quickly)
A donor had Eagle Optics send us 32 pair, enough to supply one visiting classroom. I have used these for multiple lectures on binocular use and bird walks and many adults comment how much they like them. Several have ended up ordering a pair for themselves.
I would definitely recommend these for use by children and adults looking for a pair of binoculars for casual use.

I used a pair of these for a day or so, testing them, prior to their being sent as a gift to a young man who lives in a seaside town. I found the Vanquish to be very good, including their field of view and eye relief, the latter adequate for a glasses wearer like myself. Their "inverted" porroprism design, typical for binoculars of 21 to 26 mm size, means that these will perform far better than any inexpensive roof prism glass.

These would make an excellent "starter" pair of binoculars for anyone, still good enough to remain on duty even after one purchases more expensive or larger pair, for use as a loaner pair, for hiking trips, or just to leave on one's car for ad lib use (which you would never do with a really expensive pair!) Others with more casual usage might find they never really needed to upgrade.

The Vortex Vanquish 8x26 binocular is the finest compact binocular in it's price range that I have ever used. The images are sharp, contrasty, and bright. The binoculars are very comfortable in hand and overall a joy to use. I feel that the combination of a 26 mm objective and 8 power (providing an exit pupil of 3.25 mm) is ideal for daytime use and adequate for reasonably bright twilight conditions. The eyepiece design with it's large eye lens allows for a wide field of view and good eye relief. Being waterproof and armoured is icing on the cake. The Vanquish is definitely a winner.

OK, Vortex just missed with this one. Great optics, great resolution, great compact feel, neat armouring, then blew it with 1/2 inch objective lens. I can do the math: 26 divided by 8 is 3.25 mm, so you can't expect to benefit from giant eyepeices, but they are literaly the exact size of soda bottle caps, and that's the outside diameter of the rubber, of course the hole and lens are much smaller. Too bad, because they are otherwise a great binocular. The optics are bright for a compact and have tremendous resolution. All this packaged in a compact handy, waterproof, lightweight product. Maybe they can rebuild it with eye assemblies that are half-way comfortable to use.