Vortex Viper HD 8x42 Binocular

I wanted to upgrade my about 10 year old Eagle Optic Rangers but not spend thousands of dollars. I don't know a lot about the technicalities but after reading various reviews and talking to the ever helpful Eagle Optics customer service people (no press1, press 2, etc--real people answer), I decided to give the Vortex Viper HDs a try. I was a little skeptical that if they weren't the higher priced binocs, they wouldn't be all that much better than my old Rangers which I really liked but looking through other's pricier binocs were definitely not as clear. Shortly after buying the Vipers I went on a birding trip in Arizona and was pleasantly surprised by how much clearer they were with the newer technology and well worth buying. I can also testify to the sturdiness since I had a nasty fall frontwards landing right on my binoculars on rocky ground. There was only a very small gouge in the outer casing which I had to look very closely to find. They seem to be working fine but it's still good to know I can return them for repair if there does turn out to be something wrong. They may well have saved me from hitting the ground as hard (no broken bones, that goodness)--just a binocular bruise on my stomach.

While our local Audubon expert recommended the Eagle Ranger (about $300) for bird watching, I decided to move up market and got the Vortex Viper HD 8x42, which were close to twice the price of the Ranger.
The primary difference is the HD (not high definition as in the TV sense) but High Density in the glass lenses. This gives a brighter image. They are easy to use and focusing is a snap.
They were delivered in 3 days and we could track the progress of the package to Florida.
An excellent product and excellent service.

So I bought my first pair of "expensive" (which is relative of course) binoculars in the Diamondback 8X42 and couldn't be happier. I know there is better optics out there, even in the Vortex line, but for the use and abuse and the cost to get into this pair, I can't imagine a better set for the price. And living in the Madison, WI area and having the ability to walk into the Eagle Optics showroom and test out these along with other comparable binoculars sold me further. The customer service and product quality can't be beat.

I was looking to upgrade from my 10X42 Audubon Equinox HPs, however I did not have the money for a pair of Swaros. The folks at eagle optics recommended that I go with the 8X42 Vortex Viper HDs. All I can say is WOW!! These binoculars are great. The color is brilliant, the light gather is amazing, and the image is crystal clear. The construction is solid and the weight is perfect. I have used both Swaros and Zeiss and these come pretty darn close. I have had them for about 2 weeks now and have been birding almost every day since receiving them; they are simply put phenomenal!!! If the price doesn’t seal the deal for you than the unconditional lifetime warranty will. The service from Eagle Optics was above and beyond as always. They made the whole process so easy and had the binoculars to me in time from the weekend. Thanks to Ben and everyone at eagle optics for all their help.

Very knowledge staff, know what they are talking about. First trip to buy the vortex viper was to Cabellas only to be disappointed by a kid that knew nothing about optics. One call to Eagle and the first person I talked to knew his stuff. Great shipping during the Christmas rush. Overall really good company, not a bunch of up-sellers.

Very nice bins for well under a grand. Field of vision is great, eye relief (I wear glasses) is excellent, but the real extraordinary aspect to these bins is their close focus. They feel good in my hands and the focus knob turns nicely. I have used them only briefly outdoors. However, doing indoor, backyard birding...my backyard extends 1,000 yards from the sunroom...has been a real treat. I even can see clearly the outline of the mountain that is about seven miles in the distance.

One small drawback is my eyes are close together, and I would have liked a hair more close angle in the lenses. However, this issue was not enough for me to send the bins back.

I have a pair of Leica Ultravids I've used for the past four years for my outdoor birding. They are stupendous, but the price was also stupendous. These Vipers are not so far behind them in quality, and had I not owned the Ultravids, I'd most likely rate the Vipers even higher.

I have NOT used the Viper bins for outdoor birding yet so I cannot comment on fog, rain resistance and focus knob mobility in cold weather.

Wow! That is the word that comes to mind when I view birds through these binoculars. The clarity and light is truly amazing. Excellent product. Thank you.

My wife liked mine so much when we were in Tanzania, that I had to buy her a pair when we got back, or she would have confiscated mine.

I recently visited Yosemite National Park. Our group was at a lookout point, and one of the rangers was pointing out something in the distance. As I got out my Viper binoculars, she noticed them and showed me hers - same make and model! She said they were the best - that's what "all the rangers" were issued. It sure made me feel good about my choice in binoculars!

Bought the 8x42 HD based on reviews and chat with Eagle Optics Staff. I am thoroughly pleased with the ergonomics and the clarity of view with minimal light. I took them on safari in Tanzania and never got tired of using them to see animals that were hidden to others. I briefly swapped with my wife who was using the Nikon 8X40 6.5 deg we have had 2 pair of for years and I could not see the cheetah I had been watching with the Vortex HD. When she took my Vipers, she said she wanted a pair. Will be ordering another pair in a week.

I have other bionculars and have owned Vortex Vipers non HD. I was given a pair of these as a gift. While I like Vortex products, these are just not for me. No matter how i adjust them, they have black spots and frankly after trying to use them several times I have laid them aside as useless. I would not recommend these and i would love to find some way of disposing of them. TRade, sell, give away etc...

I purchased my Vortex Viper HD 8x42 bins about a month ago. I was trying to upgrade from my current Nikon Monarchs. I was looking for quality without a huge price tag. The Vipers are everything I was hoping for. Much better clarity, ability to find birds quickly. I also became much better at birding from further distances than I was accustomed to. I feel like I got a great value for my money.

I researched the various mid-priced binoculars carefully, and selected the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 binoculars with the confidence that they would be excellent for birding. However, I wear tri-focals, and was disappointed to find that the eye relief did not work well with my glasses. It was hard to get a clear view without having the view obstructed by black areas--not sure what the technical term is. I had the same problem without my glasses. I had read in the reviews that the focus wheel was tight, but thought I would not mind. Wrong! For birding, it gets quite tiring to use the extra force required to keep a bird in focus while it is in flight, for example. Fortunately, my cousin had ordered the Vortex Viper HD 8x32 at the same time, and I had a chance to compare. The 8 x 32 are great. No problem with eye relief--big, bright, clear picture, lighter weight, focus wheel turns easily, no downsides. I ordered my pair last week, and have already had a chance to test them in the field. Just what I wanted. I'm an experienced birder, and the Vortex Viper HD 8 x 32 binoculars are great for birding. The Vortex Viper HD 8 x 42's are bigger, heavier, and harder to use, at least for this older user.

We are long-time but not fanatical birders, so our objective was to get the best birding binocs for eyeglass wearers we could get for under $500. We did a fair amount of research and went slightly over our budget with the Vortex Viper HD 8X42. Eye relief makes these binocs usable with glasses. Close focus is awesome - I can focus on insects at my feet. We're not experts on optic quality, but have been satisfied when comparing these with our Leitz Trinovid 7x35BA (25 year old binocs) that we also use. We looked at more expensive binocs in local stores, but they did not have these in stock for direct comparison. Eagle optics staff helped with comparison vs the other two (Swift Audobon and B&L Elites) we were considering that were a little less expenseive.

I was in the market for a compact bin to bring along to sports events, birding, & just general observing. The 8X42 HD Viper is just the right binocular for my needs. First of all, the optics are superb! I have owned Swaros, & I must say I do not believe there is $2000 worth of difference. I wear glasses, so eye relief was also important, also the field of view is just right for birding. The bins come with a very nice case, rainguard, & ocular covers. Focus may be a little stiff, but I think that will loosen up a bit with use. For a mid-priced bin, you will not be disappointed. They also come with a very good warranty.

I enjoy butterflies and birds through binoculars. These focus near. and far for both. But the focus knob is a little stiff. That may resolve itself with use.

I bought these largely based on the reviews of others and could not be happier. They are very clear and bright and seem to be very well made. I am very impressed with how vivid they are even in very low light. I don't always wear my contacts and the eye cups are easy to adjust for use with glasses. They are a comfortable weight to wear for extended periods of time. I have not compared these to $1k+ binoculars, but in my opinion I don't see a need to spend more than these!

I guess you could call me an optics junkie. Until six months ago I owned the Swarovski 8x42 Swarovision EL, Leica 10x42 Ultavid (non-hd), and the Zeiss 8x42 victory Fl T. Unfortunately, a house fire claimed all three and my insurance company flipped over paying on nearly 6,000.00 worth of optics. I had retired over two years ago and enjoyed using my optics for hunting, birding and of course SEC football. Each of the "big three" had specific strong points and I needed to decide which would become my sole replacement now that I am living on a retirement income. I had always thought that once you've used the best that going backwards would be an impossibility;however, i wanted to search for a less expensive competitor. Then I came across Vortex and read every article and review I could find. Well, two days ago I received a pair of the Viper HD's and took them afield with an almost nervous hesitation. I won't go as far as to say I felt the " wow" factor upon first look thru the bins but I definitely wanted to see more. They are as good if not better than the Swaros in "depth of field" and I haven't seen anyone compete with swaro in this category. I believe they are equal to Leica in color rendition and though they aren't as bright as the Zeiss they certainly aren't 1,600.00 less bright. I was further impressed with their light gathering capability and would say they are better than Leica and equal to Zeiss and swaro in this category. They have a generous sweet spot with obvious pincushion distortion and of course don't rival swaro here but then i don't worry about the rolling globe effect either. I guess what all this means is I am very pleased with the overall performance. If I had to choose one weakness it would be field of view. It's just smaller than what I'm used to but I Have almost gotten to where I don't notice that anymore. It does have a very close focus ability and absolutely zero chromatic aberration. My particular focusing knob is smooth but firm... I'm hoping this will loosen as I use them. But if doesn't, that VIP warranty will come in handy.

I wanted something better than the lower priced 8x42's like the Nikon Monarch ATB but could not afford the "big guns," so I tried these. They are a good value and I enjoy birding with them very much. I slightly prefer the Minox HG 8.5x43 to the Vipers for their optical quality (my wife has them and likes them), but that's an old model that's hard to find, and the new model that replaced it (now 8x43) costs almost twice as much as the Vipers.

I agree with most of the pros and cons from Ray in Olympia--
PROS:
Light weight for their size (but 3 oz more than the Monarchs).
Sharp view with good contrast and color rendition.
Good depth of field and excellent eye-relief.
Close focus, and very smooth focus.
CONS:
Field of view could be better, especially when watching groups of birds.
They are more subject to flare than the Minox HG when you are looking in the direction of a light source--this can be a problem early or late in the day when looking near the sun. Flare is a common problem with less expensive binoculars.

Excellent bino. I ordered this along with the Vortex Talon HD 8x42 as comparison. My favorite was the Viper. It certainly felt better in my hands, very very comfortable, and was bright and crisp all the way to the edges. However, I ended up returning them because of their field of view. The Vortex Talon's have a much wider field of view which is important for birding and were priced at the time approximately $150 less. Also, the Talon's optics compared evenly with the Vipers. So, it was the field of view difference that pushed me to keep the Talons and return the Vipers. That being said, I really loved the Vipers. The optics are superb and they are very comfortable to hold. Great bino.

Even though I have some retina tears and wear glasses, I still found the Vortex Viper HD 8X42 to be very good. I have only had a chance to go out on a birding trip once so far. The day was cloudy so the challenge was great. I am very happy with the binoculars so far. Wish they were lighter.

I have had the Viper HD binoculars for about 3 weeks now and could not be more pleased. Great construction and even better performance. Highly recommend these binoculars. Expensive but you get what you pay for with these!

I got these for deer hunting but have only used them for USC games so far...high quality,optics very clear,focus dial very smooth

I first tried the 8x32 Viper(non-HD)binoculars because of their weight and their smaller size was just made for my hands but couldn't live with the poor eye-relief. Last year I lost a $300 pair of eye-glasses when I took them off to use brand X binoculars with no eye-relief and this was a major consideration. In the process I discovered that for some reason all 32mm binos are weak in that department so I exchanged them for the Viper HD 8x42, a totally painless process thanks to the good folks at EO. I've used my Viper HDs now almost everyday in a wide variety of lighting conditions and I'm totally in love with these wonderful optics.

In the process of making this investment I tried dozens of different brands and models including the alpha models but kept coming back to Vortex because to my eye each of their models consistently had the best performance at it's price point and by far the best warranty on the market. In the end the Viper HD 8x42 was the best fit for my particular use. If you are in the market for reasonably priced, excellent quality, binoculars I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the whole Vortex line. You'll probably your own pair to fall in love with.

Pros: Light weight for their size.
Sharp view with good contrast and color rendition.
Good depth of field so you aren't constantly
fiddling with the focus.
Close focus.
The do exactly what the specifications say.
Good eye-relief.
Excellent warranty.

In addition to this exchange purchase I also
recently bought a scope that turned
out to be defective. The Eagle Optics and Vortex
people have been totally reliable and have gone to
extra lengths to make things right. To my surprise
they even shipped the replacement scope before
receiving the one I'd sent back.

Cons: If I didn't wear glasses I would have kept the 8x32s
but I've quickly gotten used to the extra weight
which is only 4oz after all.

The field of view isn't as wide as the
Talon HD series but the Vortex Talon's weigh more
and there are compromises in all optics.

Yes I'd certainly recommend the Viper HD binoculars for purchase but you may also want to try out the other
Vortex models and chose the one that feels right for you.

Very good view, good close focus for butterflies, and lightweight. Eagle Optics great as usual.

I've had my Viper HD for about one month now. With each use I am more impressed. Quality construction, smooth focus knob and diopter adjustment, nice lens caps, and great optics. I have two other bino's: a compact Leica Ultravid 8x20, and a Nikon Ocean Pro 7x50. All very different, and used for different purposes, but I can say with confidence that the image quality of the Viper HD is considerably better than the Ocean Pro (no surprise) and at least as good as the Leica. The smaller Leica of course does not do as well in low light situations, but even in bright light the image from the Vortex seems slightly superior to my eye.

I wanted to get a quality bino from a US company. The Viper HD is just that.

I purchased my Viper HD 8x42's for a birding trip to Costa Rica; they are my first pair of "serious" binoculars, trading up from a small pair of Bushnells that were fine for Central Park-- or so I thought! By the end of the first day of my trip they had more than justified their price. Their light-gathering capabilities were invaluable in the rainforest, and their light weight meant I was never aware of the fact that I had them around my neck all day, without using a shoulder harness. Also I have problems with my wrists, which had made using my SLR camera difficult, but the Vipers didn't strain my wrists at all. The image is so sharp, it really does look like HD. I haven't used a pair of higher-end binoculars, but in this price range I doubt you could do better than these.

I am a new birder and have recently purchased the Viper HD 8x42s. The optics are bright and sharp and the colors are vivid. The speed of the focus wheel is just right for me and its operation is smooth. The overall quality of the bin is excellent. The only change I would make would be to provide a little more minimum interpupillary distance. I have a small face and they just fit me.