Celestron – Nature DX 8×42 Binoculars

The Celstron Nature DX binoculars work well and are light enough for me to carry on a bushwalk. The magnification is good and the controls are easy to use. It’s a bit hard to find the bird you want to see close-up, and disconcerting that the focused area appears flat, as if all the trees in that range had been espaliered. I use them with my glasses on, and there’s a control to work with my eyes’ bias. This seems to work well but the glass still steams up if I’m hot.

I would love a better quality pair, but for binoculars at the bottom end of the market, these are great.

This is a replacement for an older and heavier binocular. We use it for general wildlife viewing. It appears to be an upgrade from our older unit.

These have turned out to be my favorite pair of binoculars. The view is really nice, they fit very well into my hands, the focus is buttery smooth, and they seem really well made.

I was on the search for the best 8×42 I could find in my price range for bird watching and nature viewing, and in the process I’ve tried quite a few different brands/models. I did tons of research, reading every review, test, and recommendation I could find. My budget was up to $400, but I still tried more expensive binoculars just to have a good basis for comparison. The above-budget binoculars I tried were Vortex Viper, Vortex Razor, and Zeiss Conquest HD. Again, those were just for comparison and “benchmarking”. These were tried in a store only, but it was a large store with many bright and also shadowed areas… plus lots of “stuffed” wildlife mounted high on the walls (deer, etc.).
The following binoculars were compared outdoors, I had each pair of these for one to two weeks, so I had time to do very thorough comparisons in many different lighting situations. Included were: Vanguard Spirit ED, Olympus Magellan EXWP I, Carson HD, Celestron TrailSeeker, and Atlas Intrepid ED. I also had/have some other sizes for comparison… Sightron Blue Sky II, 8×32 Alpen Apex 8×32, Alpen Shasta Ridge 10×42, Atlas Intrepid ED 7×36, and Kenko UltraView 10×42.

I have used many other pairs of binoculars for my other hobby, stargazing. Many of you already know that stargazing is very demanding on binoculars in terms of brightness, edge distortion, and resolution. I only mention this to show a bit more of my background, as some binoculars that are great for astronomy aren’t the best for daytime… and vice-versa. These 8×42’s were going to be strictly daytime use for me, so only casual testing at night was performed to get a better idea of resolution, brightness, and edge performance.

Ok, one of the BIG things I learned from all of this is that YOU have to try any prospective binoculars yourself. Just because an expert reviewer says a certain pair are fantastic doesn’t mean they’ll be fantastic for you. Everyone’s eyes, face shape (which can affect required eye relief), priorities, etc. are different. The other big thing, for me anyways, is that resolution is king. It doesn’t matter how great the edge performance is, or how bright the binocular is, or how much depth of field there is if what you’re viewing won’t come into sharp focus. I thought my Olympus Magellans were sharp and was totally happy with them, but after experiencing a bit more sharpness I can hardly stand using them. Those are considered really nice binoculars, especially in their “day”. Now, saying that, the Celestron Nature DX were not the sharpest binoculars I tested when performing strictly resolution testing (using fine print, barcodes, etc. at close and far distances). They were very close compared to the sharpest of the group, though, and I doubt most people would notice any difference. However, in real usage, they’re as sharp as any of the others and I couldn’t notice a difference at all.

To cut to the chase, the Nature DX’s were the only binoculars that really made me smile every time I used them. My eyes just seemed to effortlessly relax into the image. I would take several binoculars into the field at the same time, viewing everything from birds to pinecones, to clouds, to airplanes, to people. Each time, when I looked through the Nature DX’s, I found myself actually enjoying the image, instead of just focusing on how well it looked from an analytical perspective. Every other binocular I spent the whole time adjusting focus and diopter settings, trying to get that little bit more of “great” view. Then I’d try the Nature DX’s again… and again I’d sink into the image, being amazed by that Acorn Woodpecker and actually intently watching what he was doing, forgetting that I was testing all these different binoculars. THAT is what a great pair of binoculars for YOU will do… you’ll feel like you’re actually there, instead of just viewing from afar. Solely scientific testing won’t determine the best for you. Like I mentioned, at first I wanted a bit more resolution, but found that in real world use they had just as much resolution as any of the others, even the ED models. They do everything very well, it just all comes together with these. Plus you can’t beat the price. I was happily willing to spend the full $400 of my budget if I needed to, and to be quite honest if these were $400 I would’ve paid it, I absolutely love them. To top it off, they’re very compact and lightweight, about the size of most other 8×32’s. I’d buy another pair in a heartbeat if mine were ever lost.

Just for your info, I’m really happy with my Alpen Shasta Ridge 10×42. Fantastic resolution, great feel, and a great price (got them on sale for $99). Close runner ups for me after all this testing were the Atlas Intrepid ED 8×42 (very nice view and resolution, just a tad too long for me, plus I’ve found out I like the top hinge vs. the Atlas’ open hinge design), the Atlas Intrepid ED 7×36, and the Celestron TrailSeeker (which are very close to the Nature DX… a tad bit sharper, but my eyes didn’t sink into the image as much as they did with the Nature DX).
So, out of all of the ones I tested, the Nature DX 8×42 and the Alpen 10×42 are the ones I kept… not because of their lower prices, but because they were the ones that I really enjoyed using.

I hope this helps some of you!

Image is clear and magnification is perfect for beginner like me without spending too much. Downside would be that it does not have the best design when handling the binoculars for a longer period of time but it is still comfortable enough to not be a major issue. It is not unexpected at the price that I got it for that the included strap is quite bad as well.

Utilisation en montagne, zoom largement suffisant pour tout observer très satisfait de ce côté là. La construction a l’air bonne mais je n’ai pas d’autre référence pour comparer. Le seul bémol reste le poids, ce qui fait qu’on ne les prendra pas systématiquement.

Produto de qualidade excelente! Embalagem muito bem feita, a caixa do produto chegou intacta!