Compact, Light, with Bright Optics

I picked up a pair of Nikon Egret II binoculars when visiting the Virgin Islands last year. I had previously researched binoculars as I've always wanted a pair. I happened to see the Egret IIs in the VI for a nice price, so I picked them up. I was immediately impressed.

I knew that I wanted Nikon because of price, style, and optics. I had tried many different Nikon models at local camera shops before actually buying the Egret IIs. They seemed to fit both my budget and my desired features. The entire case is covered with a rubberized material that just feels good. The motion when adjusting the viewing width or focus is stiff, but very smooth. It just feels like quality. They have a great, solid, durable feel.

The right eye piece is a nice solid precision diopter so that you can fine tune the binoculars to your individual vision pattern. Most people don't have identical eyes... they differ slightly in focus. The diopter helps you adjust the binocular to your eye focus variance.

The eyepieces have a thick rubber guard around them that allows them to rest right up against your eyes while remaining comfortable. These can be folded back for viewing with glasses... though I'm not sure why you just wouldn't take your glasses off and focus the binoculars manually.

The Egret IIs are very bright for this class of binocular. This means that they gather a lot of light and keep the image bright and clear. The eye pieces have a large diameter, and the front lens are quite large as well for their size. There are gauges on the diopter and on the central axis so that you can remember your personal settings if you are sharing the binoculars within a group.

The optics give a nice clean image with minimal distortion and artifacts around the edges. I've tested the image against test patterns and they've rated fairly well. These aren't top of the line binoculars, so you shouldn't expect absolute, crystal optics throughout the entire viewing range. They are more than adequate for the casual or sport viewer like myself.

My Egret IIs came with four plastic lens covers for storage, a neck strap, and a foam carrying case. I can certainly recommend them as entry to mid-level binoculars. For the price, you won't be disappointed.