Best binoculars (2025): Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica

You get good magnification with a waterproof (IPX7 rating) and fog-resistant design in a lightweight package (11.8 ounces). They also have two things that make them especially great for kids: sturdy construction and a nice, rubberized handle. I can’t tell you how many trees and rocks these have crashed into while around my son’s neck and they are still as good as new.

Binoculars for stargazing

Photo: Celestron

When you think of stargazing, you probably think of telescopes, but binoculars can work too, especially larger, higher-magnification models like these Celestron Skymasters. The first thing you need to know is that they’re huge – most of the time you’ll want to use them with a tripod, which isn’t included in the price (they include an adapter that I used to put them on a photo tripod, which works fine). The Poro prism design (see above), with 15x magnification and 70mm objective lenses, makes them nice and bright, perfect for good views of the moon. They also work for larger clusters and nebulae. They also work for birdwatching, but it’s more like using a spotting scope. They’re good for digiscoping, but if you’re looking at something relatively still, like waterfowl.

As with all Celestron binos, there’s a nice big, smooth focus knob and they also have a long eye distance, making them easy to use with glasses. There is slight chromatic aberration, especially with bright stars or the moon, but it doesn’t distract me. In fact, for the price, they provide surprisingly great views.

Binoculars for image stabilization

Image stabilized binoculars use electronics to smooth out your view, similar to what action cameras do to get rid of shaky video. There are quite a few models out there and we’re still testing, but here are a few that have stood out from the pack so far.

Photo: Caramel Quin

Canon

8×20 binoculars for image stabilization

Image stabilized binoculars tend to be expensive, but Canon has quite a few budget models that are worth checking out. They are easy to use. Just tap the top button for five minutes of stabilization, or tap again to turn it off early. The technology detects your movement and optically adjusts to it in real time. The smallest Canon 8×20 IS is doubly pocket-friendly: they’re surprisingly affordable and fit in a large pocket. With a 15-ounce plus battery, they won’t weigh you down.
The 8x zoom is good for wildlife and sports, as is the 10x zoom of the only slightly larger Canon 10×20 IS. The 6.6 degree field of view is narrow but wide enough for most situations.