Visions of Grandeur

Binoculars and other far-range optics span a gamut of price points. Here's what separates top-tier from entry-level

- BY KATE WONG

WHEN I FIRST TOOK UP birding, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn’t believe I had only just discovered, in middle age, the joys of avian observation. It was the perfect hobby. I could watch birds anywhere. And I could do it virtually for free. I already had the one piece of equipment I needed to get started: a pair of good entry-level binoculars capable of magnifying small or distant birds so that I could better see their identifying characteristics and appreciate their beauty.

I was perfectly happy using those binoculars in the beginning. Before long I had racked up my first 100 species (“lifers” in the parlance of bird nerds) with them. Life was good. But then one day, out of curiosity, I tried out a pair of much more expensive bins from the locked display case at the local sporting goods store. Through them the world looked so much brighter, sharper, better. I could see the individual hairs of the taxidermy moose on the other side of the store. I didn’t buy those binoculars that day, but I knew that as soon as I could invest in primo optics like that, I would.

Eventually I took the plunge and purchased a pair of—gulp—$3,200 Swarovski Optik NL Pures, which many people consider to be the best binoculars on the market for bird-watching. My original bins, a Celestron NatureDX pair that cost less than $200, still get plenty of use, living as they do on the sill of the kitchen window, within easy reach whenever an interesting bird visits the backyard feeder while I’m doing the dishes. But it’s the new ones I take with me in the field on dedicated birding jaunts.

I love these binoculars. They’re a pleasure to look at and use, and, most important, I feel like they help me see a lot more. I’ll admit, however, that I’ve wondered whether the price is justified. What, exactly, distinguishes binoculars that cost thousands of dollars from ones that sell for an order of magnitude less? I decided to find out.