£139
Reviewed by Matt Merritt
Without doubt, the biggest change that I’ve seen in the optics market in the nearly 19 years I’ve been at Bird Watching magazine is the relentless improvement in binoculars and scopes with a budget price tag. It’s fair to say that Hawke have been among the leaders in driving this raising of quality, so I was keen to try the Vantage HDs, which will set you back less than £150.
I tested the 8x34 model, but they also come in 8x26, 10x26, 10x34, 8x42 and 10x42 sizes, so there should be something to suit everybody.
The design is open hinge, which cuts down on weight and which I tend to prefer for ease of handling – weighing in at just 430g and with compact, well-balanced dimensions, I found them possible to use effectively even with one hand, while walking a lively dog.
They feel well put together, with rubber armouring, and the hard rubber eyecups twist up and down to three distinct positions which held their place well in extended use – there’s a maximum of 17mm eye relief. They’re comfortable, too, once I’d taken a few minutes to get the set-up of the binoculars just right (to start with, I underestimated just how small they are).
There’s a dioptre adjustment ring on the right barrel, which isn’t calibrated but which I found impossible to move by accident.
Full marks to Hawke for the focus wheel. Despite the model’s diminutive dimensions, it’s well over a finger wide and well ridged, so was easy to find and adjust without looking, even with gloves on. It moves smoothly and with just a hint of stiffness, taking around 1.75 anti-clockwise turns from close focus to infinity. It was easy to find and maintain focus, and perhaps the one small disappointment was that close focus is 3m. In reality that’s probably going to be more than adequate most of the time, but we’ve become so spoiled in recent times by sub-2.5m models that I was a little surprised.
But that’s a minor gripe, because the optics are really very impressive for such an affordable pair of bins. The image is bright and natural feeling, with no obvious colour cast, and sharpness and contrast are excellent, too. There is a little bit of softness at the edge of the image, but that’s to be expected, and it was never distracting.
Low light performance was good – that couple of extra mms on the objective lens compared to the more familiar 32mm probably makes a little difference.
There was a little colour fringing against strong sunlight, but as usually seems to be the case these days; that was really only when scanning fast or following a moving object, and it wasn’t a big deal. Take care to keep your eye position right, and you’re really unlikely to notice it.
Field of view is 124m@1000m, and again, like many modern binoculars, felt more than that – the elimination of a lot of edge softness makes views feel a lot wider.
The accessories are good – a very comfortable neoprene strap, removable tethered objective lens covers, and a snug-fitting rainguard, plus a fabric case with strap.
What really takes some believing is the price. At just £139, these are binoculars that should appeal to a wide range of birdwatchers, from beginners looking for affordable HD/ED bins, to the likes of me, in the market for a back-up pair of bins to be taken along on dog walks and other activities. There is a lot to like, for the affordable price tagIn the field, their light weight and compact dimensions come into their ownFocus wheel is a particular highlight
Specs
Length: 132mm
Weight: 430g
Field of view: 124m@1000m
Close focus: 3m
Eye relief: 17mm
Website: uk.hawkeoptics.com
Verdict
Optically there’s very little to criticise – they do a good job in all conditions, and only the close focus is underwhelming. The design and build are straightforward and user-friendly, too, but just look at that price! You’d be daft to not at least have a look at them.