Today is Black Friday and everyone knows the age-old adage — you get what you pay for. This is particularly true for anything that comes with glass in it, like binoculars. If you want the best binoculars and money is no object, you can save a few hundred bucks on the Leica 10×42 binos in this Amazon Black Friday deal — $629 of them, in fact.
We’re yet to upload our full review, but during our time with them, we thought they had fantastic sharpness and exceptional light transmission. They have the most generous eye relief we’ve ever seen — 19mm, so they’ll be perfect if you wear glasses, although we did note that there was no tripod adapter, which seems like an odd omission. They provide good views of the stars and nearby planets, but their wide-field views mean you won’t see much more than that.
Due to their price and optical prowess, we wouldn’t recommend them as the best binoculars for kids, but we think they’ll be featured pretty high up in our best binoculars buying guide.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary in terms of extras in this Leica 10×42 Noctivid Black Friday deal, just the usual suspects — 2 x objective lens caps, a one-piece eyepiece cover, neckstrap and carry case. They do however come with a Leica lifetime warranty, (which, for the price, we should think so!) for added peace of mind should anything happen to them.
Not only are they beautiful, but they’re also incredibly functional. We thought they produced bright, clear views with excellent color reproduction, even on cloudy days. They’re not the lightest binos we’ve ever held (30.4 ounces (862g), but they don’t feel overly heavy and they’re slim enough to fit into a large jacket pocket. They’re one of the very few binoculars we’ve tested where we saw no chromatic aberration (color fringing) or coma whatsoever around objects with high contrast.
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For travel-friendly binos, check out our best compact binoculars buying guide. We also have guides on the best rangefinder binoculars and the best night vision binoculars.
Key Specs: Roof prism design, 10x magnification (8x also available), 42mm objective lens diameter, 6.4-degree field of view, 19mm eye relief, 1.9 lbs / 862g, 4.88 x 6.06 x 2.68-inches (124 x 154 x 68 mm).
Consensus: These are possibly a pair of our favorite-ever binoculars. They have outstanding sharpness and exceptional light transmission, not to mention they are absolutely gorgeous. But the price may be out of reach for beginners.
Buy if: Money is no object and you want the best of the best.
Don’t buy if: You’re on a budget, or you want to view deep-space objects.
Alternative models: If you want some of the best binoculars money can buy but can’t quite stretch to the Leica, try the Canon 10×42 L IS WP binoculars — they have image stabilization and use some of the finest glass we’ve seen. If you’re on a budget, the Celestron TrailSeeker 8×42 is a great all-rounder and is lightweight enough to travel with. For dedicated astronomers, the Celestron SkyMaster 25×100 has high magnification for stunningly detailed views of the night sky.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
Dr. Sarah Adams is a scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to all. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
