Athlon Optics 10x25 Midas G2 UHD Black Binoculars with Eye Relief for Adults and Kids, High-Powered Binoculars for Hunting, Birdwatching, and More

Optics quality is great. The "AFMC Lens Coatings + Dielectric Prism Coatings + ED Glass" all add up to give great clarity. The "XPL coating" works well too while wiping the lens, making it easy to clean without scratches. It performs as well as a decent lower cost 10x42 (MC+BAK4) models in terms of light transmission, even though it is only a 10x25. It is a tad darker than I would like in lower light conditions, but considering the objective lens is just 25mm, nothing much to complain. The product is very light weight at 250g, which is a great advantage, but it also makes it more difficult to hold steady without too much tremor and shake, takes a bit of skill and grip technique to minimize that. I added OMAX AER232 Eyecups to it, they fit well and improve the viewing experience a good deal. Also note: 1. The IPD must be adjusted properly each time the lens barrels are unfolded, to get the best view. It takes a little more effort to get this right compared to single hinged binoculars. 2. The depth of field is quite high and therefore constant tiny fine adjustments to the focus wheel are needed to get the sharpest view for each time the binocular is moved. 3. There is no tripod mount screw hole in this model. You would have to use a velcro/elastic strap universal tripod mount. 4. You do not get any dust caps for the objective lenses or eyepieces in the package.

I got these Athlon 10x25 because they are very compact and light, as a travel, hiking and everyday binocular, mostly for birding. If I was going out specifically for birding, I would carry my Athlon 8x42s, of which I am extremely fond. But these compacts are with me at most other times. For me, a compact binocular must be almost unnoticeably portable, and these are. They must of course have high image quality, and these do. What you mainly sacrifice is field of view (FOV) and image brightness with this type of binocular. For their size, these binoculars do pretty darned well on both these measures, especially the image brightness. In good light, the image is clear and sharp almost out to the extreme edges of view, and color rendering is very good too. The twist-out eyecups are a little shallow for my taste (I don't wear glasses) but they work well enough for me. The focus wheel is smooth and responsive. The focus sometimes needs some fine adjustment on a 10x25 --- you have to live with that, just a bit more work and you are there. I find I can often raise image quality dramatically when looking into the light by cupping my fingers around my eyes while still holding the binoculars, something that is quite easy on binoculars as tiny and light as these. In doing so I found I can experience more of the wonderful 'immersive' feel you get on larger, high-quality binoculars, and that is pretty special for me. Internal reflections are generally well-controlled. I think you have to learn how to use binoculars this small. It takes some practice, and you have to adapt to them as well as adjusting them to adapt to you. I have found them very useful and satisfactory in practice, far better than the Pentax 8x25s I had previously, and I enjoy the 10x magnification. So, for what they are and what they cost, 5 stars all-round. Well done, Athlon! And yes, I have tried Swarovski and Zeiss Victory 8x25s, and guess what? Those top end binoculars are better (surprise!), with really luxurious image quality, especially the Zeiss, which also has an impressive FOV. But they cost around $800. These Athlons cost about $170 and they are pretty amazing. I'm happy. I also want to add that Athlon has been rock solid in their guarantee to fix or replace binoculars -- I had an issue with a pair of binoculars, sent them in and quickly got a replacement pair. It makes a big difference to me if a company has your back when an expensive item needs repair, and Athlon is true to their word. Call me a fan: a company that makes this good a product and backs it up when they need to is just amazing.

A premium compact from one of the Alpha companies would cost a lot more than these. However they perform very well at a lower price, similar to models offered by Bushnell and Alpen (from the same factory maybe?) enough eye relief to use with glasses and they give sharp clear views. OK case and a nice neck strap with clever extensions that fit or remove so you can try different lengths to suite the owners needs. Dust caps would be nice but not included.

I have two Athlon scopes, a Midas Tac and an Ares BTR, that have performed flawlessly in long range shooting. Their capabilities rivals scopes 2x more expensive, and in my opinion you need to spend 3x to get noticeably better optics. I was looking for a 10x25 (or similar) for my bowhunting pack, something small and light with decent glass and a wide field of view just to keep things interesting in the woods. My Swarovski 8x32 are stellar, but just too big and heavy unless I'm hunting more open areas when I need to glass a lot. After initially trying two sets of Steiners that were definitely poor choices, I decided to try an Athlon product again. Totally blew the Steiners away, as well as a few other popular brands I looked at in Cabelas locally. I think these are easily in the "you've got to spend 3x to get noticeably better" category I've come to see from Athlon. Very crisp even around the edges, love the twist up eye cups, ultra small and compact, decent strap, serviceable carrying case. Overall, extremely happy with my purchase and highly recommend these if your needs mirror what I bought them for.

ultimately I didnt keep mine, i ended up with the vortex 8x28 primarily because of FOV. the clarity did look, to my eye, to be better in the Athalon though...impressively so, If you want something pocketable with great glass this should be in your top 2.