Product Description
Spirit ED boasts user-friendly features, too, with a lightweight, comfortable-to-hold body design, twist-out eyecups for long eye relief, large focus adjustment wheel and is 100 percent waterproof so the weather will never slow you down.
| List Price: | $369.99 |
| Price: |
$260.43 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
| as of Thu, 21 Feb 2013 04:56:47 GMT ***Remember, deals price on this item for sale just for limited time*** | |
Product Details
- Size: 8x42
- Color: Black
- Brand: Vanguard
- Model: Spirit ED 8420
- Released on: 2010-09-01
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 2.20 pounds
Features
- ED Glass and BaK4 phase-coated prisms and fully multi coated lenses; waterproof and fogproof
- Twist out eyecups with long eye relief
- Ergonomic grip with thumb rest and soft rubber armor with unique texture
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
By David "Deckhand Davy" Zamora
Bushnell NatureView 8x42 vs Vanguard Spirit ED 8x42
WOW...ok, so I purchased a pair of Bushnell NatureView 8x42 for $116 and have been using them for a few days. I wanted better so I immediately purchased the Vanguard Spirit ED 8x42 based on online research. The Vanguards cost me $300, compared to these Bushnells $116. I just received the Vanguard Spirit ED binoculars a few hours ago. First off, I will be keeping the Bushnells, and returning the Vanguards. The Vanguards have received some amazing praise from a lot of enthusiasts and so I went with that. But, after some critical comparison between the two looking at a multitude of outdoor subjects, they are almost the same in image quality, and here are my findings and why:
Sharpness - Bushnell Wins
Both are tack sharp. I honestly cannot tell the difference between the two. BUT, the Vanguards lose their sharpness at around 20% near the edge. I was totally not expecting this. I read some reviews of people claiming only 5% or less loss of sharpness around the edge, but this is completely not true. The Bushnells on the other hand have amazing sharpness with a loss of around 5-10% near the edge. I now have a greater appreciation for the glass of the Bushnell's. I doubt that the Vanguard's lens are defective, because the odds of both lens being 'shaped' equally defective is pretty silly, IMO.
Brightness - Tie
Both binoculars have absolutely wonderful clarity and brightness. Plenty of light is absorbed by the lens coating on both binocs and everything I've tested is as bright as can be. I love it!
Color - Vanguard Wins
The color on the Bushnell's have a bit of green and blue leaking into the color spectrum, and the overall image at times appear to have less 'pop' of color. The Vanguards have nice, rich, punchy colors that are warmer and better color balanced. The Bushnell falls behind in this regard.
Chromatic Aberration - Tie
Both binoculars show obvious CA resulting in purple and blue fringing, especially where most light is exposed accross linear surfaces, such as roof tops, metals, buildings, etc. I was hoping that both binocs would have controlled this much better. Especially the Vanguards. I'm guessing that this will just be something that I'll need to live with unless I give up $1500 bucks for the best lens available.
Compactness and usability - Vanguard Wins
The Vanguard wins hands down with amazing quality in fit & finish, super smooth response from the focus wheel and is pretty darn small when compared side by side to the Bushnell's longish profile. With that said, I can do away with those niceties considering Bushnell's $116 price tag. Although, the quality and fit/finish are not up to par with the Vanguard Spirit ED's, I'm completely happy with the more than acceptable build quality (plus, like the Vanguard's, it is water proof, fog proof and has rubber like armor coating). All in all, I'm more concerned with the quality of the lens.
Overall, the Vanguards are great binoculars, but I honestly expected more considering the rave reviews found on the internet. A LOT more. The Bushnell's are saving me close to $200 and pretty much has the same image quality as the Vanguards. Plus, the Bushnell's are sharper around the edge. With that said, the Vangaurd Spirit EDs have not yet convinced me to pay the $300 price tag. The Bushnell's are simply the smarter buy. I don't plan on birding and travelling every week, thus I don't require a pair that is super compact and of the highest quality. I don't mind that the Bushnell's colors aren't as punchy as the Vanguards, because I'm more concerned about the sharpness and brightness.
Well, despite being a long winded review, I hope that it helped some of you with your decision making. Good luck!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
By Benny
Love the binoculars . They are razor sharp..and beautiful to look at as well as through. About the only thing I would change would be a tighter diopter though I have not had any problems with this one, I have about 10 binoculars going all the way up to around $2000.00 About the only difference I can see is these have a slightly softer edge. But still better than anything near the price. They are a great buy and I am enjoying them emencely and they are one of the favorites in my little collection.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
By Peter Knappe
Am very pleased with the Vanguard Spirit 10x42. Did alot of internet research and these were ranked very high. The quality seems very good, and the clarity of the optics is excellent. Comes in a very nice case with a shoulder strap. Easy to adjust to fit your eyes. Great deal for the price, especially with the $50 rebate. Vanguard Spirit Ed Binocular- Choose Size
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