Vanguard VEO ED 1250 12x50 ED Glass Binoculars – Fully Multi-Coated Optics, Phase-Coated BaK4 Prism, Waterproof/Fogproof, Lifetime Warranty

Fantastic binoculars

I had been looking for a new bino to complement my older Nikon Action 8X40, and Canon 10X42 IS. After much research, I opted for the Vanguard VEO ED 12X50. Wanting a very lightweight, close focusing and extra reach roof prism bino, these seemed perfect and they are! For me. The feel of this bino in my hands, is as good as it looks. Very light but I am able to hold it steady too. I tried a Vortex Diamondback 12X50 at a local sporting goods outlet and for some reason I could not hold them very steady. If you can, TRY BEFORE YOU BUY! That store claimed many bino's on the local website but had very little stock on hand so that was the only 12X50 bino available there to try out. An hours drive to the next closest outlet was not do-able for me at the time. The specs and price on these two 12X50's mentioned thus far were very similar. The Vortex has a closer focusing distance (6'), and the Vanguard 11.5'. The IPD are the same but that was a concern for me as the Vortex was blackening out with the EP's retracted. The same with the Vanguard but I find the second EP stop works fine for me anyway. BTW, this bino has three clickable stops not two as some online sites claim. I find that I want to wear my eyeglasses with this bino for close study so the EP's retracted do not produce backouts for me. Also, pictures of the Vanguard 12X50 show a 5.0 degree angle of view, while my bino shows 4.8 degrees. I went direct to the manufacturer to speak to a salesperson as this bino was "temp" out of stock on B&H website. The person I spoke with was very knowledgeable and said that this bino could be delivered in 1 to 2 days in my location after ordering online. After some more research, I clicked the buy button. But 24 hours later I still had not received any tracking info so I called back. Then I was transferred to the shipping dept and left a voice mail. 10 minutes later, I received a tracking # and 2 days later received the bino's. Very good service and response considering the lack in the first 24 hours of purchase. I bought a Vanguard tri-pod 12 years ago and it has no issues after much use. So overall, I have had good experiences with Vanguard service and products. I find that this bino lacks some contrast that I am not used to but, watching certain birds I see more detail because of this, especially in the darker colors of feathers. Color rendition however, is very good and clarity nice and bright and sharp in the center. I seem to want to use my glasses with this bino as my glaucoma and eye sight in general is getting worse. However, viewing the Moon one night, the sharpness and contrast on it was great! Very detailed. I have not been able to do any other night sky viewing as of this review. Ergonomics are really good. They are a joy to hold. I seem to pick these up before the other two binos when all are together. Two friends were over and they fell in love with this bino. I think they are both going to buy one for themselves! UPDATE: They did buy the 10X42 version! The focusing ring is really responsive and fluid. Minute adjustments are all it takes to get focus and lose focus too. Really fast focus. Also it will take some time for me to adjust to the ring turning the opposite way for distance and closeness as I am used to turning right towards infinity. The right diopter does not lock but is firm so it does not lose its position. I also must adjust it for objects st various distances. Another minor gripe is that this bino barely focuses past infinty. I am eaiting for a clear starry night to really look into this. But I did not purchase this for astronomy. Overall, I am really happy with these binos. I think they are a great value and a perfect fit for my 3 binocular stable. CA seems well controlled. I only noticed some fringing around the very edge of tree limbs while looking against a bright white sky. Also there is a tiny amount of edge falloff (sharpness). These things are really not that noticeable unless you begin to "look" for issues. Fantastic bino and a great value!

Best, and lightest, 12x50's on the market, period.

Incredible performance for the price, just like the two other pair of Vanguard binoculars I have. All punch way above their price class - like *WAY, WAY* above.Add to that, these 12x50's weigh no more than than the Vanguard 10x42 ED's I have. Lightest 12x50's I have ever found, which was one of the reasons I bought them. Nothing else out there has the price/performance ratio of Vanguard optics.