Tag Archives: Equipment Reviews

Nocs Pro Issue 8X42 Waterproof Binoculars (FSB Equipment Review)

The NOCS Field Tube 10X32 Monocular (FSB Equipment Review)

I’m excited this week to offer our very first equipment review of a Nocs Provisions product: The Field Tube 10X32 monocular. This is the very first monocular that I’ve ever used, and I was so excited that I tore it out of the packaging and immediately set about field testing it. Before I offer my thoughts, however, I want to say a bit about Nocs.

Everything about this smaller optics company compels me to like them. For one, they take pains to send their products in sustainable packaging—a definite plus for a birder wanting to protect birds and our environment. They are a 1% for the Planet member and a Climate Neutral certified brand. To quote their PR info, “At its core, the company believes that the more we observe and understand how intricate and delicate our planet’s ecosystems are, the more motivated we are to protect them.”

The 8X32 Field Tube shown in Banana Slug (Yellow). This version also comes in Corsican (Blue), Coral (Red), and Desolation (Black). The 10X32s I tested are offered in Ponderosa (Green), Paydirt (Brown), and Oxblood (Maroon). Order by clicking here or on the image above.

Nocs, though, also offers products with super cool designs. The rubber “wave grip” coating of the Field Tube not only offers a great gripping surface, it looks way bitchin’ compared to the standard black exteriors offered by most other manufacturers. Not only that, Nocs products are offered in different colors. Need a pair of binoculars to match your powder blue tux for the Birding Academy Awards? Perhaps something to blend in with your Ferrari while visiting Tuscany? Nocs has got you covered.

But let’s get to the main point, the Field Tube 10X32 monocular itself. First let me say that for birders, this is a “next item” purchase. It’s not intended to replace your binoculars. Rather, it is designed for situations where a slim profile and super light weight are of premium concerns. With a length of only five inches and weight of half a pound—or about a third of traditional binoculars—the Field Tube easily fits into a front pocket and can barely be felt hanging around your neck. This makes it perfect for backpacking, travel, and paddle-boarding. But I can envision other ideal scenarios for this equipment, too. For instance, imagine . . .

**The Field Tube is so small and light that you can take it virtually anywhere without noticing it. We call this BIRD PREPARED!**

You are in an expensive Tokyo restaurant trying to close a deal with a major Japanese tech company. Suddenly, an Azure-winged Magpie lands in a tree outside the window. You do not want to offend the company president sitting across from you, but . . . as soon as he gets up to use the restroom, you whip out the Field Tube from your front pocket for a delightful look at this long-hoped-for life bird. Or . . .

You’re waiting for your perfect big wave set at Mavericks near Half Moon Bay and an intriguing small black bird lands in the water. Unfortunately, it is too far away to ID with the naked eye. BUT, you just happen to have your Nocs Field Tube stuffed inside the neck of your neoprene wetsuit and, focusing in on the bird, you discover it is a Long-billed Murrelet, just flying in from Siberia! Not only is it a life bird, it allows you to break the ABA Big Year record for surfers, earning you glory, fat promotional contracts, and a sponsorship to bird and surf the world!

You can see where I’m going with this, and I’m sure you can come up with other equally realistic scenarios where you’ll want this item close by.

**The Field Tube comes with a handy wrist strap, soft protective carrying bag, and lens cloth—all packed in 100% sustainable recyclable packaging.**

A couple of things I especially like about Nocs products is that they come with solid rubber stoppers that snugly pop in over the objective lenses. It’s amazing how even high-end manufacturers have not solved the problem of keeping the objective lens covers firmly in place. I also really like the strap systems for Nocs products. In fact, when you order, I recommend purchasing the woven strap versions as they are more comfortable and, again, look cool.

But back to the Field Tube, it features a fairly close (9-10 feet) minimum focal length and is waterproof down to three feet deep for up to thirty minutes, making it perfect for birders, butterfly watchers, and surfers. As you would expect, Nocs uses fully coated lenses and prisms, and has a lifetime warranty. I found light transmission quite good in these despite the relatively small 32 mm objective lens.

Just for fun, I decided to see if I could get a digiscope photo through my Field Tube. Not bad for my first effort, if I do say so myself. I mean, you can easily see both the Harpy Eagle and Imperial Woodpecker in the photo, right?

At a price of $129.95, you wouldn’t expect perfection from the Field Tube, and I did notice a couple of things that could use improvement. While the focus is quite sharp at close and medium ranges, it gets a bit softer at distance. I’d also like to see fewer turns of the knob required to bring the focus from close to far distance. However, most people will find these minor issues acceptable trade-offs for the incredibly small profile and convenience the Field Tube offers.

Nocs has recently unveiled a monocular upgrade called the Zero Tube which is even smaller and lighter than the Field Tube, and uses a different focusing mechanism. Hopefully, I’ll get to test that one in the future. Next up, though, will be my review of the Nocs Pro Issue 10X42 binoculars, which I am taking to Costa Rica on my trip with Braden next week. My initial impressions of the Pro Issues are extremely positive and I look forward to giving them a full tropical workout. Stay tuned!

Birding 2025: It’s a Wrap

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As always, we encourage you to share and link to this post. We absolutely do not give permission to use it to train AI models or for other purposes without permission. Happy New Year, Everyone!

As 2025 rapidly winds up, Braden and I want to thank you for your continuing interest in FatherSonBirding and all that you do for birds. We can’t believe that it’s been almost EIGHT YEARS since we published our very first post, A Quest for Snowy Owls! We certainly wouldn’t have kept at it without your interest and support.

We’re thrilled to report that 2025 has been FSB’s biggest year yet. We published a record 49 posts this year, including our 250^th post, “Binoculars and Scopes for the Happy Holiday Birder”. Speaking of that, we also launched FSB equipment reviews—articles we do NOT get paid for, but which have attracted a ton of viewer interest.

FSB received a record 20,000 views in 2025, greatly helped by our equipment and travel reviews!

And speaking of viewers, our site attracted 20,000 views this year, shattering last year’s record of 14,000—with the caveat that about a thousand of those views were likely from AI bots stealing our content without permission (Grrrr…). Still, the vast majority of those extra visitors were legitimate—and from an astounding variety of places. More than 15,000 viewers from 104 countries visited our site this year! Huge gracias, arigatos, mercis, and many more thank yous to our international visitors!

By now, we can hear you pleading, “But please, Sneed and Braden, tell us your Top 5 most popular posts!” Astoundingly, four of our five top posts were equipment review posts:

1) Vortex Triumph 10X42 Binoculars: Entry Level Excellence with 1,425 views. (View post here!)

2) Nikon Monarch HG Binoculars: FSB’s First Equipment Review with 950 views (View post here!)

3) Vortex Razor HD 13-39X56 spotting scope with Mountain Pass tripod: A Perfect Travel Combo? With 580 views (View post here!)

4) Birding Barcelona, Part 1: The Urban Core with 510 views (View post here!)

5) Vortex Viper HD Binoculars (Equipment Review, and/or Texas 2025 Part 2-½) with 480 views (View post here!)

Our 2024 blog about birding downtown Barcelona snuck into the Top 5 for 2025—with several of our Japan and Costa Rica posts close behind!

The numbers reveal some clear trends: with rare exceptions, our most popular posts have been our equipment reviews and reports from travel destinations. Our posts from Japan, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica have been especially popular—as have posts about very birdy domestic locales such as Texas and San Diego. Our book reviews also have done well, but a decline in America’s literacy rate is clearly evident, as our statistics reveal that many more viewers are interested in buying gear than in reading books.

On a personal level, Braden and I are grateful for the many wonderful birding experiences we got to share, both together and separately. Braden was fortunate to visit both Mexico and Costa Rica in 2025 as well as take an epic cross-continent trip from Maine to Montana following his graduation from the University of Maine. He also birded the heck out of Arizona while on his way to his current job in California, where he’s racking up all kinds of new birding experiences.

As for Sneed, I kicked off the year with a trip to Victoria, Canada, thanks to my wife, Amy—and, honestly, the year never seemed to slow down. As soon as we returned, my buddy Roger Kohn invited me on an epic last-minute trip to Colombia. There followed journeys to Texas, Maine, eastern Montana, California (twice!), and most recently, Georgia and Oregon. Most of the latter were not planned as birding trips, but you won’t be surprised to learn that we saw a ton ‘o birds along the way.

Thanks in great part to trips to California with my friend Scott and . . .

You also won’t be surprised to learn that, quite unintentionally, Braden and I shattered most of our own birding records. Braden finished out his birding year with a remarkable 867 species while I smashed my own previous record with 551 species!

One of the low points for the year was having to say goodbye to our wonderful “birding dog” Lola. She left us far too soon and we still miss her terribly. (See this post.)

**Besides finding birds, Lola proved adept at finding marine mammals such as this whale. We miss you Lola!**

Moving forward, we hope to continue to publish a wide variety of posts for your reading pleasure, including those about everyday birding experiences that are at the heart of a birder’s joy and wonder. Just a few adventures that we have lined up for 2026 include trips to Costa Rica and Germany, along with visits to birding festivals in Colorado, Arizona, and Montana. Meanwhile, it is our sincerest wish that the next year brings you all good things, including many incredible birding experiences and a brighter outlook for birders, birds, and the planet we all share.

For some ideas about how to help birds this coming year, please visit our last post, Giving Back to Birds—with Great Breaking News! As always, if you would like to help support FatherSonBirding, consider buying new copies of some of Sneed’s books by clicking on the book jackets to the right.

Vortex Razor HD 10X42s: Holiday Optics Upgrade (FSB Equipment Review)

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All photos and text on FatherSonBirding.com are strictly protected under copyright law. To request permission for use, contact Sneed at sbcollardiii@gmail.com. We encourage you to share these posts, but you DO NOT have permission to use these posts to train Artificial Intelligence models or make other use of them without our okay.

One of the highlights of my 2025 has been the opportunity to field test various bird-related equipment, especially binoculars and scopes from Vortex. In fact, our review of the Vortex Triumph HD 10X42 binoculars nabbed top spot among our most popular posts for the year, narrowly beating out our review of the Nikon Monarch HGs. And speaking of the Monarch HGs, this week I am pleased to offer my thoughts on binoculars that run in the same $1,000 price range as the HGs—the Vortex Razor HD 10X42s.

**The Vortex Razor HD series of binoculars offers both superior optics and terrific build—and yet is still within reach of many (indeed, most?) serious birders.**

The Vortex Razor HD series is not to be confused with the Vortex Razor UHD series—Vortex’s absolute top-of-the-line binoculars that come with price tags to boot. Maybe I’ll get a chance to review one of the UHDs sometime, but for now I am focusing on binoculars that a larger swath of typical birders can enjoy and afford—and the Razor HDs fit right in with that theme.

I’ve been using the Razor HDs for the past several months—a clue to how much I like them. Perhaps the best way to analyze them is to compare them to Vortex’s next step down, the Viper HDs, which we reviewed in this post.

**Me with my buddy Scott—and my Razor HDs—during our recent outing to Bodega Head in California.**

Right off the bat, I have to say that both the Vipers and Razors offer exceptional clarity and light transmission—to the point that I would be hard-pressed to place one above the other in a blind “binocular tasting” test. I have used both models in all kinds of situations, including dark and overcast conditions, and been thrilled with the images reaching my eyes. According to the Vortex website and my Vortex rep, however, the Razor HDs use a superior, tougher coating that provides better clarity and sharpness, and tougher protection so that the lenses are less likely to scratch.

Vortex has also gone to the trouble of using higher density glass for the Razors, as well as matching the lenses for better color matching at all wavelengths. Notably, in the Razors more of the image remains in focus at a range of 1,000 yards than is true of the Vipers. These things probably won’t be obvious to most users, but will, I predict, show up more in extreme conditions and as your own birding skills progress.

Where the differences between the Razors and Vipers really become obvious is in the build of each model. Both feel comfortable and solid to hold, but the Razor HD tubes are crafted from magnesium rather than from polymer—an upgrade you expect to find in all higher end binoculars.

Even more impressive, the central focusing knob has much better action than you find on the less expensive models. One of my few complaints about the Viper HDs was the relative stiffness of the focusing knob, and how far you have to turn it to bring an image into focus. Vortex solves both of these problems with the Razor HDs. A single revolution of the knob takes you from a ten-foot focus to a distance of a mile or more! I can’t emphasize how awesome this is when you’re out in the field and have to switch from looking at a Lincoln’s Sparrow in front of you to a mystery raptor cruising a distant skyline. Not only that, the action is so smooth on the Razors that fine adjustments are accomplished with ease.

**The smooth and functional central focusing knob is one of the features that really stands out on the Razor HDs.**

Other specs on the Razors are very similar to what is found on the Vipers. The Razor HDs have a slightly wider field of view (6.9 degrees compared to 6.5 degrees) and are also .3” longer. Both weigh just under 25 ounces, light enough for most people to haul them around all day—especially if you use the Glasspak™ harness system that comes with most Vortex binoculars.

Both also have eye relief tubes, but the Viper’s are a bit longer—17 mm versus 16.5 mm on the Razors.

As you’d expect, the Razor HDs are waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. Like the Vipers, the Razors also have locking diopter rings—the mechanism that corrects the central focusing knob for people whose vision is different in each eye.

**The Vortex Razor HD series of binoculars is an excellent choice for those looking to step up the quality of their field optics—and not break the bank.**

“But what about price?” you are undoubtedly asking—and since I’ve been comparing the Vipers with the Razors, you’re probably wondering if paying more is worth it. While the Vipers can be purchased for under $500, the Razors take a hefty jump up to about $1,000 at the time of this writing. Oh, what to do?

Let me begin by saying that if you are used to cheaper, crummy binoculars, you’ll be delighted by either one of these models. Both are covered by the amazing Vortex lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty along with excellent customer service. If the Razors simply aren’t in your budget, the Vipers are a very nice investment in your birding activities and will last you as long as you can still bird.

If, however, you’ve just sold some NVIDIA stock or have just benefited from recent changes to the tax code, I would definitely encourage you to opt for the Razors. Even if you’re not wealthy, but want to make sure you get the most pleasure out of your future birding, the Razors make a solid one-time investment that will last a lifetime. $500 extra sounds like a lot—and it is to most of us—but if you’re serious about birding, you will most likely forget about the price difference the first time you focus in on a Common Tody-Flycatcher in the mountains of Colombia, or perhaps even an Evening Grosbeak in the backyard.

So there you have it—and with Christmas coming up to boot. What a coincidence! Or . . . was it?

For more information on the Vortex Razor HDs including where to buy them, click here!

**Seeing your first Common Tody-Flycatcher in the mountains of Colombia will likely make you forget any higher price you paid for your Vortex Razor HDs.**

Vortex Bantam HD 6.5X32s: Binocs for Kids and Travelers (FSB Equipment Review)

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Recently, my brother joined us to celebrate our youngest child’s graduation from high school. We had some extra time, so naturally we went to look for birds, an activity he has steadily been getting more interested in. He didn’t bring binoculars, so I loaned him a pair of Vortex Bantam HDs I have been testing out. The problem? When he departed, he didn’t want to give them back!

Although created and marketed for kids, the Bantam HD has terrific selling points for adults as well. But let’s start with the kids. Quite a few companies have been selling binoculars for kids lately, and that’s a no-brainer. As more and more adults get into birding, they naturally encourage their children to enjoy the activity, too. But most adult binoculars are too heavy and sometimes too complicated to use for the average kid, so it makes sense to seek out optics specifically designed for young people.

**The Bantam HDs are lightweight, easy to use, and offer excellent light transmission and sharpness.**

Unfortunately, many “kid binoculars” look and feel cheap—and often break almost immediately. Others come with high price tags (think $500 or more). I don’t know about you, but as a parent I can think of better places to put those extra few hundred bucks—at least until your child has shown an unquenchable passion for birds. And that’s where the Bantam’s first big selling point comes in: it can be purchased for only about $70.

More important, Bantams feel like real binoculars in your hands. They have sturdy construction, a comfortable grip, long eye-relief tubes for those with glasses, and a diopter ring to accommodate different vision between eyes. Oh, and did I mention they are waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof? Beyond all this, the clarity of the image they present is impressive. I hate to say this, but I found the focal sharpness to be better than the more expensive Triumphs we reviewed earlier in the year (see our review).

**Though marketed for kids, the Bantams are an excellent choice for travelers as well.**

The Bantam HDs do come with some trade-offs. While the optics are excellent, the rating 6.5X32 means that the magnification (6.5 power) is not as great as you find on most adult binoculars (including the Triumphs mentioned above). Also, minimum focal distance is a fairly lengthy 12 feet. This won’t be an issue for most users, but could come into play when looking at butterflies or other insects—or just screwing around, which of course most kids are wont to do when having a cool new toy in their hands. However, the Bantam HD’s light weight and ease-of-use more than compensate for these disadvantages.

Oh yeah, the weight, you may be thinking. I haven’t mentioned that yet, but here it is: these binoculars weigh a mere 14.4 ounces—less than a pound. In other words, they are light enough for almost all kids to carry them around for hours without complaint. And that means that they also are mighty attractive to adults as well.

**On several recent birding trips that I led, I let adults use my pair of Bantams. The coordinator from our local natural history center immediately ordered half a dozen pairs!**

In fact, almost everything about the Bantam HDs screams TRAVEL BINOCULARS! Even if you’re not going on a dedicated birding trip, all birders understand that it is essential to take along a pair of binoculars on every adventure. But on a casual trip a regular pair of binocs, with its awkward size and weighing a couple of pounds, can make a person hesitate to stuff it into a carry-on. Years before trying out the Bantams, I bought myself a pair of Vortex Vanquish 8X26s for backpacking, travel, and to keep in our trusty minivan for “emergency birding.” They worked just fine for this—but despite their greater magnification and slightly lighter weight, I like the Bantams better. Why?

**For travel, I found the Bantams to be a better choice than the more expensive Vortex Vanquish 8X26 (pictured here)—despite the greater magnification of the latter.**

* The Bantam’s optics are just as good, if not better.

* Because the Bantam uses a roof prism system instead of a Porro (side-by-side) prism arrangement, I find the Bantams more comfortable to hold. According to Vortex, they also are more durable. (See this article for a comparison of roof versus Porro prism binoculars.)

* The Bantams are actually cheaper to buy.

You can probably tell that I’m unusually enthusiastic about the Bantams, and their low price makes them an almost risk-free investment—especially given that, like all Vortex products, they come with an unbelievably generous lifetime warranty. Whether you’ve got a promising young naturalist in your life or need a pair of handy travel birding binoculars, you won’t be sorry you checked these out.

Oh, and you might be wondering, Did my brother ever give my Bantams back before he left? The answer is yes—but he looked so forlorn about it I immediately ordered him his own pair!