Awards: Best Value For Money Binocular 2014. Which if you consider that they have a stronger yet usually heavier magnesium frame than many of those similar in weight to them, makes this even more impressive.
It does come in a small zip bag complete with a wrist strap, but it would be helpful if there was an area in the TrailSeeker 8x42s carry case for it. Used when calibrating your binoculars to compensate for any variances between the vision in your left an right eyes, the diopter adjustment is made by turning the ring near the right eye-piece. We had no major complaints when adjusting the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42. The prisms on these Trailseeker's also have a number of very specialized optical coatings applied to them, indeed as you will read below the quality of these is pretty much as good as it gets and matches that of the very best and much more expensive roof prism binoculars out there and I can happily say this is one area where Celestron have not compromised at all, unlike many others that do within this price range to save costs: Reflectivity
For uses like around the garden etc, the neck strap is a better option, so it is nice to have the choice. Also if you fold the binoculars, their height increases to 7.5cm with the lens covers included. Congress approves International Space Station extension to 2030, Ukraine invasion's impacts on space exploration: Live updates, Earth's crust is dripping 'like honey' into its interior under the Andes, Strange, never-before-seen diamond crystal structure found inside 'Diablo canyon' meteorite, Asteroids' colors, shapes and brightness levels revealed in new Gaia satellite data, Your monthly guide to stargazing & space science, Try a single issue or save on a subscription, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. The ones on these are very secure, indeed unlike some that are glued on, these look like they are part of the main body mould and thus are much stronger. So what did I see: Well, like most bins (including many who use ED glass) I could see some fringing, but only by looking really hard for it. It takes the weight of the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 off your neck and onto your shoulders, making it much easier to carry them around and use for long periods. GearLab is reader-supported. Whilst you expect to get a neck strap and carry case with your bins, the inclusion of a binocular harness is a very welcomed, but completely unexpected addition. However to produce a quality instrument that also has a small price tag is very difficult to achieve because you have to make some sort of compromises along the way and even though many try, many get it wrong. However, we did notice a touch of chromatic aberration when moon-viewing, with a big, bright Hunters Moon appearing fabulously clear yet with a little purple fringing on its limb. It appears to work well, with bright and crisp images in the dark. Magnification: 8x For something slightly larger yet less expensive in the roof prism category try the Opticron Adventurer II WP 10x50 (opens in new tab), which have larger objective lenses, 10x magnification and high-quality optics. the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews, Excellent brightness, great clarity, comfortable, Good clarity and brightness, smooth focus knob, Good clarity, small and lightweight, relatively comfortable, Mediocre close focus range, mediocre field of view, Average construction quality, mediocre low-light performance, An excellent balance of price and all-around performance with particularly impressive brightness, These perform well for the price, offering a smooth focus knob and decent brightness and clarity, The most budget-friendly option we've found that offers a good introduction to birdwatching, An inexpensive, small, and packable model that offers surprisingly good optics. This is the most commonly used size for a full size binocular as they provide plenty of surface area to collect light, yet are not so large as to make the device too big and heavy. In general the quality of all the accessories is better than that which you find supplied by their direct competitors, indeed they match many that are far more expensive. To help with this, there are a number of small circular air vents and the underside is made from a very breathable material with a very open weave. Also, the images start to lose some clarity about midway between the center and the edge of the frame. 
I certain instances where people like security personnel, birders or hunters need to be stealthy and perhaps not startle wildlife this can a be a small but important consideration. Should You Buy the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42? If adjusted correctly, leaning against the straps can reduce hand shake significantly. Whilst these are well positioned in that they coax you to hold the bin in the correct way and place so as to get a nice balance, they are not as deep or well moulded as some. Objective Lens Covers
The Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42 is one of many binoculars with good optical quality and decent construction but falls short of other similarly priced models. Crucially, for anyone after even better views of the night sky and who dont mind paying for the privilege the Trailseeker range also come with the (expensive) option of extra low dispersion (ED) glass, whose optical properties prevent any chromatic aberrations otherwise known as purple fringing around bright objects like the Moon and bright stars. Objective lens diameter: 42mm Diopter The very close weave on the nylon and the waterproof Neoprene panels also mean that whilst not completely impervious to water, this soft carry case will perform as a very effective barrier against all but the heaviest rain. The 17mm of eye-relief and the two intermediate click stops should mean that most users, even those who wear glasses should have enough flexibility and room to play with to be able to position their eyes at exactly the right distance behind the ocular lenses to get a full view without any dark rings forming on the edges. So with an advertised close focus of 6.5ft (1.98m), these Celestron Trailseeker's are still very good and more than fine for most of us.
Focus Adjustment This means at times you are convinced you can see it and there is a difference, then later on and in different conditions you can't and there is no difference! This can sometimes not only be annoying, but you have more of a chance damaged your bins as they swing and bang into a rock when traversing steep hills or getting snagged and caught up when making your way through thick undergrowth. Particular to roof prisms and left untreated, the lightwaves that pass through it will come out the other side slightly out of phase with each other, which results in a lower resolution image that also has less contrast. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, This does mean that they have the advantage of making fine adjustments easier, but also means it takes a little longer to make large changes to the focal length. However, that bridge is pretty small, which gives the user a bit more room to grip the barrels near the objective lenses. Heres why you can trust us.
Whilst they may have a different body design, from first impressions, these Celestron Trailseeker 8x42 binoculars remind quite a lot of the Granite's.
Whilst there is some blurring of the image right along the edge of the view, it is negligible and no more than the best in their class. Made from a flexible and soft plastic or rubber, the Trailseeker's lens covers fit over the ends of each barrel. However they are not all created equal and to save costs, many will use cheaper materials that have a lower reflectivity. It is in bad light where things can sometimes get interesting and bins with more/better quality optics and coatings sometimes come to the fore. The thin nylon straps thread through the loops on the sides of the binocular in the usual way and then connect back on themselves via a couple of plastic sliders that enable you to adjust the length of the neck strap to your liking. They also have a small tab on the top, which once again do nothing for their looks but do make them even easier to quickly flip off. At first glance, the Celestron Trailseeker 8x42 binocular looks to have a very traditional straight through, single bridged body shape, common to most roof prism binoculars, however there are a few tweaks to this design: For a start the central bridge that connects the two barrels is quite thin and it is positioned more towards the eye-pieces than the usual larger ones that are located more towards the center.
The exact wording here is very important, because unlike the cheaper and much lower quality "Multi-Coated" or "Fully Coated" optics, these have had numerous layers of a special anti-reflection material added to ALL the exterior glass surfaces throughout the whole optical system.
For uses like safaris and sporing events these will perform really well once there, especially considering the wide FOV, but some may prefer an even more compact product that is easier to pack and carry in a bag. The double shoulder strap that comes in the box both holds the binoculars more securely on your body than a standard neck strap and gives you something to lean against when you raise the binoculars to your eyes. Check out my guide to, Celestron 8x42 Trailseeker Binoculars Video Review, https://img.youtube.com/vi/p49XZfO0l3A/mqdefault.jpg, View all Celestron products I have written reviews on, older/old stock binoculars & if they are still worth buying now.
While telescopes are big and complicated to set up, and many pairs of binoculars are just too darned heavy, the TrailSeeker 8x42 are simple to use and surprisingly lightweight. Nitrogen Purged
Also remember this sealed body also helps prevent even the smallest dust particles from getting into the system, which if you live in a dry area is just as important as waterproofing. The TrailSeeker ED 8x42's brightness is quite good but again falls short of some of its competitors. What is more and as we already covered when talking about the eye-cups, the two fixed intermediate click stops will also help those eyeglass wearers get the right setting for their particular needs. The stitching on the faux leather connectors that join the padded section to the thin nylon straps looks good and should hold firm. A pair of roof prism binoculars positioned above the low prices in the mass market, the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 combines a premium design and build quality with excellent optics designed to get the most from the night sky. These Celestron Trailseeker binoculars come with a whole host of included goodies, some you expect to find and some as you will see are a surprise, but very welcomed addition: Carry Bag That is why I was quite surprised to discover that the Celestron Trailseeker binoculars, including this 8x42 model all use magnesium alloy frames and which most certainly lifts them a little above the crowd in their class. Even though this is still less than some that can take 2 or more full turns, it is about a quarter of a turn more than the majority. Believe it or not, this is something that often gets overlooked and for me there is nothing more frustrating than having to struggle as well as twist in the eye-cups every time I want to replace my bins in the bag. That means, hopefully, a steady view devoid of shake. I just wish that Celestron design the neck strap with quick release clips, which would make swapping between the two much quicker than having to re-thread the straps onto the bin every time. Thank you for signing up to Space. Eye-cups The first thing to note is that these Celestron binoculars are "Fully Multi-Coated" which is excellent. These bins do not use ED glass, however this does not automatically mean that they will show a lot or more color fringing than those that do, it all depends on how well they have designed the lenses and the rest of the optical system to direct the individual wavelengths of light. However, if youre starting from scratch and paying retail price, your money can likely go substantially further elsewhere. This may seem like a small thing, but I can tell you from experience that not only are loose lens covers a pain to find all the time but are also very easily lost. These binoculars produce good images, but they lack a bit of clarity and brightness when compared to some of their main competitors. Almost all bins within this price level will have a polycarbonate plastic frame, which besides from being cheaper to manufacture do have the advantage of being lightweight, reasonably strong and will not corrode. What is uncommon to see within this price bracket, but is what Celestron have used on these Trailseeker's are dielectric coated prisms.
Binoculars are probably the world's most used optical many binoculars with good optical quality. The padded section is well padded (4mm deep) and has what looks like a Neoprene underside that offers a smooth comfortable surface that wont easily crease or fold which can make for an uncomfortable point on your shoulders or neck. Sometimes referred to as binocular suspenders because of the way two of the straps go over your shoulders, but instead of holding up your pants, these are designed to take the weight off your shoulders and keep your bins close to your chest when not in use, but always close at hand and easy to get at for when you do need them. This will bring a huge smile to many price conscious birders out there, indeed as you can also see below they have the exact same stats as the far more expensive Celestron Granites, which won my award for the Best Birding Binocular in 2012, which they won largely because of their superb view and also because of their incredible optical stats. The lens caps on the objectives of the Celestron Trailseeker 8x42 binoculars are loosely attached and can be easy to lose.
Whilst the fit is good, meaning they are easy to take off and replace, yet wont come away too easily by accident, I do prefer the classier as well as sleeker look of lens covers like that which come with the Celestron Granite that fit into, rather than over the ends of the barrels. This hard rubber is also less tacky than the softer rubber ones and so provides a lot less grip, especially when slightly wet. The most difficult part of every review that I write is the image quality section, which has to be said is probably also the most important part!
Whilst there is an element of a "fashion trend" to it, this shape does also have a few advantages: Magnesium Frame
I have used this same harness before as it is also included with the Celestron Granite 8x42 binoculars that I reviewed a while back, so knew from the last test that it would be comfortable to use and once again it was. More common within this price bracket are silver coated prisms that cost more to make, but can reflect up to 98% of the light. Or to express it as an angle from the binocular, they have a viewing angle of 8.1. The soft rubber eye-piece cover or rain-guard is very typical in that it has two cups that fit over the ends of the eye-cups on the bin and which have a bridge that joins them together. However, it doesn't beat its competitors by a wide enough margin to be especially noticeable in normal use. The eyecups on the bin are designed to ensure that for most people, once they are fully twisted out and you rest your face against them you are at this exact distance. Likewise, the height of 2in (5.1cm) is measured with the central hinge open, but without their lens covers off.
This is the only area within the optical system of these Celestron binoculars that does not quite match that of more costly products and this is obviously where Celestron have decided to save costs and thus keep the price down on these. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. For a soft case, the amount of padding is very good and thus it will protect your bins from impacts as well as the best I have used, with only completely rigid or semi-rigid cases being better. Ideal Uses: Their very good image quality and low light performance as well as their exceptionally wide viewing angle makes them ideally suited to most wildlife and bird watching pursuits. The Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42's close focus range is 6.5 feet. I could not see any signs of this when looking through these Celestron Trailseeker binoculars. published 15 November 21. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. For a slightly pricier choice consider the Nikon Prostaff 5 (opens in new tab), which come in 8x42, 10x42 and 10x50 specifications. This is important because it shows us that the amount of light that they deliver is for the most part, more than what our eyes need and so the image you see will look nice and bright. The included carry bag looks to be very similar, if not identical to the ones supplied with Celestron's much more expensive Granite models which is great. Lens Cloth In this case it's my 8x42 benchmarks and I conducted the comparisons twice, once in good light at midday and then once again that evening, just at and after sunset: Image Brightness So all I can say is that the ocular lenses on the 8x42 Trailseeker are 23mm wide, which puts them on a par with some of the biggest used on full sized bins and the large lenses or objectives have a diameter of 42mm as is expressed in their name. Many bins at this level will, like these also be very lightweight, but that is because they use cheaper and lesser quality plastic bodies and components. However almost all bino manufacturers omit supplying much or indeed any details as to the makeup of the lenses, both in the eyepieces and the large objectives and unfortunately I have to say that Celestron are no different in this regard, which is a real shame. Also included is the information on the excellent Celestron "Limited Lifetime Warranty" which indicates they will cover any need repairs or indeed replace these binos should any parts be defective or should they get damaged from normal wear and tear. We had no complaints with the focus nor diopter adjustemnts. How can that be if they use a roof prism optical system? The Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 is a good choice for anyone wanting to go stargazing, but theyre particularly well suited to anyone wanting to travel to dark skies. Its a little stiff, but that also prevents it from being knocked out of position. The central field of view is exceptional, though there is a little drift towards the edges. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The underside of 8x42 Trailseeker is fairly standard and like many they have included an couple of indented thumb prints. Whilst many of us will instantly recognise and indeed associate the Celestron brand with astronomy, in terms of producing binoculars specifically designed for terrestrial uses, they are fairly new to the party. These have a reflectivity of more than 99%, but because of the difficulty in producing them and the costs involved they are usually reserved for the top tier, "alpha" bins and so it is a very welcomed surprise to see them used on these.