Best compact binoculars 2024: Lightweight, travel-friendly models

If you’re in the market for a pair of the best compact binoculars, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up the very best of them here, covering a wide range of specifications and price ranges.

Why choose compact binoculars instead of a standard set? Well, there’s usually one very simple reason: Portability. Some binoculars can be huge compared to compact binoculars, making these smaller offerings great for traveling, keeping in your pocket and generally moving around with.

They’re also lighter, making them a great choice for taking on a day trip or packing in a back when going on vacation. And size doesn’t always need to mean sacrifices: lots of the best compact binoculars offer exceptional optical quality, and we’ve made sure to only select those we’d personally recommend on this list.

Our expert reviewers have tried and tested these binoculars out in the field, considering factors like weatherproofing, size, weight and price when they give their rating. There are some great budget options in this guide, or you can check out our binoculars deals page for deals on some of the best binoculars and best binoculars for kids. 

If your interests are more niche, you might want to look at our guide to the best night vision binoculars and best rangefinder binoculars, both great for wildlife watching and nighttime photography. If you’re more into stargazing, check out our guides to the best telescopes and best telescopes for deep space.

Jase Parnell-Brookes

The quick list

Best compact binoculars we recommend in 2024

Best overall

The Olympus WP II 8×25 compact binoculars sit at the top of our list thanks to their fantastic optics. No matter what your subject is, you’ll find clear and crisp views through these, with good contrast and high color fidelity to boot.

They’re not the top choice for stargazing — their 8x magnification and 25mm objective lenses don’t offer enough light-gathering power for a serious look at the night sky. That said, they are more than adequate for casual observations and make a truly excellent all-round pair of binoculars.

These binoculars are comfortable to hold for long viewing sessions thanks to weighing only 9 oz. (260g) and having a grippy rubber-coated finish. Despite being lightweight, they feel sturdy and robust with great build quality. They’d be ideal for a range of outdoor pursuits, such as hiking and wildlife watching, since they are nitrogen-filled, fog-proof, and waterproof. We had no problems with water or fogging even when we tested them in difficult weather conditions.

The high-quality BaK-4 roof prism design with fully multi-coated lenses offers small but detailed views of bright night sky objects of at least +4.0 magnitude. The field of view measures 6.2 degrees, so you’ll fit about 12 moon widths in the view to give you an idea of scale.

We were pleased to see no color fringing and the twistable eyecups provide a 15mm eye relief which is suitable to use with spectacles. If you’re looking for a multi-purpose pair with great optics, then look no further, but there are better choices out there for dedicated skywatchers.

Best for portability

While the Nikon Aculon didn’t quite make our top spot, they’re a serious contender amongst our picks of the best compact binoculars — and they’re even at a slightly lower price point than the Olympus pair. So if you’re conscious of budget, perhaps these might be your top consideration.

We love just how compact these binoculars are: They measure 3.4 x 4.1 inches (8.6 x 10.4cm) and weigh only 6.9oz (196g). You’ll barely notice them in your bag and they’ll fit in most pockets just as easily as a smartphone. 

They’re pretty durable, too, with a hard-wearing body. They aren’t waterproof, although you should be fine in a light drizzle, but they do have nitrogen filling to protect from fogging. Because of their durability (and fairly low price), they’re a good option for children. You can even select the color of the body, with a few available to choose from, giving them some semblance of customizability. Unnecessary, but rather nifty.

Coming in at a slightly lower price point than the Olympus pair, the Nikon Aculon T02 8×21 also makes a great multi-purpose pair of binoculars. They are extremely compact, measuring 3.4 x 4.1 inches (8.6 x 10.4cm) and weighing only 6.9 oz (196g), so they’ll slip into your pocket just as easily as your smartphone. Their smooth and lightweight build also comes in a choice of different colors and they’re comfortable to grip for long observing sessions. We think their size and durability make them a fantastic option for kids too.

The optics impressed us in our Nikon Aculon T02 8×21 review, giving pin-sharp views of the moon with just a little chromatic aberration along the lunar limb which was barely noticeable. The focuser is very accurate and allows for minute movements to get your object of interest perfectly in focus, and they also have excellent color fidelity.

There were a couple of small downsides to the design. The Nikon Aculon only comes with a 10.3mm eye relief, meaning they’re not ideal for people who need to wear their glasses when using binoculars. They also may not be the best choice if your main interest is stargazing because they lack the light-gathering capabilities required to view fainter deep-sky objects and they don’t feature BaK-4 prisms, unlike of their some competitors.

Best build quality

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The Minox X-Lite 8×26 are more affordable than the binoculars in Minox’s X-Active range, but they still offer great performance and a very impressive build quality. The optics on these binoculars give good color rendition and contrast since they’re made from high-quality K9 glass with roof prisms and phase correction coating. You also get a surprisingly wide field of view for an 8x pair of compact binoculars, covering 6.8 degrees and 358 feet at 1000 yards.

The X-Lite binoculars are a bit heavier than other compact sets on this list — they weigh 10oz/289g — but they’re still plenty light and small enough to be considered ultra-portable. The slight extra weight on them lends to their sturdy construction: They’re covered in a textured material and have a larger grip surface, making them comfortable to hold. 

If you’re a glasses-wearer, you’ll also find the Minox X-Lite 8×26 comfortable to look through. The eyecups offer a 16mm eye relief, but they’re adjustable and can twist upwards if you need to do so.

These compact binoculars are a great choice if you’re going to be using them in various weather conditions: they have an IPX7 waterproof rating and they’re nitrogen filled to prevent fogging. So whether you’re birdwatching in the rain or using them on drizzly days, you needn’t worry. They’re can also withstand submersion for up to 30 minutes, meaning you can use them near bodies of water without worrying too much about dropping them in.

Best value

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We’re used to finding Celestron in our lists since the company is known for its high-quality telescopes and binoculars. But we felt their UpClose G2 binoculars were particularly worthy of note for offering a great range of features at an affordable sub-$30 price point.

These binoculars have a neat and compact design at only 3.0 x 2.2 x 4.5 inches (76 x 51 x 114mm), so they’re very easy to slip into your pocket when you’re out and about. Glasses-wearers will also appreciate the fold-up eyecup design, which lets you simply fold the eyecups down and out of the way whenever you’re wearing your glasses. They also sport a rubber coating, which adds a bit of robustness to the binoculars’ build quality.

These have a surprisingly good twilight factor considering their size and price (15.8), which offers better performance in low-light conditions. They’re a good choice for stargazing because of that, but they’re also great for all kinds of uses. They offer 10x magnification and a focus capability of just 15 feet, making them great for wildlife. We’d recommend these over the UpClose G2 8×21, which have a lower twilight factor in comparison (13).

These compact binoculars don’t have the most advanced specifications on this list, but for the price you’re getting a fantastic deal. Their lenses are partially multi-coated rather than fully coated, and they use BK-7 glass roof prisms rather than superior BaK-4 glass. But these are trade-offs expected for this price point, and despite them, the Celestron UpClose G2 10×25 still perform admirably. Whether you’re a beginner or on a very tight budget, they’re a good choice. 

We haven’t reviewed the 10×25 yet, but we have reviewed the Celestron UpClose G2 10×50, which we loved for astronomy.

Best budget option

The Nikon Travelite EX 8×25 compact binoculars are a great budget option for casual users or beginners. They’re sturdy and well-made, coming from a brand with excellent pedigree. They have a surprisingly wide field of view given their small size — and we also love that they come with a carry case, making them ideal for travel.

In our Travelite EX 8×25 review, we praised the eye relief of these binoculars, stating they’re great for glasses-wearers. The eyecups feature O-ring seals, which are nitrogen filled to prevent fogging, and there’s also waterproofing up to a depth of two meters for five minutes — if you’re using them near a body of water, then, you don’t need to stress too much about accidentally dropping them in (though of course try not to!).

As far as stargazing goes, they offer enjoyable night-sky viewing with a 6.2-degree view that can fit in all three of the stars on Orion’s belt. We were able to make out the craters of the Moon, and their light weight means that we experienced no shaking to affect the view, which can be a problem when holding larger and heavier binoculars in your hands.

However, you need to have realistic expectations of what you’ll be able to observe in the night sky with these binoculars. The 25mm aperture is too small to view Saturn’s rings for example, and it’s possible to buy a larger pair of binoculars for a similar price. For this reason, we’d only recommend them for casual stargazers or people who need a portable pair for a range of different purposes. Serious skywatchers will probably want to look elsewhere.

Best waterproof model

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The Bushnell H20 8×25 compact binoculars sport pretty impressive specifications given their reasonably low price. Their BaK-4 roof prisms and partial multi-coating means you’re getting good, sharp views, and they’re pleasant to look through. They have a 6.9-degree field of view, which is pretty good in our opinion.

They’re also comfortable to use thanks to their large, easy-to-grip center focus knob. You can use that to make adjustments, and we’ve found it’s easy to use even when you’re wearing gloves given its size — perfect if you’re using these binoculars on a chilly winter evening.

While they’re not quite pocket-sized at 127 x 101.6 x 69.5mm, they are still compact enough to toss into your backpack when you’re heading on an outdoor camping trip, and you won’t feel their weight. These binoculars are waterproof and nitrogen-purged to prevent fogging, plus Bushnell provides a manufacturer’s guarantee for added peace of mind.

With an eye relief of 12mm, the Bushnell H20 8×25 might not be the best choice for those who wear glasses. However, they come with a rubberized, textured coating for protection against knocks and to enhance hand grip.

Best styling

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The Pentax UD 9×21 offer a great middle ground between 8x magnification, which can be easier to hold, and 10x magnification, which offers a more detailed view of the moon and planets. The 9x magnification on these binoculars gives users the best of both worlds, and they come with high-quality optics that are fully multi-coated as well.  

These binoculars are an excellent option if you want something very lightweight. To reduce weight, they’re crafted with a plastic chassis instead of metal, and instead of rubber armor, they feature two small thumb rests for grip. This design choice results in a weight of only 195g, and with dimensions of 10.8 x 8.7 x 3.8 cm, they’re incredibly portable and can easily fit in your pocket.

Considering how lightweight these compact binoculars are, we’ve been very impressed with how they handle. They have a large focus wheel which is nice and easy to use, and just two rotations will span the entire range of focus. We should note that despite being compact, these binoculars do come with a tripod mount — but if you want to use it, you’ll need to purchase an (inexpensive) adapter.

The Pentax UD 9×21 binoculars have a field of view of six degrees. We consider this to be adequate, but it’s worth considering that it’s not as big as other compact binoculars. There is also a 10×21 version of the Pentax UD, but we think the 9×21 is the better option due to better eye relief and the fact they have multi-coated lenses. 

One neat thing to note about these compact binoculars is that they come in some bold colors, including orange, lime green and hot pink. They’re always easy to spot, and will likely be more appealing to kids as a result.

Best for travel

Occer may not be a brand you’ve heard of before, but this is an interesting new entry into the compact binoculars world. Measuring only 110 x 50mm, these binoculars are truly tiny and therefore unrivalled when it comes to traveling or slipping a pair in your pocket on the off-chance you might need them when you’re out and about. We also think they make a very competitive pair for kids owing to their size and close-range viewing capabilities.

Despite the off-putting packaging, which looks a bit cheap and clumsy, we were pleasantly surprised by the clear and bright views offered by these binoculars. They even had less chromatic aberration than some better-known competitors, and we certainly thought they held their own at such an affordable price point. They can offer decent views of the Moon and its craters but, as is often the case with compact binoculars, they don’t let in enough light for serious stargazing.

Unfortunately, these binoculars do not come with objective lens caps or eyepiece covers, which will make it harder to keep them in good condition, particularly if you are slipping them in a pocket with keys and other items that have the potential to damage the lenses. We also felt that the eyecups folded down a little too easily when you applied any pressure while viewing things, so we would have appreciated them being a bit more solid. But for the price, they would make a good pair for general uses like sport or nature observing and would also be a great choice as an affordable children’s pair.

Best for high magnification

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Sunagor specializes in crafting high-power binoculars, and they claim that these are the most compact and lightweight 18x magnification binoculars on the market. Weighing less than 200g, they are certainly portable and can fit in a pocket. However, due to their single-hinge design, they don’t fold up as small as some other models in this guide. 

While these lenses may not feature full multi-coating and there’s no guarantee of premium glass in the barrels, they do provide an impressive 18x magnification, and the image clarity is satisfactory enough for regular use.

The downside of having such a high magnification in handheld binoculars, however, is that it’s often difficult to get a steady view. There’s no option to hook them up to a tripod either, as they have no mount – so holding your binoculars steady is your only option.

Because of that, we also wouldn’t recommend the Sunagor Mini Pocket 18×21 binoculars for kids. They’re lightweight enough for little hands to hold, sure, but the amount of power means that every wobble will quickly become frustrating – and when each wobble is magnified by 18x, there’ll be a lot of frustrations.

These binoculars have small 21mm objective lenses, so they’re not ideal for astronomy. However, we’ve included them because they can still give you that ‘wow’ experience when you use their 18x magnification to observe the moon for the first time.

Best for versatility

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When is a pair of binoculars not a pair of binoculars? When it’s a pair of monoculars. Pentax’s slightly gimmicky binos can disassemble to provide two 4x monoculars and then screw together to create a 16x spotting scope.

Although they are not the lightest on the market, weighing in at 12.9 oz (345 g), they feel more substantial and less toy-like than others. You’d be hard-pressed to find something more compact.

This is an undoubtedly versatile device, but using the Pentax VD 4×20 can quickly become tedious. Why? Because each tube needs to be focused independently. We can imagine some scenarios where this might be handy, but for most users, it’s extra faff when setting up. Although despite providing only 4x magnification when used as binoculars, they offer a wide field of view which is nice.

That binocular magnification may be underwhelming, but configure the VD 4×20 into telescope mode and you can enjoy 16x magnification. When used like this, however, the field of view is very small — just 2.6 degrees — so it’s not all that useful in some situations. For viewing the moon it might be great, but you won’t be able to enjoy much else in the night sky.

What is neat, though, is that the Pentax VD 4×20 can split into two monoculars, allowing two users to make use of its light-gathering power. But given the fairly high price of this, you’d probably be better off buying two separate pairs of binoculars — they’d have a lot more power, too. Still, there’s no denying there’s a nifty novelty factor here.

Compact Binoculars FAQ

How we test the best compact binoculars

To guarantee you’re getting honest, up-to-date recommendations on the best compact binoculars to buy here at Space.com, we make sure to put every binocular through a rigorous review to test each instrument fully. Each telescope is reviewed based on many aspects, from its construction and design, to how well it functions as an optical instrument and how it performs in the field.

Each pair of binoculars is carefully tested by our expert staff or knowledgeable freelance contributors who know their subject areas in depth. This ensures fair reviewing is backed by personal, hands-on experience with each binocular and is judged based on its price point, class and destined use. For example, comparing a pair of 25×100 mammoth binoculars to a compact pair of 8x25s wouldn’t be appropriate though each binocular might be the best pick in their own class.

We look at how easy they are to operate, whether the length of eye relief can be adjusted for spectacles wearers (the longer the better) if a binocular comes with appropriate accessories (lens caps, neck strap, cleaning cloths) or carry bags and also make suggestions if a particular set of binos would benefit from any additional kit to give you the best viewing experience possible.

With complete editorial independence, Space.com are here to ensure you get the best buying advice on binoculars, whether you should purchase an instrument or not, making our buying guides and reviews reliable and transparent.

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