Which 10x binoculars are best for glasses wearers?

Eye relief is the most important consideration when looking for good binoculars to use with spectacles or sunglasses.

Wearing glasses means that your eyes are a little further from the ocular lenses of the binoculars than they would be when used with the naked eye. Therefore the binoculars need to still be effective when used with this distance, as small as it seems.

This guide identifies the 10x binoculars that are most suitable for people who wear eye glasses.

Quick comparison: Best 10x birding binoculars for glasses wearers

Reviews: Best 10x birding binoculars for glasses wearers

Quite a few 10x binoculars on the market offer enough distance between your eye and the ocular lens to ensure that you benefit from the widest field of view in great focus. But how do their other features stack up?

These reviews aim to help you to identify the key plus points (and disadvantages) of the best birding binoculars when used by someone who wears glasses. Let's take a closer look.

Best overall 10x binoculars for glasses wearers

Carl Zeiss Conquest HD 10×42 binoculars Overview

A generous eye relief of 18mm makes life easy for glasses wearers. The eyecups are soft and comfortable to use if you do not wear glasses.

Top of the range optical components ensure that the light transmission through the binoculars is excellent. This achieves a bright, clear image that is hard to beat.

Size

At a size of 10x42, these binoculars have great ergonomics. As you would expect from this price range, they feel light and well balanced in the hand, which makes them very comfortable to use over long periods.

Field of view

Field of view is wide, with 377ft at 1,000 yards. A close focus distance of 6.6ft will allow good views of those creatures that come closer to you.

Ease of use

The central focussing system is easy to use with one finger. With a slight slant to the eye cups, they fit comfortably against the face.

Durability

The non-slip coating feels easy to grip for all weathers. As you would expect from this premium manufacturer, the design is sturdy and robust while still looking classically stylish.

Image quality

Very sharp and bright high-definition pictures thanks to the multi-coatings on the lenses and prisms. This gives up to 90% boosted light transmission.

Best 10x binoculars for glasses wearers - rugged use

Vortex Optics 10x42 Viper HD binoculars Overview

Vortex Optics are a well known American brand, trusted for their quality and appreciated by bird watchers for the lifetime warranty they offer with their products.

Fully multi-coated glass

Their HD glass is fully multi-coated. The prisms are dielectric coatings to aid light transmission. The prism set-up is Schmidt-Pechan which enables their length to be so compact for 10x binoculars.

The large, ridged central focussing knob is convenient to focus with one finger. The diopter adjustment is on the right-hand side. It can be locked once it is set to your preference.

Comfortable for extended usage

The comfortable indentations to rest your thumbs are a nice touch and add to the overall easy use. Waterproofed to a high standard, purged and argon-filled to prevent fogging, the Vipers seem like they are equipped for all weathers.

Despite their toughness, they are light and portable. These versatile binoculars can be adapted to tripod use.

The rubber eyecups are individually extendable with four different settings. Once twisted into place, the eyecups stay where set with no looseness.

Best 10x binoculars for glasses wearers - extra eye relief for thick spectacles

Swarovski EL 10×42 binoculars Overview

These top-of-the-range binoculars are a serious investment in your birding adventures. They are built to last.

Ergonomic design

The body features a textured protective coating over the magnesium alloy chassis. Handy thumb indentations improve grip and comfort.

They are exceptionally weatherproof, with Swarovski specifying that they will withstand immersion in four meters of water. They are nitrogen-purged and O-ring sealed.

Top quality glass and coatings

Overall the size is quite large. On paper the weight sounds hefty - a probable consequence of that high quality glass.

In this case, though, it helps to stabilize your image. The binoculars sit in the hand with good balance.

Swarovski’s EL range uses high-quality fluoride glass. The roof prisms are phase-coated. These binoculars have great color representation and fantastic contrast and resolution.

Amazing field of view

Field of view is exceptional for a 10-power binocular. Sharpness extends right across the image in all light conditions.

Focussing is smooth, with the central focus wheel within easy reach. It takes over two full turns.

One downside is the long close focus distance at over ten feet.

Best Porro prism 10x binoculars for glasses wearers

Nikon 7245 Action 10x50 EX Extreme All-Terrain binoculars Overview

This offering from Nikon is similar in many ways to the Aculon model that we also review. As another Porro prism binocular, the All-Terrain feels wide in the hands and can be easily adjusted by moving the bridge more open or closed.

Likewise, the build quality is very good. The sturdiness of the Extreme All-Terrain binoculars is impressive.

Clear view across most of the image

As for the image quality, sharpness extends across nearly the whole image. Where it does start to degrade, at the edges, this is clearly visible. The vast majority of the view is clear though.

If you’re planning to mount these binoculars on a tripod then there is attachment for that too.

10x50 size is at the highest point of magnification that most people can effectively hand hold, so it’s worth considering trying these out on a tripod to see if that works for you.

Reliable budget option from a top brand

These binoculars are not far past the $100 price mark, which is often used as a good benchmark for the lowest budget you should spend on a pair.

Spending less than $100 runs that risk of leaving you disappointed and wishing you’d saved up just a bit more for a pair like these.

If you have a limited budget these binoculars do offer a good performance. Nikon is known for its reliability and these certainly live up to that reputation.

Best 10x binoculars for glasses wearers in low light conditions

Vortex Optics Razor UHD 10x50 binoculars Overview

With the Razor UHD you are getting Vortex Optics’ best of the best. The Razor was already the top tier, and the UHD is a further upgrade from this.

Basically, what you are getting is even better glass and Vortex’s top-of-the-line XR Plus lens coatings.

The improved twilight factor is a big plus with the Vortex Optics Razor UHDs. What this does is heighten contrast and make it easier to see birds in low light, particularly when they are moving.

Highly efficient light transmission via Abbe-Koenig prisms

The main advantage of the phase-corrected Abbe-Koenig prisms is their ability to transmit light more efficiently, meaning that less light is lost along the path.

All this translates to a brighter image. This is a big factor in their superiority over the Razor HDs.

Abbe-Koenig prisms allow a slimmer body

The Abbe-Koenig prisms are a more compact prism system, allowing the binoculars to be better streamlined. Their slim shape is pleasing to the eye, to hold, and of course it is more packable.

One downside of these binoculars is that turning the focus wheel is a slow process. To travel the full range requires two whole turns.

It’s more of a bonus for hunters. While this is good for extreme fine-tuning, some birders may regret that this takes a longer time when trying to get on a fast moving bird.

GlassPak harness is included

The inclusion of the GlassPak chest harness is a plus point. Using the binoculars in this enables you to keep them really handy to pick up quickly while being less of a strain than a neck strap.

The Razor UHD is tripod-compatible if you want to stabilize the binoculars more than hand holding. There’s a little fitting in the centre that unscrews for you to attach the adapter.

Best 10x binoculars for eye glasses wearers (long eye relief)

Swarovski 10x50 EL binoculars Overview

People talk about Swarovskis as heirloom optics. From these Swarovski 10x50 EL binoculars it’s easy to see why.

How the binoculars feel in the hands is a difficult concept to measure. These Swarovski 10x50 EL binoculars are not only ergonomically shaped but well balanced in the hand.

The magnesium alloy body is clad in rubber armor, to keep the binoculars easily grippable even in damp or cold conditions. The main focus wheel incorporates a pull-out diopter - a satisfyingly minimal design feature.

Field flattening lenses

In terms of image quality, it’s difficult to think up enough superlatives. You really get what you pay for. The aim of Swarovski’s field flattener lenses is to make sure the outstanding contrast reaches all the way to the edge of the view.

Long, forgiving eye relief

Another great point is that the eye relief, at 20 mm, is long. This is always a benefit. It’s more forgiving, not only for people who wear glasses or sunglasses when birding, but for all users.

If you’re not wearing glasses, you can pull out the eyecups, which move extremely smoothly.

Tripod adaptable - as long as you do it the Swaro way!

If you would like to attach your Swarovski binoculars to a tripod, then it is possible. But it is not quite as simple as other brands, who often offer a little screwable attachment at the front of the binoculars.

In this case, the binoculars need a different adapter. It works using an elasticated band that stretches over the body of the binoculars. So you’ll need to buy Swarovski’s own product, rather than using one that you already have.

Seems like a small detail, but even the carrying strap is really comfortable!

Main criteria to find 10x binoculars for glasses wearers

There is a wide range of binoculars for bird watching that you can wear comfortably with glasses. Here, we will look at how to choose the best binoculars from this range if you wear spectacles while viewing through optics.

What we judged our reviews on

When there are so many different types of birding binoculars available, how should you identify a pair to ensure you are getting the best binoculars for your budget? Let's look at what to consider as you choose birding binoculars to use with spectacles or sunglasses.

EYE RELIEF

The most important thing to consider when buying binoculars to wear with glasses is eye relief. Eye relief distance measures the gap between your eye and the lens closest to your eye.

For those people who do wear glasses, choose a measurement between 14-18mm, depending on the thickness and the distance of the glasses from the eye.

We explain clearly and in more detail all about eye relief and why it is so important in this article: All about eye relief: choosing binoculars and spotting scopes for glasses wearers

APPROPRIATE MAGNIFICATION

Experts recommend a magnification power of 8x or 10x for most bird watchers. 10x will give more magnification and a brighter image.

Due to the increased magnification, the field of view narrows in comparison to 8x. They also are more difficult to hold steady, because of their greater power.

EFFECTIVE OBJECTIVE LENS SIZE

Look for an objective lens diameter that is big enough to give you a bright image in high resolution, without being too large, which would give a shaky, unstable view.

42mm is a good size. It lets in enough light and is still relatively compact. It combines well with the 10x magnification. Models of 10x42 and 10x50 binoculars are most popular among birders.

EASE OF USE

Your best pair of birding binoculars will fit your hands well and feel comfortable when viewing, as well as being lightweight enough to be used for longer periods of time.

Image quality

A few significant features really help to boost image quality in binoculars. Fully multi coated optics reduce reflection and assist the transmission of light through the objective lens.

The best birding binoculars also incorporate extra low dispersion glass (ED glass). The ED glass gives more brightness, clarity and a more accurate rendition of the color spectrum. It also reduces chromatic aberration.

WIDE FIELD OF VIEW

Select birding binoculars with as wide a field of view as possible. This width makes it simpler not only to spot the bird in the first place, but to also track it with the binoculars as it flies.

CLOSE FOCUS DISTANCE

Hopefully not all of the birds that you see will be really far away, so being able to focus easily on birds nearby is also important. The close focus distance tells you the minimum distance that the binoculars will focus on clearly.

DURABILITY

Birding binoculars should be able to cope with all different kinds of climate. Waterproofing and fog proofing is highly recommended as a minimum requirement.

Many binoculars feature design points that add to their durability. These include rubber armoring, rubber eye cups, and a rubberized coating. Other features to look for are coated lenses, which guard against scratching to the delicate lenses.

Best 10x birding binoculars for glasses wearers - next steps

All of these models have long eye relief, which is crucial for you to get the best views through your birding binoculars. If you would like to refresh your knowledge about why eye relief is an important measurement for glasses wearers, feel free to check our discussion of the topic here.

We hope you have found value in this round-up for binoculars with a magnification of 10x. This is a popular power of binocular, and we compare it to the other often-recommended size of birding binoculars in this article: Are 10x42 binoculars good for bird watching?

In this overview we have covered models of both 10x42 and 10x50. Both these sizes have qualities that are great for birding. But if you are still undecided about which size might suit you, we weigh up the pros and cons of each here: 10x42 vs 10x50: which binoculars are better for birding?