Carson Optical currently offer a wide range of binoculars suitable for most uses including travel, bird watching, wildlife observation, hiking and camping as well as hunting, sporting events. The binoculars are grouped into a "Series" covering a wide range of price points and vary in the quality of their optics, coatings and build quality. Currently their top of the range binoculars are the Carson 3D Series Binoculars. The 3D Series of binoculars contains Carson's flagship range of binoculars with 5 different models,. All 3D Series binoculars are of a roof prism design featuring high quality components and optics including fully multi-coated optical elements and Phase corrected BaK-4 prisms that give a sharp and high-contrast image over the full field of view. All of these are typical, perfectly functional and well within what I would expect to find at this price range. These three features as well as the low geared mechanism (takes just over two turns to go from Min. to Max. focal distance) means that I found it super easy to very accurately focus in on an object even when I tested them with gloves on. This can be an important point to keep in mind if you plan on going out in winter. Designed for fast glassing on the go, the Carson 8x26 RD Binoculars walk a delicate line between compact and full-sized to deliver performance while being lightweight. Their 8x magnification enables detailed observations of distant subjects and offers a generous field of view. BAK4 glass roof prisms and multi-coated optics improve light transmission, color rendition, clarity, and contrast to help offset the smaller objectives to boost performance as light fades.

The twist-up eye-cups on this instrument are about as comfortable as most others out there, so not too much to expand on here.All Carson RD-Series binoculars use roof prisms and thus have straight through barrels with the ocular lenses directly in line, behind the objectives.

At this price range, the focus wheel on these is truly up there with the very best and is in my experience is as good as that which you find on many, if not most mid to high end instruments. The two thin hinges that span the barrels on the Carson RD 8x42 binocular look to be made from an some sort of metal ally, but most importantly they look and feel very robust and thus should keep the two barrels in perfect alignment, unless you were extremely rough on them! The main reason for this is that not only was the Carson RD-8x42 comfortable to hold and well balanced when I held them up to my eyes, but the gap in between the barrels and the two hinges made for a secure place to hold onto them whilst walking about.

Is this your home?

At 9.8ft, the minimum close focus distance for an 8x42 binocular is good, but not excellent (6ft or under). The semi rigid construction not only looks great but certainly improves the level of protection offered to the instrument inside. Carson have countered this to some extent with the very fine texture, that acts a little like extremely fine sandpaper to increase the grip and I guess reduce reflectivity as well.

distortions in the view that can occur like bending or curving of the image. Once focused on an object, image sharpness remained consistent from the center of the view right up to the edges. In addition the 10x42mm TD-042ED model uses ED ( extra low-dispersion) glass that further increases optical performance and enhances their light transmission. The hinges on my sample opened and closed perfectly smoothly and the level of resistance was just right. By this I mean it was not too hard to open and close, but at the same time would remain at your desired IPD (Inter-Pupillary Distance) setting.The Carson binoculars also fit perfectly inside and can be stored with the eye-cups extended which is all too often not the case and so whilst a very small thing, is one thing that really annoys me.