Bushnell Engage Binocular Review-All Sizes
If you are looking for a Binocular you might have just been stumped on Bushnell Engage series binoculars. These pieces are available in the 8×42, 10×42, 10×50 and 12×50 configurations.
The Bushnell Engage binoculars is claimed to be an ideal and versatile companion for outdoor activities such as hikes, walks in the woods, stargazing, hunting, bird watching, and safari.
I was very surprised at the quality and clarity of the Engage binoculars considering the competitive price at which it is offered. So, I decided to pen down a hands-on Bushnell Engage Binoculars review for our readers.
First, Let’s move on quickly to the specifications of the Bushnell engage binocular models.
Bushnell Engage Binocular Review- 8×42, 10×42, 10×50, 12×50 Specifications
Bushnell Engage 8×42 Binocular Review
- The Engage EDX - A best-in-class optic with industry-leading features. The entire line is backed with the all-weather...
- ED Prime Glass - Bushnell's highest quality glass delivers amazing color, resolution and contrast, even in low-light...
- Exclusive EXO Barrier Protection - Bushnell's newest and best protective lens coating molecularly bonds to the glass,...
The binoculars produce 8X magnification with 42 mm objective lenses. The field of view is 426ft @1000 yards which is one of the best in its class.
The binoculars are fitted with the ED(Extra-Low Dispersion) glasses which improves the brightness of the images produced.
Lenses are fully multicoated and are made of Eco glass which is free of Lead and Arsenic.
The device is fitted with Bak-4 roof design dielectric coated prisms which are phase-corrected too for clear and high contrast images
Binoculars produce a decent low light performance. The clarity of the images at the center of focus is good, which diminishes a bit towards the edges.
Slight Chromatic Aberration is also visible towards the edge of the FOV. However, it’s not noticeable for a general user and unless you have an eye for extreme details.
The close focus is 6.5 feet while the eye relief of the binoculars is 19mm. So, If you are an eyeglass wearer, you wouldn’t feel any difficulty in using it.
The rugged magnesium chassis is molded with a rubber grip, makes the binoculars sturdy, However, the rubber grip seems to be scratched easily.
The eyecups twist easily but can be better designed.
The binoculars feel compact and are of decent weight at 24.7 ounces.
Bushnell Engage 10×42 Binocular Review
- The Engage EDX - A best-in-class optic with industry-leading features. The entire line is backed with the all-weather...
- ED Prime Glass - Bushnell's highest quality glass delivers amazing color, resolution and contrast, even in low-light...
- Exclusive EXO Barrier Protection - Bushnell's newest and best protective lens coating molecularly bonds to the glass,...
The Bushnell Engage 10×42 Binoculars produces 10X magnification with 42mm objective lens.
The construction, lenses, and prisms are almost of the same quality as described above in the Engage 8×42 binoculars review.
The binoculars feel light and balanced in your hands.
At 24.5 ounces, these binoculars are not too heavy. While hiking and daytime outdoor activities I do not find the Engage 10x 42mm a burden at all.
The device has a focusing wheel that feels nice and easy to fiddle with and adjust the focus. The focus diopter is on the right ocular lens which felt a bit stiff to me.
The binoculars are fine for daylight viewing, and for some low light conditions such as early morning. But for the night or lower light use, these are not the correct binoculars, you’d want something closer to 10x 50mm.
The image slightly becomes shaky, so a tripod may be required If you want a perfectly stable image on your eye.
The engage 10×42 has a field of view of 340mm @ 1000 Yards which is quite decent for a 10×42 binoculars.
The close focus is 8 ft and the eye relief is 18mm. The eye relief is ok, but some users have found it a bit less.
With lots of field testing, we felt that these binoculars provide an outstanding value. The optical quality is on par with binoculars I’ve used that cost 2-3X as much.
The device is equipped with a tripod socket with an easy to replace the threaded cap. They fit easily on a tripod adapter
Bottom line: It’s a good, tough optic you can count on in any weather, for a fraction of the price.
Bushnell Engage 10×50 and 12×50 Binocular Review
- The Engage EDX - A best-in-class optic with industry-leading features. The entire line is backed with the all-weather...
- ED Prime Glass - Bushnell's highest quality glass delivers amazing color, resolution and contrast, even in low-light...
- Exclusive EXO Barrier Protection - Bushnell's newest and best protective lens coating molecularly bonds to the glass,...
- The Engage EDX - A best-in-class optic with industry-leading features. The entire line is backed with the all-weather...
- ED Prime Glass - Bushnell's highest quality glass delivers amazing color, resolution and contrast, even in low-light...
- Exclusive EXO Barrier Protection - Bushnell's newest and best protective lens coating molecularly bonds to the glass,...
If you want an ideal companion for low light viewing then, a binocular with a 50mm objective lens would be ideal.
Bushnell Engage 10x50mm and 12×50 are two of the top-performing binoculars in their class. They produce a 10X and 12X magnification respectively with a 50mm lens fitted inside the chassis.
The build quality and material are the same as the 8×42 and 10×42 binoculars. The lenses are multi-coated and are made of ED glass while the roof prisms are phase coated. These features help the binoculars in producing bright and high contrast images.
The field of view for the engage 10×50 binoculars is 340ft @1000 yards which are good for scanning objects far away. The 12×50 has a 285ft @1000yards which is also decent for a 12 times magnification binoculars.
Both have a close focus of 10ft and an eye relief of 15mm.
Both binoculars weigh around 29.2 oz which can be considered decent considering that the lens size is 50mm.
The high magnification may make it hard to stabilize with free hands, so the binocular is equipped with a tripod adapter thread.
General Features: Bushnell Engage Binoculars 8×42, 10×42, 10×50, 12×50
Weatherproof/ Fog Proof
All the Engage binoculars employ Bushnell’s patented technology, the “EXO Barrier”, which is a hydrophobic lens coating technology that prevents fogging. The “Exo Barrier” lens coating also repels water, debris, oil, and fog.
All the Bushnell Engage Binoculars are Nitrogen purged and thus fog proof too.
Warranty Conditions
Bushnell Engage binoculars are covered by the Bushnell Limited Lifetime warranty.
However, competitors such as Vortex, Nikon, Burris offer unlimited warranties with all their products.
What’s In the Box: Bushnell Engage Binoculars
- Binoculars
- Instruction Manual
- Neck Strap
- Nice Soft Vinyl Case
- Lens Cover
- Microfiber Lens Cleaning Cloth Cum Bag
Focus & Adjustment Knobs
There are four adjustment areas in the Binoculars the diopter adjustment for the right, eyecups twist, eye, interpupillary distance adjustment, and the center focus knob.
The eyecup twist for the people wearing glasses, the interpupillary adjustment is to calibrate with the true distance between your eyes, the center knob focuses for both eyes simultaneously, and the diopter adjustment accommodates differences in your left and right eye.
The knobs are designed well and with decent precision. The binoculars have a sharp focus and a wide range of focal points.
The locking diopter allows us to just use the main focus wheel each time, instead of having to adjust both during the day. Overall, Focusing is easy and precise.
Conclusion: Bushnell Engage Binoculars Review
All in all the Bushnells engage binoculars are affordable and solid performers. However, in this price range, you might want to compare them to some of the competition like with the Vortex Diamondback range.
Check Out Vortex Diamondback 10×42 Review, vortex Diamondback 12×50 review
Coming to the Bushnell Engage, The light-weight, sturdy, magnesium casing ensures that the binoculars can also easily be used for longer periods of time.
Focusing is easy by turning the wheel. The optical quality is up to the mark in all ranges and low light performance is decent in the 50mm objective lens size range.
The Bushnell engage binoculars also feels premium and well packaged.
The above salient features make them highly competitive with other binoculars in this price range.
Last update on 2024-03-28
jeroen.kleijn@hotmail.com
Ok result for the Bushnell engage.
Can you give a verdict of the Bushnell engage vs the “new” Vortex viper hd? I want to purchase one of them (probably 12×50)
Thanks for asking, vortex viper HD 12×50 is hands down the best binoculars in the mid-price range. I would advise you to go with the Vortex Viper HD. Viper’s performance vs cost is optimal and provides the best performance at its price range.Here is the quick link to purchse https://amzn.to/364tmn0