• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Binoculars and Scopes
    • View Cart
    • Your Account
      • edit-account
      • edit-address
      • lost-password
  • Wildlife Tours
    • Discover Wildlife Weekends
    • Guided Wildlife and Birding Walks
    • Custom Wildlife and Birding Tours
  • Schools
  • Books
  • News
    • Irish Wildlife News
    • International Wildlife News
    • Wildlife Events
    • Wildlife Press Releases
  • Articles
    • Blog
      • Birding
      • Wildlife Photography
      • Whales and Dolphins
      • Mammals
      • Wildlife Podcasts
        • The Calendar Road
      • Biodiversity
      • Wildlife Calendar
    • Species Profiles
      • Amphibians
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Fungi
      • Invertebrates
      • Mammals
      • Plants
      • Reptiles
    • Feature Articles
      • Choosing Binoculars
      • Birding for Beginners
      • How to watch whales and dolphins
      • How to watch Basking Sharks
      • Wildlife travel
    • Wildlife Portfolio
    • Wild Wide Web
    • Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Gear Reviews
        • Wildlife Optics
          • Binocular Reviews
          • Spotting Scope Reviews
        • Wildlife Clothing
        • Wildlife Accessories
  • Work with us
    • Write for us
    • Advertise with us
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Wildlife Marketing Services
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Cookie policy (EU)
  • Contact

Ireland's Wildlife

Irish wildlife, nature and biodiversity

You are here: Home / Archives for Highly Recommended

Highly Recommended

ZEISS Victory SF 10×42 Binocular Review

September 29, 2017 by Calvin Jones 2 Comments

ZEISS Victory SF Review

Pros: Exquisite image across an expansive and immersive field of view. Bright, clear and razor sharp... the Victory SF is optically up there with the best binoculars I've ever used. Superb balance, comparatively light weight and excellent overall build quality make for a compelling all-round package.Cons: Even for an "alpha" class binocular the c. €2,500 price tag is … [Read more...] about ZEISS Victory SF 10×42 Binocular Review

Hawke Endurance ED 8×32 Binocular Review

April 20, 2016 by Calvin Jones 6 Comments

Hawke Endurance ED 8x32 Binocular Review

Pros: Bright, high contrast views with natural looking colours and excellent fine detail even at lower light levels. Impressively lightweight, yet still feel extremely robust. Packed with high-end features at a price that represents exceptional value.Cons: None worth noting.Price: Listed in the Birdwatch Ireland Shop for €230, RRP on the Hawke UK website is GB£169.99 … [Read more...] about Hawke Endurance ED 8×32 Binocular Review

Pettersson D240X Bat Detector Review

October 9, 2013 by Calvin Jones 2 Comments

Side view of the D240X bat detector

Pros: Very solid, well made detector that feels like a quality item in the hand. Large array of controls and options offer lots of customisation and tweaks for the discerning enthusiast or bat research professional. Very sensitive microphone picks up bats with ease. High quality speaker, dials and excellent backlit LCD display. Tuneable heterodyne detector great for listening … [Read more...] about Pettersson D240X Bat Detector Review

Hawke Frontier ED 8×43 Binocular Review

August 23, 2013 by Calvin Jones 6 Comments

Hawke Frontier ED Review

Pros: Excellent high-contrast  image with vibrant colours and good detail across the exceptionally wide field of view. Very bright optics that perform well across a range of challenging light conditions. Great build quality and finish for the price: feel very solid, without being overly heavy and excellent balance makes them comfortable in use. Good close focus to 2m coupled … [Read more...] about Hawke Frontier ED 8×43 Binocular Review

Meopta MeoStar B1 8×32 Binocular Review

May 29, 2013 by Colin Barton 1 Comment

Meopta MeoStar 8x32

Keen birder and Ireland's Wildlife contributor Colin Barton puts the Meopta MeoStar 8x32 through its paces, and is suitably impressed.Pros:  Great image quality — can rival the best optics on the market today. Very sharp and crisp, with great low light performance and a good wide field of view. Binoculars feel very sturdy and well-built. 30 year warranty among the best … [Read more...] about Meopta MeoStar B1 8×32 Binocular Review

Vortex Razor HD 10×42 Binocular Review

February 17, 2013 by Calvin Jones 1 Comment

Vortex Razor HD 10x42 Short ReviewPros: good looks, superb ergonomics and tough, lightweight design coupled with premium optics and coatings make for a very compelling package that rivals top tier European binoculars. Stunning image quality and excellent handling make the Razor an absolute joy to use. The vortex VIP lifetime, transferable no quibble warranty is simply … [Read more...] about Vortex Razor HD 10×42 Binocular Review

Meopta MeoStar B1 10×42 HD Binocular Review

February 6, 2013 by Calvin Jones Leave a Comment

Meopta Meostar 10x42 HD

Meopta MeoStar B1 10x42 HD: Short Review Pros: Outstanding image quality -- superb sharpness, detail and brightness. Up there with the very best optics on the market today. Good wide field of view, excellent edge sharpness and great low light performance. Optically there's absolutely nothing to criticise here. Body feels bulletproof. Amazing padded strap has to be seen to be … [Read more...] about Meopta MeoStar B1 10×42 HD Binocular Review

Gear Review: Paramo Valez Adventure Light Smock

October 8, 2012 by Calvin Jones Leave a Comment

Páramo Valez Adventure Light waterproof smock review

Paramo Valez Adventure Light Smock: Short Review Pros: Light weight and convenient to carry; very comfortable to wear; easy to pull on and off; outstanding "directional" waterproof performance; windproof; quiet "low rustle" fabric; robust, despite it's lightweight design.Cons: A bit short on pockets compared to a full-on outdoor jacket -- but apart from that I didn't find … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Paramo Valez Adventure Light Smock

Base Layer Review: Patagonia Men’s Capilene® 3 Midweight Crew

September 25, 2012 by Calvin Jones 1 Comment

Patagonia Capilene Base Layer

A good base layer makes a real differenceWhen you're out watching wildlife you often find yourself in unpredictable weather, in inaccessible and exposed places, out early in the morning or late into the evening, and often a combination of all those things. If you want to stay comfortable you need the right kind of clothing.While the Irish climate hammered home the … [Read more...] about Base Layer Review: Patagonia Men’s Capilene® 3 Midweight Crew

Vortex Viper HD 10×42 Binocular Review

July 28, 2012 by Calvin Jones 1 Comment

Vortex Viper HD 10X42

Vortex Viper HD 10x42: Short Review Pros: Outstanding optical quality, superb bright image with excellent detail and very good edge sharpness. Compact and robust, great build quality, balance and handling. Bordering on an "Alpha" quality view, but only 1/3 the price of the big guns. Awesome close focus, great low light performance for a 10x. Lifetime, transferable, no fault … [Read more...] about Vortex Viper HD 10×42 Binocular Review

Primary Sidebar

Search the site

  • Microthemer - Visual editor for your WordPress site

Subscribe to the mailing list

Supporting Ireland’s Wildlife

  • Microthemer - Visual editor for your WordPress site

Footer

Experience Ireland’s Wildlife for yourself

Breaching humpback whale Ireland

Join us on a wildlife adventure on Ireland’s Wild South Coast… and find out first hand why we call this Europe’s Undiscovered Wildlife Frontier.

Find out more…

Ireland's Wildlife runs on the Genesis Framework from StudioPress · Hosted with InterServer

Recent Additions

  • Swarovski Optik NL Pure 10×32 Binocular Review
  • Páramo champions recycling of its outdoor gear
  • Vortex Razor UHD 10×42 Binocular Review
  • Oak Processionary Moth confirmed in Ireland
  • World Migratory Bird Day — ESRI Mapping Migration
  • Vanguard VEO HD 2 8×42 Binocular Review
  • 2023 Discover Wildlife Weekend Dates
  • Review: Hawke Frontier APO 10×42 Binocular

Tags

8x Binoculars audio binoculars biodiversity birding birds Birdwatch Ireland books cetaceans citizen science CJ Wildlife competition conservation Cork fin whale full size binoculars garden birds garden wildlife Golden Eagle Trust Hawke humpback whale Ireland IWDG Kerry national biodiversity data centre npws optics photography raptors reintroduction review reviews spring stranding Vanguard west cork whales whales and dolphins whale watching whalewatching white tailed eagle Wildlife wildlife crime wildlife photography wildlife podcasts

Take it from the top....

Copyright © 2023 Ireland's Wildlife · Site Design by West Cork Websites · Content by CJ Writing

Manage Cookie Consent
Like most sites, Ireland's Wildlife uses cookies to improve functionality, enhance your user experience and to gauge the popularity of our content.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}