Pros: High quality optics that deliver premium features and a high-performance viewing experience at a reasonable price point. Sharp, contrasty image impresses in a range of challenging viewing conditions. Bright, vivid colours that make the image "pop".Cons: Twist up eyecups are plastic, rather than metal, Vanguard Warranty dropped from 25 years to only 10 since I reviewed … [Read more...] about Vanguard VEO HD 2 8×42 Binocular Review
Vanguard
Vanguard VEO ED 10×42 Binocular Review
Pros: Excellent entry level ED binocular that ticks a lot of the right boxes for birders and wildlife enthusiasts. Lightweight, with reasonable field of view for a 10x binocular, the VEO ED delivers sharp high-contrast images. Great blend of high-end features at a very reasonable price point.Cons: Focus is a little too aggressive for my taste, and meant I regularly overshot … [Read more...] about Vanguard VEO ED 10×42 Binocular Review
Vanguard Alta+ 264AO Tripod Kit
Pros: Compact, lightweight yet sturdy tripod that folds small for transport but extends to a decent height for comfortable use. Capable of supporting a full-size spotting scope or DSLR camera equipment securely. Two-way pan-head is smooth and easy to adjust with just one hand. Designed with birders in mind for spotting scope use. Flip lock-legs convenient and effective making … [Read more...] about Vanguard Alta+ 264AO Tripod Kit
Seeing is Believing Photography Competition Winner
Huge congratulations to Chris Howes of Dublin, who was selected as the winner of our Seeing is Believing wildlife photography competition at the end of February.Chris's entry -- A fox cub reflects -- beat off some stiff competition to take the top prize of a fantastic pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII 10x42 binoculars worth €400.Runner-up Dieter Waschbuesch came in … [Read more...] about Seeing is Believing Photography Competition Winner
Vanguard VEO2 265CB travel tripod
Pros: incredibly lightweight tripod and versatile ball-head suitable for both spotting scope and photography. Excellent height for a travel tripod.Cons: a little light to hold a full-size spotting scope steady in all but the calmest conditions (ideal for a small 50mm travel scope or even a 65mm standard scope though).Price: RRP GB£249.99 (c. €290 at time of … [Read more...] about Vanguard VEO2 265CB travel tripod
Seeing is Believing: WIN a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII 10×42 binoculars
Ireland's Wildlife has teamed up with Vanguard to bring you a fantastic photo competition with a superb prize. We're thrilled to introduce our "Seeing is believing…" wildlife photography competition.We are looking for your best photographs that capture nature's wild side!The prize is an amazing pair of Vanguard Endeavor ED II 10x42 binoculars, worth €400.Email … [Read more...] about Seeing is Believing: WIN a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII 10×42 binoculars
Gear Review: Vanguard Endeavor Bags
Pros: Designed with the birder / nature enthusiast in mind. Neutral olive colours and robust, non-rustle fabrics, thoughtful design. Insulated food pocket inspired. With three sizes in the range there's a bag for every occasionCons: Hard to find anything specific to fault here... a couple of spurious features I'd question the usefulness of, but none that would detract from … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Vanguard Endeavor Bags
Vanguard Endeavor EDIV 10×42 Binocular Review
Pros: Great ergonomics, excellent build quality and superb optics combine to make this the best Vanguard binocular yet. Sharp detailed views across an expansive field of view. Vivid contrast and natural colours with no colour fringing. New SK15 prisms give noticeably brighter view than predecessor. Protective hydrophobic coatings shield lenses and make cleaning a … [Read more...] about Vanguard Endeavor EDIV 10×42 Binocular Review
Competition: Win a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDIV binoculars in time for Christmas
The Endeavor EDIV is the brand new flagship binocular from Vanguard.With their Endeavor ED range Vanguard broke new ground in terms of value and performance, delivering premium features and build quality at mid-range prices. With the EDIV the company raises the bar yet again, delivering a bright, razor sharp edge-to-edge image and an immersive field of view in a … [Read more...] about Competition: Win a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDIV binoculars in time for Christmas
Vanguard VEO 235AP Travel Tripod and VEO 37 Bag
For the wildlife enthusiast travelling light can be a real challenge. While you don't want to lug around too much heavy equipment, you also don't want to compromise too much on getting the best views of the wildlife you encounter while you're away from home.The main concern, of course, is optics. A quality, lightweight pair of binoculars is perhaps the single most important … [Read more...] about Vanguard VEO 235AP Travel Tripod and VEO 37 Bag
Vanguard’s new travel tripod impresses
When you're travelling, or even if you simply have a way to walk from the car to a favourite viewing point, carrying a bulky scope and tripod can be a tiresome business.There are solutions out there of course -- things like scope carriers (I use the Cley Spy MulePack to tote around my Meopta Meostar S2 on our Discover Wildlife Experiences). They make carrying bulky … [Read more...] about Vanguard’s new travel tripod impresses
Competition: Win a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII Binoculars
If you've seen our recent review of Vanguard's new flagship Endeavor EDII binocular, you'll know we were pretty impressed with it. This is an excellent all-round birding and wildlife binocular... and thanks to the folks at Vanguard one lucky Ireland's Wildlife reader will soon own their very own pair.For your chance to win a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII 8x42 binoculars, … [Read more...] about Competition: Win a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDII Binoculars
Vanguard Endeavor EDII 8×42 binocular review
Pros: Superb build quality, excellent balance and high quality materials give a premium feel. excellent optics deliver a pin sharp, high contrast image right to the edge of the field. View appears almost flat... with very little field curvature. Good close focus performance. Practically no colour fringing (chromatic aberration).Cons: Focus mechanism a little aggressive … [Read more...] about Vanguard Endeavor EDII 8×42 binocular review
Wildlife watching and travel — back to basics
Watching wildlife when travelling can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be challenging. In this feature IW Founder, Calvin Jones, takes a look at some of those challenges, and how you can overcome them on your next wildlife trip. For any wildlife enthusiast one of the real highlights of travelling has to be the opportunity to see new things. … [Read more...] about Wildlife watching and travel — back to basics
Endeavor EDII: Vanguard launches new flagship binocular
Vanguard is bolstering its range of high-performance sports optics with a new flagship binocular model. The Vanguard Endeavor EDII is an upgrade to the Chinese manufacturer's already impressive Endeavor ED. On the face of things the EDII looks very similar to its sibling, but utilises premium optical components that promise to deliver even better performance.The main … [Read more...] about Endeavor EDII: Vanguard launches new flagship binocular
Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A Spotting Scope Review
Pros: Sleek, modern-looking scope that feels solid and well made. Quite compact for an 82mm scope. Very bright, sharp image at 20x magnification that is very good up to about 40x, showing plenty of detail with good colour and contrast. Wide central sweet spot with marginal softening out towards the edge. Dual focus controls make fine-focus easy.Cons: Image degrades … [Read more...] about Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A Spotting Scope Review
Sneak peek at the Vanguard Endeavor 82mm HD Spotting Scope
We've just received the brand new 82mm Endeavor HD spotting scope from Vanguard Sporting Optics for review here at IWHQ.UPDATE: our Full Review of this spotting scope is now available here.While we're obviously going to spend a bit of time getting to know this new scope before posting our full review, I though some of you might want a sneak peek at what it has to offer, … [Read more...] about Sneak peek at the Vanguard Endeavor 82mm HD Spotting Scope
Vanguard slash price of ED binoculars
I've just found out that Vanguard has slashed the price of its impressive ED binoculars, AND is offering a further £20 cash back between now and the end of July through UK retailers.The offer officially runs from 01 May to 31 July and the cash-back deal applies to all models in the Endeavor ED and Spirit ED line. However, there's a huge discount on the 10x42 and 8x42 … [Read more...] about Vanguard slash price of ED binoculars
Vanguard Spirit ED 8×36 Binocular Review
Vanguard Spirit ED 8x36: Short Review Pros: Very compact, lightweight yet robust construction. Excellent ergonomics. Impressive list of optical features for this price point. Bright, clear view with excellent sharpness and detail in the centre. Good general field of view. Good low light performance for a mid-size binocular in this price bracket.Cons: Softening of the image … [Read more...] about Vanguard Spirit ED 8×36 Binocular Review