I love the ease of use and compact size, I live in the Cairngorms National Park so plenty to view here and these will be a permanent companion in the pack on all of my woodland and mountain walks.

The 10×42 spec gives a great, sharp view over a good distance and they have proved easy to both hold and operate. Best binoculars for astronomy: If you're planning on stargazing, we'd recommend a binocular size of around 7x50. Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from the What’s The Best team. Had a problem with the eyecup not staying in place so contacted Avalon and they sent me a new pair within a couple of days!They offer good views across the board, with the optical highlight including a wide field of view and a close focus. I am a wildlife photographer and I only want pin sharp pictures, these Binos give me pin sharp images without any fuss at all. He has also written for a wide range of publications including T3, BBC Focus, Empire, NME, Radio Times, MacWorld, Computer Active, What Digital Camera and Rough Guide books. However, these binoculars have transformed my birdwatching, and I’m looking forward to getting out into the countryside to give them a thorough workout.

Yes, the magnification is lacking, but that's how they’re able – in conjunction with some excellent glass within a superb all-around build – to create an addictive wide-angle view of the night sky.I’m a birdwatcher, and I’ve only had the chance to test these out a couple of times, but I’ve found the clarity and magnification to be impressive for such an economical pair of binoculars.

Ideal for general or home viewing, scenery, bird watching, travel, sports, nature, wildlife, safari, star gazing and the outdoors. These are a great weight; light enough to not strain your arms as you hold them up for a long time, but heavy enough to feel like excellent quality. These are excellent binoculars and I would highly recommend them for birdwatching and general use including occasional star gazing. To date have been very pleased with my Avalon 10×42 pro HD binoculars, realise what I have been missing all of these years!From the broad range of Canon IS options available, I picked the rubber-coated Canon 10x42L IS WP model as the best.