Nikon Aculon T11 Zoom 8-24x25

The Aculon T11 Zoom offers good Nikon optic quality, and images appeared crisp and clean through its lenses when properly focused. It uses multicoated lenses and BAK-4 prisms that direct more light toward your eyes to produce clearer, higher-quality images—which is definitely a need with its small objective lens diameter.

Pros: The Aculon T11 Zoom is considered both high and low powered as you can choose from 8x, 12x, 16x or 24x magnification, making them versatile and a great pair of entry-level binoculars, particularly with its lower price tag. They are also the very lightest pair of binoculars we reviewed at 10oz compared to most other pairs weighing more than twice that.

Cons: A 25mm objective lens is the smallest we saw, which means you’ll need ample surrounding light. Some of our Active Junky testers found they were not intuitive to focus and difficult to adjust. These Nikon binoculars are also not waterproof or fogproof, and they are not tripod compatible.

Bottom Line: The Nikon Aculon T11 is good for beginners who aren't sure which magnification they’ll need, but it lacks features to make them durable.

Best for: A first pair of binoculars for beginners and kids

Key Attribute: Design