Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 Binoculars 71400

Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 Binocular Review

The Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 is a great value binocular, new in 2013 from Celestron.  Upon opening the package, we were pleased to see that not only does the Trailseeker 8x32 come with a very nice rubber/fabric carrying case with neck strap preattached, but it also includes a seperate bag containing a binocular harness with quick detach hooks!  This is the first pair of binoculars we've seen at this price with the harness included, so that's a definite plus. 

The magnesium alloy body is lightweight at just 16 ounces, leading to more comfortable long-term use, and is coated in a solid rubber armor to protect from the bumps that inevitably occur when in the field.  The center hinge is what we consider perfect, with a tightness that keeps the binocular at the correct interpupillary distance while still being easy to adjust.  Behidn the front cap of the hinge is your standard tripod thread, making this binocular compatible with most commercially available tripod adapters.  The included lens caps are attached, and fit snugly - there's little chance that they will fall off and get lost.  Center focus is crisp and easily operated by one finger.  The diopter adjustment is much like the focus and center hinge, very easy to set precisely, and we've seen binoculars with 3x the price tag with a stiffer diopter.  The overall smooth functionality of this pair of binoculars is very desirable.  

One gripe we did have with the Trailseeker 8x32 is the three position eye cups.  They are tight and feel high quality, but the fully extended position was just a little too close to achieve optimal eye relief, at least for us.  Otherwise they offer a nice, comfortable feel.

Optically, the Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 binocular shows its value, with excellent sharpness and no noticable rolling ball effect. There is, however, some slight edge fuzziness that we couldn't help but notice.  The wide 7.8 degree field of view is ample, and chromatic aberration is present but not overpowering.

The Celestron Trailseeker 8x32 binocular is a good value for its price, and the included case and harness add even more value to what is already a solid buy.

Includes neck strap, harness, carrying case, and cleaning cloth.  Protected by Celestron's Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Here's a review sent to us by FrankD:

"The attractiveness of this model for most individuals focuses around its compact size and weight coupled with the introduction of dielectric coatings on the roof prism. Prior to the introduction of this model, and the Zen Ray ZRS, there wasn’t a truly compact “budget” 8x32 model on the market that offered dielectric prism coatings. Yes, the Vixen Foresta 8x32 roof and the Theron Optics Wapiti LT 8x32 both offered these features but they are not quite as light or as compact as the Celestron and Zen Ray.

Since the Zen Ray ZRS has been mentioned I think it is worthwhile to continue to discuss the similarity between these two models. The Zen Ray is one of the models that I do hope to get my hands on once it becomes available again. As has been mentioned previously on the forum the similarity between the specs and the pictures most likely points to the same manufacturing location. Furthermore, I recently received a private message from another forum member. In the message he related to me his impressions of the Zen Ray model in detail. His impressions match up almost identically with what I am seeing in the Celestron. So, without further ado let us look at this model.

 Optical performance:

 As always I would like to start with the optical performance of the Celestron. When placing this binocular to my eyes the one issue that immediately jumps out at me is the binoculars’ centerfield performance. The image inside of the sweet spot is tack sharp. I would have a hard time imagining anyone (meaning you Typo ;) ) having an issue with this binocular in this area. Color representation appears very neutral across the entire image and apparent contrast is excellent particularly within the sweet spot.

So, there has to be a catch, right? Not another “$200” 32 mm roof prism binocular that offers all of these features. Well, there is. I did mention those optical performance areas “within the sweet spot”. The sweet spot appears to be the one area where I would find some fault with this particular model. My estimation of the size of the sweet spot would probably hover between 50-60% of the field of view. It is what I would consider smaller than average based on my experiences with a variety of 8x32 models at different price points.

 The area outside of the sweet spot is out of focus as would be expected. Most of this appears to be the result of field curvature as I can refocus the next 30% of the image to almost “perfect focus” but not quite. I am guessing this is the result of some astigmatism in this section of the image. The outer 10% can be refocused just as sharp as the sweet spot. Please do keep in mind that the field of view being discussed is 409 feet. I consider that wide for an 8x32 model at this price point when you consider the average to be about 390 feet.

The sweet spot size of this model and subsequent off-axis performance may or may not be acceptable to you personally. It is going to depend entirely on your individual preferences. In practice I did not find a problem optically with using this binocular. There was some flare under difficult lighting situations but I did not find it excessive.

Ergonomics/Functionality:

As you can see in the pictures this binocular offers a traditional, single hinge design. The central hinge is located very close to the true center of the binocular (eyecups collapsed) and is very short in length. This offers two advantages. For one, with typical hand positioning my pinky comfortably rests on the front of the barrel without coming even close to hanging out in front of the objective lens. Second, the focusing knob is positioned farther forward than some other models which not only gives my rather large nose plenty of room but also makes it easier for my index finger to rest naturally and comfortably on it.

The focusing knob itself is average in size and textured with large “ribbing” found on many models. Focusing tension is very good. There isn’t any backlash in the feel. Close focus to infinity occurs in just a little over one full turn of the focusing knob. Focusing direction is counterclockwise. Depth of focus is good in my opinion with perfect sharpness achieved gradually. In other words it is difficult to overshoot it.

The rubber armoring is ever so slightly textured providing a relatively smooth feel to the binocular. Coupling this with the 16 ounce weight makes the model feel potentially lighter than it actually is.  The rotating eyecups have one intermediate position between fully collapsed and fully extended and have the feel of most binoculars at this price point…..functional but not exceptional. Diopter adjustment is located in the common location around the right eyepiece.

Final Thoughts:

Considering the binocular as a whole I think it is certainly worth consideration. Its light physical weight and compact size coupled with its very good center of field performance will make it an attractive package to many individuals."