Nikon  Sportstar Zoom 8-24 x 25 Binoculars

I received these binoculars with low expectations following the negative reviews on REI's website. In fact I almost canceled the order. But when I actually tried them out, I found that just about every complaint is invalid. Yes, they're not rubberized and super hefty. But they're solid plastic and plenty sturdy. And best of all, compact and lightweight. They also come with a strap and you can attach the eyepieces cover to the strap. Yes you can change the distance between pupils. People were saying the eye pieces are fixed distance apart but that's simply not true. They can be adjusted just like every other binoculars. No the 24x zoom is not useless. Unless you are old or have hand tremors or weak forearms. I'm able to keep the view steady easily enough at maximum zoom. Or you could use a tripod if you want but I personally don't need to. I will concede that the image at maximum (24x) zoom is dimmer than at 8x zoom. It's probably 15-20% dimmer when at 24x zoom. I'd be interested in knowing why exactly this happens but it's probably unavoidable and it doesn't negate the usefulness of zoom. I also think that the price is a bit high, but given their compact form, and the added usefulness of the zoom feature, and the fact that few other products have zoom, I can understand why they're expensive. Because they're providing a useful feature that few other models have. I'm glad I purchased these binoculars.

Well made, great features, lightweight-- but be aware the PD (distance between pupils) is fixed and not adjustable. If a wide or extra wide PD was available this would travel with me everywhere. NB, the inability to adjust the PD is a feature, not a bug, of all these compact binoculars so they are small and lightweight. If the PD is right for you, you will love this product, but try it.