Binoculars remain one of the most popular gadgets for people to buy during the holiday season. Available at practically every budget you could name, they are a great gift - and perfect for the nature watcher or sports enthusiast.
There are still a few days until the post-Thanksgiving sales begin, but with Black Friday starting earlier and earlier every year, I am already spotting some great deals on binoculars in the US and the UK.
Here is my pick of the best offers I have found so far…
- Updated November 22: Updated prices and checked stock on all products, and new deals added.
🇺🇸 Best Black Friday Binocular deals in the US
🇺🇸 Adorama: save over 50% off Bushnell binos!
🇺🇸 Amazon: Binoculars with big savings
🇺🇸 Walmart: Big savings on cameras and optics
🇺🇸 B&H Photo Video: $100 off Canon binoculars
🇺🇸 Best Buy: Upto $35 100 off Celestron binoculars
Bushnell 10x42mm binoculars | was $109.99 | now $44.99
Save $65 at Adorama Save over $50 on these well-specced compact binoculars, which have a green rubberized covering to make them well-suited for the great outdoors.
Canon 10x32 IS Binoculars | was $1,099 | now $775
Save $324 at Amazon If you are looking for possibly the best image-stabilized binoculars on the market to date, these are the ones for you. Offering a great 10x32 magnification you can be sure you make crystal clear sightings of wildlife from a far distance, and with the added IS built-in your sighting will be shake-free too. See our Canon 10x32 IS review
Vortex Optics Crossfire HD 10x42 | was $229.99 | now $129.93
Save $100 at Amazon For those looking for a solid pair of binos to tackle the most rugged weather and terrain, these are perfect!
Bushnell Falcon 10x50 binoculars | was $54.95 | now $40.72
Save $14.23 at Amazon A great basic pair of traditional design porroprism binoculars with a decent 10x magnification, and a good brightness from its 50mm objective lens. Good for even dim days.
Celestron Echelon 20x70 | was $999.95 | now $782.19
Save $217.76 at Amazon on this brilliant pair of binoculars that are suitable for long-range bird watching or observing things a bit more closer to home.
Nikon Prostaff P3 8x30 | was $126.95 | now $96.9
Save $30 at B&H We loved this pair of binoculars when we tested them, as they are beautifully constructed, offering superb value for money even before this sale saving.
Zeiss 8x32 Terra ED | was $499.99 | now $374.99
Save $125 at B&H Available in green, gray or black at this price, this is a quality pair of compact binoculars from one of the best names in optics.
🇬🇧 UK Black Friday Binocular deals
🇬🇧 Amazon UK: Huge 25% saving on Nikon binoculars
🇬🇧 Jessops: Jessop own brand binoculars from £29.99
🇬🇧 Clifton Cameras: Zeiss and Swarovski specialists
🇬🇧 John Lewis: Kids binoculars for just £8.0
🇬🇧 Park Cameras: Price drops on Nikon, Olympus and Fujinon binoculars
🇬🇧 Wex Photo Video: Upto £294 off Zeiss binoculars
Nikon Prostaff P3 8x30 | was £139 | now £99
Save £40 at Park Cameras We loved this pair of binoculars when we tested them, as they are beautifully constructed, offering superb value for money even before this sale saving.
Nikon Prostaff 5 8x42 | was £139 | now £99
Save £40 at Amazon These waterproof binoculars offer a wide objective lens, making them a great choice for lowlight use.
Canon 10x20 IS binoculars | was £589.99 | now £510
Save £79.99 at Amazon These are a really light pair of image-stabilized binoculars that give you a portable shake-free solution to viewing distant subjects. Best suited to daylight use.
Canon 10x30 IS II binoculars | was £422 | now £352
Save £70 at Park Cameras Canon makes some of the best image-stabilized binoculars on the market, helping you to get a steady image of your subject when you need it.
Celestron Skymaster 15x70mm Binoculars | was £129.99 | now £75.99
Save £54 at Amazon From the same range as the 20x80mm pair above, this is a great starter set, with a wider field of view best suited for observing star clusters and the moon.
Olympus 8-16x40 S zoom binoculars | was £109 | now £81
Save £28 at Amazon The unusual zoom capability of these binoculars can be of particular appeal to birdwatchers - and with a wide 40mm objective lens, they are suitable for low-light viewing too. See our guide to best zoom binoculars
Vanguard Vesta Compact 8X21 | was £28 | now £15
Save £13 at Park Cameras About the same size as a pair of opera glasses, this is a super-pocketable pair of binoculars at a price so low, it could be a stocking filler!
Canon PowerShot Zoom | was £289.99 | now £197.99
Save £92 at Amazon This innovative monocular lets you photograph or video distant subjects. Its easy-to-use form factor makes this perfect for bird and wildlife watching - or for filming your kid's football games. This kit comes supplied with a microSD card and a mains power charger.
Read more:
The best binoculars
Best zoom binoculars
Best kids binoculars
Best budget binoculars under $100/£100
Best marine binoculars
Best rangefinder binoculars
Best compact binoculars
Best opera glasses
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Black Friday FAQs
What is Black Friday?
The modern meaning of Black Friday began in the US during the 1970s, denoting the Friday after Thanksgiving, which marks the beginning of the busy Christmas shopping season. More retailers started to use Black Friday to launch sales, with some dramatic discounts available to savvy shoppers. In the last 10 years or so, Black Friday has spread beyond the US to become a near-global phenomenon.
Even with other promotions and sales during the year, such as Amazon Prime Day, the weeks leading into Black Friday are always a great time to find the best bargains.
When is Black Friday 2024?
This year, the official Black Friday weekend takes place from Friday 29 November through to Monday 2 December 2024 (Cyber Monday), and that's when we expect to see the bulk of the best camera deals. However, there will be some great offers available before and after this weekend – which we will be monitoring from now through to the New Year.
What is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday is a later invention that brings attention to exclusively online deals.
When do the best Black Friday deals begin?
They’ve already started! Our Black Friday Deal Guides detail the amazing camera, lens and photo accessory deals that are available right now. We will keep adding to the list when we see notable discounts.
How do I know it’s a great deal?
While some of the deals we find can discount by 40 or 50%, others are much smaller. That’s because the product has recently been on sale at a low price – it’s just that, right now, it’s even lower!
Our deals experts monitor prices across a wide range of products throughout the year, so you can be confident that if we mention it here, it’s a good deal.
Should I buy now or wait for a better price nearer Black Friday?
If you like the deal that’s available now, we’d always recommend going ahead and buying. While it’s always possible that the price can drop further, there are no guarantees – and you could find that popular items are sold out before you get your chance.
Binocular FAQs
What do the numbers, such as 8x42 and 12x50, mean on binoculars?
Binoculars have lots of different specs, but two key ones are best to focus on if you want to keep things simple. These are magnification and lens size.
Most binoculars will list both in their name. When you're browsing for binoculars, you'll quickly notice that their names tend to include something like "10x20" or "6x30". These two numbers refer respectively to the magnification factor and the size of the lenses. So in this example, we've got binoculars with 10x magnification and 6x magnification. You might think it'd be a matter of picking the binoculars with the largest magnification, but in practicality, it limits your field of view, which can make things harder to spot or follow. With higher magnifications, you are more likely to need a tripod or built-in image stabilization.
The second number refers to the objective lens size. A larger lens will make the image brighter and clearer, especially in low light, but will also make the binoculars bigger and heavier (and probably more expensive). This means that for your hobby or subject, it's worth thinking about what the best combination of magnification of objective lens size will work for you.
To work out how bright a pair of binoculars is - and its suitability for use in lowlight – you need to divide the second number by the first - this gives you what is the "exit pupil size". For a pair of 10x20 binoculars, the exit pupil is 2 – and for a pair of 6x30 binos it is 5. Look for an exit pupil of five or greater if you want to use them on dull days, or at dusk.
