German Precision Optics Passion ED 8×32 Binoculars: Our Review

At A Glance

PROS:

• Excellent, bright and clear image
• Rich, saturated color
• Good feel to the eyecups and focus wheel
• Thick, comfy neckstrap

CONS:

• Diopter adjuster lacks a “neutral” marking
• Basic design with little texture or contour
• One of the most expensive models in this review

STATS:

• Price: $580 MSRP at press time. Prices often fluctuate, so check with retailers
• Close focus: 6.6 feet (200 cm)
• Field of view: 7.8° (410 feet at 1,000 yards). More about field of view 
• Weight: 19.4 oz (549 g)—that’s about 1.7 oz (47 g) heavier than the average for compact binoculars in our review. Compare binocular sizes and weights
• Eye relief: 16 mm

Viewing Experience: True to the company name, this binocular from German Precision Optics delivered a bright, sharp and very richly colored image. We enjoyed the razor sharp streaking of a female Red-winged Blackbird as she sneaked among cattails to feed her fledglings. The bright image and finely tuned focus wheel made it easy to focus on birds at different distances. Following a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak as it foraged through the canopy, the brilliant pink breast flashed out from the glare of the sky. On an overcast day it was easy to distinguish between backlit Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles perching in a dead ash tree. Some users felt the overall image from this pair had a slightly yellowish cast; others liked the rich, saturated color.

Feel and Build: Depending on your aesthetics, these binoculars are either sleek and minimalist or plain and unassuming. That said, the solid feel, smooth focus wheel, and well designed eyecups made these bins an overall comfortable pair. The eyecups were particularly nice, with satisfying clicks for their three settings, and beveled edges that were comfortable against the face. The hinge was fluid, making it easy to adjust the size to fit different viewers. Oddly, the diopter ring lacked a center, or neutral, marking, which makes it a bit more difficult to get both eyes adjusted properly. The stock neck strap was the thickest and most heavily padded of any binocular we’ve tested so far—a luxury touch that might even seem too much for such a small binocular.

Comments From Testers

• Bright and crisp
• Saturated image color made viewing very nice
• Great, floaty feel to focus wheel
• Slight dropoff in image clarity/brightness at edge of view

This article is one in a series of mini-reviews. To see how these binoculars compare to others we’ve tested, see our full review of affordable compact binoculars.