Review
Vortex Bantam HD Binoculars
A Young Person's First Binocular
The Youth Binocular
Vortex Optics has stepped into the birding world with a new binocular designed with the young birder in mind.
The Vortex Bantam 6.5x32 binocular is just right for a young person starting out in birding.
Easy-to-use 6.5x magnification
It's a good-quality binocular, with enough magnification to bring the birds in close and reveal the details needed for identifcation. But not too much. The 6.5x power is great because of the steady image it provides. Great for building skill in using binoculars.
Many experienced,long-time birders also find the 6.5x magnification helpful if hand steadiness has become an issue.
Value for the money
Although this is an extremely economical binocular, the Bantam uses HD glass, which gives edge-to-edge sharpness and color fidelity. HD glass is found in all high quality optics and is a decided plus in this economical binocular.
Small and lightweight
Less than 5 inches long, it fits a young person's hand. It weighs just 14.4 ounces. Small size and weight make the Bantam a welcome travel binocular for scenery and sightseeing.
Yet the Bantam looks like a regular, full-size binocular. Here it is, on the left, compared with an 8x42 Diamondback, on the right.
Warranty
No manufacturer offers a better, more generous warranty than Vortex. Here is the Vortex promise: "We will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition. You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was or where you purchased it. If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you."
Included items
Soft carry caseThe Bantam comes with the following:
Comfort neck strap
Tethered objective lens covers
Rainguard eyepiece cover
Lens cloth
Pricing on Vortex Bantam HD 6.5x32
Our opinion
We like the small size. We think the optics are good.
This binocular will not do for a toddler or a small child, because the two barrels have a mininum distance center to center of 51mm. For a small child, that would not allow both eyes line up with the eyepieces.
However, for a kid of perhaps junior high age, it may be just right. To be sure the binocular will fit, you can measure distance between the pupils of the child's eyes, using a ruler that has millimeters. If the pupils are at least 51mm apart, the binocular should work fine.
We think this is just the binocular that many parents and grandparents have been asking for.