Vanguard Endeavor ED II 8x42 binocular

Birdfair 2014 marks the launch of three new Vanguard binoculars in the Endeavor range. Enter the ED II, a new model designed for users who want a step up in performance. It represents a significant upgrade from the existing ED series, the latter remaining on the market as an integral part of the Vanguard optics portfolio.

The new series retains its Far Eastern origin. It's still manufactured in China, but now incorporates a higher-quality ED glass produced in Japan, the new lenses being designed to render the image sharper and brighter and to improve the edge-to-edge clarity and colour fidelity.

Like its predecessor, its open-bridge structure makes it easy to hold and operate. With the strap attachment lugs well positioned at the very top of the body, immediately below the ocular, it is comfortable enough to hold with two fingers curled around the body, between the bridges, with the middle finger resting on the upper bridge and the thumbs sitting in shallow depressions under each barrel. This leaves the forefinger straight and unimpeded to operate the central focusing wheel.

The lightweight magnesium alloy body is wrapped in textured, non-slip rubber armour, neatly finished and badged eye-catchingly in gold on the right-hand barrel. The rubber is rather thin around the objective lens housing, where it would appear to offer little protection from knocks or dropping, although the lens itself is quite deeply recessed so this may not be an issue. At 770 g it's around average weight for an 8x42, although it feels lighter than this during use — a function, perhaps, of it being very well balanced.

The eyecups are covered in rubber which is soft and comfortable against the eye; however, I discovered a tendency for dust and other particles to adhere to them, although these can be wiped off easily enough with a damp cloth. Rotating them upward engages an admirably subtle staging mechanism which enables three alternative positions above the fully retracted base position, and I found the full field of view just about visible when they were fully extended.

I really liked the dioptre adjustment ring, which is built into the right ocular — primarily because it's lockable. Simply pull up, rotate to the desired position and push down. This simple mechanism, which ensures that it will not slip from its setting, is commonplace in binoculars which have the single-eye adjustment mounted centrally, but lockable ocular-mounted rings are encountered only infrequently. The adjusted setting is recorded against an incremental scale which is inset into the body armour below the ocular — it's a very neat system.

Fast focusing appears to be the Vanguard remit. The rubber-stippled, non-slip central focusing wheel rotates anti-clockwise for just three quarters of a revolution between close focus and infinity. This is ideal for quickly traversing a great depth of field, as well as rapidly alternating between viewing birds at long distance and nearby fly-overs (and vice versa). This mechanism is surprisingly forgiving and it was easy to obtain a sharp focus without the system appearing overly sensitive.

I measured the close-focusing distance at a shade under 1.8 m — even better than the manufacturer's quoted figure of 2 m. The 126 m field of view — quoted as being outstanding — appeared to my eyes as narrower than this, although it's up 4 m on the original Endeavor ED's 122 m.

All optics are fully multi-coated and the physical attributes of the image are commendable. The ED II returns a nice, crisp image which remains sharp across the whole field, right to the edge, where there is minimal curvature of field. It's bright, too, and there is a good degree of contrast. There is a 'warm' colour cast, appearing to my eyes to manifest as a 'deepening' of certain colour ranges, for example browns and greens appear a shade darker, while blues appear to reflect little change. This is, of course, individual perception and not a definitive analysis. There is a pleasingly low to average degree of chromatic aberration and the image overall is more than acceptable.

The introduction of this upgraded ED binocular to the optics market further widens the choice of models and makes the purchasing selection at the lower end no easy task.

Accessories for the ED II include a fully adjustable, comfortable padded neck strap, soft, padded carry case and an articulated rainguard.

The recommended price for this product is £399.99.