The best binoculars for birding of 2019

Small and lightweight, the Maven B-3 are the binoculars you can stand to take everywhere with you and will actually enjoy using.

Like with any optics, glass gets heavy. Add on the fact that you’re probably trudging through fields and brush in search of feathery friends, and a few ounces suddenly becomes a real consideration.

We talked to Shaun Martin, a professional wildlife tour guide, fish, and wildlife scientist, birder, and all-around binocular expert in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to find out what is his favorite pair to carry.

Martin swears by Maven as a brand overall and carries a pair of them out into the field every day, but if you’re looking for a compact set to take anywhere, the brand’s B3 Series is the best quality for the money (they are quite pricey) and points out that they can also be customized.

Smaller optics, it’s worth pointing out, tend to offer lower quality than larger ones. You also won’t get as much light coming through, but that, again, is just the nature of smaller optics — these are 8 x 30, which one fanatic at Optics Talk said will cover you from 5.5 feet out to a mountain a mile away (“all in one clockwise rotation of the focusing knob”).

And as Outside lifestyle columnist Wes Siler wrote, the B-3 won’t take the place of his regular optics for glassing big landscapes when magnification is crucial. But if you want a pair to take on a trek, or anywhere and everywhere, they’re going to be hard to beat. Maven’s B3s were also awarded Outdoor Life’s “Best Buy” award in 2016 and Gray’s Sporting Journal’s “Gray’s Best” award in 2017.

Complaints about the B3s are that the central hinge tension might be a little loose for your liking (but that can be fixed), and the eyecups move a little too (they too, however, can be adjusted and/or customized). Lastly, these binoculars don’t come with a case, which you might or might not use, but we’d rather have one, especially for this price. But then, an unlimited lifetime warranty isn’t bad. — Owen Burke

Pros: Superb quality for the price and size, unlimited lifetime warranty

Cons: No case included, very expensive