I have compared many binoculars before purchasing this pair and have no regrets what-so-ever. They are a great all-purpose binocular. The 7x magnification along with a larger 50mm aperture gives a very clear image, even indoors. I regularly take them to hockey games and the wider field-of-view keeps the action in your sight. The perma-focus keeps images sharp. Remember that they are set assuming you are looking through with at least almost 20/20 vision so you can not use them without corrective lenses.

The Bushnell Permafocus 12x50s do not show as much detail as a pair of 7x35 binoculars for objects less than 100 yards away because the 12x50s are not in good focus at 100 yards, and uselss at less than 50 yards. Bushnell deserves a "booo-hisss" for hiding this information from customers. The minimum usable distance probably varies with the ability of the user's eye to focus (this decreases with age) but mine are probably about average. Also, the inside instructions indicate Permafocus binocs are good at less than 100 ft, depending on the model. This is not true for the 12x50s. Most inexpensive 7x35s will give a better view at 300 feet and less.
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br /But if objects are over 200 yards, the 12x50s are in focus and flawless as far as i can tell. I can easily recognize people at 700 yards. I can read license plates at 350 yards (it helps if the binoculars are resting on something to prevent vibration).
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br /Without a support, there's probably too much shaking for 16x50 binocs to do much better than 12x50s.
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br /The eyepiece rubber does not stay rolled back (if you try to use them with glasses) for more than 1 second, so you can't wear glasses while using them, but as with other binoculars, you do not need to wear your glasses. I don't know the science behind it, but whether or not you wear glasses does not seem to make a difference with the Permafocus. The rubber around the eyepieces cannot be removed unless it's cut.
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br /In summary, the normal Bushnell 12x50s are probably much better than the Bushnell Permafocus 12x50s because they can be used at much shorter distances and focusing on objects greater than 200 yards should not be too much of a pain. These 12x50s are no good unless your typical viewing distance is greater than 150 yards and you don't plan to use them on less than about 60 yards. I'm returning them due to "manufacturer's defect".
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br /But concerning the Permafocus idea: I love my old pair of "total focus" 7x35's for bird-watching and carrying in the car. Being free of focus is a different experience almost as big as going from monocular to binocular. But you need a pair that can focus down to 50 yards.

I really like the perma-focus attribute of this product. We use it for nature watching while hiking and vacationing. It's good to be able to pass the binoculars back and forth to others without losing the subject while adjusting the focus each time. Only drawback is the difficulty in holding binoculars steady when viewing due to magnification. Best binoculars we've had.

It already got a pair of 7x21 compact binoculars and wanted these ones for bird watching. Unfortunately these ones don't give a sharp image, not even at greater distance to the object. Because they are "Perma" focus there is no way of focusing them to closer objects, let's say 30 feet away. In general, I would not recommend them.

If you want to catch something in the binoculars quickly without fooling around trying to focus... this is it. We live on a lake and we always have something in the wild to catch our eye. This has been very beneficial to have the focus there at all times. They are a bit bulky and somewhat heavy but an excellent pair of binoculars. The "shake" with the power is not bad like we thought it would be. I can not say enough about Bushnell as a company. They support and back their products like I have never seen in ANY other company. I will ALWAYS buy this brand from now on because of this.

I agree with reviewer Steve - anything less than a few hundred feet and these binocs are worthless. The paper works says the "may" focus down to 35'. Maybe some will but not certainly not my pair. I am returning them since they are not good for simple viewing around the yard. And no, the rubber eye caps ABSOLUTELY will not stay back making these binocs almost unusable by people with glasses (like me).
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br /Scott

These binocs are very similar to the ones they replaced that cost 5x as much. The old ones got tossed because they were showing a double image after living in my backpack for 2 years or so. The Bushnells may or may not have the quality of optics that the more expensive units did but the "Permafocus" or infinite depth focus makes it so you just pick them up and look. If what you are looking at is further than about 75' away it will be clear. This is really great when multiple users are using them as you don't have to reconfigure them for each persons eyes. It is also good for scanning a wide area as you don't have to adjust focus for close or far. This also makes them great for watching sports where things move fast.
I decided to try these because we have some older 10x50 units that use the same "Permafocus" design under a different brand that got bought by Bushnell and they have been working great for over 10 years. I hope I will be able to say the same about these.

I actually have a less powerful binocular than this one, but it is the Bushnell Permafocus technology. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is to never have to focus your binoculars. You just look through, and whatever you're looking at, regardless of distance (except very close-up), is in focus! It's like a camera auto-zoom. My husband wears glasses with a rather strong prescription, and he can see perfectly clearly through these binoculars without his glasses. He just takes them off, and it's as if he never wears them!

We just got these for a trip to Alaska. I LOVE them! They are so easy to share. The sharpness of the image is AMAZING! My Dad wears glasses and I don't. No problem. We can both see CLEARLY! The amazing part is he doesn't need to have his glasses on! My husbands eyesight is completely different than mine, same story.Very cool item! Very well constructed. Highly recommended!

Not only are these convenient, but for the price, they offer an extremely wide angle, and good image quality. Lacking are eye diopter adjustments--this is a serious handicap. But for the price, a really good deal.

Great binoculars! Very easy to use,,,,,,,, clear and bright! You will be amazed at the quality!

These are great for fast action sporting or even bird watching. I got them for my 4 year old son to use at the Georgia football games. He has a hard time with focus. These work great because all he has to do is look and it there. The size is nice and we have no problem adjusting from his size to mine. Ours came from an Amazon partner... Optic planet... I think. And they were great as well. Super fast shipping and great contact from start to finish.

The Bushnell Perma Focus 7x50 Wide Angle Binoculars were the ideal choice for my recent trip to Tanzania and the Serengeti. They worked perfectly for the application needed. A really happy surprise on just how well these worked. As we bounced around on dirt roads and cross country in Land Rovers, the Perma Focus feature was outstanding and made things simple and easy! :-) The magnification level was perfect for almost every scenario we came across. Anything that was outside of about 80 feet came through in crystal clear vivid color and clarity. It really made for up close and personal viewing of all the animals we saw. By far, these were the best investment I made before the trip! I can't imagine being without them now on such an expedition. Really fantastic performance and a great value to boot!!!! The vendor was fast & flawless in the transaction too. In my opinion you won't be disappointed with these binoculars. Troy :-)

I normally wear glasses for distance...I don't need them when using these...Everything is always perfectly in focus--instantly--no knobs or adjustments to mess with. Great wide angle for sporting events, 10X power brings everything in real close...
br /Yes, I agree with the folks who claim these won't focus on things within a few feet (using them at the Rose Bowl, the effective limit seems to be about 15-20 rows in front of me or closer), but who uses binoculars to look at things close to you? At the Rose Bowl, my seats are in Row 40 and, from where I sit, these are incredible...I can follow the referees' first down measurements on the field almost down to the number of chain links...But, again, what really makes these is the lack of any required adjustment and the uncanny way they instantly adjust to my eyes--or to anyone else's regardless of whether they wear glasses or not...
br /I will never buy any other type of binoculars again.