Vortex Stokes DLS Binoculars

Most people who have spent much time contemplating birds or birding are familiar with the names of Donald and Lillian Stokes from the behavior guides, the field guides, the song CDs and other materials. Fewer people know that name in association with binoculars, but now the Stokes have teamed up with Vortex Optics for the top-of-the-line Stokes DLS binoculars. All of these are affordable, high-quality roof-prism binoculars, fully sealed and nitrogen-purged to be completely waterproof and internally fogproof. The Stokes DLS binoculars are available in 8x42 and 10x42 configurations. We received both models for review, and were quite impressed with them.

The Stokes DLS binoculars are of equal size: 5.5 inches tall by 4.9 inches wide, and weigh slightly less than 27 ounces. Both are coated in the same olive green rubber armoring, which though smooth to the touch, somehow sticks to the hands for a comfortable no-slip grip. The weight distribution is nicely balanced, so they feel even lighter, and the flared upper barrel falls right on the web between thumb and forefinger, further increasing comfort of use. These binoculars are unlikely to get heavy after a full day in the field! They feel very good in the hands, and make a great first impression. The fact that they’re pleasing to the eye is just a bonus.

So they feel nice. That’s important, but so is performance. Here, the Stokes DLS models stack up pretty well too. The 8x model boasts a 383-ft field of view at 1000 yards, excellent performance in this category. The 10x is more average for its class at 308 ft for the field at 1000 yards. Both models focus to a minimum distance of about 4-4.5 feet, depending upon your eyes, truly excellent performance in this character, which will render them much appreciated by butterflyers as well as birders. A word of caution about this: some viewers will experience a collapse of the viewing field at these extremely close focal lengths: the dominant eye tends to take over and the symmetry of the viewing field is lost. Back up another foot or so, and the full field is restored. This property is not unique to the Stokes DLS binoculars: we’ve seen it in several other very high-end binocular lines with gaudy close-focus capabilities. You get used to it! Eye relief is 18 mm for the 8x model and 17 mm for the 10x model, which is good solid performance in this detail.

Two important adjustable qualities for all good binoculars are the eyecups and the diopter adjustment. In both cases, the Stokes DLS handle it well. The eyecups adjust with a counter-clockwise twist mechanism, and they go through four positions, fully in or out, with two intermediate positions marked by detents. This is something more and more binoculars have these days, and it’s our favorite type of mechanism for this character. The diopter adjustment is more conventional, a twist ring on the upper right barrel, just below the eyecup. The metal and rubber twist ring has a nice knurled surface to improve the feel. A little black triangle on the ring lines up with a vertical line on the armoring of the barrel, between the + and – marks, to denote the position of equal focal length for the two oculars. A set of 4 hash marks on either side of the triangle shows positions for unequal settings, and there are detents in the mechanism every half a hash mark, allowing for fine adjustment. Curiously, the mechanism allows one to go almost a full hash mark of twist beyond the last actual hash mark in either direction, but there is no click-stop to stabilize those outermost positions. It is a minor quibble, but we prefer a fully-locking diopter adjustment mechanism. Still, this is a good deal better than a twist ring without click-stops.

The Vortex sales literature lists numerous refinements designed to improve clarity, brightness, sharpness of image, color fidelity and minimization of distortion and aberration. They talk about pure silver-coated, phase-corrected prisms, multi-layered coatings for the highest possible resolution and optimal low light performance, precision shaped lens elements that minimize spherical distortion and edge effects. They even optimized the optical tube (“barrel”) shape to minimize glare and image ghosting. And how well does it work? These binoculars do deliver one of the best “flat field” performances we’ve seen, with very little edge distortion and virtually no detectable color aberrations at the field edges. These latter effects result, in part, from the way the extra lens curvature at the edges tends to differentially bend different wavelengths of light, so that white light gets separated into distinct colors. The Stokes DLS binoculars do as little of this as any binoculars we’ve reviewed yet, even with high-contrast objects under bright light conditions. The image is very bright and very sharp, with excellent contrast and definition. We did note that the 8x was visibly brighter than the 10x under extreme low-light conditions. This is the expected direction for such a difference – lower magnification usually correlates with more light transmission, and it’s a difference that’s only detectable when light is limiting.

Along with minimum close focus, other aspects of the focal action are worth considering. The focus knob is wide, well-positioned to fall naturally under the fingers, and has the same knurled surface as the diopter adjustment ring, providing excellent “traction” while turning it. The focus action, even new out of the box, was smooth and easy and requires about 1.25 turns to go from minimum close focus to infinity. We did note that the depth of field is fairly shallow on the Stokes DLS binoculars – there isn’t much “play” in the focus, emphasizing a need to be precise when focusing.

Among other structural features of note are the lens caps and covers. Both objective lenses have soft rubber caps that fit snugly over the ends of the barrels and are attached to the barrels by flexible rings and short tethers. This is another of our favorite features. Instead of being lost within the first few uses, tethered objective caps allow you to protect your lenses on pelagic trips, in dust storms, at water fountains, restroom sinks, or anywhere else the need may arise without fishing around in your pockets or hiking back to the car. The rainguard is a pair of deep, pliable rubber cups linked by a flexible bridge. The cups fit securely over the oculars, and because of their depth aren’t easily dislodged. The rainguard is attached to the strap by a solid bracket on the left side, and a gapped bracket on the right side for maximum flexibility in style of use. The neck strap is a fairly standard design of nylon-like material welded to soft leather and a foam rubber type material, and it’s comfortable enough. The soft case is a cordura pouch with a plastic, squeeze-clasp closure. It has excellent cushioning and is roomy enough to easily accommodate the optic, straps and rain guard. The case even has a zipping, net sub-compartment under the lid for storing lens cloths or other cleaning devices, and has its own padded strap as well as dual loops for attachment to belts or other straps, as on a backpack. This is an exceptionally well-designed case.

The warranty policy on the Stokes DLS binoculars is exceptional too. Should they ever require service, no matter what the cause, except for deliberate damage, theft or loss, Sheltered Wings will repair or replace the binocular absolutely free. The warranty has no time limit and is completely transferable.

One most remarkable property of the Stokes DLS binoculars is the price. These binoculars have a list price of just $999.95 for the 10x model and $979.95 for the 8x version, but both can be found for as much as $100 less. This puts this binocular in the upper end of the mid-price bracket of modern binoculars, while the optical performance is solidly in the high-price bracket. In short, the Vortex Stokes DLS binoculars are a truly excellent bargain: among the very best cost to performance ratios we’ve seen. This may be a relative newcomer to the crowded binocular market, but it was well designed and well executed, and we think birders are really going to like them. We sure do!

Vortex Stokes DLS Binoculars - current price and availability