Vortex Optics 12x50 Razor UHD Water Proof Roof Prism Binocular with 5.5 Degree Angle of View

Vortex Optics Razor UHD

Vortex Optics

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Vortex Optics 12x50 Razor UHD Roof Prism Binocular, 5.5 Degree Angle of View

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Generally ships in 7-14 days, subject to availability Estimated to Ship: 08/03/2025.

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Vortex Optics Binoculars

Vortex Optics Razor UHD 

Explore the Vortex Optics 12x50 Razor UHD Binocular for unmatched clarity & waterproof performance. 5.5° angle of view. Shop now for superior optics!

When you want to take the best-of-the-best to the next level... Enter the Razor UHD. The Ultra High Definition optical design features an improved optical prescription and unparalleled image resolution. Whether you need to pick apart a densely packed hillside, or observe the finest details at insanely close distances, the Razor UHD can do it all!When it comes to serious glassing, the details are what matters most, and with the Razor UHD you won't miss a thing. Built from lens-to-lens for those who demand the best in each component, the Razor UHD provides exceptional optical quality and fidelity in a tough, lightweight package. Advanced lens coatings help conquer low-light situations, and multi-layered coatings on the prism keep images bright and clear.Optical FeaturesAbbe-KoenigLarger prism with longer optical path resulting in sharper image resolution.UHD Optical SystemUltra high definition optical quality and prescription for unparalleled image resolution that cuts chromatic aberation; providing exceptional color fidelity, edge-to-edge sharpness, and light transmission.APO SystemIndex-matched lenses correct color across the entire visual spectrum.XR Plus Fully Multi-CoatedUltimate anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces provide maximum light transmission for peak clarity and the pinnacle of low-light performance.Plasma TechCutting edge coating application process provides unparalleled coating durability and performance.Phase CorrectionCoating on roof prism models enhances resolution and contrast.Construction FeaturesRoof PrismValued for greater durability and a more compact size.True Open HingeOffers superior ergonomics while decreasing total weight and bulk.Magnesium ChassisDecreases weight and increases strength.WaterproofO-ring seals prevent moisture, dust and debris from penetrating the binocular for reliable performance in all environments.FogproofArgon gas purging prevents internal fogging over a wide range of temperatures.ArmorTekUltra-hard, scratch-resistant coating protects exterior lenses from scratches, oil and dirt.Rubber ArmorProvides a secure, non-slip grip, and durable external protection.Convenience FeaturesAdjustable EyecupsTwist up and down for comfortable viewing with or without eyeglasses.Center Focus WheelAdjusts the focus of both binocular barrels at the same time.DiopterAdjusts for differences in a user's eyes. Located on right eyepiece.Tripod AdaptableCompatible with a tripod adapter, allowing use on a tripod or car window mount.

After trying different optics for over a year, I decided on the Razor 12x50 UHDs. In this price range (and others) I believe they stand alone. The clarity is amazing, the low light gathering is perfect, and the color is true. I've since used these on a pelagic, co-leading outings at the Biggest Week in American Birding, and in several other states under various conditions. With Vortex's lifetime warranty, I know I can actually use these optics the way that I bird: from the perfect day to storm watch birding on the Gulf. I was a little worried about the weight, but have not even noticed the difference. These are the first binoculars that I've owned where I'm actually excited to pull them up and start viewing. Well done, Vortex.

Just WOW.

Best glass for the money. Have compared them to some other top of the line binos and these have been equal or better of them all. Especially with warranty and price.

Best glass for the money.

Purchased these in October 2020 and just got them replaced in April 2024 through Vortex's Life-Time Warranty after knocking over my tripod and damaging the vision of the binos. 

I have always been stunned by the vision of these binos and loved using them the last 4. 5years. 
I tested ten different high-quality binoculars at time-of-purchase and decided to go with UHDs 12 x 50 after extensive review to alternatives. 
I purchased these at a hunting store at a competitive price that is significantly below what the price is offered for at the Vortex website. 

Thanks Vortex for replacing my binoculars and producing such quality hardware.

Fantastic Vision and Exceptional Warranty

If you want to see what the deer are thinking, look no further.

If you want to see

Great mid price range binocular. Really shines at light gathering in the early morning. When put on a tripod you can really good definition picking out animals in thick vegetation. Bino harness is nice but I prefer my other one. Only con I have found is the size is bigger than I expected but worth it for the performance that you get.

Great mid price range binocular.

Amazing

awesome binoculars.

I bought a very well used set of uhd 12x50 off a guy that hunted out west. They where a little beat up but looked way better image wise than my viper hd.. long story short I sent them in for cleaning, alignment ect... vortex literally sent me a brand new pair. Now mind you I thought the old pair was great. The new ones are incredible. I didn't realize how much better the image could be. I highly recommend these and Vortex. Amazing glass and service 2nd to no one!

Excellent binoculars

I've been looking for some nice binoculars for birdwatching. Looked at swarovski el, looked at leica, and zeiss. These were as good or better in some areas. They are a bit larger and heavier than the other 42mm. But I'm a big guy so that didn't bother me. Actually fit me better than the hd ones. Image is very clear. Edge to edge clarity is great. Detail is amazing. The swarovski el might have had a little more clarity in darker images, maybe 10% maybe. But I got the uhds at cabelas on sale and they had 15% this month also. Making the swarovski alot more for really no better image. Super impressed with these.

Great binoculars

These binos have been a game changer when spotting students. Blown away by the clarity and ease of seeing grace with this glass.

Favorite Binos

Love the glass and the 18 power for spotting longer range stages.

Amazing glass

I love these. I used them last year elk hunting and was able to spot animals from quite a distance. They are manageable to hold freehand but you have to concentrate. I still think its worth the magnification and clarity to bring these along. 
My reasoning for 4 stars is the case that comes with them. Its utter garbage. Its not sized even close to fit these. When you spend close to 3k you think a case that even fits would come with them but no, they are too long and it pushes the elastic bungees on the cover and leaves a large opening for anything to fall into. I felt like the case my buddy got w/ his vipers was better.

Great binos, big and heavy though

I?m a guide in the mountains of North Western Montana. These Bino?s are amazing. The clarity at 1,000+ yards is insane. I compared them to many other bino?s before I purchased. I?ve always used Vortex. And  I?m forever a vortex user. This is by far the best pair for clarity they have ever produced.

Clearest glass yet

I wanted to upgrade my 6 year old Meopta HD Euro 10x42. I was torn between the Razor UHD and Swarovski SLC. After reading great reviews on the UHD?s, I ordered a pair from Midway. I went out to my deer lease this weekend and the difference in clarity, brilliance, and light transmission was amazing. I had trouble with attaching the Molle pack but customer support called and helped walk me through it. The only downside to the bino?s is the case.  They will not close completely to keep out west Texas dust.  However customer service came through again and sent me the larger case for the 56mm lens and it fits much better.  I?m sure there are ?better? binoculars on the market but you will not be disappointed with the UHD?s..  I highly recommend them.

Excellent Binos and superb Customer Service

My wife picked these up by mistake. She meant to grab the HD 12x50. Anyhow, they are awesome. I have compared them to the HD 12x50 and really don?t see a lot of difference looking through them. Maybe if someone spent a lot of time looking through both they would notice??  The big difference I saw between the two was size. The UHD are bigger. They stand a bit taller, and so they weigh a little more. I am going to base my review only on the binoculars, or I would have to deduct stars for the harness pack they include. I am extremely disappointed in the one they sent. It is bulky and boxy and flops around on your chest. I?m a broad guy, and this thing almost completely covers my chest. The lid is a bit awkward, doesn?t fully encase the binos, and requires the fastening point of the shoulder straps to be too low. This makes it hang away from your chest and be bulky and floppy. For what they charge for this glass, they need to rethink the chest pack. I immediately ordered
one from a different company.

Awesome Glass

I got a pair of Razor UHD's for my birthday and they are the BEST birthday present ever. I have birded with Vipers, Razors and now these UHD's. My Razor 8x42's have been great and I love them, but from the 1st look through these Razor UHD's, there is no going back. The clarity is superb; it is like you were transported 8x closer and it feels like you aren't looking through glass. They are that good! I was initially concerned about the weight of these but it really isn't noticeable around the neck. The focus wheel has a very fluid feel to it. My only regret is that with the pandemic, I can't let my friends look through them too. Way to go Vortex!

Superb viewing

Have had the 18x56 for a couple months now. Great glass, super clear. Only complaint is the case that comes with the 18s does not fit them which is a real bummer when you want to throw them in your pack and not worry about them. Would think for what they cost they could figure that out. However, the optic itself if great

Great Glass

hese Vortex Razor UHD 18x56 binoculars are stunning as Roger Vine says! I did not expect the resolution, brightness and clarity from this high of a magnification binocular. These are almost like looking through an apochromatic scope. They took me by surprise. These could easily replace a spotting scope. They are very comfortable to hold even for their size because of the slimmer tubes unlike the fatter tubes on the SLC. On-axis CA is very well controlled but they do have more lateral CA than my UHD 8x42's but that is to expected because as you go up in aperture and especially magnification with a short focal length instrument like a binocular you are going to have more CA laterally. They probably do have more lateral CA than the 15x56 SLC as Roger say's but that is most likely due to the big difference in magnification. Going from 15x to 18x is huge! It seems like much more than going from 12x to 15x. I will tolerate a little more CA on the edge for the huge advantage in detail from the higher magnification. The slight CA does not affect the amazing view as far as I can see. I tried them under different lighting conditions and I thought they performed very well for stray light and I saw no excessive spikes. As far as I can see they handle glare very well. I tested the dioptre drift that Roger talks about by looking very closely at the dioptre as I continually rotated the focuser and I saw no movement at all with my pair. Roger either had a defective pair or possibly he didn't have the dioptre in the locked position. I don't really see how the focuser would possibly even change the dioptre as the dioptre is on the right ocular and has no connection with the focuser. Maybe he was touching the dioptre with his hand as he focused. Anyway mine did not move in the slightest. The thing you really notice about these UHD's is the sensational contrast and brightness due to the AK prism. It performs at a much higher level than an SP prism. Even with only a 3.2mm exit pupil these UHD's are amazingly bright so the transmission must be very high. I am surprised more binoculars don't use it but it does increase the length and weight of the binocular. The quality was perfect just like the 8x42 UHD's and comparable to any alpha binocular out there. The eye cups work as smooth as a Swarovski and better than a Zeiss SF. Overall this is one awesome binocular and should really perform on the night sky , as well as, for long range viewing. It should be great on a tripod but if you hold it further down by the barrels and steady yourself you can actually get rid of a lot of the shake and the detail on-axis at 18x is incredible. At the 9 foot close focus you are looking at a bird or insect from 6 inch's away. This is a very impressive binocular.

Vortex Razor UHD 18x56 is Awesome!

I have been comparing the 8x42 UHD, FL and EDG under different lighting conditions and it very hard to decide which one is better. They are all stunning optically. The UHD and the FL with their AK prism are a little brighter than the EDG. The UHD controlled CA the best with the FL 2nd and the EDG 3rd. The UHD is almost colorless so I can see why Vortex says it is Apochromatic. The EDG and UHD have a little sharper edges than the FL. They are all better than an EL at controlling glare and the UHD and FL especially are a little sharper on-axis.The one big difference is the bigger FOV of the UHD. That extra 20 feet makes a difference and makes it stand out from the FL and the EDG. The EDG has the smoothest focuser but the UHD is very close albeit a little tighter. The FL focuser is stickier and doesn't move as smoothly as the other two. The ergonomics are great on all of them and the quality of the UHD is just as good as any alpha level binocular I have ever seen. The eye cups are perfect and the diopter on the eyepiece is superb. If I had to rank them I would place the UHD 1st and the FL and EDG tied for 2nd. The UHD WOWED me more than the other two every time I went back to it because of the bigger FOV, the excellent contrast and the superb resolution on-axis. I can see why Audubon and Best Binocular's reviewed it so highly. It is definitely an alpha binocular.

Vortex Razor UHD 8x42 is an Alpha Binocular!

I've had these for a couple months now and I can say the upgrade in clarity is phenomenal. As a long time Vortex user I will say they upped their game with these even more. Highly recommend you give them a look.

Clearest optics I've seen yet

The UHD 18x56 Razors are great. The glass is true edge to edge clarity. I own a pair of razor 10x42s and they're okay compared to these. Compared to the 18x56 Kiababs these UHDs are brighter, clearer, and lighter. My only complaint is the carring case that came with them. The case seems to be a "one size fits all" case. As you can see from the pictures on the back side of the case there is a large gap allowing dust, dirt, and other debris into the binos and case. I know a lot of people will not be carrying 18s on their chest (I won't, but it would be nice if they were fully protected by the case. Other than that they're great and the case is solid. I'd highly recommend!

Great glass!

To be fair, when I first purchased these binoculars I was sceptical but optimistic from the great performance I had received from the original Razor HD?s. When first opening the packaging (which is quite nice I noticed the weight which is a bit more then the HD Razors. Looking the binoculars over the quality is on par with the best in the business, looks are similar to the HD Razors and the eye cups move with a great amount of resistance. Not as firm as some binoculars I have had a chance to use but I would say these are just right! The ergonomics are great and these feel fantastic in the hands with the barrels offset from one another. This proved helpful this cold November deer season in Alberta where heavier gloves where used. Being able to wrap both gloved hands around each barrel made it much easier to stabilize and get comfortable. Now to the optics, which are stunning! I had thought the Razors HD?s where good for the price. These are very sharp, clear to the edge, and the colours seem to pop! They are very bright giving one the feeling that there pupils are dilating. Also a first for me even having looked through a few different pairs of optics. Now that I have owned these binoculars for a few months I got the feeling I was missing out not having a well known European brand of alpha glass. Having travelled to the sporting goods store and purchasing many different European optics to later return or keep if better. I found that the Vortex UHD where either right there in sharpness, brightness, and ergonomics. In most instances I found that these outperformed some that where in the same price range. Suffice to say these where kept due to being on par with the European competition (if not better) and a much better price as well. The testing was done on a tripod looking out into the city landscape or out in the prairies scouting, examining objects/animals in the distance. Vortex has made a very fine piece of glass that is worth the price tag, matching or exceeding the performance of others that cost much more. The pros of these alpha level binoculars outweigh the very few minor cons. Well done again Vortex!

The New Standard

Written 02JAN2020:  I bought myself a pair of Razor 12x50 UHD and love them.  I have some low-end binoculars and was looking to upgrade significantly if required to something better.  I had what I paid for them here...  not sure why I can't disclose that.  So I'd shop around and look for 10% off and not tax.  

Observation #1:  I use them for hunting in a blind, meaning I drive there get out of the vehicle climb some steps and sit in relative comfort.  The reason I point this out is they are big.  If I was climbing a mountain I wouldn?t like them.  I?ve read a review about how big they are and that person didn?t like the ?cartoonish large size? and opted for the HD size instead.  I get it if it?s a weight thing.

Observation #2:  I read some stuff about the eyecup rubber piece not being robust enough and coming off.  I have no idea what the guy was doing with his binos, but I thought they were fine.  Yes; there is a rubbery type eye cub wrap at end close to your eyeball, but it seems fine.  Sure; you could yank it off, but they seemed fine and sturdy to me.  Some people can break an anvil, I tend to take care of my stuff.

Observation #3:  I take my glasses (Bifocals off when I use the binos, so I extend the cups.  They stay put when extend out.  I really like that because I tend to apply a bit of pressure with my forehead.  Nice and sturdy cups.  My other pair tend to collapse, not these.

Observation #4:  Color and edge clarity are really good.  I had some good stuff here about differences between this bino and popular German Made one.  This pair out performed at about $1K less.  The coating allowed crazy clarity, and I could actually look down a sendero and see during sun set.  These guys don't white out.

Observation #5:  I don?t use any of the straps or lens covers that came with the bino?s.  I took the case and stuck it in my backpack.  The lid just slides over and I can pull the binos out and set on the shelf in front of me without removing the Vortex supplied case.  I thought the material on the case was kind of cheesy. If I was going to use a dedicated case I?d get one of those Alaska Guide Creations, looks like the Denali would fit this rig.  BTW the Vortex ?Guide Binopack? is made by Alaska Guide Creations.  I don?t think the one on the Vortex website will fit these binoculars.  Just saying.    

I?m so impressed with these binoculars I?m putting one of those Razor HD 27-60x85 angled spotting scopes on my radar.  I hope to have them by years end.

I had to go through and take out all the stuff that would prevent this from getting published.  HAHAHA.  Might be an indication why there are so few review.

Clear clear clear!

After long consideration I put my marriage on the line and bought the 10x42 version. Having them out in the field this year was an absolute game changer!!!!
Also took this photo a boy seeing his first 6 point elk at about 1400 yards. For sure worth the money.
Only down side in cold weather the protecting lense covers become so stiff the stick in the front objective
Really badly and the eye piece cover as well becomes so stiff they are almost impossible to remove... keep them just in the case when the temperature low.  Seems to become an issue at -10C

Amazingly clear and sharp!!!

Love the new binos!   The hype was right on.  Couldn’t be happier, and I’d put them against any glass out there.

I think they’re actually clearer than my eyeballs

I've looked through the 10×42 at Cabelas a few times but wanted a 12×50. I am stunned at the clarity. And the feel in hands is awesome. Worth every penny and every second of the wait. Even the case is sweet.

Holy cow

I received these about a Month ago, and let me tell you. These are the lightest and clearest bins I have ever owned. Vortex killed it on these new UHD's!!!

Beyond Crystal Clear

I have owned the 8x42 Razor UHD and did a side by side comparison to the Leica Ultravid HD and optics are very comparable. There was a difference in size and weight in Leica?s favor; however, the optical performance of the Vortex product outweigh the size difference. Optically with Japanese glass which compares to European glass makes the Razor UHD a winner.

Great low light performance and contrast

Love the added size compared to Razor HD fit and and hold better.  Glass is fabulous.
Guides on a recent Yukon hunt were impressed

Razor UHD Awesome bino

I went to Cabelas and compared these to others in this class and these knocked my socks off.  The difference in brightness is amazing.  Keep up the good work Vortex!

Vortex Optics 12x50 Razor UHD Water Proof Roof Prism Binocular with 5.5 Degree Angle of View

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