GPO Binoculars

Why choose GPO binoculars?

German Precision Optics (GPO) was founded in the middle of the last decade and is based at Inning am Ammersee, south of Munich. It was started by people from the top of the optics trade, led by Richard Schmidt, who was chief executive of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Their idea was simple: build optics with the features you expect from Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica, but sell them for a fraction of the price. Every model is designed in Germany and made to GPO's specification, with the Passion ED range built in China and the flagship Passion HD in Japan.

What you get across the binoculars on this page:

• A magnesium alloy chassis, lighter and stiffer than polycarbonate, wrapped in rubber armour for grip
• Fully multi-coated lenses with GPObright coatings for high light transmission
• Phase corrected Schmidt-Pechan roof prisms with dielectric mirror coatings on the ED and HD models
• Nitrogen filled, waterproof and fogproof bodies that won't mist up inside on a cold morning
• Twist-up eyecups, a padded strap, lens caps, a rainguard and a case in the box
• A 10 year warranty, backed in the UK by GPO's official dealers

In the UK the brand is looked after by GPO's UK distributor, who run the warranty and list the official stockists. The wildlife cameraman Simon King is GPO's global ambassador, and his own pair is a GPO Passion ED 8x32 in sand.

The GPO Passion range explained

Almost every GPO binocular is called Passion, which can be confusing at first. The letters after the name tell you the level: SD is the compact entry range, ED is the popular middle, and HD is the flagship. The big 56mm models are simply called Passion.

GPO Passion ED

The ED is the best seller, and it's easy to see why. You get extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, which cuts the purple and green fringes you see around a bird against a bright sky, inside a slim magnesium body with a narrow bridge that is easy to grip. The maker quotes 90% light transmission. The 32mm models weigh about 500g, so you'll hardly notice them on a long walk, while the 42mm pairs come in at around 725g to 740g. The focus wheel moves quickly from close focus to infinity, and optical quality is far above what the price suggests.

The GPO Passion ED 8x42 is the one most reviewers single out. In Bird Watching Magazine, David Chandler gave it five stars for price and 4.5 for optics, handling and overall, praising its wide view, easy focusing, good close focus and low light performance, and calling it excellent value for money. Its 142m field of view at 1,000m is one of the widest in its class, and it focuses down to 2m.

The 32mm pair is the light one. The GPO Passion ED 8x32 binoculars give a 136m field of view and 16mm of eye relief at about 500g, and they come in five colours. The GPO Passion ED 10x32 binoculars bring you closer, with a 104m field of view, but the narrow 3.2mm beam of light means they are best in good light. Of the two, the GPO Passion ED 10x32 binoculars suit open country, the 8x32 woodland.

GPO Passion HD

The HD is the premium range and the one that competes with the top European names. It is made in Japan and uses two ED elements in each objective lens, which GPO calls Double HD glass, for even tighter control of chromatic aberration. Light transmission rises to 92%. The outer lenses have a PASSIONdrop water repellent coating so rain beads off, the dioptre locks inside the centre focus wheel, and the eyecup housings are machined aluminium. It is sealed to a pressure of 500 mbar. In its hands-on review, Optics4Birding found virtually no chromatic aberration, even at the edge of the view, and praised the very smooth focusing, sharp centre and image quality.

Here you'll find the GPO Passion HD binoculars in two 42mm sizes, which weigh about 850g to 860g, plus the 50mm models: the 8.5x50 (listed on its card as 8x50), 10x50 and 12.5x50, all around 950g to 970g. The smaller of the 42mm pair has 19.5mm of eye relief and a 125m field of view.

GPO Passion 56mm models

These two big pairs are built for the hour after sunset and before dawn. Instead of the usual roof prism they use an Abbe-König prism, which passes more light without needing phase coatings, and the big lenses give the 8x model a 7mm exit pupil, as wide as a young eye's pupil opens in the dark. Both have a generous 20mm of eye relief. They are heavy at about 1,245g and 1,275g, so they suit deer stalking from a high seat, wildfowling and watching from a hide more than a long hike. For more big-lens choices see our hunting binoculars.

GPO Passion SD

The GPO Passion SD is the newest and smallest range: 8x26 and 10x26 pocket pairs, plus 8x34, 10x34, 8x42 and 10x42, all in black with metal bodies and BAK-4 prisms. liGo doesn't list them at the moment, so for a pocket pair look at our compact binoculars.

The GPO range at a glance

Compare every model side by side

All the figures below come from the models on this page. The first column is the width of the view at 1,000m.

Prices move often, so check the cards above for today's figure. Every model carries the same 10 year warranty.

Which GPO binoculars should you buy?

The first number is the magnification and the second is the width of each objective lens in millimetres. Divide one by the other and you get the exit pupil: over 5mm feels bright at dusk, under 3.5mm is best kept for daylight. The RSPB's guide to binocular terms explains the rest. Here is how that works out across the range:

• Birdwatching and general use: the GPO Passion ED 8x42 binoculars. Wide, bright, easy to hold steady and good with glasses.
• Hill walking and travel: the GPO Passion ED 8x32 binoculars at around 500g, or the GPO Passion ED 10x32 binoculars if you want more reach. More choice in our 8x32 binoculars.
• Estuaries, reservoirs and open country: a 10x, in 42mm ED or HD form. See our full range of 10x42 binoculars.
• Dawn, dusk and stalking: the big-lens Passion, or the HD 8.5x50 if you want lighter and sharper.
• Long views and the night sky: the most powerful HD, ideally braced or on a tripod. Our 10x50 binoculars and astronomy binoculars pages have more.

If you wear glasses, check the eye relief: 16mm or more is comfortable for most people, so everything here suits most glasses wearers except the ED 10x32, whose 15mm can feel tight.

GPO Passion ED or Passion HD?

The HD costs about twice as much as the ED, so is it worth it? In good light most people would struggle to tell them apart in the centre of the view. The HD pulls ahead in three places:

• Tougher scenes, like a gull against a white sky, where the Double HD glass shows even less colour fringing
• Poor light, where the extra 2% transmission and the 50mm options help
• In the hand, with the locking dioptre, aluminium eyecups and water repellent lens coating

In the review scores at Best Binocular Reviews, the ED sits at 85% and the HD 10x42 at 90%. Reviewers rate the ED as a mid-range binocular that beats most of its class, and the HD as alpha-level glass at a sub-alpha price. If your budget stops at around £400, the GPO Passion ED binoculars are hard to beat; if you go out in all weathers and want one pair for life, the HD binoculars are a sound long-term buy.

Colours

The ED range comes in more colours than most premium binoculars: black, green, brown, sand and a bright orange. The finish makes no difference to optical performance. Green and brown blend into a hide, the pale one suits dry country and safaris, and orange is easy to find if you put it down in long grass. The HD and the big Passion pairs come in black.

How GPO compares with other brands

At around £350 to £450, GPO is up against the Hawke binoculars Frontier ED X and the Viking binoculars ED ranges. The Passion ED's magnesium chassis, five finishes and very wide view are its strongest points. The HD sits with the top Japanese-made models, including several Kowa binoculars, and costs well under half the price of the big Austrian and German optics brands. GPO also makes Passion spotting scopes in 65mm and 85mm apochromatic versions, and a spotting scope pairs well with a 10x for long-range work; full specs for every model are on GPO's own site, and you'll find every pair we list in birdwatching binoculars.

GPO binoculars FAQs

Where are GPO binoculars made?

Every model is designed and tested in Germany. The ED range is made in China and the HD in Japan, to the company's own optical specification.

What warranty does GPO give?

GPO gives a 10 year warranty against material and manufacturing defects. In the UK it is handled by the UK distributor through their official stockists, so keep your receipt.

Which GPO pair is best for birdwatching?

The Passion ED 8x42 for most people: wide, bright, light enough to carry all day and focusing down to 2m. Pick the ED 8x32 if weight matters most.

Is GPO as good as Zeiss?

The founders came from Zeiss, and reviewers rate the Passion HD close to alpha-level optics. The top Zeiss and Swarovski models still edge it on edge sharpness, but they cost two to three times as much.

What is the difference between GPO Passion ED and Passion SD?

The SD is the newer, cheaper range, in black only, including pocket 26mm models. The ED adds extra-low dispersion glass and more colours for sharper, more natural images.

Do GPO binoculars come with a case?

Yes. The ED and HD models come with a case, a padded neck strap, a rainguard and objective lens caps.