Binoculars - useful, essential, unnecessary or just nice to have?

baords dyslexic

I have cheap Mead (Lidl) type 10x50's all aroud the place, a pair in each car and a pair in the kitchen. Mainly used for bird watching but also to see if that "van" pulling in up the road is up to no good if you know what I mean .

I also carry a pair of old style 8x40's when I'm out for a walk with the dog but they are a bit heavy to carry for the amount of use they get, so I'm looking for something a bit lighter and smaller - anyone got any recommendations?

I'm thinking of something like Nikon 10x21's, expensive but I don't expect to go buying another pair, or I might slum it and get a pair of the small bino's that Lidl do?

Then of course what do other people think? Just how much use are binoculars in a SHTF situation?

Tabnabs

I have a pair of Silva Pocket 10x25 Binoculars. Just the thing when out in the field. Tiny and lightweight, stows away easily in the pocket. Wouldn't leave home without them

kildare.17hmr

Very useful tool but cheap ones are only good over relitivly shot distances and blur at longer distance.

If you were bugging out in a shtf situation they would be very useful for spotting trouble coming and identifieing possable threats in advance.

Very useful for hunting too if you dont have a scopped rifle and even sometimes when you do because they can be heavy to use as a telescope!!

I always bring a small pair hiking and would use them a fair bit and have a pair of 10x50 at home. I cant justify spending big money on a real decent pair yet tho, i just wouldnt use them enough.

Nikkon would be good but if you think you may use them in low light try get as large a bell as you can as the bigger it is the more light it will let in, small ones are only good in daylight

krissovo

Bino's are all of the above depending on the situation. If I had to make a call I would class bino's as a nice luxury but not essential.

I have a set of Carl Zeiss Victory compact 10x25, these are a thing of beauty and have crystal clear vision even in low light. They are pricy but luckily I did some work for Carl Zeiss last year and was given these and a beautiful rifle scope while I was with them so didnt have to splash out thousands. If you enjoy any sports or nature save up and get carl zeiss as they will not disappoint.

The father in law has a Nikon travellite, while the carl zeiss blow them away these are fairly decent and focus well. Until I got the Zeiss I was going to get a set of these.

kildare.17hmr

Zeiss are the best of the best and you were lucky to get them the way you did, would love a zeiss scope for my rifle too but thats for the future! Glass quality in them makes up for the smaller lense size working well in low light but if its cheaper or even mid range your looking at my above post will apply because lets face it we all cant afford zeiss binos!!!

You lucky fecker!

Coriolanus

When you get bored sitting in a covert waiting for some unpackaged, organic protein to wander past your position, the 10x50s can make a decent stargazing tool. You can pick out several of the larger messier objects.

baords dyslexic

Nevore wrote: »

When you get bored sitting in a covert waiting for some unpackaged, organic protein to wander past your position, the 10x50s can make a decent stargazing tool. You can pick out several of the larger messier objects.

I was thinking of something smaller, although if your unpackaged organic protien got near enought you could club it to death and tenderise it all in one go with a pair of 10x50's.

So after looking at a few more expensive pairs of bins I've decided to slum it and get a cheap pair of the Lidl 8x20's next time they are in and if I get much use out of them I'll upgrade and spend bigger money on a better pair.

Jim Martin

I think if you're planning to walk into a field of cows and you're too faraway to see properly. they're essential to check whether there's a bull lurking around in the herd somewhere!

baords dyslexic

After looking at more bins today in Waterford and nearly buying a pair (Bushnell H2O 10 x 25 - waterproof - roof - €69.99) I thought I'd check online and found the next magnification up in the range 12 x 25 on Amazon.co.uk for a total of €53 including delivery to Ireland Bushnell H2O 13-1205 - Binoculars 12 x 25 - fogproof, waterproof - roof
they are a little heavier (370g) than I wanted as a regular jacket pocket carry but had the right feel and handled well (the 10 x 25 I looked at), some of the other bins in the same price range took ages to fold out and fiddle with to work.

I'll do a review (a rant or rave anyway) when they arrive if anyones interested.

baords dyslexic

Not bad for the money and very quick Amazon.co.uk delivery, might have been disapointed if I'd payed the Irish bricks and mortar shop price of €70 or more, but for around €50 delevered I'd say they were a good deal.

Look and feel is good, colour is a nice non reflective graphite and the all the body work is rubber covered, nothing that feels loose on them. The twist out eye cups are solid and the diopter ajustment is nice and stiff so set it and forget it. The top of the binoculars have a finger groove that puts your fingers right on the focusing wheel.

The strap is a bit of a conundrum? It fits on fine and works as you'd expect but gets in the way when you stuff the binoculars back in the case because the bins are a tight fit in the case. I decided not to use the strap as the intention is to carry these in a pocket, not around my neck, might add a short lanyard later.

The case proves OK (sans neck strap) but is a little bit small, a slightly bigger case (only a couple of mm each way) would make its use much more convienient. Only a soft case so only really acts to keep the unit clean - no dust caps btw but you'd loose them or spend too much time putting them on and off if you had them.

I was a little concerend about the weight of these and the folded shape, they are solid but heavy and fold to a nearly square profile (looking from the either lens end). Fortunately neither seems to be a problem as they fit fine into a combat style jacket top pocket and I hardly noticed the weight, that could be because my std jacket is so full of crap survival stuff already:rolleyes:

On test they do everything I need of them, they are 12 x 25 so you are getting up to a magnification that really needs some sort of steady and I found them much easier to use and focus when leaning on a fence post. One bad point is that the nearest point you can focus on is about 20m away so can't use them to take a closer look at whats on the bird table. No problem at 2Km where I use them to scan the beach for other dogs and walkers did notice the image quality is much better in good bright light but thats part of the price you pay for a small 25mm objective lens. Focusing can also be a little fiddly and I found myslef spending a few seconds to get the focusing right at objects 400m away (distance from where I'm sitting now to neighbors house). Dispite the small 25mm objective lense I found it quite easy to watch birds on the beach including ones in flight.

Conclusion, good solid binoculars for the money that I'm not going to be worried about getting damaged (because of both the sold build and price) optics are could be better but you do get what you pay for.

Intersting comparison, hardly a fair one

Lidl Meade (€16.99) 10x50 v Bushnell (€52) 12x25 on optical quality the Meades win but having a 50mm objective lens is a big advantage as is not having the roof prisum but does show the Lidl Meade bins are good value for money. I'd still happily pay for the Bushnells for the convienience of having a pair of binoculars with me.

If they are cheap enough I will still get a pair of the small Lidl bins when they get them in and compare the Bushnells with them.

Final note I noticed when testing using one lens and both eyes open that I might be better off with a monocular so will keep an eye out for one.

slowburner

Having used bins for many years professionally, both in daylight and after dark (for keeping an eye on two-legged creatures), there is one thing that used to drive me mad: that was people who didn't take care of them.
Binoculars are extremely delicate pieces of equipment - if the prisms are out of place by a fraction of a millimeter you will get double vision and a headache.
It takes very little impact to knock the prisms out of place, so having invested, it makes sense to take care of them.
If they do go out of alignment it can be too expensive to get them re-aligned.
I like to make monoculars out of the side with the adjusters when this happens.
The other half can be dismantled for magnifying glass lenses, but I have yet to find a use for the redundant prisms.

baords dyslexic

slowburner wrote: »

Having used bins for many years professionally, both in daylight and after dark (for keeping an eye on two-legged creatures), there is one thing that used to drive me mad: that was people who didn't take care of them.
Binoculars are extremely delicate pieces of equipment - if the prisms are out of place by a fraction of a millimeter you will get double vision and a headache.
It takes very little impact to knock the prisms out of place, so having invested, it makes sense to take care of them.
If they do go out of alignment it can be too expensive to get them re-aligned.
I like to make monoculars out of the side with the adjusters when this happens.
The other half can be dismantled for magnifying glass lenses, but I have yet to find a use for the redundant prisms.

No matter what the delicate piece of equipment is there is always going to be someone who will fcuk it up and not care about it - a hanging offence in my book! Wherever I've worked I've always bought my own tools and been told I'm stupid to be spending my own money, but never long before the same people come looking to borrow my stuff because its still working, better quality and not been lost - you can guess my answer. Some people you can trust with decent gear others its just safer not to let them near it.

slowburner

There's an old saying; 'That which belongs to everyone, soon ends up belonging to no one.'

An Ri rua

Jim Martin wrote: »

I think if you're planning to walk into a field of cows and you're too faraway to see properly. they're essential to check whether there's a bull lurking around in the herd somewhere!

I'm presuming you're a country boy but, for any reading who are not, a cow with a new-born calf is just as dangerous to your mortal existence as a bull. Maybe more so. Always watch your back during calving season (now).

Jim Martin

An Ri rua wrote: »

I'm presuming you're a country boy but, for any reading who are not, a cow with a new-born calf is just as dangerous to your mortal existence as a bull. Maybe more so. Always watch your back during calving season (now).

Yes, indeed, thanks for pointing that out!

ShadowFox

I'm looking for a good monocular anyone have any ideas on a brand the more compact the better

baords dyslexic

grapeape wrote: »

I'm looking for a good monocular anyone have any ideas on a brand the more compact the better

I've been looking for some cheap ones like these http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/tasco-essentials-10x25-monocular/ but have info on some much more expensive ones somewhere.

ShadowFox

baords dyslexic wrote: »

I've been looking for some cheap ones like these http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/tasco-essentials-10x25-monocular/ but have info on some much more expensive ones somewhere.

Cheers at that price its worth taking a chance with it

waterboy15

I purchased a tasco 10x 25 monocular last summer from e bay out of china wish i had not bought, view is very hazy when looking through it, still better than nothing i suppose.

ShadowFox

waterboy15 wrote: »

I purchased a tasco 10x 25 monocular last summer from e bay out of china wish i had not bought, view is very hazy when looking through it, still better than nothing i suppose.

Ive been the same with the cheap binos and monoculars from china you really get what you pay for cheap crap

baords dyslexic

waterboy15 wrote: »

I purchased a tasco 10x 25 monocular last summer from e bay out of china wish i had not bought, view is very hazy when looking through it, still better than nothing i suppose.

The amazon reviews don't seem bad for that particular item.

Lots of other cheap ones to chose from http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?field-keywords=monocular

kildare.17hmr

Was In 53 degres north in blanch today for a look around and they had monoculars, they are in a display case with bear grylls gerber knives. Cant remember a price or make i only copped them because i remembered this thread!

ShadowFox

Looking for a good set of compact binoculars can anyone recommend a pair that they have used

baords dyslexic

Sorry for jumping in and answering all your posts but I think there are a couple of points worth making, firstly magnification isn't everything. My Busnell 12x 25mm are proving to be a good buy (daily use) but I'm not sure if I'd have been happier with 8x 25mm because the 12x really need resting on a fence post or rock while I use them and then with the small 25mm objective lense you are left searching for objects in a small field of view. The second is size and weight which relates to how you carry them, again the Busnell 12x 25mm are on my limit of size and weight for carrying in a pocket. A bigger pair (size or weight) would relegate them to a bob and I know that they wouldn't be used anything like as much if I had to stop and take them out of a bag. Quality is another big issue but its possible to be too precious with really good bins and not use them so I prefer a cheaper pair that get used and abused rather than an expensive pair that stay in the box.

Doc Ruby

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Quality is another big issue but its possible to be too precious with really good bins and not use them so I prefer a cheaper pair that get used and abused rather than an expensive pair that stay in the box.

This is an important thing to keep in mind, I got a pair of Konus 10x42 Titanium waterproof and fogproof nitrogen filled binoculars, picked for toughness and that I was mostly going to be operating in a very damp environment where they would be immersed at times (Ireland). Years later they are still working perfectly, although they're far from the most expensive.

baords dyslexic

Doc Ruby wrote: »

This is an important thing to keep in mind, I got a pair of Konus 10x42 Titanium waterproof and fogproof nitrogen filled binoculars, picked for toughness and that I was mostly going to be operating in a very damp environment where they would be immersed at times (Ireland). Years later they are still working perfectly, although they're far from the most expensive.

Nice!!! but no longer avialable afaik http://www.binoculars-uk.org.uk/konus_titanium_camo_10x42.htm . Definitely compact but do you find them a bit heavy (700g) I think of compact to mean suitable to carry in a pocket - but then I think too much and do too little

Doc Ruby

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Nice!!! but no longer avialable afaik http://www.binoculars-uk.org.uk/konus_titanium_camo_10x42.htm . Definitely compact but do you find them a bit heavy (700g) I think of compact to mean suitable to carry in a pocket - but then I think too much and do too little

More and more of my kit seems to be no longer available for some reason! Its not pocket sized, being between large binocs and a compact, you'd need either belt space or a bag, although you could fit them in the leg pockets on cargo trousers handy enough.

I'd say if I totalled up all of my kit it would probably be over fifty kilos, but I'm well used to humping it cross country through bogs, hills, and rivers at this stage so its not a bother really. Tough and waterproof were the aim with those binocs, and they should last a very long time.

bonniebede

Thanks for this thread, very interesting. Made realise I had an old pair of binoculars , used to belong to my Dad. I've fished them out. much to heavy for carrying around, but useful to watch local birds. and other wildlife.

Thinking about adding a lightweight monocular to the 'would like to have in the bob' list.

ShadowFox

I got a pair off a mate last week they are Prakica sport 12x25 their a nice set not heavy or bulky He thinks he paid around €35 a couple of years ago

baords dyslexic

grapeape wrote: »

I got a pair off a mate last week they are Prakica sport 12x25 their a nice set not heavy or bulky He thinks he paid around €35 a couple of years ago

Anything like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praktica-12-25-Sport-Binoculars/dp/B0000YW7S4/

ShadowFox

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Anything like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praktica-12-25-Sport-Binoculars/dp/B0000YW7S4/

DSCF0355.jpg

Thats them

baords dyslexic

You mean like these - after cropping and compressing

After downloading your pic on a flaky 3 Mobile Broadband connection thought I might as well make some use of it.

I took a look at those and several other similar before I bought the Busnells and I thought the optics were fine but not constructed quite as strongly as I wanted. I did think about buying them as they were light weight if they had been any cheaper I might have done.

ShadowFox

baords dyslexic wrote: »

You mean like these - after cropping and compressing

After downloading your pic on a flaky 3 Mobile Broadband connection thought I might as well make some use of it.

I took a look at those and several other similar before I bought the Busnells and I thought the optics were fine but not constructed quite as strongly as I wanted. I did think about buying them as they were light weight if they had been any cheaper I might have done.

I like the Brushnell ones and was going to buy them was talking to the mate about it and he gave me the praktica ones for nothing

ShadowFox

Picked up one of these on ebay
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/260928351384?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
For a china knock off its quite good

baords dyslexic

grapeape wrote: »

Picked up one of these on ebay
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/260928351384?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
For a china knock off its quite good

Is that an anti glare shield for the objective lens when the thing is fully extended?

ShadowFox

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Is that an anti glare shield for the objective lens when the thing is fully extended?

Its a magnifier

baords dyslexic

Finally got to a Lidl to day and picked up a pair of their 12x32mm bins for
€12.99 (they still had plenty, stock came in yesterday).

OK so I really don't need another pair of binoculars but thats never stopped me buying a "bargin" before .

Only had a chance for a quick look and a scan around outside with them but so far I'm impressed, optics are good (for the money) and the 32mm objective lens lets in a good deal more light than the 25mm lens on my Busnells. Another plus over the Busnells is that they will focus on much nearer objects. Some of the claimed features are as ususal crap, can't see that you can use them easily with glasses and the bit bit of string neck strap will have to go. Case isn't bad inculdes the obigatory belt loop and the bins themselves are very light yet still have a nice solid feel to them. Focusing is easy and "obvious", some binoculars have a crappy fussy focus and you can't tell if you have them in the best focus with these its obvious when you have the best focus.

Will try and use them in place of the Busnells for a month an let you know how I get on. Unless they fall to bits in the next month I can't see how they aren't a bargin at €12.99.



Magnification: 12x32, Field of view: up to 84m wide at 1,000m distance
Handy all-purpose binoculars - ideal for viewing nature, sports, concerts and more
Variable dioptre setting and flexible eye cups – perfect for use with glasses
Robust, lightweight housing with slip-resistant rubber
Includes: belt bag, neck cord and cleaning cloth



Edit> Just been out with them now and the "neck cord" has now been removed, if you use it as intended the cord gets in the way every time you lift the binoculars up to your eyes.
Otherwise still more good than bad points.

the_syco

grapeape wrote: »

I'm looking for a good monocular anyone have any ideas on a brand the more compact the better

This is something that I'd also be interested in, to carry in my camera bag, to spot stuff to photograph without having to take out the camera and putting the large lens on it to see what it is first.

Posy

I'm looking to get my uncle a nice pair of binoculars for a present- he lives on the coast and would often like looking across at the boats passing on the sea and watching the wildlife etc... Has anyone any tips? I'm clueless about binoculars!

I was looking at argos.ie to get a few ideas but no product doesn't have a handful of really bad reviews so I'm just as stumped now as I was! I think he would prefer a wider field of vision as opposed to strongly zooming in on one specific thing, if that makes sense.

baords dyslexic

Posy wrote: »

I'm looking to get my uncle a nice pair of binoculars for a present- he lives on the coast and would often like looking across at the boats passing on the sea and watching the wildlife etc... Has anyone any tips? I'm clueless about binoculars!

I was looking at argos.ie to get a few ideas but no product doesn't have a handful of really bad reviews so I'm just as stumped now as I was! I think he would prefer a wider field of vision as opposed to strongly zooming in on one specific thing, if that makes sense.

To save me talking just tooooooo much rubish take a look here

http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-buy-binoculars.html

then come back and ask any questions. Read the general notes on Marine Binoculars but don't forget you don't need the expense of waterproofing if they are not used at sea.

One other point, if your uncle has the room and you have the money you could also consider a telescope on a stand, but obviously thats not a lot of use for looking at passing birds.

Edit> From what you say the basics would be lower magnification (compared to some of the mad ones available) say x8 or x 10 at max with large objective lense so I'd be looking at somthing like 8 x 50's. But you could go larger on the objective lens but don't go to high on the magnification as it just makes the bins more difficult to hold steady when sea watching. Check also for how close the bins can be focused you might need to focus down to say 10 or 12 feet to get a really good look at birds in the garden.

Posy

Thanks for that, really helpful.:)

I am thinking of these in argos- they have wide lenses and are 10x50, which I hope wouldn't be too hard to keep steady! :eek:
I will look in a few other places too though-- but it seems like the wide objective lens and low magnification will be the key here.

baords dyslexic

Posy wrote: »

Thanks for that, really helpful.:)

I am thinking of these in argos- they have wide lenses and are 10x50, which I hope wouldn't be too hard to keep steady! :eek:
I will look in a few other places too though-- but it seems like the wide objective lens and low magnification will be the key here.

Those are the nearest I can see from the argos catalog that fit your requirements - not that they have a massive range. The 10x magnification shouldn't be much of a problem so don't let that worry you, but I mentioned it as people sometimes think that the bigger the magnification the better the binoculars.

No mention in the description of the point of nearest focus but as the reviews talk about watching birds on a bird table I think its reasonably safe to assume that they will focus up quite close. No mention of lens coating which is really quite important.

If you want a look at a bigger range here try one of the bigger Sam MaCauley chemists and see what they have for the same sort of money.

Try also Amazon.co.uk and search for binocular (try 8 x 50 binocular etc to reduce the number of results) a quick look gave Olympus 8 x 40 DPSI Binocular and Pentax 10x50 XCF Binoculars With Case were 2 that I quickly found that might suit? Those would both afaik be chinese made budget models but at least they have the quality control from a brand name company. Little bit more expensive than Argos but you can often get free delievery if Amazon have them in stock themselves. From checking shops here and comparing with Amazon I know that you can get nearly twice the quality for the same money from Amazon

baords dyslexic

One quick point on the Argos Bird Watcher Binoculars - they look almost identical to the Meade 10x50 that Lidl were selling for €16.99. Nothing wrong with the Meade 10 x 50 mine are a couple of years old and still work great, but I have heard you can get a duff pair so you need to open a box in the shop and check them before you buy. Anyway I wouldn't want to pay the Argos price especially as I noticed that in the UK they have discounted them to half price in the past

baords dyslexic

Continuing what seems to be my cheap binoculars blogg....

Checked out the Aldi 10x25 Compact Binoculars €7.99 in store this week, tried a couple of boxes testing them from back to front of shop and all I can say is sh!te. A bargins only a bargin if you can use the item and I found both pairs I tried foggy and poor to focus even down the lenght of the shop. In comparison the Lidl 12x32 where a much better cheap binocular deal. Not suggesting that Lidl stuff is always better than Aldi as iirc Lidl have in the past sold the same cheap 10x25 under a different "brand" name.

Would have like to taken a look at the Aldi Spotter Scope (about 25euro) but no chance as they had them locked up, their loss as I'd have bought a pair if they were anyway useable.