Assistance required...binoculars!

saffron yellow

Hi guys,

Im looking for abit of advice on purchasing binoculars for bird watching and some ecological field work.

Im relitively new to this area and would therefore welcome any advice or recommendations on tried and tested sets, makes and models and suggested place to purchase (online or otherwise).

Im assuming that I need a minimum magnification of x10 (?) and Im looking for something reasonably light in weight, not too expensive but that will do the job? This isn't deer stalking or night vision stuff, just enough to be able to identfy species within a reasonable distance.

Many thanks in advance for any assistance provided!
SY

1squidge

First question is how much is not too expensive. There are a multitude of companies with plenty of different models of binocular. Is it a porro or roof prism you are looking for.

Opticron are a very good make, I have a couple of pairs of their bins. Vortex. Hawke, Bushnell, Pentax are also quite good. Nikon have a good range of bins from low end too alpha level. Minox are very good, I have a pair of their hg's as my main bin and they are comparable too Zeiss, Swarovski and Leica.

8x I find is better than 10x as you get a better field of view, hand shake is less noticeable in the 8x.

With binoculars I find that you get what you pay for so the more expensive you go the better the bin. I've bought online from Amazon, Sherwoods, Infocus, South West optics plus from the states and never had any problems.

Hope that helps,

Gerard.

swifts need our help!

I got my new bins this week. Ordered on Monday and delivered at 10am next day.

I was blown away by the quality while looking at the moon. Close focus is 6 feet.

Hawke Frontier 10x43
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawke-Frontier-10x43-Binocular-HA3788/dp/B005NHGKPE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338448296&sr=1-1

saffron yellow

Gerard many thanks

I appreciate the diversity. I was wondering if I could get away with spending something in the region of €100-€150 euro? and if so or not, what should I be looking for in terms of specs? Or is it a case at that price, it doesn't really matter?

If you were in a position to recommend a pair at that price, I would also greatly appreciate it.


Thanks again in advance

SY

1squidge

If you can try a few binoculars too see how they fit your face. Conns cameras in Dublin usually have a few bins in stock however I find them to be a bit on the dear side. It is very difficult to try as there is really nowhere to test out bins.

I dont know if you wear glasses but eye relief will come into play.

Some bins in your price bracket that I would recommend are Opticron Discoverys. I have a pair of these in the 8x32 version and they are very well built with nice ergonomics with a bright view. I dont know if you would prefer the 8x42 or 10x42 however as you might find the 8x32 a bit on the compact side. Opticron have also a couple more models that are quite good like the T3 trailfinder and the Oregon models.
Another excellent binocular is the Nikon action ex. These are waterproof porro prism bins with a very bright wide clear image.

As I said there is a multitude of binoculars and what you pay is matched by the quality. Obviously the more you pay the better the binocular will get in terms of build quality and glass. If you cant test the bins, find out if the online shops do a return policy. I think amazon have a return policy so you can send them back if you didnt like them.

Also have a lookout for ex demo and secondhand binoculars. You can end up with a brilliant binocular for a fraction of the cost of a new one.

Some links,
http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/binoculars_menu.htm

http://www.nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/binoculars/standard/ex_x35x40x50/index.htm

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/

http://www.acecameras.co.uk/asp/web/ph/cat/prodtype/1572/prodtype.asp

http://www.at-infocus.co.uk/index.html

Hope that helps,

Gerard.