binocular/scope recommendations

magicbastarder

looking at buying a pair of binoculars or possibly even a spotting scope, with a budget of €200 - which i know is not massive for these sort of items.
is that too low to consider getting a spotting scope?

we do have a pair of cheapish pentax binoculars, but they're a wee bit bulky to be used as carryaround binoculars, and not that great for long distance spotting, so i was thinking of going either direction - towards decent portability or towards greater reach (at the expense of portability).
so i was hoping some more experienced heads around here might be able to offer advice or pointers...

Half-cocked

Try the Opticron range of bins, buy the dearest you can afford, you get what you pay for. I've found ordering from the UK can be cheapest when the exchange rate and P&P is favourable. 8x42 are an ideal size for most uses.

Woodville56

magicbastarder wrote: »

looking at buying a pair of binoculars or possibly even a spotting scope, with a budget of €200 - which i know is not massive for these sort of items.
is that too low to consider getting a spotting scope?

we do have a pair of cheapish pentax binoculars, but they're a wee bit bulky to be used as carryaround binoculars, and not that great for long distance spotting, so i was thinking of going either direction - towards decent portability or towards greater reach (at the expense of portability).
so i was hoping some more experienced heads around here might be able to offer advice or pointers...

I agree with half-cocked- try the UK - I bought a zoom lens for my scope from AceOptics in Bath, UK (aceoptics,co.uk) - they dispatch same day and postage free to Ireland.
You could also check out the online Birdwatch Ireland shop- I see they are doing Opticron 8x32 & 8x42 from €219. Check around these sites- there may not be much of a price differential between UK and BWI but worth a look !

magicbastarder

cheers - regarding spotting scopes, i've been reading reviews online and it seems the celestron ultima 80 would have a reasonable reputation. and it seems to be able to cope with some amount of astronomy too. has anyone used one?

or is a spottign scope the sort of thing which would end up staying in the boot of a car and rarely being used?

Half-cocked

A spotting scope also means a tripod. Are you willing to lug that amount of equipment around with you? Also, a cheap tripod is useless, you need to spend a few bob on a good solid one that doesn't shake in the slightest breeze. Perhaps wait and see if you are finding the bins inadequate before buying a scope. (If you are able to use a scope from your car a window mount is ideal).

V_Moth

magicbastarder wrote: »

cheers - regarding spotting scopes, i've been reading reviews online and it seems the celestron ultima 80 would have a reasonable reputation. and it seems to be able to cope with some amount of astronomy too. has anyone used one?

or is a spotting scope the sort of thing which would end up staying in the boot of a car and rarely being used?

It really depends on where you go bird/nature watching. Scopes are most useful at open sites such as estuaries, lakes, while looking out to sea or for looking for soaring raptors. Less useful in gardens/woods, plus there is the added weight to be carried around.

Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss have the best scopes on the market at the moment, but these are all in the €1000+ price range. For a beginner scope I would look at something like the Mighty Midget from Opticron (relatively cheap and light weight). Can't comment on Celestron.

Also, don't skimp on the tripod - a good solid tripod is as important as the scope (wind shake!).

magicbastarder

i have a decent manfrotto camera tripod - are the mounts for the scopes the same?

Half-cocked

magicbastarder wrote: »

i have a decent manfrotto camera tripod - are the mounts for the scopes the same?

Yes, 1/4" UNC is the standard thread for just about all cameras, lenses and scopes.

Desmo

Good suggestions all round; mighty midget sounds like a good one to try.
A scope is indispensable for sea-watching or waders. In woods/gardens you use bins much more. I feel lost without both.

Do not even consider zoom bins; they are utter rubbish.

Conn's Cameras in Dublin have a decent range and you can see them on their web site plus BWI have a range. That will give an idea of prices plus Conn's are good if there is a problem. OPticron are decent for scopes and bins. Ace in Bath will be cheaper.

If I had limitless budget I would spend 2k or more on each (bins and scope). I do not have a limitless budget so my scope is second hand (300€ from adverts.ie) and bins cost 300 new from Conn's. My tripod came from Berminghams on the Quays in Dublin and cost about €140 and folds short enough to fit in my backpack.

Half-cocked

Desmo wrote: »

Do not even consider zoom bins; they are utter rubbish.

Utter rubbish is an understatement! Worse than useless.

trebor28

magicbastarder wrote: »

cheers - regarding spotting scopes, i've been reading reviews online and it seems the celestron ultima 80 would have a reasonable reputation. and it seems to be able to cope with some amount of astronomy too. has anyone used one?

or is a spottign scope the sort of thing which would end up staying in the boot of a car and rarely being used?

I actually have that celestron ultima 80 scope.
I fine it good but i wouldn't know a good scope from a bad scope if you know what i mean.

I have a cheap tripod and its like the others said, a pure waste of money.
I dont get much chance to use it though.

I also got a pair of Nikon Sporter EX 10x50 on amazon. again im no binocular expert but i find them good.

magicbastarder

Desmo wrote: »

Do not even consider zoom bins; they are utter rubbish.

cheers - i know to steer well clear of them, have handled two pairs in my time and they were worse than useless.

magicbastarder

may be worth a read to anyone else weighing up their options:

http://www.irelandswildlife.com/choosing-binoculars-for-birding/

magicbastarder

i checked out the opticron discovery WP bins in town this evening - they seem excellent, but BWI have the same model in their shop for the same price (the 8x42s - they have the same price throughout the range, but the place in town had the four sub-models at different price points).
do BWI in kilcoole have a physical shop? not that i'd easily be able to get down there on a weekday...

OpenYourEyes

magicbastarder wrote: »

i checked out the opticron discovery WP bins in town this evening - they seem excellent, but BWI have the same model in their shop for the same price (the 8x42s - they have the same price throughout the range, but the place in town had the four sub-models at different price points).
do BWI in kilcoole have a physical shop? not that i'd easily be able to get down there on a weekday...

They do have a physical shop yes! It's in an industrial estate in that part of Wicklow I think

magicbastarder

cheers, would like to try them in daylight; to figure out if there's any difference between them and the next model up.
buying binoculars, it really is a paradox of choice.

Woodville56

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

They do have a physical shop yes! It's in an industrial estate in that part of Wicklow I think

The BWI HQ and shop is in Kilcoole, in the Bullford Budiness Campus the bottom of the village , I dropped in there during the summer when in the area, small but comprehensive shop, books, equipment, bird food etc.
directions (from the BWI website) as follows :

By Car from Dublin & the North via the N11

Take the exit to the R774, signposted “Greystones/Kilcoole”.
At the roundabout take the 1st exit onto the R774, signposted Greystones/Kilcoole.
At next roundabout take the 3rd exit onto the R761, signposted Newcastle/Kilcoole.
Continue on the R761 through the village of Kilcoole.
Turn right onto New Road signposted Druid’s Glen.
Bullford Business Campus is on the right.
Proceed through Bullford Business Campus and take the 2nd turn to the right.
BirdWatch Ireland is situated on the corner.
Please try to park in one of the designated BirdWatch Ireland parking bays marked 20.
Please note the entrance is around the corner at the rear of the building.
By car from the South via the N11

Take the R772 exit signposted Newcastle/Newtownmountkennedy
Continue straight on to Newtownmountkennedy village
Take the first turn to the right signposted Kilcoole and Druid’s Glen Golf course
Continue on this road
Bulford Business Campus is on the left shortly after Druid’s Glen Golf Club on your right
Proceed through Bulford Business Campus and take the 2nd turn to the right. BirdWatch Ireland is situated on the corner at the end of the block.
Note the entrance is around the corner at the rear of the building.
By Bus

Dublin Bus No. 84

(Dublin Eden Quay– Loughlinstown Hospital – Southern Cross – Greystones – Charlesland - Kilcoole

Journey time: approx. 90 minutes from Eden Quay to Kilcoole. Click here for the timetable.

Dublin Bus No. 84x

(Eden Quay Dublin - Bray DART Station – Greystones – Kilcoole – Newcastle)

magicbastarder

have been doing a bit of shopping around; opticron seem to be a favourite, but i tried celestron vs. minox in the camera exchange - and despite being three times the price, the minox weren't as good as the celestrons.
i've found a place selling hawke binoculars for nice and cheap, but it's the older model, and the very positive reviews seem to refer to the newer model.
decisions decisions...

ThunderCat

Nikon Action Extreme's have a very good reputation for the price. They have an 8x40 version too.

magicbastarder

may be useful info - birdwatch are opening the shop this saturday given the time of year, 10-5pm; staying open for lunch.

WildIreland

Hi all,

I wrote a (lengthy) post on the things to consider when choosing new binoculars on the Ireland's Wildlife site earlier this year... hope it's useful if you find yourself in the market for new bins in the near future (NB. I don't sell binoculars, or any gear -- IW is an information resource for wildlife lovers).

Choosing Binoculars for birding and wildlife observation

Cheers,

Calvin!

magicbastarder

cheers - i had a good read of that; unfortunately, most tested are outside my budget, but it did have good pointers.

WildIreland

Yes... the binoculars reviewed to date have been relatively high end... but the advice in the article holds true across the various price points, and is aimed at helping people choose the best possible optics within their price range.

Hope it helps a little.

All the best,

Calvin!

gzoladz

Old thread but very current data.

I am considering a scope and I had a chance to try the Opticron MM2. I have noticed that now there is an MM3.

Has anybody used it? It is much more expensive than the discontinued MM2 but this is a once in a lifetime purchase.

Planning to use it for birdwatching (obviously) and digiscopping.

V_Moth

gzoladz wrote: »

Old thread but very current data.

I am considering a scope and I had a chance to try the Opticron MM2. I have noticed that now there is an MM3.

Has anybody used it? It is much more expensive than the discontinued MM2 but this is a once in a lifetime purchase.

Planning to use it for birdwatching (obviously) and digiscopping.

I haven't used the MM3, but in my opinion Opticron usually have very good optics. Well worth asking Conns or other camera shop if they have it in stock and give it a try.

In terms of eye pieces, I would suggest staying with a fixed lens (something around 30x) as a zoom won't give as bright an image if you are planning on doing digi-scoping (you want as much light for this as possible). Looking at the product info, they seem to have a camera adapter for the MM3 (http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/uta.htm) which may be worth having a look at.

Also, a good sturdy tripod is a must to give a steady image.

gzoladz

Thanks, Conns don't stock the mm3 at the moment. I did try the mm2 from them and I was actually pleasantly surprised with the image quality.

The mm3 is three times the price.

TedR

I am lucky enough to own a Swarovski AT80, quite old now, but amazing
However I also have the Mighty Midget, and I think its great and probably more practical for general carry around purposes, I would recommend highly
I have a small car window mount that works really well too, negates the need for a tripod ( as long as you have the car handy :-) )
But for everyday observing its a pair of binoculars you want for sure. Away from the higher budget bracket I would concur with the votes for Opticron
Maybe January sales might be worth waiting for, not sure if Conns do one

magicbastarder

just an update from me on what route i took - we decided to go for the opticron explorer 8x42 bins in birdwatch ireland.
just make sure you ring ahead to confirm they have what you want in stock.

gzoladz

Thanks Ted, good advise. Conns still don't stock the mm3 so they will hardly have I on sale in January.

The mm2 was discontinued but they still have a few.

I want to go for an mm3 60 with the hdf zoom eyepiece, just need to get the courage to spend that money...

gzoladz

For everyday I agreee with the binocs. I have an Imagic bse 8x42 and when I got that they gift me with a 8x25 version of the same model that I always carry on me.

TedR

BTW I see Conns have a few items in the secondhand/used tab on their site, including a pair of Leica BCA compacts
You would want to handle them to make sure you are ok with the smaller size, but they are pretty serious glass, Leica is top end stuff. They stuff in a pocket very nicely.
They are a little bit more than your ideal budget I think, always the way unfortunately:-)
I see them come up on adverts.ie occasionally too at decent price

Rosahane

I have just ordered the "Opticron MM2 52 Straight Spotting Scope with 13-39x HR Eyepiece, Soft Case & Traveller Carbon Monopod" from Uttings in the UK.

The lot, delivered for £181 which seems to be pretty reasonable. I guess that, with the MM3 available they are selling off the remaining MM2 in stock.

I have a pair of the Opticron Countryman 8x42 which are pretty good and very portable.
However, they don't hold a candle to my Steiner Sagor II 7x50 which have great glass and amazing light gathering capability. One night I could clearly identify curlew feeding in a field a hundred yards away that were totally invisible to the naked eye.

gzoladz

I was looking at the same deal but put me off that the scope is straight, as opposed to angled, and it is not the ED version.

Amazing value though considering that just the scope and eyepiece are eur 299 in Conns, but I wasnt to try the mm3 before ordering anything as I want this to be a once in a lifetime purchase.

Rosahane

gzoladz wrote: »

I was looking at the same deal but put me off that the scope is straight, as opposed to angled, and it is not the ED version.

Amazing value though considering that just the scope and eyepiece are eur 299 in Conns, but I wasnt to try the mm3 before ordering anything as I want this to be a once in a lifetime purchase.

I'm ok with it being straight. I have a good tripod that extends high enough and it's going to be easier to use out of a car!

I know it's not the ED version but for an occasional user like me it's good enough and the price makes the purchase justifiable.

gzoladz

Rosahane wrote: »

I'm ok with it being straight. I have a good tripod that extends high enough and it's going to be easier to use out of a car!

I know it's not the ED version but for an occasional user like me it's good enough and the price makes the purchase justifiable.

Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent purchase and I was very close to go for it too. I may still do to be honest.

Rosahane

gzoladz wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent purchase and I was very close to go for it too. I may still do to be honest.

The MM2 bundle arrived today. I'm quite impressed with its performance. Only tried it in the garden but, fixed on the monopod, it's easy to hold steady up to about 25X.

It has pretty good clarity and is really light and portable. The monopod which came with it is a very good four stage carbon fibre model.

Now just to wait for a dry morning!

gzoladz

Excellent! I am glad you like it, it is a great deal.

When I tested it in Conns I liked it a lot too.

Opticron are sending me an mm3 60 for testing. I am not 100% convinced about buying a scope but this may push it over the line

If you are keen to use it, this weekend there are two BirdWatch Ireland outings: the Wicklow branch goes to Greystones and the Kildare branch goes to the East Coast Nature Reserve, also in Wicklow.

I am planning to go to Greystones but went out with Kildare branch a fe weeks ago and had a lot of fun.

gzoladz

.. Dupp post.

Rosahane

Adaptor to use SLR camera lens as a spotting scope.

I have no idea how well these work but, if you have a Nikon telephoto lens it might be worth a punt given the huge discount - down to £49 from £169

Unfortunately I'm a Canon man.

http://www.uttings.co.uk/p111708-kenko-lens2scope-spotting-scope-adaptor-for-slr-lenses-angled-nikon-2133/#.VIguxkeQGrU

Thargor

Seriously keep an eye out for the 10X50s that come up in Lidl every now and then, theres a few in the one in Bray right now, Ive used friends €200 binoculars and haven't been able to tell the difference and for €20 you wont be too devestated if anything happens to them, I love the views through mine anyway. Good for pointing at the moon aswell.

whyulittle

Rosahane wrote: »

I have just ordered the "Opticron MM2 52 Straight Spotting Scope with 13-39x HR Eyepiece, Soft Case & Traveller Carbon Monopod" from Uttings in the UK.

gzoladz wrote: »

Opticron are sending me an mm3 60 for testing. I am not 100% convinced about buying a scope but this may push it over the line

Just curious how you both are getting with the scopes?

Rosahane

whyulittle wrote: »

Just curious how you both are getting with the scopes?

I have used the MM2 a few times only, rainy days and the holiday season have conspired against it.
It's pretty good, but I must say not quite as good as I expected. The glass somewhat lacks clarity compared to my Opticron Countryman (the older non HD version) and especially my Steiner Sagor II binos. But then again they were respectively twice and quadruple the price of the MM2 and half the minimum magnification. However, for the money that I paid it's pretty good and still reasonably clear at full (39) magnification. I have a Lidl spotting scope and the MM2 it is hugely better than it. The Lidl one is only usable at minimum mag and pretty dim even at that, and it still cost €50 I think.
The carbon monopod that came as part of the package is very good, light and robust. I have the scope permantly attached. I can set it up for height and just use it like a walking pole or carry it horizontally - the total package weighs next to nothing.
Would I get it again? At that price, Absolutely!
I'm very much an occasional user and it's perfect for my needs.

gzoladz

whyulittle wrote: »

Just curious how you both are getting with the scopes?

Very well. The mm3 x 60 is very bright. I'd say that at x18 a tiny bit brighter than my Opticron Imagic 8x42. It performs very well on low light conditions too. The far end of the zoom is very usable and crisp.

Digiscoping is ok, but I have a tripod that is barely enough for just the scope so it is a struggle with the camera attached to it (I am awaiting delivery of a sherpa 200r that should improve the experience).