Binoculars for aircraft spotting

KwackerJack

I am looking for a pair of binoculars for aircraft spotting.

Budget of €200, however the below seem to be reasonable


http://www.currys.ie/Mobile/Product/nat-geographic-10-x-50-porro-prism-binoculars/336667/398.5.1#ctl00_ctl00__nestedContent__mainpageContent_ProductFamilyDetailsView1_liProductDetails

Pat Dunne

I can only go on my own experience of Nikon bino's. I've had mine for over 30 years and they are simply bulletproof. 12 x 50 or 16 x 50 excellent for spotting.

TedR

Price is good but they look pretty heavy, which is a factor when you are holding them up for a long period of time.. I wouldn't think the optics/glass quality is great either

They are 'porro prism' type, roof prism models are more compact and generally lighter, bit of a more streamlined shape
10 x 50 is good though, i would avoid going above 10x as they become hard to hold steady when you go beyond that 10/12 magnification.
(first number is the magnification, second one os the objective lens diameter in mm)

Have a look at Opticron as a brand, I know Conns Cameras do them

Or you could buy online
Warehouse Express is good, Ive bought bins from them, I think they have rebranded as Wex recently, you could google Warehouse Express

Also Birdwatch Ireland do decent quality binoculars within your budget, maybe take a look to their web shop?

Sometimes you see second hand Leica or Zeiss/Svarovksi on adverts, but you would be doing well to buy them at 200 euro tbh, they go for more

TedR

Or Nikon is good ;-)

You basically get what you pay for with binoculars. Spend more on the first day, and you will probably have them for life.

I think Leica standard guarantee is 30 years!

KwackerJack

Thanks guys.....I'll have a look at the websites you gave.

I see the likes of Curry's & Argos have binoculars. Would they carry decent makes or will I stay clear.....simply ease of access

Comhrá

From my experience it's always best to try before you buy. I bought a pair of Bresser bins once without trying them first, and when I got them, the optics were badly mis-aligned and they were unusable. The shop got me a second pair which were just as bad so I had to return those as well.

I'd rather not have binoculars shipped as even a small knock can cause the glass elements to shift ever so slightly causing mis-alignement and 'double vision' Best to check them out locally if possible before buying.

I've had several pairs and as others say, about 12x50 is the highest magnification you can hold without viewing difficulty. 12x70 would give you a brighter image at the expense of larger heavier lens elements.

gctest50

Or you might find a telescope somewhere handy and make it do tricks :

Storm 10

I bought one in Lidl a few years ago for 20 Euro, its a 10x50 and its perfect to this day the clarity is excellent, keep a look at Aldi and LIdl for special offers they come up pretty regularly.

Hotblack Desiato

Thread here in the Astronomy & Space forum about cheap binos, one user asks about planespotting, which should be less demanding of high quality optics than astronomy. I didn't buy the Lidl ones in the end so can't comment on them, but I probably will the next time they're in. You don't need big magnification or large objective lenses to gather light for (daylight) planespotting. If cheap 10x50s are fine for basic astronomy then they should be fine for planespotting.