Binoculars present.

Tilikum

Hello All,

My better half has recently started bird watching or just getting into it really. Her birthday is coming up so I was thinking of getting some binoculars.

Any ideas which to buy? Around €300

Woodville56

Tilikum wrote: »

Hello All,

My better half has recently started bird watching or just getting into it really. Her birthday is coming up so I was thinking of getting some binoculars.

Any ideas which to buy? Around €300

I'd suggest having a look at the online shop in Birdwatch Ireland here -
http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/
I'd suggest calling Birdwatch Ireland or talking with other birdwatchers for advice on spec etc for binoculars as there's quite a range out there.

Alternatively Conns Cameras in Dublin is another option if you're in Dublin or passing through.
http://www.connscameras.ie/

This link has some general info on choosing binoculars for birding -

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


I'm not connected with any of the suppliers or sites mentioned above by the way , but worth doing a bit of research before you buy- it's not a case of one size fits all when it comes to binoculars.

Tilikum

Woodville56 wrote: »

I'd suggest having a look at the online shop in Birdwatch Ireland here -
http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/
I'd suggest calling Birdwatch Ireland or talking with other birdwatchers for advice on spec etc for binoculars as there's quite a range out there.

Alternatively Conns Cameras in Dublin is another option if you're in Dublin or passing through.
http://www.connscameras.ie/

This link has some general info on choosing binoculars for birding -

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


I'm not connected with any of the suppliers or sites mentioned above by the way , but worth doing a bit of research before you buy- it's not a case of one size fits all when it comes to binoculars.

Ok, lovely & thanks very much

Mech1

I read this recently: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/tools-and-accessories/best-binoculars-bird-watching/

I dont know enough to comment further.

ThunderCat

Tilikum wrote: »

Hello All,

My better half has recently started bird watching or just getting into it really. Her birthday is coming up so I was thinking of getting some binoculars.

Any ideas which to buy? Around ?300

My vote goes for the Nikon Action Extreme 8x40. Here is a link:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Binoculars-Telescopes-Optics/Nikon-7238-Action-EX-8x40-CF/B0001HKIJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493372678&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+action+ex+8x40


I have a pair of them myself and they are superb. As they are porro prism and not roof prism you get far more bang for your buck and I'd be confident they would outperform most roof prisms at the 300-500 euro price point. So you get exceptional quality and a fair chunk of change to spend on something else too.


My other vote would be for a pair of Canon Image Stabilising Binoculars. These would be right at your budget limit or even ever so slightly over it but they are also very good. The optics on these are also excellent but their main selling point is the fact that at the push of a button they will stabilise what you are viewing through the lens and will make the image very close to rock steady which is obviously an advantage for seeing more detail on what you are viewing. Normally the view through any binoculars will be a little jittery due to the fact your hands do move and those movements are greater when the magnification of the binoculars are factored in. Here is the link:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Stabilising-Binoculars-Supplied-Eyepiece/dp/B0000ACCKU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493372882&sr=8-2&keywords=canon+is+binoculars


I have the 10x30 of the one I just linked to above and as said already they are very good. The optics are not quite as good as the Nikon binoculars but not far off either and this is mainly due to the smaller objective lens on the Canon not being able to let as much light into the binocular as the Nikon. But the offset of course is close to rock steady viewing at the push of a button.

magicbastarder

we spent approx €300 on our pair, bought in birdwatch. very happy with them, opticron explorer 8x42. could get them cheaper online i suppose, but i wanted to support BWI.

they had a range of binoculars they sell to manhandle in their office if you want a look first - but be warned their office is open standard office hours only, so you can't call out on a saturday. they're based in kilcoole.

OpenYourEyes

I had a pair of porro prism Nikon binoculars, and I liked them at the time, but having recently switched to pair of roof prism opticron binoculars I much prefer the opticrons! And all my camera gear is Nikon, so I'm usually a Nikon fan. The majority of birders have roof prism binoculars too.

I got the opticron binoculars in the birdwatch Ireland shop, and like Magicbastarder says above you can go into the shop and try out a few binoculars and compare them and see what suits you best. The Birdwatch shop also has a good range of hawke binoculars which seem to be quite good.


I should say that I am currently connected with Birdwatch Ireland, but if you're within driving distance of Kilcoole I think it's certainly worth a look!

gzoladz

You can't go wrong with Opticron or Hawke. 8x42 is the most popular configuration and it is also worth checking the field of view. The wider the better.

Tilikum

Thanks a lot everyone

WildIreland

Hi Tilikum,

I run the Ireland's wildlife site, and wrote the article about choosing binoculars for birding and wildlife observation that somebody linked to earlier in this thread (thanks for that, by the way).

I use binoculars daily, and review binoculars for the site... so get to play around with quite a few. I'm not going to link directly to my own site here... but if you check out the article mentioned earlier you'll find a link to reviews of the binoculars I've tested.

It's also worth checking this dedicated binocular reviews website (no connection) http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com -- where you'll find unbiased independent reviews of lots of models.

I'd agree that in terms of bang-for-the-buck at your price point binoculars from Hawke and Opticron are up there... I'd also add a couple of others into the mix -- check out Vanguard's Endeavor ED range -- if the EDII is within your budget, get that... it's an excellent binocular that outperforms many much pricier binoculars from other manufacturers. At a slightly lower price point the original Endeavor ED is still an excellent binocular for the money.

Another little known brand I've been especially impressed with is Kite -- this Belgian company has been designing binoculars for birding for more than 30 years... and they really are very good. The little 8x30 Lynx HD is one of my favourite binoculars... period. It's a little over your budget... but well worth checking out other models in the Kite range.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to find Irish retailers stocking anything other than low- to mid-range Nikon and Olympus offerings, but if you've done your research shopping online via the UK can work very well.

Anyway... happy binocular shopping... feel free to drop me a line if you'd like any more help / advice.

All the best,

Calvin!

uck51js9zml2yt

Astroboot.co.uk is worth looking at.
It's mainly astronomy stuff but does decent binos.

Tilikum

Hello again,

What would your thoughts be on these

http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Opticron8x33SavannaR-164.htm

The guy showed me them & hawk endurance ed or something.

The first pair are smaller and would seem to be much more suited to a women rather than the others?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Tilikum wrote: »

Hello again,

What would your thoughts be on these

http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Opticron8x33SavannaR-164.htm

The guy showed me them & hawk endurance ed or something.

The first pair are smaller and would seem to be much more suited to a women rather than the others?

I wouldn't like them at all. Too small and, for me, birdwatching is best with 8x42s

Hawk Endurance ED 8x42 are value for money and, apart from a slightly low field of view, will do the job nicely.

gzoladz

www.uttings.co.uk is also worth looking, they have good deals regularly.