Binoculars Suggestion for Garden

Ghetofarmulous

Hi All,

I would like to buy my elderly parents a pair of binoculars for bird watching in their garden.

Their garden is quite long and they have a nice glass canopy to sit under, I was thinking about getting a pair that can sit on a tripod but I would like if someone can tell me if these are comfortable to use or would a hand held pair be better?

I was also looking at a spotter but these seem to be for very long range and tend to lose light/ Color the more magnification is used.

any advise is appreciated.

Thanks
G

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A pair of small, light, handheld binoculars is the ideal for garden bird watching.

Ghetofarmulous

Tomas Big Teardrop wrote: »

A pair of small, light, handheld binoculars is the ideal for garden bird watching.

Job done thanks for the input. I will go with this but 8x magnification for comfort. 10x is too much for what they require.

gzoladz

8x42 will be perfect. You can put nearly any binocular on a tripod and I find them great to used them like that too

Ghetofarmulous

gzoladz wrote: »

8x42 will be perfect. You can put nearly any binocular on a tripod and I find them great to used them like that too

Thanks Dude. Ill make sure they can fit a tripod

ThunderCat

I'm not sure what your budget is but Canon have a line of image stabilised binoculars that are handheld but with a push of a button the image becomes stabilised almost to the point that the view would be similarly steady to that of a tripod mounted pair. The image stabilising capabilities aside the optics on them are excellent.


I have the 10x30 but they also have an 8x25 pair:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-7562A019-Stabilising-Binoculars-Supplied/dp/B0000ACCKU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1553003154&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+is+binoculars

WildIreland

Binoculars are better "all rounders" for general use and getting on birds quickly. Spotting scopes come into their own in open areas where you're viewing over longer distances.

That said, a decent spotting scope pointing at a feeding station will give you incredible up-close views of the drama. If distances are relatively short you'll be using the scope at lower magnification, so the fall-off in light and resolution associated with higher magnifications of a zoom eyepiece won't really be an issue.

So, it depends what you want.

I'd always suggest investing in a good pair of binoculars first, and then investing in a scope when and if you think it will augment your viewing experience. You typically need to spend quite a lot more for a good quality scope -- as when you increase magnification everything becomes much less forgiving -- so scopes tend to demand much stricter manufacturing tolerances in their components and construction than binoculars to deliver a perfect image -- which adds to the cost.

Assuming you're going with binoculars, then as advised a full-size 8x42 or a mid-sized 8x32/8x30 would be ideal. 8x will give you a wider field of view, and the slightly lower magnification will make them easier to hold steady, particularly for more elderly users.

Get the best pair you can afford. I rarely hear anyone complaining that they've spent too much on their binoculars... but I regularly hear people lamenting that they wish they'd spent a bit more on a better pair.

I'm not going to endorse a particular pair or manufacturer here on the forum, but you'll find reviews on the Ireland's Wildlife site of high quality options at various price points. (NB. Ireland's Wildlife doesn't sell binoculars... I only review them as part of the overall content mix on the site). There's also a handy feature on Choosing Binoculars for Birding and Wildlife Watching that you may find useful.

gzoladz

Calvin is bang on...I am also a binoculars person. I have a scope but only take it when I know Iw will need it.
A few years ago I had the chance to get an Alpha (Zeiss)...expensive...but it blows me away every time I use it.