Help with choice of viewing gear

[IanP]

Hi again,

My daughter has requested lightweight binoculars for bird watching for Christmas. Is there an obvious check list for this sort of purchase, please?

Thanks in advance, Ian

[Picidae]

Hi Ian

It would help to know her age and experience before offering any advice but since you haven't stated that, I'll try and cover all possibilities!

For a young person that's genuinely likely to get into birdwatching (rather than just using them for a 'toy'), the Leupold Yosemite 6x30 may be a very good choice but may be more expensive than your proposed budget. The first thing you'd need to check before buying any binos for kids is the IPD of your daughter ie. the distance between her pupils, since many adult/cheaper binos will be too wide for young people to see through both lenses. If she has an IPD of 56 mm or more then your choice is greater you could pick up a pair of reasonably priced 8x32 roof prism binos with 6 foot close focus (kids love looking at insects so a close focus is definitely an advantage). If her IPD is under 56 mm, as mentioned, the Leupold 6x30 Yosemite is a good choice with a minimum 50mm IPD or a used vintage 8x30 porro with similar minimum IPD (must measure this before buying). However, If her IPD is much under 50 mm, the only good option is a pocket roof bino and whatever quality of optics you're prepared to pay for but they start relatively cheap.

Your checklist should include:
1. An appropriately sized interpupillary distance (measure when barrels are at the closest to give you the bino spec and cf. with the measurement between the centre of the pupils of your daughter)
2. Fast focus
3. Wild field of view (young people/those not used to binos will find it easier with a wide fov)
4. Lightweight
5. Robustness

The yosemites fit all the above but can retail for as much as £90 so don't come cheap:
Leupold Yosemite 6x30 Binoculars - Specification
Leupold Yosemite 6x30 here for £81.50
http://www.google.com/search?q=yosem...B_enGB225GB225

Another choice might be 6 x 30 papilios but again, they don't come cheep at nearly £100 quid!
Pentax 6.5x21 Close Focus Papilio Binoculars: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
but the official specs of the Pentax Papilio says the IPD doesn't adjust to below 56mm, so not as small as the Yosemite's.

It all depends on the age and seriousness of your daughter (and your budget!)

A few years ago I bought a pair of children's RSPB binos for my 6 year old neice. However, they were cheap (£25) because at that age, I believed there was a good chance they'd end up at the bottom of the toy cupboard, which I think they did eventually! They were great binos though but the one massive drawback is that they had no neck strap attachments (presumably for safety reasons) which meant they could get lost easily and not very practical since young kids hate carrying anything with their hands for a prolonged period!

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by IanP

Hi again,

My daughter has requested lightweight binoculars for bird watching for Christmas. Is there an obvious check list for this sort of purchase, please?

Thanks in advance, Ian

I'd agree with Picidae's suggestion of Leupold Yosemites - do a search for them on BirdForums binocular forum, they are highly recommended. If your daughter loses interest they are of sufficient quality to use yourself (though I've no personal experience of them). Rother Valley Optics sell them, which may not be too far away from you:

Rother Valley Optics: Optical suppliers of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and accessories.

I'd take your daughter along and let her try them out, along with any other pairs that seem suitable.

Cheers
Jonathan

[shenk1]

Try at Old Moor RSPB near Barnsley as they have a great selection of all shapes,sizes and prices. The staff particularly Steve are v. helpful and will let you try as many as you want viewing into the bird garden or from upstairs looking over the reserve to give you a good feel for them. No I am not on commission but thats where I have bought 3 pairs from over the last few years.

[IanP]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your detailed and helpful comments. Just to fill you in a bit, my daughter's an adult, so size shouldn't be a problem. She lives in North London, so the Old Moor facility's a bit inconvenient; can anyone suggest a similar RSPB site nearer to her (I'll check their website anyway)?

In the meantime, I'll check out your suggestions and send details to my daughter for her comment.

Thanks again,

Ian

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by IanP

Hi all,

Many thanks for your detailed and helpful comments. Just to fill you in a bit, my daughter's an adult, so size shouldn't be a problem. She lives in North London, so the Old Moor facility's a bit inconvenient;
Ian

More information about your requirements might have been helpful from the start Ian However, if you're planning to take your daughter shopping in London to choose some herself , it would be best to try some optic dealers and get over the counter advice and try out various binos herself. (I'd probably recommend an 8 x 30, or 8 x 42 as standard birdwatching binos - these will give the adequate magnification x adequate field of view.)

There's such a wide range of binoculars and it really does depend on your budget and your specific requirements. How much are you wanting to spend? My current binos were over £1,100! (Swaro EL 8.5x42) But I doubt you'd be wanting to spend that much and I wouldn't recommend them for novice birder either.

One of my older pairs of binos are Hawke Platinum 8 x 42 which I paid about £140 for some years ago. They served me well and I still use them as a back up pair of binos - bottom of this link (they aren't particularly light weight though). Hawke make good lower range priced binos IMO
Optics

You could try the London Wetland Centre - InFocus used to have an outlet there where you could try some out properly - The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, London Wetland
Centre, Queen Elizabeth's Walk, Barnes, London SW13 9WT Tel: 020 8409 4433

Or: The London Camera exchange in the Strand (No 98 telephone
> 0207 379 0200 ) sell a wide range of binos

Or Kay Optical are good dealers (I've used them myself) They're based in Morden, South London
Kay Optical - Telescopes and Binoculars Sales, Servicing and Repairs

If you can, it might be cheaper to source a pair of binos in a retail shop/outlet then order the same pair online

[IanP]

One again, many thanks for taking the time to provide meaningful advice, which I'll discuss with my daughter. The slap on the wrist is also acknowledged - silly me!

[IanP]

Hi again,

I finally got going and bought the Yosemites - look/feel great and a very clear image. Thanks all for the tips.