Broke my bins, thinking of getting these?

[HanDiiMaNz]

Hello,

Barr & Stroud 'Sahara' 8x42 FMC Binoculars

Technical Details

* The Barr & Stroud 'Sahara' 8x42 is a rugged go anywhere binocular. Equally at home on Lake Naivasha, the beach at Bridlington or a day at the races.
* This is a compact roof prism design that makes an ideal all round performer with good light gathering ability. The binocular focuses down to just under 2m making it ideal for naturalists and birdwatchers alike. The binocular delivers a powerful 8x magnification.
* The binoculars are filled with nitrogen gas which keeps water out and also stops the optics suffering from internal fogging in adverse weather conditions.
* For the comfort of the user the binoculars are supplied with twist up rubber eyecups which make them equally practical for people to use with or without spectacles.
* The 'Sahara' 8x42 are supplied with carrying case, rain guards, tethered lens caps, straps and lens cleaning cloth.


They're £70.

Thanks, HanD.

[Hobjob]

I didn't realize that Barr and Stroud were still in business

They used (WWII) to be the admiralty suppliers of Bins. My Pa had a pair that I have since handed on to my daughter - still sharp, but very poor performance in the low light and very poor close focussing - and heavy!! Ignore this in your evaluation though

On the whole you get what you pay for in optics - you really need to find a good independent review that compares them with other bins; customer reviews are not a lot of help. Try Bird Forum.

Or get to a shop that has two or three bins in the same price range and compare them (there are lots of threads on WAB of how to do this, with rather more detail than you will find on "in Focus" or "Cley Spy" shop's websites). Spotty teenagers in high street names are usually ignorant.

Opticrom, RSPB own brand (cheaper models), and Hawkes (newish on the scene and highly rated by many) Viking and Bushnell will be the market leaders in this price range.

do not buy without trying and comparing
And being sure you know how to set them properly for your eyes.

Go to a Bird reserve and ask people if you can look through their's - people are usually only too happy to help.

[Hobjob]

RSPB at Rainham and WWT at Barnes, both have shops.

(PS you may end up spending more than you plan!!)