Binoculars - advice?

[captaincarot]

Originally Posted by Brocakat

IMO this is the test that sorts the Wheat from the Chaff.

It's how good they are in low light.

For me, the times of Dusk & Dawn are the most interesting for observing species that are either shy, or mainly birds-of-the-night.
Add to that, that it is very often sombre in Woodland, and add to that, - the number of cloudy or dull days/days of low-light in this country - and I arrive at a conclusion that places image brighness at the top of the list.
For me.

couldn't agree more but it's always useful to know they're still going to be some use on the rare occasions that big yellow shiny thing comes out to scare people

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

I`m no expert when it comes to binoculars, last year after some reaearch i bought a pair of Nikon Action 8 x 40 and they have been superb. Our garden is approx 50ft long and i have no problem seeing birds in the trees at the end of the garden, the clarity and vision is superb. Jessops had them on offer last year for around £45 - £50, they have been a great buy.

These are the ones i bought, they were around £50 at Jessops last year.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/...all-_-all&ovc=

The 10 x 40 are a lot cheaper at £69

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/...tml?cm_vc=PPZ1

Its down to your eyes at the end of the day, everyone will prefer different types of binoculars.

[BugBear99]

Thank you so much everyone for all you very helpful comments! I am excited now Just got to find a day to go and try some out...Thanks once again

[wizzo]

I believe that the top end bins are very overpriced. For around £300, you would be hard pressed to beat the Hawke Frontiers 8x43or 10x43. They are every bit as good as the top end bino's at a fraction of the cost. If money is no object, then go for the Swarovski, 'Swarovisions' at around £1600, and at least you'll look the part when around birders that are impressed by that sort of thing lol. The one thing I would say though is....avoid Leica's at all costs. The service is non - exsistant, literally. Let us know what you decide - Wizzo.

[za64]

i have canon 10x30is bins and cant fault them for under £300.
alan

[Endrick]

Good stuff here, thanks. I've been looking at replacing my 1950s Barr and Stroud 8x30s and tried a pair of Swarovskis that a fellow birdwatcher has. They were better but not enough to consider shelling out that kind of money. I'll have a look at these Hawks.

[rossy]

good on you endrick, some of these on here must think we have got loads of cash, £500 pound was mentioned, im afraid id have lost the plot paying that kind of money, i was brought up , if you cant afford it , save up, but i will never in this case. rossy.

[htcdude]

Is there really that much difference in paying £100 or £1000 for binoculars? I paid £100 for my Bushnell 8x42 and can see all the birds I look at with no problem

[Acipiter]

Just because something is expensive it does not mean its the best, there is such a thing as a rip off. its a bit like a good woman, if you know what I mean. I agree with you Rossy, I have always paid cash for everything I have, if you don't have the money don't buy it. And like I said before its what suit you" that counts.

[captaincarot]

Originally Posted by htcdude

Is there really that much difference in paying £100 or £1000 for binoculars? I paid £100 for my Bushnell 8x42 and can see all the birds I look at with no problem

if they're the nature view roofs you can see through them no problem except for a dark image and blue fringing. the porros are better on the nature views, no CA and brighter but neither of them actually give a full 8x mag. this surprised me the first time i looked through them in comparison with mine and realised what i was seeing wasn't actually the same size.

viking navilux 8x42 roofs are also an excellent bin for £130, optically virtually indistinguishable from my opticrons, what actually made the decision between these 2 for me was, i had heard how good opticrons warranty and aftersales sevice was, whereas i hadn't heard anything about viking, plus i also knew opticron were a british company and i didn't know anything about viking other than the RSPB sell their bins at the time.

if i was going to buy some bins in the £300 bracket, my personal choice would come down to the viking eds or the hawkes.
i've not heard of any probelms with hawke aftersales service, though i've not seen anyone praising them for how good it is either.

and some of the big name asian companies i wouldn't touch with a barge pole after hearing stories of scopes snapping in half while the eyepiece was being changed,(something that happened to more than one person) and the scopes owner being charged for it's repair. unlike the same fault occurring in the USA where it is fixed free no quibble.