Are the Binocs any good for wildlife watching?

[Carl]

I want to take up wildlife wathcing and maybe drawing and painting up as a hobby and so i`m thinking about getting these binocs to start out with and was just wandering are these any good for general woodland watching and a bit of pond?

David Hinds Ltd (www.celestron.uk.com)

Thanks

Carl

[Carl]

Anybody. please help

[JoeF]

In a nutshell no.

Birdwatchers can be very fussy about their binoculars and will often pay premium prices, after all your binos are key to enjoying the hobby. As a beginner you don't need to be so choosy, but it's still worth trying to get the best quality you can afford. These fail both as binoculars and as a camera and being largely plastic are a bit cheap and nasty.

I don't know which would suit you better, a small compact, or full size porro prism model but whichever you prefer I'd seriously recommend going window shopping and then looking through your choices before buying.

regards

Joe

[JeffH]

I'd have to agree with JoeF - combined binocs/camera are bound to be a compromise and for £53.99 the quality of both components is likely to be quite poor .

With binocs, cameras and other optical equipment you really do get what you pay for (up to a point!) and a pair of top brand binocs will set you back £1000 or more .

Personally, I reckon you'll probably have to spend £200 - £300 for a decent pair of binocs (others will doubtless disagree) and I can recommend the Swift Audubon range. I've had a pair of these for more than 25 years now and they're still performing very well. The current range is even better. As JoeF suggests, go to a good optics store and try out a few pairs before you buy - you'll certainly notice the difference in image quality between the lower end, mid-range and top end models.

As for cameras, probably best to start with a compact digital with a good zoom - there have been several threads on the question of which one in the photographic section and Panasonic seems to be very well thought of.

Jeff

[almostnormal]

Hi Carl,

There are numerous arguments on which binoculars are best. The best advice I can give you is to decide what budget you have for the bins and then go to your local optics shop and try as many pairs out as you can. Bushnell do a nice range of prism binoculars designed for general wildlife watching and birding. Mine set me back about £190 and are absolutely brilliant for me. Wildlife photoraphy is new to me, but I got myself a fujifinepix. As JeffH mentioned if you go to the outdoors activity section and search through the wildlife photography threads for beginners/first camera's you should find plenty of advice about starting out.

best of luck

Sarah

[Demoiselle]

I have two pairs of binoculars. A pair of 10X42 roof prisms, £90.00 from Jessops. And a pair of ordinary 10X50s which I bought in LIDL for £9.95. Guess which pair I always carry around with me. I am not joking. The 10X42s are good but the LIDLs gave me a totally stunning, bright, clear, sharp, W/A almost 3D image. that left me gobsmacked!
I can almost hear the deafening chorus of "Yeah Right". But just pop into your local branch and give them a go. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[nightshade]

Pentax Papilio,just the thing for around the pond and occasional
bird watching 8.5x21 they are on my wish list
Steiner Skyhawk are good the lioness has a pair
Bushnell Nature View I have the porro 10x version are good
Now proper dedicated bird watchers spend loads of money for
top class optics and they really are worth it if you are that
interested
top two pairs focus down to less than 2feet and six feet respectively
just the job for Dragons!

[JoeF]

Demoiselle, yes I forgot about the Lidl's. My other hobby is astronomy and these are a much recommended pair for beginners. As quality control can be an issue at such low prices it's worth testing them before you buy, but get a good pair and you have a set of keepers.

One key calculation for binos, is the exit pupil, which is the aperture(mm) divided by the magnification, ie for 10x50 the ep=5mm. This is the amount of light to reach the eyes. 5mm is good for dusk / dawn but any less and you begin to loose brightness (these Celestrons are 2.75mm so they will be dim on anything less than a summers day).

Magnification is also important, above x10 and you really need a tripod and even x10 can be difficult to hold without the shakes. High magnification also restricts depth of field (focus) and field of view making things harder to find and difficult to follow when moving quickly. So for example my 10x50 are great for stargazing or watching distant deer and hares at dusk but are next to useless for watching nearby bats flit about.

I guess it may be disappointing when something like these Celstrons look like the ideal dual purpose piece of kit (they look snazzy too) but there are far better options around. Anyway Carl, let us know what you do get, and how well they do the job for you.

Cheers

Joe

[Carl]

kk thanks alot all sorry it has taken me along time to rep but i`ve got a cold and have been esting so most probs will not be on in up to the next week.
As to binos doubt i`ll be spending upto £200 and i`ve already got a camera.Just don`t know how to get decent pics with it with binos lol.

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by nightshade

Pentax Papilio,just the thing for around the pond and occasional
bird watching 8.5x21 they are on my wish list
Steiner Skyhawk are good the lioness has a pair
Bushnell Nature View I have the porro 10x version are good
Now proper dedicated bird watchers spend loads of money for
top class optics and they really are worth it if you are that
interested
top two pairs focus down to less than 2feet and six feet respectively
just the job for Dragons!

My Mrs. has the Pentax Papilio, as well as Canon Image stabilised for more distant objects. Both are superb at their own job. The Papilio are the ones she uses this time of year, they are amazing. I borrow them on the odd occasion when I go out alone, you can see superb detail in all the damsels, butterflies etc. Highly recommended. You can get some funny looks when your looking through bins at something only two foot away!