What Binoculars do you use?

[richardkm]

Swarovski 8x32 EL. Nothing to beat them!

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by PMG

Ahh - now you're talkin' mind kind of cool......... Shakin' Stevens ........ Mmmm now there was a nice lookin' fella ......... (stoppit Pauline - gettin' as bad as those who droll over Kate Humble.........)

Pauline

heh heh!
Blimey! I was only joking!
I think you and my ma would get on Pauline if you both liked Shaky!
We had to put up with his music all through my childhood!
Nightmare!
Doug

[John]

I bought my Swarovski SLC 8x30 WB's back in 1998 and have never thought of changing them. The close focus ain't so brilliant but I how often am I going to look at something that close through my bins.

John

[richardkm]

Originally Posted by John

I bought my Swarovski SLC 8x30 WB's back in 1998 and have never thought of changing them. The close focus ain't so brilliant but I how often am I going to look at something that close through my bins.

John

The problem with the SLCs is when you want to look at butterflies or dragonflies close up, other than that, they're excellent. The new version, though is not such good value, they've not improved the close focus, but upped the price to the point where you might as well spend a bit more and get the ELs.

Leica have just put their prices up again, pricing themselves out of the market!

[John]

I have to agree with your comments Richard.

My mate has bought a cheap pair of bins that are brilliant close up but not so good for general birding so he takes both pairs with him when he is out. Certainly a cheaper option than laying out all that money on the new bins.

John

Originally Posted by richardkm

The problem with the SLCs is when you want to look at butterflies or dragonflies close up, other than that, they're excellent. The new version, though is not such good value, they've not improved the close focus, but upped the price to the point where you might as well spend a bit more and get the ELs.

Leica have just put their prices up again, pricing themselves out of the market!

[zharca]

At the risk of making this a Swarovski fan meet, I have to say Mrs Z has a pair of 10x42 ELs and they are really superb. Absolutely cream my (much older) Leica 10x32BNs in terms of brightness and natural colour on all but the brightest days. A HOOGE amount of money to buy but probably the last pair anyone would ever need and the resale value is pretty good too.

She has bought herself a doubler attachment that gives one lens a 20x magnification. This is really good for those times when you can't decide whether to lug a 'scope around and for a lot of people might do instead of bins+scope, which makes the total price more sensible.

[Richard Hart]

I have to agree with zharca.

I recently purchased a pair of Swarovski EL 10x42WB and they are absolutely amazing.

Colour is reproduced perfectly, they're bright enough to use in most lighting conditions, and I find them a joy to hold.

A lot of thought has been put into the ergonomics of this particular model. They're very well balanced, weighing in at just less than 800g, and have indentations where your thumbs can sit. Best of all, the "gap in the middle" allows your fingers to fit naturally round the barrels while you're holding them.

They're also covered with a non-slip rubber coating that offers plenty of protection from the elements.

They have excellent eye relief and can be used while wearing spectacles.

Overall, I would rate this binocular as one of the best you can buy.

[nightshade]

Bushnell Nature View 10x40, Opticron Piccolo, Steiner Sky Hawk 10x26,
and another Bushnell pair rubber armoured compacts

[za64]

canon 10x30 is, cant fault them. other half uses nikon 8x40 action.
alan

[ChasCreek]

Opticron imagic BGA SE WP 8x42 which I got after trying quite a few binos around the price range and even some second hand more expensive makes such as Leicas - they just felt the best for me personally.