Binoculars

[windy]

Hi every one

I am thinking of purchasing a good pair of quality binoculars but I wonder if anybody can give me any advice.
Last week I visited the london wetlands center and they have a shop stocking lots of binoculars and the man behind the counter gave me lots of advice and helpful hints as to what to lookout for, but my question to you all is I am liking the Nikon monarch 8x36 or 8x42, does any member have a pair of these and what do they think of them or should I go for a different type.
I have chosen Nikon because of the quality optics because I use nikon camera which is realy good.
I mainly want to use the binoculars for wildlife as well as birdwatching.
Look forward to any answers you may have
Many thank
Richard

[Hobjob]

Have a check back thoough the last six weeks - there have been several threads on this subject recently.

But Nikon should be OK, I'd put them in the bottom half of the middle range, but I've only looked through two pairs in the field. Personally I didn't like the "feel", but that is very personal.

Ask to look through other birders bins in hides - most are only too happy to oblige, but make sure you know how to focus both eyes and how to compare - se previoius threads.

[glsammy]

I've not tried the Nikon ones, but one type I can recommend you try if at all possible is the Canon image stabilized.
My wife has them and loves them. They're not too large and give a good image which when you press the stabilization button, jumps into amazing clarity.
They're 10x30, cost around £240, and worth it.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by glsammy

I've not tried the Nikon ones, but one type I can recommend you try if at all possible is the Canon image stabilized.
My wife has them and loves them. They're not too large and give a good image which when you press the stabilization button, jumps into amazing clarity.
They're 10x30, cost around £240, and worth it.

Really interesting to hear you say that Graham.
I always thought that IS thing might be a bit gimmicky?
Obviously not - I'll test drive a pair myself maybe!
Cheers
Doug

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

Really interesting to hear you say that Graham.
I always thought that IS thing might be a bit gimmicky?
Obviously not - I'll test drive a pair myself maybe!
Cheers
Doug

Absolutely not a gimmick. When you focus on something, say a bird in the distance, you get a normal view. When you press the button it's as if the bird is frozen, with the detail becoming far clearer. They really are good. Works from a couple of AA batteries, which last for weeks.

[Seajay]

Sounds like they'd be good for us spectacle wearers Graham - a bit pricey though but they are an essential.

[Leif]

You might also think about porro prism versus roof prism. The former have the traditional dog leg shape, and give better optical performance at a given price. But they tend to be less well sealed compared to roof prism, and some people do not like the shape.

The Nikon 8x30 E came out top in a BBC wildlife comparison many years ago, and the competition included Leica et al. Nice optics, but not as robust as Leica 8x32 BA etc. I have the Nikon 8x32 SE, and have owned Swarovski 8x42 EL, Nikon 80x42 HG and still own Zeiss 8x40 FL. The Nikon SE is at least as good as the others. IMO of course.

[richardkm]

Originally Posted by glsammy

I've not tried the Nikon ones, but one type I can recommend you try if at all possible is the Canon image stabilized.
My wife has them and loves them. They're not too large and give a good image which when you press the stabilization button, jumps into amazing clarity.
They're 10x30, cost around £240, and worth it.

We used to sell Canon image stabilised binoculars, but so many people brought them back that we stopped stocking them. The problem was that they caused a sensation of nausea in use, or after use. I would guess this is caused by the difference in messages between the eyes and the semi-circular canals over the amount of movement.

So think VERY carefully before buying them!

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by richardkm

We used to sell Canon image stabilised binoculars, but so many people brought them back that we stopped stocking them. The problem was that they caused a sensation of nausea in use, or after use. I would guess this is caused by the difference in messages between the eyes and the semi-circular canals over the amount of movement.

So think VERY carefully before buying them!

I'm only saying how my wife and I have found them. Caused us no problems at all.
I'm the first person to suffer from motion sickness, All they do is stop the motion of what your looking at. Hardly earth moving stuff.

[cannylad]

For me the thing about binoculars is they are very personal, what one person finds perfect does not suit someone else. Its essential to try as many as you can to find a pair that suits you best, shape and placement of your eyes, weight, cost, how they feel in your hand all play a part in what you need.
Try to get to an optical event at a nature reserve where you can try many different types.