Cheap Binoculars on ebay

[jamie_from-kent]

Last night I bought my 1st proper pair of binoculars on ebay. At the mokent I am borrowing a pair from my great uncle as he is a keen bird watcher and has many.

So i was going to buy some from the RSPB; I was going to go down to Dungeness and buy a pair that. Then my mums partner said have a look on ebay and they are so much cheaper. I am not an xpert on binoculars but the ones ive got look amazing and it only cost £25 with p&p. I thought this was too cheap which is why I was hesitant to buy them, but the man that sells them buys them in bulk and there is no middle man.
So they should come buy tomorrow, I will find out the name of them so if anyone knows anything you can leave me some useful comments. Thank you

[coasty]

You can get some real bargains on Ebay ,,, I do hope that you are one of the lucky people...

[jamie_from-kent]

lol I think they were these SAKURA LARGE Binoculars 90 x 80 - Zoom 63m / 1000m NEW

[jamie_from-kent]

by the way it is 10 - 90 - 80, im only just learning sbout binoculars so that means I can zoom in 10 up to 90 times depending on how far away the object is doesnt it. And would it have been better to get the 10-90-60?

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi
I hope they are ok as there is a lot of cheap chinese rubbish on ebay, and £25 for a pair of 10-90 x 80 zoom bins sounds "too" cheap!
For bird watching I think you might find them too big and heavy , might have been better to go for a pair of 10x50's or 8x42's. There are some bargain second hand bins around.
Good luck with them and if you do find them too heavy for birdwatching , try puttng them on a tripod and use them for astronomy.

neil

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by wildlifesnapper

Hi
I hope they are ok as there is a lot of cheap chinese rubbish on ebay, and £25 for a pair of 10-90 x 80 zoom bins sounds "too" cheap!
For bird watching I think you might find them too big and heavy , might have been better to go for a pair of 10x50's or 8x42's. There are some bargain second hand bins around.
Good luck with them and if you do find them too heavy for birdwatching , try puttng them on a tripod and use them for astronomy.

neil

I'd second that as sakura isnt a brand ive come across before - theres nowt wrong with buying from ebay but it is a good idea to workout what you want in terms of spec and brand then look for that brand and spec from an ebay trader rather than buying soley on price - but looking on the bright side if they do turn out to be bobbins you havent lost a lot of money

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by jamie_from-kent

by the way it is 10 - 90 - 80, im only just learning sbout binoculars so that means I can zoom in 10 up to 90 times depending on how far away the object is doesnt it. And would it have been better to get the 10-90-60?

it means you can zoom from 10x to 90x to get greater magnification certainly - however you might find anything over about 15x too much to hand hold without a tripod as the magnification will magnify your natural "wobble" as well as the subject - most birding bins are either 8x or 10x for this reason - Ive got a pair of ww2 naval binoculars that are 20x and these are too heavy to handhold for long without starting to wobble.

the second number 80 (in this case) is the object of the lens - ie how wide it is - the higher the number the more light you get in which is good , but also the higher the number the more glass there is which increases the weight - most bird watching bins are either -42 or -50 as a compromise.

as you zoom the effective object will decrease darkening the image which is why zoom bins have a higher object than fixed ones.

Alround I'm not convinced that these are the bargain they first seemed - I hope that i'm wrong , but if not in your shoes i'd look for a pair of 8x42 or 10x50 from a reputable / well known suplier such as bushnell, nikon, rspb, etc - and try to visit an optic shop or demo day so that you can handle them and see what is right for you and get some impartial advice, even if you then buy them online, and expect to pay in the region of 100 notes minimum - unless you are lucky enough to find a decent second hand pair. (for s/h look in the back of a birdwatching magazine for dealers)

[jamie_from-kent]

OK cheers well I thought that when I visit reserves even with my 10x50 binos sometimes that image is still far away and I would like to zoom in more. I will get a tripod because I know with the slightest movment it will be all over the place.

[eeyore]

In that case mate i'd get a scope - there are decent ones available from opticron and kowa amongst over which wouldnt be too expensive or heavy - these will be about 30x and its difficult to hold more than that steady even on a tripod. Again I'd be inclined to get a fixed mag one as zoom scopes like zoom binocs tend to either be very expensive - or very poor quality

[wildlifesnapper]

Yep, I'd agree with a scope.My first scope was an old Mirador 75mm body with a 22-48x zoom and it was supprisingly clear.I used it mostly around 25x and would zoom up when needed and it didn't go too dark ( in good light)
I bet these are only going for £30-50 now second hand.
Scopes are a bit like cameras, people are always trading up , so have a look around the used ads - you might just pick up a bargain

neil