New to Birdwatching - Which binoculars? Tight budget!

rjmartin · #1 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 02:48 AM

Hey There,

Would like to start off by saying how glad I am to have joined the forum.

Anyway I'm very new to bird watching and I am looking to buy my first pair of binoculars, now I am a student and so therefore am on a very, very tight budget (£50).

Is there anything half decent I can get for this?

A couple I have been looking at:

Argos - www.argos.co.uk

http://direct.asda.com/Celestron-UpC...efault,pd.html

What's the difference between the top link and bottom link (bar the saving of £13?!)

Somebody also suggested these:

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/Pra...x42G-roof.html

Feel free to suggest any items from Argos, Tesco Direct, Asda Direct, Amazon etc

Or would a telescope be better?

Thanks very much for your help!

Cheers, Rob

Goldfynche · #2 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 07:52 AM

Some time a go, I bought a pair of 10x40 roof prisms from Jessops, for about £80.00. They were OK. but nothing spectacular. A little while after, I made one of my regular pilgrimages to Aldi's. And there, found a pair of 10x50's for only£19.95. Out of curiosity, I had a go, with them, and was astounded at the quality of the image. Needless to say. My roof prisms haven't seen the light of day, for several years now. Don't dismiss the Aldi's just because they are cheap. They are brilliant.

SpikyPhasmid · #3 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 08:11 AM

I was given this link to look at by someone else here:
7dayshop.com - Online Store

moozy · #4 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpikyPhasmid

I was given this link to look at by someone else here:
7dayshop.com - Online Store

Exellent site spikyphasmid, I think my credit card might take a bashing here

Michael A · #5 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 07:44 PM

Don't dissmiss second hand or try ebay.

moozy · #6 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 08:02 PM

I agree michael, Army and Navy stores are good too

cactuschris · #7 (**permalink**) 10-09-2010, 07:15 AM

These are a very personal piece of equipment that you will use a lot, and what someone finds good you may find hard to use, go to a shop that sells binos and scopes and try a lot out, then when you are ready either choose from their stock or at least use the lessons learned to choose from somewhere else, try before you buy, but with knowledge - price is not a good measure of what you will get on with.

best regards
chris

Tringa · #8 (**permalink**) 12-09-2010, 10:47 AM

Agree with the comment about trying them first if at all possible.

Having said that I have just done the opposite and bought these -

7dayshop.com - Online Store

They are smaller than my usual 7x50s and I thought I give them a go.

They are not great - there is loss of definition at the edge of the view, but for £20 they are not at all bad.

Dave