Binoculars

pugslovesun

Good morning, looking for recommendations for a good quality make of binoculars.
Thanks

Hostafan1

pugslovesun said:

Good morning, looking for recommendations for a good quality make of binoculars.
Thanks

it all depends on your budget. 
How much are you prepared to spend?
I bought a pair of Miranda 10x50 for £5 at a car boot sale and I think they're fine for watching birds in the garden.
A friend paid £2,000 for Swarovski . 
" You pays your money and you takes your pick "

Topbird

Also depends where you want to use them and what you want to use them for. We have a very large good, waterproof pair - essential for sailing. We also have a tiny £5 ebay pair which can be tucked into a pocket when out walking and are good enough. Several inbetween sizes kept in the house and vehicles for bird & landscape viewing.

Favourite pair are Zeiss 8 x 30 which we got when clearing out one of FIL’s cupboards. Probably about 40 years old but lovely bright, sharp image and very comfortable in the hand and against the eyes. So nice we searched for (and found) an identical model on ebay (from a reputable seller) to keep in the motorhome. They cost £90 last week.

I’d suggest looking at bird watcher forums or RSPB sites for recommendations but if you’re looking to spend ‘proper’ money you really need to handle them to feel the weight and make sure they’re comfortable for you to use.

pugslovesun

Thanks for replies. I have a small pair of national trust ones that got me into watching my garden birds but want to get better pair for going to bird reserves, coast walks etc. 

I’ve been reading up on them & obvs so much to choose from. Will continue research. And yes I would prefer to actually feel the weight etc so maybe best to put in hold until I can. Was interested in makes /models people had so I could research.
thanks again. I can still do RSPB birdwatch this wkend. 👍

steephill

We have a pair of those NT binos which I think were a subscription freebie - very poor quality. We have a couple of pairs of compact Pentax ones which are pocket sized but all those compact designs have the same problem, small lenses mean darker viewing.

Second hand is a very good idea as these are things which often don't get a lot of use. There are millions of sets of those Carl Zeiss 8x30s around as they were very popular in their day. The various house brands like Miranda were probably made in the same factory.

Those numbers 8x30 etc. are useful. It means 8 times magnification and 30mm lenses. Bigger lenses mean brighter images but much bigger and heavier binos. Higher magnification sounds great but are much harder to handhold steadily. If you compare the size of 8x30 and 10x50 you will see how much of a difference it makes.

Fire

It does depend quite a lot if you are planning to carry them far. I have a 30 year old pair of Mirandas which are cheap and brilliant but heavy. If I'm out and about, taking those and an SLR etc, gets pretty heavy. A lightweight pair for the pocket is a different ball game. I find wearing glasses changes everything too, generally a PITA with bins and cameras.

pugslovesun

Yes the NT ones are poor but better than nothing & got me into watching!
I wear glasses & do find it hard. Will want to carry on walks. I think I’ll have to go 30 mm for less shaking arms! And eventually having more than one pss as or for diff purposes.
will carry on reading up & wait until shops open so I can try.
thank you so much. I get so much pleasure from watching the birds in my garden, really lifts the spirits.

wild edges

If you're trying some out then have a go with one of these or similar. My binoculars are great but like Fire says they're heavy for long walks or for holding for a long time. Mine are 730g which feels like three times that after a few hours. A spotting scope gives you better range with double the magnification of binos and can be sat on a tripod to give your arms a rest. Great if you're going to be sat in a hide for a while or you can put a tripod by the window in the house and leave it looking at the bird feeder. They're a bit tricky to use though with the angled eye piece.

Pete.8

Topbird said:

Favourite pair are Zeiss 8 x 30 which we got when clearing out one of FIL’s cupboards. Probably about 40 years old but lovely bright, sharp image and very comfortable in the hand and against the eyes. So nice we searched for (and found) an identical model on ebay (from a reputable seller) to keep in the motorhome. They cost £90 last week.

I have a pair of those.
I bought them back in the 1980's and they are as good now as they were when I bought them. As you say a sharp and bright image and they don't weigh much.
I think they were around £300 at the time
I tested out several types before I made my choice.
I did want some with a better magnification, but as was correctly explained and demonstrated to me, it's very difficult to keep the bins steady enough with a higher magnification

Skandi

We have two pairs a 8x40 (Optial and 640g) and a 10x50 (Astrola and 1130g) The weights are without their leather cases. Both were charity shop finds and both are fairly old by the leather, but both are still clear I don't notice a huge difference in wobble with garden use and up to around 150m distance, over that it is noticeably harder to hold the 10x50's still and if you try to look at the stars with them you need a wall to stay still enough. I wouldn't want to walk far with the larger pair them and their case are not much shy of 1.5kg.

pugslovesun

Haha lots of things to consider 🤔