Wildlife Binoculars

[Trail Snail]

Hi

I'm after some entry level binos primarily for carrying on walks and looking at wildlife. I want some that will work pretty well in the twilight hours as that seems to be when the bunnies and kingfishers seem to be out.

I'm looking to spend around £50 or so. Does anyone have an opinion on whether These are any good? http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001M3612/ref=pe_186441_32029851_pe_vfe_dt1

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Sorry don't know the bins you've linked. Personally I don't find 8x mag. very useful for wildlife observation & much prefer 10x......for hiking & general everyday use I suggest you look at the little 10X25's ....you can stick 'em in a pocket or rucky until you need 'em & not have that weight hanging around your neck as you do with the heavier bins. I've nearly always got a pair of 10 X 25's on me (you never know when you're going to need them) & I don't even know there there. Not as good as the wider lenses in poor light but still usable.

 

[Gaudette]

If your looking for good vision in low light you will need to up your budget. I know it's a well used term but with binos you get what you pay for. I've no affiliation to this company but have had several very good second hand pairs off them and they are always helpful.
http://www.at-infocus.co.uk/usedequipment.html

I use hawke frontier for bird watching but have a small pair of Nikons when I'm out camping. They are small and light and do the job.



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"If we had some bacon we could have bacon and eggs, if we had some eggs"

 

[RichardSeargent]

I have a second hand pair of Baush and Lomb Elite 10x42 Binoculars for sale. 10 years ago these were the benchmark in binoculars and cost around £1000. I am after slightly more at £90 (plus £5.00 P&P) but the offer is open. I have only recently upgraded hense the sale. They are extremely good in poor light. In good condition minus the Bausch and Lomb badge which came off in the desert. I am a manic naturalist and have been using these for a quarter of my adult life. Quality wise they will be miles ahead of anything for around £50.00Please PM me if you are interested.

 

[Gaudette]

These are a steal snail trail. These are a superb pair of binoculars.


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"If we had some bacon we could have bacon and eggs, if we had some eggs"

 

[woof]

I went to the bird watching fair at Rutland water, for one of 2 reasons, one being to look at bino's. I wanted pocket size, & looked at all makes, & all prices, the ones i kept going back to were the steiner wildlife xp's in 8x24, but could'nt bring myself to pay the show asking price(£209).

I kept looking & looking & just got more confused, in the end my good lady put me out of my misery & got me the one's i wanted of amazon for £183, & i'm very happy with them.

Rob

 

[RichardSeargent]

These have now been sold following a PM on this forum.Thanks

 

[johnbaz]

Hi

Have you tried fleabay??

I managed to 'win' these Zeiss Jenna 8x30 for £25 (ish!), they're superb li'l bins!!

Carboots are also a good source if you have any local to you!!

Some 'Bootsale' bargains

Russian Komz 8x30, these are stunningly clear and only cost me a tenner!!

Selsi (Japan optics) 10x50 compact, more crystal clear optics but for only £3.50!!..

These were (apparently_ a fair old bargain, I bought them earlier this year from a bootsale local to me for £20, I was told that they would have cost around £200 new :yikes:

Nikon Monarch 8x42..

Good luck with your search for some bins


Cheers, John

 

[Silverback 1]

There are lots of threads on here regarding bino choice if you do a search, but it is no good just looking at a picture or taking someone's recommendation as everbody's eyes are different. The advice that i always give (also given to me) is go to a good retailer and try a few different pairs and find a pair that fit you and not Joe Bloggs, then spend as much as you can afford, as i have learned the hard way that you really do get what you pay for with optics, i am fortunate to own a pair of Swarovski SLC 10X50's, IMHO Swarovski glass is the best money can buy, but when i am hunting, if i can't see it, i can't shoot it.