Binocular reccomendations

[daved]

Hi,

Off on a safari trip to Kenya soon and would like to get some binoculars.

Searching through the old posts, some people seem pretty knowledgeable about the subject so I hope you can help with some advice.

Firstly, what sort of specification should I be looking at for game viewing? (Need to keep bulk and weight down as these are for travel)

What sort of realistic budget should I be looking at? I understand that the sky is the limit but I would like to keep the cost down.

Good brands to look out for/avoid?

Any reccomendations on where to buy?

Trying some out for myself would be great - can anyone recommend a shop in London stocking a reasonable range?

Thanks, Dave

 

[leon-1]

Probably the best bino's are made by Lieca. Zeiss and Swarovzski make very good bino's as well.

There is a problem with both of the above and that is that you require a very large bank balance.

Steiner, Bushnell and Simmons make high quality optics that are cheaper than the others, but still have very good clarity and good coatings on the lenses.

I have an Opticron spotting scope that's pretty good, but I have never used Bino's made by them so unless you get to use a set and compare them with the others I wouldn't recommend them, but they may be worth keeping an eye out for.

Best places to buy are pretty much always going to be online, have a search around for them.

 

[Doc]

The most popular choice among birders are 8x42. However, 8x30 will show you just as much, except at dawn or dusk. Of course, these are often the best times for seeing mammals.

How much do you want to spend?

 

[Doc]

As a ballpark:

£100ish new Chinese 8x42 roof prisms WITH PHASE CORRECTION COATING. That is important.

£200-£400 Mid league: Japanese versions of the above, Minox, Meopta, Steiner, some Nikon

£400 up: the big three of Zeiss Leica and swarovski.

The best optics available are probably Zeiss FL 8x42 - I have a pair of these. However the top Swaros and Leica have a nicer 'wrapper' around the optics in terms of ergonomics and 'feel'.

 

[Barney]

I am not a binocular expert but good zeiss gear can be picked up on e-bay, expect to pay £60 ish for 8x30 and £110-115 for 10x50.

Look for something from the 70's or 80's in mint condition and you will not be disappointed.

 

[MartiniDave]

I've got the Opticron Countryman in 10 x 42 and I find them to be excellent. I use them for wildlife watching AND spotting at my gun club, but if I were buying just for wildlife I would probably opt for the 8 x 42 in stead.

Dave

 

[SCOMAN]

I bought Nikula 10 X 42 of ebay. They have good coating, rubber armoured and waterproof. I love them they are a great pair of bins, not too large to be cumbersome and pretty light. There's a pair on ebay at the minute. I'm not connected etc etc

 

[Bimble]

What you want from bush binoculars is a good low light performance and field of view. I would recommend 8x42 as this will give a good performance at dawn/dusk and usable on night game drives. There are a lot of ‘reasonable’ binos out their nowadays. Though cheap ones are acceptable, you should really invest in a pair for life. I swear by my roof prism Nikon’s, but then I would....

 

[Barn Owl]

Dave,

Contact Kay Optical at Morden and you'll get expert advice,they sell 2nd hand too.

They are near the tube station and parking available.I can supply phone and address.

In fact it's 020 8648 8822,info@kayoptical.co.uk,www.kayoptical.co.uk
89(b) London Rd Morden.
Map to locus on website.

You could try one or London Camera Exchange shops too,they have good ranges.

Check out MagiKellys review of Strathspey 8x32 bins from ebay,sound good.

I usually use Swaro or Leica but I'm looking at Hawke Endurance 8x32 as my next bin.

8x32 are plenty bright enough,think of the difference as 15 minutes,i.e. That which an 8x42 shows well in dusk or dawn will be the same in the smaller bin either 15 mins earlier or later.

Tom.

 

[w00dsmoke]

I bought recently an opticron 8 x 42 BGA monocular

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s71322...n/10x42-WP-BGA-Monocular-(30441)/details.aspx

It's waterproof, shockproof, has excellent optics and is relatively cheap. Standard price £148-150, if you shop around you can buy them for £120.

I only use one eye because it's a strong master, so bino's are a waste of time really for me and this is opticron monocular is amazing. I use good quality optics and have done professionally for years and this is one of the better priced excellent models that I've used. (usually a buyer of high end optilyth gear).

So far it's been in the canoe, used in rain, fog, low light watching otters, red deer, badgers, eagles etc and I'm so impressed by its clarity, weight and conveniance by being half the weight and size of bino's. I'll do a review soon I think. You can even buy an add on scope converting it to a x 20 mag or so, but I don't think that would be any good unless it was really bright. Next time you see one instore try it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

WS

 

[Doc]

I am not a binocular expert but good zeiss gear can be picked up on e-bay, expect to pay £60 ish for 8x30 and £110-115 for 10x50.

Look for something from the 70's or 80's in mint condition and you will not be disappointed.

Old East German Zeiss Jena are indeed potentially good. They are porroprism so they are not waterproof. Later multicoated versions are brighter. There are a number of inferior Japanese fakes which look near identical but can be distinguished with practice. There is a guide on the web somewhere.

One problem is that many are in poor condition with miscollimation, lens scratches or even fungus on the coatings. They are maybe 20 years old plus now. The design is even older of course.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Good for you going to Africa on safari…!

I was born there and have done umpteen safaris and I did (and do) a lot of bird watching too. My weapon of choice is a pair of Olympus 8x40 DPS R. Many of the game guides I accompanied had a go and were extremely complementary. In honesty they were actually dead jealous when they found out I paid £50.00 in a branch of Dixons. They have a tough rubber casing which is water resistant and keeps out the dust which is a major consideration. 8x is more than enough magnification and 40 will allow plenty of light in to view game at dawn or dusk or birds in tree canopies.

I am a member here with a local wildlife group and I have used other peoples binos costing in excess of £900.00 with little or no feasible difference in quality. I can tell you if I dropped them out of my canoe I would be a bit more gutted than I would if I dropped my £50.00 pair.

http://www.olympus-europa.com/consumer/1943_8x40_DPS_I.htm

Good luck and say hello to Africa for me.

 

[Jedadiah]

These are the one's i'm using at the moment, Bushnell 8X42 Natureview. Yes they are not the most expensive Lieca's or Swarovski's but i have found that from a value for money and exceptional performance veiwpoint, i have'nt seen anything to touch them

http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog...eview-series-water-proof-roof-prism-binocular

Just as an aside, i noticed on the television program about women going out to Africa to learn how to hunt with a team of hunters who cull animals, the team leader used an identical pair. So, if they are good enough for pro Hunters to use from pre-dawn to post dusk, they are good enough for me!

 

[daved]

Thanks for all the replies everyone and the links to the London shops.

I realise asking these sorts of questions is almost as contentious as asking "Which is the best knife"

How much do you want to spend?

Less than £100 if possible (ideally, a lot less), but looking at some of the weblinks posted, that seems like a tall order.

It seems like most people suggested 8x magnification. Any need to go higher?

I tried a pair of Nikon bins in John Lewis the other day (about £40) and they seemed quite clear and sharp, but were only 8x25. It was quite bright in the shop though and it sounds like I should be looking at bigger ones if possible.

Any further guidance gratefully recieved.

Dave

 

[leon-1]

Dave most people use 8x magnification as when you start going over this a.) trying to locate what you are looking for becomes more difficult and b.) stability is noticeably a problem.

In general the smaller the objective lens the smaller the exit aperture. This affects the amount of light that reaches your eye, this is where the guys mentioning about losing time at dawn and dusk come into play.

I think the optimum exit aperture was something like 7 or 8 mm, so if you divide the objective lens size by the magnification and end up with 7 or 8 mm then you won't be to far wrong as far as optimum light passage is concerned.

 

[littlebiglane]

http://www.binoculars-maushaus-dorset.com/

I believe RM sells one of them on his site. I have not tried them though.

 

[Barn Owl]

Nikon sporter (not sportstar) 8x36 are bright bins,sell for half rrp usually at www.warehousexpress.com.

£89 instead of double that.

I've a mate with these and they're excellent.

 

[Doc]

You will be able to get a good pair for £100. As discussed above, get 8x42. If you NEED very compact binos, or don't need them at dawn/dusk get 8x32, if you will mostly be using them over wide distances (red deer stalking/estuary birdwatching/?safaris) AND can be sure of a steady hold consider 10x42.

You could buy a very good pair of porro prism binos for that price. Porro binoculars do not need phase correction, and give better stereo vision. However, they cannot be made waterproof and are bulky. The top manufacturers have stopped making them.

For approx £100, you can buy a pair of Chinese or Japanese roof prisms that are waterproof, nitrogen filled, rubber armoured, and have multi-coatings on all optical surfaces including the prisms. (eg the £75 strathspey models that Magikelly liked, or the Viking Navigator which I tested and found excellent. there are many others)

You will get better contrast if the prisms are also phase corrected and the difference is noticeable. It might cost £10 to £50 more than your budget but is well worth paying IMHO. I have found that owning a good pair of binoculars makes you use them more. The price hurts once, but the joy is there every time you use them.

Phase corrected 8x42 binos include:

Opticron Discovery £109
http://www.ukoptics.co.uk/opticron-discovery-8x42-wp-pc-p-192.html
I've not tried these but internet reports are very good, and it's a name you can trust. Opticron have a good after sales reputation.

Bushnell excursion £139
http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/bushnell_binoculars/bushnell_binoculars.htm Edit - not sure if these are phase corrected)

Hawke Frontier 8x42 PC £199 but £139 delivered on discount.
http://www.binocularbarn.co.uk/Hawke_316.php
I've noticed these are getting popular amongst local stalkers. Very modern design (look a bit like Swaros), very compact, so far reviews are excellent. I tried a pair. Better than my Helios AM6 (which were £220 new) but a little less resolution at the edge of the field.

You can get 'own brand' phase coated binos for circa £80 plus delivery on ebay but delivery is from Germany. I'm not sure i would go down this route.

Another option is to go for a used model.

 

[Barn Owl]

Exit pupil aperture should be c.4,thats about the norm.

As you get older your pupils don't dilate to the optimums of 7-9mm.

Therefore 8x32/36/42 are all you'll need.

 

[JimmyT]

I purchased my first pair of bins only a couple of weeks ago.
I passed an upmarket chemist shop that had several pairs of superseded models in the window at half price.
Not being any kind of expert but being tempted I went in an checked them out.
I ended up buying a pair of Opticron MCF 7 x 24 down from £139 to £64.50.
I must say I have been knocked out by the quality. The lens is very sharp and bright.
My father has about 5 pairs of various old bins knocking about his place and none of them came any where near this quality.
I did a google on them and came across a forum thread detailing a woman buying herself some new bins. She apparently compared several pairs in the shop to her own Opticron 7 x 24's before being eventually satisfied by a pair of Svarowski's (£900).
I reckon I got a bargain.
The chemist did have two pairs left...