Binos for £100

[im spartacus]

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Hi Guys
Just wondering if any one has a pair for sale
Looking for 12x25 or similar

ATB
Gary

 

[Kepis]

have a look at 7dayshop.com, i got some rubberised/armoured 8x40's on there for £13.00 delivered, they are on a par with my Bushnells that cost well over a ton

 

[Puddock]

Just a word of caution Gary that 12x magnification is a lot for the size of the objective lens (25). they will be fairly difficult to hand hold without the image shaking and will not gather much light.

 

[im spartacus]

OK
What would you say would be a good size
i am open to advice on this
ATB

 

[Kepis]

10x50's are a good all round size, i use my 8x40's all the time because they are small and light, but i have 12x50's that i use with a tripod adapter for bird watching (from a hide) and astronomical observations.

 

[im spartacus]

Are 12x50's big

 

[Puddock]

12 is the magnification and 50 is the size of the objective lens. The bigger the size of the objective lens the more light they will let in creating a brighter and more colourful image, however the bigger and bulkier they are likely to be.

The higher the magnification the harder they are to hold steady or to track a subject.

8x36 is a good comprimise between image quality, magnification and compactness

 

[Puddock]

8 x 40 would be even better with regard to light gathering and colours. The less light binoculars gather the harder it is to use them around dusk and dawn. It really depends what you want to use them for.

 

[Bigfoot]

If you can find them, I can recommend the Bar & Stroud Sahara 8 x 32's - they are relatively compact but perform well, with pretty good light gathering capacity and are waterproof and fogproof, at £80 ish or thereabouts. Strathspey binoculars also come recommended and they do a similar compact size.

My recommendation is based on using them for watching wildlife and being able to stick them easily in a rucksack without worrying too much about additional weight.

Both of the above makes will compete with much more expensive models (unless you are an expert in optics )

 

[vizsla]

id go for 8x32 i find them perfect for general use and any bigger can be a bit bulky around the neck, i recently brought some kenco sport optics from uk optics i tried loads of makes including nikon etc but found these the best for me, alot brighter than most which makes a big diference i think they were £130 ish
cheers ash

 

[Puddock]

I also second the Bar & Stroud Sahara 8 x 32's. You can pick them up on ebay at the moment for £71 including delivery

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....265563&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1005wt_905

There is a very good review of them here: http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Barr & Stroud8x32Sierra-52.htm

 

[Bigfoot]

^

That's a great price for a great wee set of bins. As an aside, I also have the B&S 10 x 42's and they are good too but I find I use the 8 x 32's more often as they are just that little bit easier to stow and carry without sacrificing anything on the optics front.