Bino's

[tommy the cat]

Well my bino's are pretty cream crackered so seeing Jessops were selling some bino's a bit cheaper over easter was thinking about an upgrade.
Was looking at these:
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s27955...Roof-Prism-Waterproof-Binoculars/details.aspx
Want to come under £100 and suitable for dusk and dawn ,oh and compact ish as I dont want it to be an ar** to carry them.
Any other suggestions/ recommendations?
Ta Dave

 

[w00dsmoke]

Ok dokey...in simple terms

the lense furthest away from your eyes = objective lense and the diameter is measured in mm's

The magnification of the binocular divided into the objective lense will give you a number and roughly the higher the number the better they are for gathering in light and better for low light conditions.

E.g a binocular with a magnification x 7 with an objective lense of 50mm (7x50) will give a number of 7.1 and this is really good for low light activities like wathcing badgers etc.

A 10x50 =5 and is pretty good too but usually bulky

A 8x40 =5 it's less magnification, good in low light and less bulky

Anything less than that in my opinion is rubbish for any meaningful wildlife observation as its often the case that you need the magnification and the light gathering lenses to see with any clarity what you are observing. Anything smaller may be ok for occassional use but not for serious study.

Roof prism binoculars will give a more compact sleek design and nitrogen filled ones will be weather/waterproof in some cases.

I have a really cheap (now faulty) 8x 42 bioculars from ebay that are waterproof and only cost £30 but they only lasted 2 years before breaking. On the other hand I've got a pair of 10x 50 optylith biniculars that now cost in excess of £300 that I bought at 15 and they are still good to go although they need a good clean (I'm 39!), so you do get what you pay for.

I'm also looking for a cheap waterproof pair of binoculars and think I'll buy secondhand and get a quality set for around the £100 mark. Some of the birding mags have adverts for optics shops that do trade ins and they sell these on at baragain prices for really good quality in some cases.

WS

 

[GreenmanBushcraft]

I would stay well clear of Bushnell IMO. I sell bins (im not self promoting here, I don't have them on my site). Bushnell are not made very well at all IMO and you don't get value for money, again only in my opinion.

I would recomend these for you OPTICRON OREGON LE WP 8x32, great bins and under £100.

I would also say, please try any bins out first as everyones eyes vary a lot.

Good luck

Kris

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks for the suggestions and warnings!
Tis much appreciated will go and have a look see.....Dave

 

[GreenmanBushcraft]

Thanks for the suggestions and warnings!
Tis much appreciated will go and have a look see.....Dave

You're welcome Dave. I know of someone who had to return their flagship pair of bushnell bins last week (£600 plus) because they fell to bits!

I'm sure you will find Opticron are very good, as are Minox at that price range.

Cheers
Kris

 

[Beer Monster]

I'd also recommend the Nikon Sporter 8x36 DCF. You can get them for £89 at www.warehouseexpress.com, they normally sell for about £159.

Maybe a bit bigger than you were wanting though.

 

[GreenmanBushcraft]

Sold a pair of the ones I mentioned this morning for a charity. Never used Nikon bins, but I know they make fine cameras.

Happy Easter

Kris

 

[Bernie Garland]

Hi tomy

You wont go wrong with a pair from here

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-UnixNerds-Domain

Iv'e purchased a couple of pairs and the service and quality is unbelievable,you can even ring him up and he'll talk you through the most suitable pair for you.

I showed a pair to a deer stalking friend, and asked him how mutch he thought i'd payed for them he said £500 £600 when i told him £70 he couldn't believe it, and purchased a pair his self,

just like to point out i am no way connected just a very satisfied customer

Bernie

 

[tommy the cat]

Bernie, what model did you get?
Actually look like really good spec for the money....not that I know alot about bino's...
Ta Dave

 

[Bernie Garland]

Bernie, what model did you get?
Actually look like really good spec for the money....not that I know alot about bino's...
Ta Dave

hi Dave

I got the waterproof 10x50s and the waterproof 8x32s
there all top spec you cant get better than broadband multicoated lense's and bak4 prisms
all your buying with more expensive bino's is the name.don't take my word for it ring him up and check his feedback,i rate mine as good as swaro's the swaro's just give you a minute or two longer at dusk,but a grands a lot of money for a minute or two.

Bernie

 

[tommy the cat]

Ta for that think I will go for the 8x32s due to the size.
Many thanks Dave

 

[Globetrotter.uk]

I grabbed a bargain at my local charity shop recently, went in to look for the usual tins etc when I spotted a small black little pouch on the top shelf. It was next to the camera gear and I knew I was in for a treat. From russia with love came to mind when I started to open it. For inside was a MN2 8x30M mono scope, apart from the lens cap damaged it is perfect and great for spotting wildlife. How much would you pay for something like this?

 

[Bernie Garland]

Ta for that think I will go for the 8x32s due to the size.
Many thanks Dave

You won't get a better deal Dave, post your findings on them

Bernie

 

[Tonedef]

Anyone know anything about Helios OceanMaster binoculars seem a bit cheap and gimiky