which Binoculars?

[lostplanet]

Thought I would ask here as it's a mine field looking at brands, mags etc

These are a joint gift for my Father, they are for general use and mostly viewing ships and boats on the Thames estuary, not really for wildlife and bushcraft.

I don't know which brand to buy but the budget is between £50-£100 fairly compact but not absolute, need to be robust. He wears bi-focal glasses and go's out in all weathers.

Recommendations with online retailers if possible please.

 

[UKdave]

Unfortunatly with bins you get what you pay for.Having said that there were some on 7dayshop that got very good reviews.you want something around 6 or 7x

 

[UKdave]

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=107160http://http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=107160 try these they seem superb for the money

 

[Cael Nu Mara]

For your budget/use Id recomend Leupold Yosemite 8x30, i have a pair as back ups in the quad bag. Good and tough and with the Loops lifetime warrenty a cracking bit kit. good prices here www.uttings.com/ and good service too, had a couple of scopes of them and the packing was really good. If you mail order that is really important, nothing worse than some post office oaf cracking the lenses! (no offence to PO employees ment).



Sam

 

[faca]

I´m gooing to buy Nikon travelite xe 8*25
porro glass
waterproof
compac
16mm eye relief I wear glasses ;-)
look here alot of information.
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/pockets_features.html

 

[tommy the cat]

Strathspey look on ebay i have two pairs.
d

 

[Goatboy]

Hello Lost,

Must say that I was lucky and got a wonderful set of Carl Zeiss Jena's for my 21st way back in the day when they still were about. Great set of rubber armoured bins, though I find them quite heavy for normal use.

These days I use a this: - http://www.vikingoptical.co.uk/acatalog/viking_av50.html
great light gathering, lighter than most bins, use it as a spotter when zeroing rifles and although they've had a wee price hike still better value ( I feel than same priced bins.) Got them through here: -
RSPB / Viking Stockist
Viking Optical Centre
101 Rose Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3DT
Tel: 0131 225 6389

Spoke to a great lass called Trish Donald, what she doesn't know about optics and although I'm a tight east coast Scot I know optics, what she doesn't know isn't worth knowing. Plus she was honest and didn't try to sell me above my "pay scale".

It is light, gathers light like a light gathering thing, and generally just great.

I'd say give her a bell and see what she says.

TTFN
Goatboy.

 

[Barn Owl]

You'll get reviews to look through on www.birdforum.net

Warehouse express are an excellent online company.

Nikon have good bins around your budget.

 

[Weesi]

Can't praise the shop along Rose Street in Edinburgh highly enough.
I've had the pleasure of speaking with Trish too. Viking stuff is very good.
I've got a pair of 10x40mm nitrogen filled vikings and they're superb.
My spotting scope is a 65x Nikon with a Slik tripod to keep it still.
Both the bins and the scope were bought from Rose Street!.. No connection btw.
Personally I feel it's all about the bigger lens diameter rather than magnification...
The more light you can get through them the better. Come dusk or very overcast you'll then understand why...

Simon

 

[Doc]

You can buy fairly good new bins for £100 or so. The Viking Navigators are about that and I tried them at a Game Fair and was quite impressed.

The Hawke Endurance range get good write-ups. I would also echo the Nikon and Leupold recommendations.

 

[gsfgaz]

i've got a pair of bushnell's nice bino's