Decent Binocular Recommendations?

Posted by: Frisket

Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 12:27 AM

Im looking for a decent pair of Binoculars and have little ta no idea where to start. I have an old pair of 7x35 full size binolux's that are not sealed at all and are holding moister inside. I like the magnification on them not to much not to little. My price range is around 50$ sadly but I am not looking for high end amazing I can see everything Binoculars so Hopefully theres a few around 50$ that will do.
Posted by: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 02:45 AM

Barska have a sale on at the moment. These might be a little more costly than you were looking for, but might be worthwhile considering.

http://www.shopbarska.com/Binoculars-BARSKA_8x42_WP_NATURESCAPE_BINOCULARS.html

You might even be able to find them cheaper else where if you shop around.

http://www.adorama.com/BAAB10962.html
Posted by: bsmith

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 02:58 AM

several years ago i bought a compact bushnell.

years later when we visited costa rica we forgot to bring them along. so i bought the only pair of bushnell's that i could find in the small town we were in. realized when we returned home they were the same model as what we had forgotten to bring. and in costa rice you really need them to see more of the wildlife - esp the birds, butterflies and monkeys.

these are them:

H20® 8x25 Waterproof/Fogproof FRP Compact

small, compact, rubber-coated, sealed, in your price range. they've worked for me for years.
Posted by: Frisket

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 04:48 AM

Thanks for the advice! Im really digging this pair.

http://www.shopbarska.com/product.cgi?group=56&product=4457

Im pretty stoked that they still make compact opera binos in this style too.\

http://www.shopbarska.com/product.cgi?group=56&product=9192

I have a pair but the eye cup focusing rings are brokended very sad
Posted by: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 01:56 PM

http://www.shopbarska.com/Binoculars-BARSKA_8x42_WP_HUNTMASTER_BINOCULARS.html

These look like a good deal as well. They are very compact being roof prism designs and have BAK4 glass and phase coated as well.
They also appear to a have decent FoV of 133m @ 1000m and are focusable down to 2m.
Posted by: TimDex

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 07:32 PM

It's more than $50 but leopold makes a pair of low-end binocs which are pretty good, I believe the line is called yosemite.

I have them and like them. Very good and can be used by children also.

Tim
Posted by: Art_in_FL

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 10:32 PM

My advice for buying binoculars, or most any other durable goods, is to get informed and become conversant in the terminology and options. A good step is to type "buying guide binoculars", and/or other related terms into your favorite search engine.

Read the top three or four but don't draw any firm conclusions yet. Notice how the basics are often the same. How guides often use the same wording. Also notice how some guides are subtly, sometimes not so subtly, guiding you to a certain product line.

After you have read a few of those you can just scan past the standard bits and focus on sections that give you new or different information. You also notice how some some guides barely scratch the surface and others go in-depth. Media farms like E-How are notorious for entirely superficial and uninformative guides. They aren't alone. Seemingly well written and informative articles often get entire sections copied and pasted. Which explains why so often the wording is identical. Also sections that are simply wrong can proliferate. The same wrong information repeated doesn't make it right.

After a bit you can pretty much accurately gauge reliable sources from unreliable ones. You should also have a good working knowledge of what coated optics are all about. What a BAK-4 prism is. What is an AR treatment? How magnification ties into field-of-view and usability when hand-held.

The key here is that you get the facts and lay of the binocular market before you accept any opinions. Once you have the basics down you are entering the marketplace armed and informed. You are far less likely to be impresses by brand name or technical specification that aren't necessarily important.

You will also learn that people are pretty easily impressed and while most won't actively lie they tend to select from a narrow field and then develop loyalties based on their very limited experience and, quite often, little more than the opinion of someone else who kind of sounded like they knew what they were talking about.
Posted by: KenK

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/29/11 11:09 PM

I don't pretend to know much about binoculars, but my experience has been:

While small sized binoculars are nice to carry, don't underestimate the pleasure of a wide-angle lens. When traveling out west the family had along several small ones and one wide-angle binoc ... and everyone was fighting for the wide-angle one. Lesson learned.

On the same trip we bought 7x or 8x (can't remember) binocs for the kids and 10x binocs for the adults - figuring we'd be able to hold them more steady. We couldn't. The shaking got pretty irritating over time. I think the 8x was good enough. If we need higher magnification maybe a telescope on a tripod would be best brought along.
Posted by: Byrd_Huntr

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/30/11 01:56 AM

Here's a decent pair of binocs in your price range. The size is a nice compromise between the old standard 7x35 and big and heavy 10x50. They are nitrogen purged so they won't fog up. Sportsmans Guide has some other choices too...

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/barska-10x42-mm-waterproof-binoculars-black.aspx?a=733332
Posted by: KG2V

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 04/30/11 05:31 AM

No releation excapt a happy customer, but see what SWFA.COM has

(SWFA = See What's Far Away) - basically started as a binocular/hunting scope/spotting scope store

One thing about 'cheap' optics - they usually bug my eyes. My wife wanted 2 cheap pairs (1 compact, one full sized) vs my one good pair. The full sized 'inexpensive' Binos (Name brand - won't mention it because 'it happens') has been out of columnation since we got it - in the mean time, she's always stealing my Nikons
Posted by: Brangdon

Re: Decent Binocular Recommendations? - 05/07/11 03:16 PM

Image stabilised binoculars work well, although they aren't cheap or small or light. Canon do a range. They compensate for tiny movements only, so you still have to hold them as steady as you can, but if you do that you can get a rock-steady image.

In addition to being a pleasure to use, you can see more because you have time to pay attention in a way which is impossible with an image that jiggles about. I have the 10x30, and I see more with them than with my 7x50. Even in dim light, where the 50mm objective ought to be better, I find the higher magnification more than makes up for the brightness.

I was surprised because, as you say, a wide angle is good and I'd thought my 7x50 couldn't be beat.

If you are looking for something cheaper, then I'd consider a monocular. They are less than half the size and weight so more likely to get used.