Binoculars for a beginner

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Ewan
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I've been watching birds since I was a lad. Usually with my bare eyes, latterly with a big long zoom lens on my DSLR. Lately I've found myself thing about binoculars. Quick research would suggest I probably want 8x42 of some description. However there seems to be a gazillion different options (even manufacturers seem to have various different ranges at separate price points). I want waterproof so I don't need to worry about weather...But will notice the benefit of super social coatings on each lens etc? I get that each pair has a different fit/feel in the hand etc but it's unlikely I'll be able to go and try some, so would I really notice a difference between an £80 pair and a £400 pair or even £2k top of the range numbers?
 
Ewan,
I see that you are in East Lothian,try the SOC headquarters at Aberlady, they have a selection (and an optics daycoming up 23 September I think) where you can try.
.....and yes you will typically be able to tell the difference between 'cheap' and 'top of teh range'! You have been warned!!
You really do need to try as each binocular suits different people - its worth the effort!
Good luck
 
There are lots of good binoculars it is essential you try a few pairs.

As you are in east London one place to look at is the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes. I don't know if they have binoculars to try all the time, so it would be good to check before visiting, but every time I have been there, binoculars have been available.

If you have transport one place to try is the InFocus shop at London Colney (https://www.at-infocus.co.uk/)

A few years ago I bought some binoculars from there - I was there for ages and tried half a dozen or so pairs with no pressure to buy.

Dave
 
As well as the other advice, make sure you check how close the binoculars focus, and how wide an field of view they have. These things can vary a lot, and can make a big difference when trying to find a bird in flight or in more enclosed environments such as woodland when birds can come pretty close, or indeed when you find yourself trying to ID dragonflies or skittish butterflies.
 
Ewan,
I see that you are in East Lothian,try the SOC headquarters at Aberlady, they have a selection (and an optics daycoming up 23 September I think) where you can try.
.....and yes you will typically be able to tell the difference between 'cheap' and 'top of teh range'! You have been warned!!
You really do need to try as each binocular suits different people - its worth the effort!
Good luck

There are lots of good binoculars it is essential you try a few pairs.

As you are in east London one place to look at is the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes. I don't know if they have binoculars to try all the time, so it would be good to check before visiting, but every time I have been there, binoculars have been available.

If you have transport one place to try is the InFocus shop at London Colney (https://www.at-infocus.co.uk/)

A few years ago I bought some binoculars from there - I was there for ages and tried half a dozen or so pairs with no pressure to buy.

Dave

Thanks for the replies folks - I'm in East Lothian - went into the SOC place and had a good chat with staff member who did his best to explain the vagaries of binocular purchase to a dolt like me. He actively advised avoiding top of the range for me so have now to decide which of the three price point models he showed me I'll go for.
 
Thanks for the replies folks - I'm in East Lothian - went into the SOC place and had a good chat with staff member who did his best to explain the vagaries of binocular purchase to a dolt like me. He actively advised avoiding top of the range for me so have now to decide which of the three price point models he showed me I'll go for.

East Lothian - sorry, Ewan. I must get my eyes tested!

Good advice from the bloke in the shop. I have access to pairs of binoculars in different price ranges - one around £70 and the other around £280 (prices from a few years ago) and the more expensive ones are clearly better. I'd expect a £1,000 pair to be better still, but I wonder by just how much.

Dave
 
East Lothian - sorry, Ewan. I must get my eyes tested!

Good advice from the bloke in the shop. I have access to pairs of binoculars in different price ranges - one around £70 and the other around £280 (prices from a few years ago) and the more expensive ones are clearly better. I'd expect a £1,000 pair to be better still, but I wonder by just how much.

Dave
With regard to the £1000 + bins its a case of trying them side by side and then

1) Seeing if your eyes can detect any difference

2) If yes is that difference is worth paying for.

In many ways its much the same as camera lenses. Simply having expensive bins doesn't turn you into a great birder [emoji3]
 
I have a few pairs of different sizes, but have always found the 8 x 32 size to be the ones I carry with me most of the time when photographing birds........ and hand held

If I were purely bird watching maybe the consideration would be different
 
Should probably reply to this thread seeing as how I actually bought some a fair few weeks back! Went for circa £200 pair of Hawke Endurance 8x32. Love the portability and the clear view these provide. Few times looking over the seawall on my local patch I've longed for more reach but that will need to wait for another day! Thanks for all the replies and advice. TP is always a mine of useful information...
 
I got a pair of Opticron 8 x 32s. Fantastic IQ, light, easy to track BIF and I love them. I reckon 8 x 32 is a pretty sweet spot :)
 
I tried a few and ended up with Hawke Frontier ED I found them to be very good.
In all honesty I never tried very top end as out of my budget but i do have a friend who abandoned swarovski for Hawke.
He did say he could see the difference but the price was not worth it it was that minimal.
 
Should probably reply to this thread seeing as how I actually bought some a fair few weeks back! Went for circa £200 pair of Hawke Endurance 8x32. Love the portability and the clear view these provide. Few times looking over the seawall on my local patch I've longed for more reach but that will need to wait for another day! Thanks for all the replies and advice. TP is always a mine of useful information...

Just remember that it becomes more difficult to hold binoculars steady as the magnification increases. x8 or x10 is about the limit for most people, unless you buy a pair with image stabilisation. These tend to be more expensive.

Another point worth bearing in mind is the low light performance, if you expect to use the binoculars at dawn and dusk. Divide the diameter of the objective (front) lenses by the magnification to find this, so your 8 x 32s have an exit pupil of 4. An 8 x 40 would be 5, a 10 x 50 would also be 5 and so on. The pupil of the human eye normally opens to around 7 or 8 mm in darkness or poor light (this often decreases as we get older), and 'night glasses' are generally 7 x 50 or 8 x 56. These combine decent, but not particularly high, magnification with large objective lenses to take advantage of this. The drawback is size and weight.

Good binoculars often punch above their weight. I have a pair of Leica 10 x 25, which are more or less pocket size. The exit pupil is 2.5 and they wouldn't be my first choice in poor light - I have a pair of 8 x 40 too - but the high quality lenses cope remarkably well for this specification.
 
Look at Pentax Papillon bins. Not bad overall, with incredible close focus as well for insects, etc. Around £120.
 
I tried a few and ended up with Hawke Frontier ED I found them to be very good.
In all honesty I never tried very top end as out of my budget but i do have a friend who abandoned swarovski for Hawke.
He did say he could see the difference but the price was not worth it it was that minimal.

Another vote for the (recently discontinued) open hinge type Hawke Frontier ED binoculars. I bought a pair of 10x43 when they first came out around 10 years ago and have been very pleased with them. However, I found the 10x magnification was a bit too much for closer work such as looking for holes and splits in trees, so I've just bought the 8x43 version while they were still available as 'new old stock' and was pleased to find a pair for £210! Lovely bins, such a light, sharp and wide view with natural-looking colours.

I can understand your friend selling his Swarovski bins, I've had a Swaro owning mate go a bit quiet after asking to look through my Hawke EDs. The image quality isn't as good as Swaros, but from what I can see the difference isn't that much and for the price that's got to be a smart buy, particularly if you're not using binoculars every day. £210 versus £1800 makes me smile every time I use them!

I'm glad Ewan has found some binocs he likes. As for magnification, as others have said, think carefully about getting a pair of 10x. In addition to the shake issue, compare the field of view as this is usually narrower and slightly darker than the equivalent 8x version of the same binocular, which can make finding or following your subject more difficult if it's in clutter such as trees and shrubs. Also, compare them directly with the 8x version and see if you genuinely can see more detail. Hope this is useful.
 
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