Binoculars??

mjb123

mjb123

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Evening people, so after my time away to Cornwall last week I have come back thinking I need to upgrade my Bins!! They are bushenell 8x42’s had them about 7or8 years, they perform well but I feel they struggled in certain lights this week and they fogged up which they haven’t done before which meant they were out of action for over 24hrs!
My question is how much do I need to spend to see significant results!!
What do I need to be looking for in a good pair of binoculars? I bought these that I have on a wim because we were in Isle of Skye and didn’t have any with me!
I’ve looked at Opticron,Hawke,Zeiss,Leica,ect!
They all vary in price so much.....
I don’t have a specific budget as I don’t no really what I need to be spending to see better results I think mine were around £120...
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!!
 
I paid £140 for my Opticrons in 1994, never needed to, or thought about, replacing them, spend about £250-300 on a good make such as Pentax,Nikon or Opticron and you will be OK imo.
 
Not sure what makes you will find but some bigger RSPB reserves have a test & rental area for binoculars and telescopes.

WWT might have the same?
 
If you don't want to break the bank, then Opticron ( basically any model ) or Hawke sapphire ( I think, their upper end model anyway)
Rspb and Viking are good too these days.
Second hand Leica, Swaro or Zeiss still command a premium, the newer kids on the block will give you closer focussing ( basically, you can focus on yer big toe)
 
If you can afford them, Hake Sapphire ED 8x43 Binoculars are superb. They really do punch well above their price point and would be a real upgrade on your Bushnells. If you look around, you should get them around the £400 mark, less if you can find secondhand.
Leica, Swarovski etc are very good but at a significantly higher price. I’ve used Leicas, Zeiss, high end Nikon’s and Hawkes, they’re not massively inferior and I would highly recommend them.
 
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As I said in your previous post, check out the Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 binoculars. However, when buying binoculars you need to try them in person, as not all binoculars suit all eyes and what is comfortable for one person to use may not suit another.

When trying any binoculars, first of all learn how to set the dioptre eye compensation on them to suit your eyes, or you'll not be able to make a fair comparison. Then see how they look in dull weather when the light is poor. Then see what the depth of field looks like, how much is in focus?... there's not much point in buying the sharpest pair if they're only sharp for about 6 inches of depth, or you'll probably spend most of your time trying to focus on something only to find it's flown off or run away before you actually can! For the money, I'd be tempted to start with trying the Hawke Frontier EDs and then see if you can find anything to better them and that are more comfortable for you to use within your price range.
 
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There are so many options now that there is a lot of good stuff out there, anything from viking are pretty good, I considered a pair of 8x42 ed ff;s aroun £300 I think. Opticron are great, they have a great range to choose from, rspb rangers are pretty good, personally look at the hd versions, I didn't go much on the lower range models. I could go on and list all the ones I looked through whilst having a new pair myself back in october of last year. There were lots that impressed me, eventually I went doen the kowa bd 8x42 route, superb optics, the size is smaller than your average 8x42 and suoer close focus. I wouldn't look back. And onky £379, I didn't find anything to better them, and I looked through a lot of models on the day (including hawkes, didnt like them) you don't need to spend a lot for decent optics anymore.
 
Asked and answered...
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/bushnell-binoculars.672446/

I would say there is a very noticeable difference in image quality between OK binoculars at £100 and good ones at around the £300 mark. There is a less noticeable difference between £300 and really excellent ones at £700 (like Zeiss Conquest HD) and even less between those and truly outstanding binoculars at £1700 (like Nikon EDG, Zeiss Victory, Leica Ultravid, Swarovski EL SV).

In good light even OK binoculars will function well, even in comparison with the more expensive models.
In low light/dawn/dusk or on dull, wet days, the top level binoculars show their true value, where the inexpensive pairs struggle and even become useless.
 
I use bins quite a bit and love Swarovski products - but they are hideously expensive! Not necessarily the very best optically but I can look through my EL bins for hours with no eye fatigue whatsoever - I cannot say that for my friend's Zeiss TFL's. On the other hand he doesn't get on that well with my Swaro's - in other words it is what suits your eyes best!

There is a huge range of good quality, yet affordable, bins out there these days - I particularly like the Zeiss Terra and Vortex Diamondback/Talon and Viper HD ranges. Kowa also make some very nice sensibly priced bins too.

I would suggest thinking a little about how much to spend (don't cheap out - you will be disappointed) then decide on a rough specification. If you are only taking bins with you then even fairly large ones are not a burden, if you are lugging 25-50lbs of camera gear with you (as I often do) then large bins become a real pain! It's all horses for courses. Once you have got a rough idea on budget and specification I would suggest taking a womble up to Clifton Cameras (https://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/Binoculars) as I have found them very helpful and happy for you to try before you buy + they are only about 40 mins from you. Oh yes they tend to be pretty good on prices too.

P.S. there is a lot of useful information on this forum: http://www.birdforum.net/
 
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Take a look at Vortex Viper hd and Nikon Monarchs. I've used both and they are both brilliant. I now only use the vortex in 10x42, most of the stuff I look at doesn't need 8x and my hands don't shake so 10s are good for me. The vortex have served me well and have had major soakings in scotland and just keep working flawlessly. They also have a lifetime warranty, even if you drop them!

I still use the monarchs but they are always in the glovebox of my van as a backup pair or if I'm just out with the vortex.
 
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Mr Badger said:
As I said in your previous post, check out the Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 binoculars. However, when buying binoculars you need to try them in person, as not all binoculars suit all eyes and what is comfortable for one person to use may not suit another.

When trying any binoculars, first of all learn how to set the dioptre eye compensation on them to suit your eyes, or you'll not be able to make a fair comparison. Then see how they look in dull weather when the light is poor. Then see what the depth of field looks like, how much is in focus?... there's not much point in buying the sharpest pair if they're only sharp for about 6 inches of depth, or you'll probably spend most of your time trying to focus on something only to find it's flown off or run away before you actually can! For the money, I'd be tempted to start with trying the Hawke Frontier EDs and then see if you can find anything to better them and that are more comfortable for you to use within your price range.
Click to expand...

Thanks again, I did take what you said on board just thought i’d Expand a bit as it was a slightly different subject!
 
I was shocked when one /of my customers who has 2 810’s and a850 ,goes to SA and other wildlife shooting places regularly
said he had bought some new binoculars for his SA trip in 2 weeks,i casually asked how much and he said £1800,i nearly fell off my chair.
Then i thought i bet you can pay many thousands for the very best but i was shocked at the price
 
We have 3 pairs, a set of Opticron Traveller BGA ED 8 x 32's which we keep in the car, my wife has a pair of Opticron Natura ED 10 x 42's and I have a pair of Delta SL2ED 10x42's. All were purchased at "In Focus" at WWT in Barnes.

The two really good bits of advice we were given when we bought our first decent set were:

1) Look in the dark areas to make sure you're happy with the brightness
2) Make sure you are happy with how they feel on your eyes and using them.

I think my wife's Opticrons are better in the dark areas than mine, but I prefer they way mine fit on my eyes.

The Delta's are around £230, the Opticrons were £270. (I also have a Swarovski scope, and if I had the money I'd buy a set of their bins too, but I don't have a spare £1,300 laying around).
 
Another shout for Nikon Monarch's, 7 in our case. 10x42, great glass. Not the cheapest or the dearest, the sweet spot in our eyes.
 
Forgot to mention the Vortex Guarantee in my previous post. Vortex claim a "Lifetime No Conditions" guarantee, we have all heard claims like this before!

Anyway I dropped my friend's 8 x 42 Viper HD bins and knackered the left eyepiece - OOPS! Unfortunately there was a little delay as there were none in the uk when they went in - but as soon as there were a nice new pair of bins were supplied which were actually a touch nicer than the original ones. No questions, no payments - just replaced with zero fuss. Well done Vortex!
 
jerry12953 said:
Some very knowledgeable friends of mine (he is a senior RSPB officer in Scotland) recommend Nikon Monarchs very strongly. They may not be as solid some (I haven't tried them myself) but for £250-ish they are hard to beat apparently.
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These are what ALL the park rangers in Alaska were using when we were there, all said they were the sweet sport in terms of performance and price.
 
mjb123 said:
Thanks again, I did take what you said on board just thought i’d Expand a bit as it was a slightly different subject!
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Don't worry, I wasn't having a go, I just wanted people to know I was paying attention and had seen your other post and wasn't just parroting the same suggestion to everyone. :D I was in the same position as you a few years ago; I'd made the 'mistake' of trying a colleague's Swarovski binoculars after I was struggling to see a bird he'd spotted in a tree. It was then that I realised what a difference top-quality bins make, and it was the depth of field (not width of view) that I was struggling with on my old pair; they were sharp enough at the point of focus, but the point of focus only covered a few inches behind and in front of that.

Trying the Swaros was like comparing chalk and cheese, it felt like half the oak tree was in focus by comparison, so no wonder he could find and see the bird and I couldn't! So I decided that I needed a pair of Swarovski 8.5 x 42s. However, these were about £1400 new at the time (the new EL version hadn't been launched then), so I decided I'd try to find a good, used pair instead, whilst looking and bemoaning the price to another work colleague they commented 'Surely there must be an affordable compromise between those and your old pair?'. So I searched the birding forums to see what else was on the market.

Aside from the usual recommendations for some of the makes mentioned above (but probably earlier models now) a few people were talking about the new (at the time) Hawke Frontier EDs. I did a bit more research on them and read some test reviews, some of which compared them to 'Alpha' grade bins like Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss (as a benchmark), and when you read that they thought that the EDs weren't too far off in terms of image quality and they cost about £1000 less then it makes you think. As there didn't seem to be much to touch the Hawkes at the time in that price range I decided to take a chance and buy a pair and have been very pleased with them, my only slight regret was that I went for the 10x43 instead of the 8x (nothing wrong with them, it's just these days the 8x would suit me better).

I've compared them briefly with two pairs of Swarovski bins (a compact type pair and the full size 8.5x42 previous model to the ELs) and as can be expected, the Swarovskis seemed to be just that little bit brighter in low light and their build quality felt beautiful, but there wasn't a huge difference in image quality that would have left me wishing I'd paid the extra. To sum up, if I used binoculars every day for work or as the main kit for my sole hobby, or money were no object, then I'd choose Swarovski or a similar 'Alpha' grade make. But for what I need the Hawke EDs have been fine, and worth every penny of the £230 I paid for them at the time. These days they make a couple of different types of Frontier ED,but it's the open frame type ones I've got, like this: http://www.uttings.co.uk/p109702-ha...Vx5kbCh2L_A9MEAQYAiABEgKnevD_BwE#.WovtPOQiGUk

As a few people have said, if at all possible do try a few different pairs to see what suits you best, and time has moved on a bit since I bought mine and imagine other makes will have brought their own versions out to compete, but as a starting point perhaps try the Hawke EDs and at least that should give you a bit of a comparison benchmark within that price range. If you do find something better in that price range then let me know, as it's always handy to keep a second pair in the car, and I could do with some 8x43s! :whistle: Hope this is useful. (y)
 
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Mr Badger said:
Don't worry, I wasn't having a go, I just wanted people to know I was paying attention and had seen your other post and wasn't just parroting the same suggestion to everyone. :D I was in the same position as you a few years ago; I'd made the 'mistake' of trying a colleague's Swarovski binoculars after I was struggling to see a bird he'd spotted in a tree. It was then that I realised what a difference top-quality bins make, and it was the depth of field (not width of view) that I was struggling with on my old pair; they were sharp enough at the point of focus, but the point of focus only covered a few inches behind and in front of that.

Trying the Swaros was like comparing chalk and cheese, it felt like half the oak tree was in focus by comparison, so no wonder he could find and see the bird and I couldn't! So I decided that I needed a pair of Swarovski 8.5 x 42s. However, these were about £1400 new at the time (the new EL version hadn't been launched then), so I decided I'd try to find a good, used pair instead, whilst looking and bemoaning the price to another work colleague they commented 'Surely there must be an affordable compromise between those and your old pair?'. So I searched the birding forums to see what else was on the market.

Aside from the usual recommendations for some of the makes mentioned above (but probably earlier models now) a few people were talking about the new (at the time) Hawke Frontier EDs. I did a bit more research on them and read some test reviews, some of which compared them to 'Alpha' grade bins like Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss (as a benchmark), and when you read that they thought that the EDs weren't too far off in terms of image quality and they cost about £1000 less then it makes you think. As there didn't seem to be much to touch the Hawkes at the time in that price range I decided to take a chance and buy a pair and have been very pleased with them, my only slight regret was that I went for the 10x43 instead of the 8x (nothing wrong with them, it's just these days the 8x would suit me better).

I've compared them briefly with two pairs of Swarovski bins (a compact type pair and the full size 8.5x42 previous model to the ELs) and as can be expected, the Swarovskis seemed to be just that little bit brighter in low light and their build quality felt beautiful, but there wasn't a huge difference in image quality that would have left me wishing I'd paid the extra. To sum up, if I used binoculars every day for work or as the main kit for my sole hobby, or money were no object, then I'd choose Swarovski or a similar 'Alpha' grade make. But for what I need the Hawke EDs have been fine, and worth every penny of the £230 I paid for them at the time. These days they make a couple of different types of Frontier ED,but it's the open frame type ones I've got, like this: http://www.uttings.co.uk/p109702-ha...Vx5kbCh2L_A9MEAQYAiABEgKnevD_BwE#.WovtPOQiGUk

As a few people have said, if at all possible do try a few different pairs to see what suits you best, and time has moved on a bit since I bought mine and imagine other makes will have brought their own versions out to compete, but as a starting point perhaps try the Hawke EDs and at least that should give you a bit of a comparison benchmark within that price range. If you do find something better in that price range then let me know, as it's always handy to keep a second pair in the car, and I could do with some 8x43s! :whistle: Hope this is useful. (y)
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Wow thanks for your comments, there is an rspb centre not far away that an London Camera Exchange store in it with lots of makes and models to try! I will try the hawkes for sure!! Thankyou!!
 
I have had some 10x42 Vanguard spirit ED for the last 5 years and they are excellent for the price and just today I have ordered some Canon 12x36 image stabilised ones
 
steunited said:
I have had some 10x42 Vanguard spirit ED for the last 5 years and they are excellent for the price and just today I have ordered some Canon 12x36 image stabilised ones
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I really like the sound of these Canon IS binoculars..... Not so much the price though :eek:
 
I did a personal comparison of Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski, and ended up going with the Zeiss Conquest HD 10x32. Small enough, compact, but amazing image quality. They are really excellent. The Leica was a bit more contrasty but no sharper. The Swarovski was noticeably better in terms of sharpness and definition, but a LOT more expensive than the Zeiss, and not THAT much better that it justified the difference IMHO.

I nice pair of binoculars is a lovely thing.
 
steunited said:
yes they are quite expensive but I hope to have them for several years
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I said that about my Swarovski scope !! The only way I could get agreement from the "bank manager on the warm side of the bed..."
 
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, ........
 
I went through this same quandary a few months ago. I started out purchasing a pair of hawke endurance ed 8x42 after reading reviews but after lots of testing and reading i ended up with a pair of 10x42 Zeiss conquest hds.

I found a very good shop where I was able to try various pairs from various manufacturers in varying price brackets (i wanted to know what i had to spend to see a difference) side by side and also made good use of Amazon's return policy.

In the end it came down to how they fit my face / how they felt in use and the image quality which the conquests have in spades.

I long term tested.
10x42 Helios nitrosport
8x42 opticron trailfinder t3
8x42 hawke endurance ed
10x42 celestron granite
10x42 vanguard endeavour ed ii
10x42 hawke sapphire ed
10x42 Zeiss conquest hd

Short test.
10x42 Zeiss Terra ed (new version)
10x42 Vortex viper hd
10x30 kite lynx hd
10x42 Opticron dba vhd
10x42 Kite ibis ed
10x42 leica ultravid hd plus

Happy to go into more detail if your interested in any of those.
 
Mag1cp2x said:
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, the ones I have are perfectly adequate
I do not need new binoculars, ........
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Errrm ... Ummm ... but on the other hand they are old, had them for years and years and saw a lot of very good horses following the winners around many racecourses through them ...
So I've just ordered a pair of Meade Rainforest Pro 8 x 42 binos.
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Meade8x42RainforestPro-158.htm
 
Mag1cp2x said:
Errrm ... Ummm ... but on the other hand they are old, had them for years and years and saw a lot of very good horses following the winners around many racecourses through them ...
So I've just ordered a pair of Meade Rainforest Pro 8 x 42 binos.
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Meade8x42RainforestPro-158.htm
Click to expand...
Be interesting to have your opinion on these, the review is certainly encouraging and they’re a great price if they really are as good as it states.
 
wardy07 said:
Be interesting to have your opinion on these, the review is certainly encouraging and they’re a great price if they really are as good as it states.
Click to expand...

I had a Meade astronomy telescope a few years ago which was a marvel, fully computerised and all and very expensive.
Therefor I did a double take when I saw the comparatively low prices of Meade binoculars.
Unfortunately there are no stockists locally so was unable to 'test drive' them, but having read the excellent reviews I ordered a pair
Should receive them on Thursday latest (with a 14 days return guarantee).
 
Another vote for Hawke (Endurance). I upgraded from a pair of Bushnell H20 that suffered from quite bad purple fringing. The Hawke's are a massive step up across the board (less distortion too)and seem like they should've cost more. I wear glasses and they have a decent eye relief as well.
 
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