Binoculars anyone?

[Taneli]

I have some small Olympus that are very nice, but I'd chose Nikon with ED glass if starting again
That glass is worth it. In low light it shows.
I've had various Nikon total stations (electronic distance measurement) and they stand out in clarity compared to other makes.
Their use in poor light makes the difference between seeing and not seeing.
It's worth paying extra for decent glass.

Ok, great to hear. I was reading about that, mostly because of that I did the quick test above it seems to make a noticable difference really. Someone wrote that the 8x30 compares to cheaper 8x42 binos, and that is just awesome.
Good to know also is that if you want to have distortion free image they have a plus-model with "Flat Field Lenses", for just a slight more money and a slight more weight also (and of course the HG models which are even better).

 

[John King]

7x30 for belt pouch, daytime use only.
8x56 for better light gathering, night time/astronomical use. Has an exit pupil of 7mm, the dilation of a healthy, fully dark adapted human pupil.

 

[Bill in Texas]

I have a pair of Nikon Monarchs, 10x50 and Vortex, 8x42. I use the Vortex most of the time. Great binos and great customer service.

 

[JayOC]

I have the Nikon Monarch 7, 10x42. I have been quite pleased with them. They are relatively light weight and perform well. I have had them with me when photog birds with my Nikon D7100 and 200-500 zoom. The magnification on the binoculars was greater than the lens when set to 500 mm.

 

[Richard]

I have a pair of Minolta 8x22 binoculars which I've owned for thirty years or more. As they are light and compact I tend to take them to places where larger and heavier binoculars would be an encumbrance. I think their last outing was to the top of Mt Vesuvius.

Thinking back, I first bought them to take to rock concerts. Before the days of large screens at the back of the stage, if you were in the cheap seats at the back of a big arena, you would barely see the performers. They were tiny little figures off in the distance. But then a friend of mine brought a pair of very big binoculars to a concert one day, and the improvement to the experience was remarkable. You could see people's expressions on stage. But whereas his binoculars were heavy to hold and looked like a prop from Sink the Bismarck, I wanted something discreet which I could slip in a pocket, hence the little Minoltas. I found them handy at concerts even after big screens came along. You don't always want to watch what's on the screen - you want to watch what that other guy is doing over there.

-R

 

[teton]

I worked in the optics department of sporting goods stores for a few years, and got to talk to lots of guides and hunters about binoculars. Twenty years later, I still use my binoculars nearly every day to look at deer, elk, bears, birds and shadows that I thought were bears.
Something that needs to be emphasized, purchase binoculars with an objective lens diameter in millimeters is at least 5 times the magnification.
Example: Eight power binoculars should be 8X40. Otherwise, you'll lose low light performance. Eight X 32 binoculars will be lighter and smaller, but not as good in the dim light where we often see animals.
The top of the line binoculars by Leupold, Nikon, Meopta, are about half the price of the very best binoculars, but don't give up a lot in performance. And, the all have very good warantee service.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I inherited these from my dad. They've been stuffed away in a closet for a lot of years but seem to work fine.

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I would check the Goodwill auction site for bargains on binoculars. People don't always appreciate them now the way they did back in the day.

 

[DM Larson]

My vote for best bang for the buck are Vortex. We have three pairs of 8x40 in our family. We also have a pair of Leupold 8x40 that is very similar to the Vortex in price and performance. I have a set of 8x40 Maven binoculars that are more expensive and a little nicer than the Vortex/Leupolds, but I got mine by redeeming points. If I needed to buy a replacement for any of my binocs I would probably buy a Vortex.

 

[John King]

I worked in the optics department of sporting goods stores for a few years, and got to talk to lots of guides and hunters about binoculars. Twenty years later, I still use my binoculars nearly every day to look at deer, elk, bears, birds and shadows that I thought were bears.
Something that needs to be emphasized, purchase binoculars with an objective lens diameter in millimeters is at least 5 times the magnification.
Example: Eight power binoculars should be 8X40. Otherwise, you'll lose low light performance. Eight X 32 binoculars will be lighter and smaller, but not as good in the dim light where we often see animals.
The top of the line binoculars by Leupold, Nikon, Meopta, are about half the price of the very best binoculars, but don't give up a lot in performance. And, the all have very good warantee service.

Good info, @teton , and to this forum.

 

[PacNWMike]

Well the power and light gathering ability is only the first thing to decide. Once you have that decision out of the way there are other considerations. IMH eye relief is the most important. More is better and 17mm is minimum. If you are a birdwatcher/twitcher or watch anything moving then you want to be able to acquire the image fast. After I decided on 10x42-43 I narrowed my choices down to Nikon, LeicaBN, PentaxDCFSP, and one other?? I took them outside to try out. There was an eagle's nest across the road. I tried each pair from hanging around my neck to focused on the nest. This quickly ruled out the Nikon and the other brand leaving the BN's and the Pentax. The Pentax worked better for me and it didn't hurt that they were $500 cheaper This was years ago and Pentax have worked out fine. So try before you buy. Each persons eyes are different and maybe your use is different.