help me find some binoculars?

greenLED

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Tyson, I highly recommend the Pentax DCF WP series. I put mine (8x42) through several years of continuous field use (I even had them around my neck in a boat that sunk in the Peruvian Amazon) and they are still as good as new. Well, they may have a bit of mud stuck somewhere :) but the optics are in pristine condition after all the abuse they've been through.

The 8x32 are about an inch shorter and a bit lighter, but you get proportionally more light inside the 8x42's.
 

bjn70

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

There is a lot to think about here...

First is price range, second is roof prism vs. porro prism (roof prism binocs have straight tubes, porro prism have zig-zag tubes). For equivalent quality, porro prism binocs will be a little cheaper. Roof prism binocs are more compact and will focus closer.

There are many different price ranges. If you want under say $200 then stick with porro prism. 8 power or so is best for most people, up to 10 power is OK but you don't really gain much.

Large objective lenses don't help much unless you are young and want to use them in low light. In daylight a 32mm is theoretically as bright as a 50mm. Under 32mm is still good in daylight but nice and compact.

I did some research recently and bought Pentax 8x32 DCF SP. I found others that looked good- Nikon Monarch 8x42 and sporter 8x36, Bushnell legend 8x32, and various Leupold models. These are mostly in the $300 price range.

I did some research recently and bought.
 

Mike Painter

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

I can't give any reccomendations as to a brand but consider buying 7x50 unless you have a specific need. These are excellent all around and even cheap pairs gather a lot of light and let you see clearer at dusk and near dark than with your naked eye.
 

mossyoak

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

i highly recomend Steiner Penegrine 10x50 a have had a pair for about a year and they work very well in low light and hazy foggy condidtions as well as normal conditions though they are a litle high they are worth it
 

greenLED

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

You know, it'd be nice to know what your intended purpose is. Those 10x50 are sweeeet, but I wouldn't want to haul them around :green:
 

tysonb

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Guys, thanks for the education and opinions - keep em coming!

My intended use is simple, general use. They will go in the 'adventure bag' with the 2 ways, the GPS, first aid kit, etc...

Thanks again,

Tyson
 

greenLED

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Ah, OK, so "full size" might not be what you're looking for (unless you're into birding) :D I prefer the full size ones over anything else because of their versatility. Incidentally, some bino reviews say DCF WP Pentax optics are almost on par with Swarovski (except around the edge of the FOV, where there's some distortion, IIRC).
 

Cones

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

These are really expensive.

But they are pretty special. :)

Canon IS 18x50

http://www.cones-stuff.co.uk/Canon%2018x50%20IS.htm

Good if you also want to stargaze with them.

HTH

Mark

GM6I1825%20(Medium).JPG
 
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LumenHound

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

If you want very high quality images under all light conditions, choose binoculars that astronomers use. Tiny pin-point light sources (stars) are the hardest thing for any optical train to image correctly without adding unwanted chromatic aberration and spherical distortion.

Astronomy binoculars will have prisms that are make with BAK-4 glass.
Avoid the lower quality BK-7 made prisms.

Astronomy binoculars will have "Fully Multi-coated Lenses", and not the much more common and less desireable "Coated" or 'Multi-coated".

Astronomy binoculars will have long eye relief so eye-glass wearers will not have to remove their glasses to see full field views.

Astronomy binoculars will have the very best large diameter multi-lens eyepieces. No more squinting through eyepieces with diameters smaller than a dime!

Astronomy binoculars will have a field of view with tack sharp focus across the entire field. No more fuzziness away from the center of view.

I have found a good balance between quality and price in the following lines:

1) Celestron's Ultima series
2) Carton's Adlerblick series
3) Orion UltraView Long Eye Relief series
4) Pentax PCF WP series
5) Nikon Action VI series

Most of the binocs in the lines listed above can be had for under US$250 and you just would not believe the difference between them and inexpensive department/camera store models. I have personally tried the series that are listed.

My current astronomy binocs are 10 X 50 Celestron Ultima's and whenever I show them to someone for the first time, I first pass them a pair of (pretty fair for under $100) Bushnell 10 X50's so they can establish a baseline for comparison. Most people agree that the extra cost is worth it when they can see the difference with their own two eyes.
 

mattheww50

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

If you can afford them, internally focused roof prism binoculars are optically excellent, and near bullet proof because they can be sealed and can be made waterproof. With no moving parts in the optical path outside the sealed unit, short of breaking them, it is almost impossible to knock them out of alignment. Unless your two eyeballs has vastly different corrections (>3 diopter difference), Center focus is a lot easier to use.
If your eye sight is really bad, look for binoculars that offer large eye relief (large distance between eyepiece and your eyeball. This will allow you to wear your glasses while looking through.

For my money, the best price performance is probably the Bausch & Lomb Discoverer series.
These are not exactly cheap, but give you probably 99% of the performance of Zeiss or Leica Roof Prisms for about 1/4 the price in a 7 x 42 which is probably about the best all around size. It is lighter than roof prism 7x50's (and a lot less dear), 7 tends to be the useful upper limit for hand held, and if you are over about 35, there is no real difference in after dark performance, your pupil won't open as wide as the 7 x50. B&L 7x42 Discoverer can be purchased on the net for a little less than $300.

If you want to above 7X, consider image stabilized
(I think both Canon and Nikon make them), they have to be experienced to be believed, however none of these are expecially good after dark, and you will definitely pay for the honor. The difference between 12x and image stabilized 12x is startling.
 
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.308

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Swarovski EL series are probably the best and they come with a price tag that reflects it ~$1600.

Leica would be my runner-up. I have a pair of 10x42BN that I purchased from a camera shop online from NY. They were $750 but sold for $1000 most everywhere else.

Larger binos weigh more and this won't seem to be a problem until they hang from your neck all day.

I highly recommend this strap if the binos won't fit into a pocket:
https://www.crookedhorn.com/index.p...s_id=9&zenid=58e0641437dbd9cc318c05314fe0a5ec

Here are some of the places that I know of that have great prices:
http://www.hotbuyselectronics.com/binoculars.htm

Good Luck,
Chris
.308
 

KevinL

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Canon's optics and image stabilizers are absolutely unbelievable, especially given their long heritage in these two fields. After you've experienced their IS system you'll never want to go back. I have not worked with their binocs but I have owned and seen examples of their optics and IS in other areas. :thumbsup:
 

Cones

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

KevinL said:
Canon's optics and image stabilizers are absolutely unbelievable, especially given their long heritage in these two fields. After you've experienced their IS system you'll never want to go back. I have not worked with their binocs but I have owned and seen examples of their optics and IS in other areas. :thumbsup:

See my review above. :)

Mark
 

KevinL

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

Saw it, that's what inspired me to post about Canon's IS. Currently shooting on their amazing 17-85 IS USM lens - last night I got a picture of an E1e so sharp you can almost smell the lithium!

But you're right, their IS binoculars are priced out of this world. However, they're the only way to get that high a magnification without handshake blur ruining everything.

On the other hand, the CountyComm porro prism 7x50s are the best $35 I've ever spent on binoculars. The price is absolutely unbeatable! They are a little heavy at close to 2 pounds, but they offer so much for so little.
 

Aloft

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

For big bino's, I have a pair of Steiner 7x50 Marine Military. They're kind of unwieldy, but superb quality and are generally a bit cheaper than other high end brands like Zeiss and Leica.

For smaller bino's, yet big enough for low lite use, I would recommend Leica's. There are a host of sizes available. Their 8x30's are light, fairly compact, and good enough for tracking the moons of Jupiter or (in a dark sky) spotting the Andromeda Galaxy, as well as standard terrestrial low lite or night use. They are also good enough for spotting the planet Uranus from my light polluted neighborhood, and would probably be good enough to spot Neptune if I had enough clear days in a row to track it's movement (Seattle area is not the best for amateur astronomers!).

I have a pair of Zeiss 8x30 armored binos. Good optical quality, but my friends Leica's are definitely superior. But be prepared. . . they're pricey, though still under $1000, I think. Bigger Leica's cost more, so it depends on what your primary use might be . . . try 'em out at a retailer.
 

drizzle

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

I can't believe no one has mentioned Better View Desired

This is primarily a birding bino web site but has excellent reviews.

My bino is a Brunton Eterna 10X25. It's waterproof, rugged and compact and has nice optics. But it went out of production and I bought it used several years ago. They have a new line available but I haven't personally tried them.
 

PeterW

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Re: recommendations on a nice set of binos

I had a pair of 15x70's, very well balanced for their size, good for night use. Recently I got a pair or canon 12x36 IS2, after doing some websearching. They show me at least as much as the 15x70 in the daytime, you can really study the detail in objects. Go try a pair, you'll never look back. I hate the way the world keeps jiggling about in 'normal' bins!

Cheers

PEterW
 
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