Bins under £150

[SimonC]

Hello all,

I'm looking to replace my current bins after Xmas but my budget is only £150.
I've looked at a few (mainly Opticron) 8x models but can't decide which ones would be best (there also seems to be a lack of reviews for low priced bins)
any suggestions for an impoverished birder? ;) Porro or roof, not fussy (though close focus is an issue!)
My other option is a 20 yr old pair of Carl Zeiss Jena 8x30W Jenoptem(?) from a guy I'm in touch with in the former GDR who services them!!

Cheers

[pduxon]

Have you considered second hand?

The Bushnell H20 porro's got good reviews for £80 the roofs are stylish but £120. Can't remember if they are waterproof.

The Opticron imagic TGA WP 8*32 are £149 and waterproof I think.

There was a review of budget bins in Birdwatching a while back. Anyone got the results for Simon?

[SimonC]

Pete,

Yep, second hand is top of my list! I'm going to Titchwell shortly after xmas, so a visit to InFocus is planned (the one at willow farm never seems to have anything when I 'phone :( )

there's a review of the H2O roofs in the January Birdwatch, so they're also on my "maybe list"

I stopped getting Birdwatching a while back 'cos i thought it was getting a bit too "twee" but then again Birdwatch is getting a bit too "elitist" for my liking! Maybe I should give Birdwatching mag another chance (I did like the pull out sections they used to do - do they still do 'em?)

[pduxon]

Pete,

Yep, second hand is top of my list! I'm going to Titchwell shortly after xmas, so a visit to InFocus is planned (the one at willow farm never seems to have anything when I 'phone :( )

there's a review of the H2O roofs in the January Birdwatch, so they're also on my "maybe list"

I stopped getting Birdwatching a while back 'cos i thought it was getting a bit too "twee" but then again Birdwatch is getting a bit too "elitist" for my liking! Maybe I should give Birdwatching mag another chance (I did like the pull out sections they used to do - do they still do 'em?)

Well I'm still at the twee stage!! The pullouts for walks etc are the main reason for buying it in my view.

Check out warehouseepxress they sometimes have offers on returned stuff ex demo.

Might see you at Titchwell, I'm going up for the weekend in Jan.

[SimonC]

Well I'm still at the twee stage!! The pullouts for walks etc are the main reason for buying it in my view.

Check out warehouseepxress they sometimes have offers on returned stuff ex demo.

Might see you at Titchwell, I'm going up for the weekend in Jan.

Don't get me wrong! when I say twee, I'm talking about the appearance of the ads for the "one big slipper" & old lady dresses! ;) (A bit like the RSPB mag!)
Made me feel old before my time! (who am i kidding? I am old(ish).......now where did I see that ad for the tartan travel rugs?..........)

WarehouseExpress have had my custom a few times in the past (I was on there last night actually looking at some of the more expensive Opticrons that they've reduced to come in just inside my budget!!)

I shall look out for a BF cap & an ES80 next time I'm out & about!! ;) i'll be the one with the "para military" gear on - you know, all army surplus and facial hair!!

Cheers

[scampo]

The Jenoptems are v. good binos but not a modern design and not at all waterproof - they give a bright, wide and clear image in a lightweight binocular.

Three binoculars that have been highly rated in magazines are the Olympus 8x40 porroprism (my son used to have this - it was the RSPB recommended bino a a few years back), the Nikon Sporter 8x36 (my wife has these - excellent, esp. with specs as they have huge eye relief and they are claimed to be highly water resistant) and, very recently reviewed, the new waterproof Bushnell H2O 8x42 porroprism which got 9/10 in Birdwatching mag review.

You can find the Nikon on offer for £99-00 at www.warehouseexpress.com - a bargain in my view, but I would definitely also check out the others.

[SimonC]

Steve,

Thanks! I didn't notice the Nikons were on offer when I looked last night, They might be the ones i go for if the offer stays open long enough!

(still like the idea of the Zeiss though - for a bit of "retro Cred"! - my mate's Dad had a pair & at the time they were the best bins I'd ever used!)

I'll check out the others you suggest too
Cheers

[alan_rymer]

Have you considered second hand?

The Bushnell H20 porro's got good reviews for £80 the roofs are stylish but £120. Can't remember if they are waterproof.

The Opticron imagic TGA WP 8*32 are £149 and waterproof I think.

There was a review of budget bins in Birdwatching a while back. Anyone got the results for Simon?
Pete

I believe the H20 is not H20, its H2o as in water. They are all waterproof!

[scampo]

You wouldn't be disappointed with the Jenoptems unless you left them in your car boot overnight or out in the wet when they will probably steam up internally and take an age to clear.

You would also be very impressed with the Nikons - and at that price they are very good indeed as they were well over £200 when launched not too long ago. My wife has never had her pair mist up and Nikon do claim they are showerproof - they seem watertight to me. They are compact roof prisms, too and optically very fine. They are really extraordinarily easy to look through and give a neutral, bright, sharp and contrasty image.

As I say, if you wear specs then you will find the very useable indeed. The only small problem we have is that the twist up eyecups do not lock into position and can "wind" back down - they wind up quite a way as the eye relief is so great.

[pduxon]

Pete

I believe the H20 is not H20, its H2o as in water. They are all waterproof!

rats thats what I meant and yes I suppose it is obvious they are waterproof............. pressure of work!!


Simon
the sporters at 199 are a decent bin but at 99...........

[Jane Turner]

I'll make a plug for the Jenoptems. They are fab bins, and you should be able to get two pairs for £150, meaning you can always have an unmisted pair in the event of a total soaking. I used them for about 10 years in the 70's and early 80's before graduating to Dialyt's I still have a couple of pairs in the house...for emergencies. I don't recall having any problems with them apart from the occasional bit of rocking between the eyepieces, which aftected the diopter setting. This is easily corrected by focussing in and out as far as possible.

[SimonC]

Thanks again folks.

I think I'm sold on the Nikons (let's face it, I'd be daft not to at 1/2 price!), though I still might get the Jenoptems just for old time's sake!

Steve,

I don't wear specs yet but that may only be a matter of time as both my elder Brother & my Dad now need 'em (if deteriorating eyesight is hereditary, the same as "male pattern baldness" I don't stand a chance!!! :C ) so that's another reason for getting the Nikons,.... for a bit of "future proofing" ;)

Cheers

[scampo]

You won't regret the choice - but keep away from opticians until you really have to. I rue the day I was first sold some glasses for my long-sightedness. My eyesight has deteriorated ever since and I'm sure it's wearing specs that have made my eyes "lazy".

[mcdowella]

Anybody that thinks their eyesight is changing should see an optician even if they don't intend to get glasses. There are a few nasty conditions that they can halt or slow down but not reverse, so if what you have is not simple short/long sight you want to get it picked up pronto. From my own experience of having really short sight, getting new glasses each year when young, I'd say that slow changes are so difficult to pick up that anything you notice is not a slow change.

I wish a larger fraction of the huge amount of money that goes into glasses these days was going into research, but I suspect that if there was a really strong connection between lazy eye and long sight we would have heard. After all, they have picked that up in the case of some sort of squints.

[scampo]

I was being a touch facetious but anecdotally at least there seems to be evidence that wearing glasses for long sight doesn't help matters even if it doesn't make them worse.

You are right about "other conditions" that opticians discover occasionally. I tell you what, though, there must be gold to be minted in that business - we have more luxurious opticians where I live than just about any other "shop" in town bar building societies.

[SimonC]

I guess I'm guilty of being a touch facetiuos too. But the point about getting your eyes checked if you suspect a change in your vision is a very good one.
As a teenager I developed Optic Neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) in my right eye and, quite apart from the pain, the thought that i would have to go through life with vision much like I've tried to show in the attached photo' was enough to scare the living wotsits out of me!!
I never did fully recover the sight, and I now have reduced colour perception in that eye.

There are also a number of seemingly un-connected conditions that eye infections can be the first signs of (Optic Neuritis is often the first sign of MS!)
So, yes, any sudden change in eyesight should be investigated!

[Tim Allwood]

Watchit Simon

the Jenoptems are ace and worth it for the 'retro-cred' alone. I'm after some too - so small and light.

anything with Nikon optics in it is a class bit of gear though.

[Jane Turner]

I pick pairs up evey now and then on ebay. What do you want to pay... £60 will get a nice pair, £75-80 for mint in the box.

[SimonC]

I pick pairs up evey now and then on ebay. What do you want to pay... £60 will get a nice pair, £75-80 for mint in the box.

SHHHHHHH Don't tell everyone! ;) I'm watching 2 pairs at the moment!!

[Tim Allwood]

er.....make that one Simon!

[scampo]

"the Jenoptems are ace and worth it for the 'retro-cred' alone. I'm after some too - so small and light."

I just part exchanged a pair at In Focus at Rutland Water - so they will be selling them!

I exchanged them as part of a deal for a Nikon ED82 scope and must agree with you about Nikon's optical excellence. The Sporter binos were rather under-rated by birders partly because of the 36mm objective maybe - but they are a super piece of glass and are great for our hobby as my wife will testify.

[scampo]

"...There are also a number of seemingly un-connected conditions that eye infections can be the first signs of (Optic Neuritis is often the first sign of MS!)So, yes, any sudden change in eyesight should be investigated!"


As I know from experience within my close family, you wouldn't visit an optician with that condition, you'd go straight to a doctor.

[SimonC]

As I know from some close experience, you wouldn't visit an optician with that condition, you'd go straight to a doctor.

You're telling me! one of the scariest things about my experience was walking back from Moorfields to Kings X on my own, half blind in one eye, with eyedrops in that made everything look like looking through the wrong end of a pair of bins!

My wife also had a similar eye infection a few years ago, but it wasn't until a year later, after she'd been diagnosed with peritinitis that doctors decided to tell us that the eye infection was often a sign of other infection!

Anyway, on a lighter note, I'm ordering the nikons as soon as i get paid as a birthday present for myself & I'll be bidding on the Zeiss come sunday night!

[scampo]

I wish you success on eBay - don't get carried away. The £99-00 will prove well spent and I've heard Warehouse Express are good to deal with - let me know!

[SimonC]

I've heard Warehouse Express are good to deal with - let me know!

I know from first hand experience that WarehouseExpress are very good people to deal with. I bought my 'scope + tripod from them as a combo. Ordered one morning, arrived the next, no problems! Actually, thinking about it, my first 'scope+tripod combo came from them too.

As for the eBay bit, I have a strict (& smallish) budget which I'll not exceed! Learnt from expereince when to "walk away" from online auctions! It would be nice to have a decent spare pair of bins for my 6 yr old son to use though, might fuel his budding interest a bit more if he could actually see the birds he's looking at! (though he did spot "our" Waxwings this morning, & didn't stop talking about them all the way to school! - good sign)

Cheers

[scampo]

Your six year old ... (oh the memories of when ours were six - a good age; ours are 16 and 18 now - still a good age) ... will find the Zeiss binos very easy to use indeed as they provide a genuinely wide clear "walk-in" view. You would do well to ask the seller if the centre hinge is still tight and whether the eyepiece dioptre adjuster is not loose either. The coatings can go, too.

[mak]

will find the Zeiss binos very easy to use indeed as they provide a genuinely wide clear "walk-in" view. You would do well to ask the seller if the centre hinge is still tight and whether the eyepiece dioptre adjuster is not loose either. The coatings can go, too.

I trust you are still talking about the binoculars from the former East German company, Carl Zeiss Jena, and not Zeiss.

[scampo]

Indeed - the ones Simon is thinking of buying on eBay. West German Zeiss are a different cup of tea and quite rightly fetch higher prices, although the Jenoptem is optically excellent.

[scampo]

Simon

Those Nikons you're buying for £99-00 are £229-00 in a major local retailers - and they recommend them highly. What a bargain you're getting!

[SimonC]

Simon

Those Nikon's you're buying for £99-00 are £229-00 in a major local retailers - and they recommend them highly. What a bargain you're getting!

HEEHEE! :bounce:

Let's hope that they don't sell out before I get the chance to order them!!

[goldilocks]

I'm a bi-focal wearing born again birder.
Having roamed the optics shops and cringed on seeing the price tickets on albeit superb binos I plumbed for a second-hand pair of Swift Audubon 8.5 x 44 (the old style) and have found them wonderful.
I'm sure that in the future I will catch bino-envy and lash out for a super pair but till then these are excellent. They cost me £99 from Birdnet in Derbyshire.[FONT=Book Antiqua] :bounce:

[Geoff Brown]

Those Nikons at Warehouse express for £99 are too good to miss. I've put my order in today.

[scampo]

You'll struggle to find a better binocular optically than the old-style Audubon - it was THE bino to have a few years back. Its only negative features compared to modern optics is its weight and lack of waterproofing. If they are of no concern you won't notice any improvement on changing except the hole in your pocket!

[postcardcv]

Whilst the Nikons may look like a really good deal I would recommend trying a pair before you but them. Personally I have never got on too well with Nikon bins and would not assume that just because it's a good deal the bins will be right for you.

As others have mentioned it is well worth looking at the second hand market - it is amazing how good the deals can be. If you are heading Norfolk way I'd recommend looking in Cley Spy (in Glandford) a great shop which always has a good range for secondhand optics in stock.

[scampo]

Warehouse Express will change the binoculars, I'm sure if they don't suit. The Sporters are rather different from other Nikon binoculars - lighter, I would say.

[postcardcv]

Indeed I am sure that warehouseexpress would change them (I've been told that the service they give is great).

However first rule of buying optics is to try them yourself - never just go on what you hear. So if you can try a pair before you go for them I'd recommend doing so, as well as trying as many other bins taht are in your price range.

[Nick-on]

Many thanks to Scampo for pointing out that the Nikon 8x36 were only £99, just received a pair an hour ago and first impressions are very good. clear bright & sharp image (not as good as my 8x32 HG's but a lot better than I expected) and close focus about 8ft. Only criticism is the sliding eyecups are quite loose and are either up or down with no in-between position not a problem for me but could be for some. Overall very, very good value. Can't decide whether to keep them myself as a backup pair or give them to my son as a birthday present!

[scampo]

Glad you like them - they're really easy to use, aren't they? Seems they haven't improved the eyecups - but they're okay - it's because the eye relief is so large, I think.

Your son would love them - off to a nearby reservoir where there's a hide and he'll be hooked! Add the brilliant-for-kidsandbeginners Shell Easy Bird Guide and you're on to a winner...

[Tim Allwood]

give em to the boy Nick!

on a separate note managed to pick up a Nikon ED78 for £389 from Warehouse Express this a.m

Bit too big for me really and it probably won't get much use but considering the price they were three years ago an absolute bargain....also takes the new improved Multi-coated eyepieces.

they have a few left....

[Nick-on]

Hi Scampo
Too late, he's already hooked and he's a bit of a twitcher too (British list 197 to date) plus he's making me take him to Madrid in March so we can see vultures and Spanish Imperial Eagle, not bad for a, soon to be, 8yr old. (shows you that brainwashing really does work).

[SimonC]

I do hope they're not sold out by the time I can order them!!!!!!!! (tomorrow)

I also hope my son's life-list is 197 by the time he's 8 (cos it'll mean that mine should've broken the 200 mark!!)

[Nick-on]

Afternoon Tim,
I expect/know he'll get them. At the moment he uses a pair of Bresser Linear 8x42, optically Ok, nice and light but a sod to focus (usually finishes up borrowing mine!)
I am thinking about a 78ED, in fact I have made one or two enquiries recently about 2nd hand ones. Don't know if I can justify it at this exact moment. Depends partly on whether I go the digiscoping route or DSLR (or even Panasonic FZ10 when/if it ever appears in the UK).

Don't worry simon I'm sure they'll have some left. Warehouse Express offers seem to last for ever (the fieldscope offer has been on nearly all year).

[Tim Allwood]

Hi Nick

I know absolutely nowt about digiscoping but the new Nikon eyepieces arrparently have a 'ring' in them to take a coolpix or like.

[scampo]

"he's making me take him to Madrid in March so we can see vultures and Spanish Imperial Eagle"...

I see. 8-years-old? Hmm - if his mum falls for that you can surely afford to go for the new ED82, as I'm sure you're son needs one!!

((-:

[Tim Allwood]

Hi Steve,
aside from improved waterproofing and given that they take the same eyepieces, what are the benefits of the 82 that justify the much larger price tag?

I haven't used anything over 60 mm ever so I'm really in the dark here.

[scampo]

Tim

I don't really know as I never used the 78. What Nikon say is that the new scope is waterproof and the new eyepieces are now fully multicoated.

The old scope had so many good reviews and with the new eyepieces, I should think it would be a very fine piece of kit. And those prices are amazing, really - and genuine reductions, too. I bought the 82ED because I was stuck with a faulty Opticron scope from In Focus and it seemed a good idea at the time (needless to say I didn't have my wife with me but did have my credit card...).

[scampo]

Here's the review that first made me think about the Nikon ED78 as a possible future buy...

http://www.alula.fi/GB/index.htm

They rated it second only to the new Zeiss and that was with the old zoom. The new zoom still does not offer quite as wide a field as the Zeiss or Swarovski but the image is pin-sharp edge to edge and bright, clear and contrasty. The 30x wide is also a real beauty - the reviewers call it the best eyepiece bar none.

The slight colour cast noted in the review was a feature of the old zoom that has now been fully corrected with the new design. I think the eye relief is better on the new zoom, too, as I can use specs without difficulty.

[Tim Allwood]

cheers Steve

thanks for going to the trouble - i'll peruse those shortly!

[Nick-on]

I have looked through both the 78 & the 82mm, unfortunately not at the same time. Both were excellent optically so I suppose it depends on whether someone wants to spend £500+ extra on the latest model. Personally I would rather spend the money on a good holiday (just booked easyjet for the Pyrenees in early may, as well as Madrid in March, so if anyone knows a reliable site for Wallcreeper....let me know!). Sorry to have hijacked your thread SimonC, let me know what you think of the Nikon's if/when you get them.

[SimonC]

Sorry to have hijacked your thread SimonC, let me know what you think of the Nikon's if/when you get them.

Not a problem Nick! It's all fairly relevant at least. I did actually look at a Nikon 'scope before I bought my Opticron, but the price then was a bit prohibitive (still is really!)

Anyhoo, I've ordered the Bins this morning & they (Warehouse Express) are confident that they'll be despatched by noon, which means there's a strong possibility I'll get them tomorrow. (no biggy if I don't though, as they're meant as my B/day pressie, so they've got 'til New Year!)

I just hope that "postcardcv's" fears don't materialise. I wouldn't normally buy something like this blind but, on the other hand, I'm a sucker for a bargain!

I'll add my thoughts on the bins to this thread once I've got them (you don't have to read them of course ;) )

Cheers

[Geoff Brown]

My £99 Nikon bins came today and all I can say is excellent value for money. The Freiston RSPB site manager looked through them out of the office window on a dull miserable day and also thought they were excellent value for the money especially as you also get a 24 shot disposable camera from Warehouse Express with them. ;)

[Helwith]

My £99 Nikon bins came today and all I can say is excellent value for money. The Freiston RSPB site manager looked through them out of the office window on a dull miserable day and also thought they were excellent value for the money especially as you also get a 24 shot disposable camera from Warehouse Express with them. ;)
Just tested Nikons' 8x42 DCF HP against Leica & Swa equivalents. For the price, I'd opt for Nikon everytime, same with their Spotting Scopes after comparing them to other 'top notch' Scopes!

Top notch bins are not that impressive! Only in the mind of the beholder IMHO.

Only my opinion though;)

CB

[SimonC]

Hurrah! My £99 Nikons arrived this morning (just before I went out last minute shopping!!)

First impressions are extremely favourable. The twist-up eye cups are, as others have pointed out - quite loose but this doesn't look like it's going to cause any major problems.
The image appears to be very clear and bright (in direct comparison with my old 8x30s - not sure of the make even! got them from In-Focus - £50 new!)

Yet to try them out "in the field" but I'm not expecting any disappointments!

Thanks again to Steve C. for drawing my attention to these Bargain bins, You've made me a very happy bunny!

Cheers & Season's Greetings to all

[scampo]

Thanks, Simon - a merry Christmas to you, too. I think W.E. owe me a drink, at least!

[SimonC]

Thanks, Simon - a merry Christmas to you, too. I think W.E. owe me a drink, at least!
I'd say! I think there's been 3 sales generated from this thread haven't there?

Happy Christmas & a peaceful New Year to you & yours!

Cheers