binocular

[dale1015]

Dear all,

i am a newer in birding...
and now, i think i really need a binocular.
do u guys have any suggestions to pick up a good one ?
suppose the price should be under US100 dollars..
pls give me some suggestions, thx

best regards,

[streatham]

hi dale

getting bins under $100 is a little tough - well decent ones anyway. What I would suggest is a pair of Nikon Actions (I have the 10x50's). In my opinion a nice pair of bins that won't break the bank. You can buy them at sports authority for about $119 and probably get them cheaper online. They come with a 25 year warranty and seem to handle pretty nasty weather well- I was using mine the other week on cape cod in a blustery storm and didn't have any problems with fogging or anything - plus being in LA I guess you won't have to many problems with getting them wet etc. I'm a bit of a begginer myself - only birdwatching a year or so and i'm sure other people will throw in some excellent ideas. In my opinion the main thing with buying cheaper bins is to make sure you have a look at the actual pair that you are going to buy - as with the cheaper pairs you often have problems with missalignment. Hope this helps - SA also does a pair of minolta 10x50 bins for around $70 but I found them quite dark and not very well put together.

[IanF]

Hi Dale,

I'd just like to welcome you on behalf of Admin and the Moderators :t:

Hopefully you'll receive a few pointers as to what models you should be considering.

See you around.

[alan_rymer]

I have looked through the Bushnell 10x42 H2O Roof and they are good + a bonus for the UK are waterproof.
Links to the usa web sites:
http://att.dealtime.com/xPC-Bushnell_Bushnell_10x42_Waterproof_Fogproof_Roof_P rism_
And 8x42 roof & Porro
http://att.dealtime.com/xFS?FN=Binoculars&KW=bushnell+h20+8x42&FD=96321

HTH

[Beverlybaynes]

Three suggestions:

1. Don't buy anything you haven't tried in one way or another. Even if you end up buying on-line (and Eagle Optics is a great site), try to 'test drive' whatever you're interested in before plunking down some money.

2. Buy from a reliable retailer, whether in person or online.

3. Optics are an investment, at whatever level. You DO get what you pay for. Although I'm sure there are passable binos available at under $100, I'd wait and see if you can't spend a little more. I carry Swift Ultralite 8x42s, which I just love (I'm on my second pair, the first having been stolen), and they were purchased for under $200 from Eagle Optics.

Considering that it's possible to spend $1000 - 1500 on optics, $200 is pretty low-ball in cost. And you WILL be rewarded in quality for having spent the extra money.

You might want to check out the following website for some unbiased 'consumer reports' on birding optics:

betterviewdesired.com

Good luck with your final choice and have fun with them!