RSPB 8-42 high grade bins

[lee_adc]

Does anyone use or have a review of these binoculars?

For £449 they appear to be a nice pair of glasses.
Can anyone recommend anythink else for the same money or less?

Regards,
Lee.

[pduxon]

Lee

never used them but by all accounts I've read (none to hand) they are good bins. At that price you can consider Opticron BGA classics which are certainly lighter and I'm sure someone will tell you that the Nikon 8x32SE are cracking. For 475-500 you can get the Swaro 8x30 SLC and for £550 the Nikon HG8x32.

[John Cantelo]

The RSPB HGs are, arguably, the best roof prism bins available at this price point in the UK. As Pete points out the Nikon SEs are better if you don't mind porros and I'd also consider the Audubon 8.5 x 44 porros (but not the Audubon roofs), John

[Geoff Brown]

Just to confuse even more the new Zeiss conquest is also very good

[joser]

I'll vouch for the Nikon 8x32 SE's. They are great and a reasonable price too (compared to other high end makes with equal optical ability). This is because:-
1) They are porro prism which are cheaper generally then roof's and
2) They are not waterproof (being the only drawback, but I find that as long as you are sensible with them, this isn't really a problem)

All in all, excellent optics that quite a few on here would reccommend.

[lee_adc]

What do people think of the Swarovski 7x42 SLC.

I am hoping to have a list of bins to preview at the Rutland water Bird fair (hopefully have £500 - £600 to spend). I must admit to having a bit of a disliking (rightly or wrongly) to 32mm bins. I am worried that in dull conditions they will not be bright enough.

Regards,
Lee.

[pduxon]

What do people think of the Swarovski 7x42 SLC.

I am hoping to have a list of bins to preview at the Rutland water Bird fair (hopefully have £500 - £600 to spend). I must admit to having a bit of a disliking (rightly or wrongly) to 32mm bins. I am worried that in dull conditions they will not be bright enough.

Regards,
Lee.

unless the weather is poor at Rutland I don't see the point of previewing them there. Surely you want to audition in really tough conditions. If its a bright sunny day you won't notice the differences so much.

[Leif]

What do people think of the Swarovski 7x42 SLC.

I am hoping to have a list of bins to preview at the Rutland water Bird fair (hopefully have £500 - £600 to spend). I must admit to having a bit of a disliking (rightly or wrongly) to 32mm bins. I am worried that in dull conditions they will not be bright enough.

Regards,
Lee.

The Nikon 8x32 SE seem as bright as my Swaro 8.5x42 EL, at least to my eyes, and some others have said the same sort of thing. In my experience you can't say that binocular X will be brighter than binocular Y simply because it has larger objectives. Quality of optics and coatings plays a big role. You are best to try them out in dim conditions if at all possible.

[Leif]

unless the weather is poor at Rutland I don't see the point of previewing them there. Surely you want to audition in really tough conditions. If its a bright sunny day you won't notice the differences so much.

Maybe in the optics tent if an accomplice were to accidentally unplug the lights while he was testing bins ...

[lee_adc]

All good points,
Thanks,
Lee.

[postcardcv]

Does anyone use or have a review of these binoculars?

For £449 they appear to be a nice pair of glasses.
Can anyone recommend anythink else for the same money or less?

Regards,
Lee.

I had a pair for these until about a year ago - they are excellent especially for the price. Very clear image, excellent even in poor light conditions - yes they are heavy but personally that was never a problem. They are excellent optically and seem very well put together - very robust. I used them for a couple of years very happily and would still be using them today if I had not got such a good deal on a pair of Leica Duovids.

As others have said certainly try bins out in poor conditions if you can as that's where the difference will really show. I am also sceptical of 32's, though have used a friends Leica 32's in poor conditions and they performed very well.

[lee_adc]

Thanks postcardcv for your comments.

I am also a bit sceptical of 32's, although I am trying to keep an open mind and have a look through as many pairs of bins as possible before I buy.