Which would you recommend?

[tirc83]

I'm considering buying a pair of binoculars for general bird use and I am considering between the Nikon Sporter 8x36 DCF and the Nikon Sporter 10x36 DCF.

What are the pros and cons of each in your opinion or would you recommend something different in the same price range?

[matt green]

I'm considering buying a pair of binoculars for general bird use and I am considering between the Nikon Sporter 8x36 DCF and the Nikon Sporter 10x36 DCF.

What are the pros and cons of each in your opinion or would you recommend something different in the same price range?
i would imagine the 10's would compromise field of view and brightness at this price level,though i have not handled the 10's,i have tried out the 8's and found them very good value,opticaly they have a slight yellow colour cast[but so do a lot of others] but other than that they have a very easy on the eye image helped in part by huge occular lenses,they also have good build quality so should last a good bit.others on this forum have also praised them.warehouse express may have some still for £99,bite their hand off!

matt

[tirc83]

i would imagine the 10's would compromise field of view and brightness at this price level,though i have not handled the 10's,i have tried out the 8's and found them very good value,opticaly they have a slight yellow colour cast[but so do a lot of others] but other than that they have a very easy on the eye image helped in part by huge occular lenses,they also have good build quality so should last a good bit.others on this forum have also praised them.warehouse express may have some still for £99,bite their hand off!

matt

Thanks Matt. Have also since read the Bushnell Natureview 8x42 are a good pair. Nightmare trying to pick one!

Gary

[Otto McDiesel]

In that price range, stay away from 10x. Nikon Sporter 8x36 are decent, the 10x36 are bad.

[desgreene]

I use a pair of the Sporter 10x, my wife has Sporter 8x. The 8's have better field of view and depth of field and so may be the on to go for, but I certainly wouldn't describe the 10's as "bad" in any way.

Des.

[solentbirder]

I'm considering buying a pair of binoculars for general bird use and I am considering between the Nikon Sporter 8x36 DCF and the Nikon Sporter 10x36 DCF.

What are the pros and cons of each in your opinion or would you recommend something different in the same price range?

I'd recommend the 8x36. Very easy and comfortable to look through whether wearing glasses or not. Extremely good value for money at the WarehouseExpress price of £99.

[Bill Atwood]

I would recommend you consider an 8x or 10x Monarch instead of the Sporter.

[jedku]

I vote for the 8x. You will find they have:
1) a greater field of view (7 degrees vs. 5.6 on the 10x), which will help you get on birds quickly, especially flying ones, & scan open areas more effectively;
2) deeper in-focus areas at every distance, allows you to go quickly from close to far and back when lots of birds compete for your attention;
3) brighter & more stable image which allows you to see more details, even though the image will be slightly smaller than the 10x image;
4) Better eye relief (20mm vs. 16mm on the 10x), you will be able to wear eye glasses easily with the 8x, though you don't lose anything if you don't wear glasses. However, I must admit 16mm is generous for a 10x bin.

I prefer Porro prisms in this price range, though not in every case. But, I can understand the appeal of roofs for their shape, comfort and durability.
I agree with the previous comment that in this price range, the 10x will show noticeably degraded image quality compared to the 8x with the same construction. But, I have not tried the Sporters myself and cannot comment on their optical quality.

The very best advice is try as many bins as you can and compare your own impressions. Everyone has different needs for eye relief, shape, weight and even optical image.
Marc