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Best Value Roof under 200 (3 Viewers)

ureinwohner

Active member
Hey there !

After having been so well avised before my last bino purchase from you (ended up with the Fujinon FMTR SX 7x50) i would like to ask you once again for your help.

I am looking for a pair of binos that supplement my Fuji i.e. a lightweight pair which i can use for longer hiking trips. The money i want to spend is around 200 euro max. and the specs should be 8x30 or 7x30 or 8x32 or 8x36 or even 8x42.

I ordered a pair of Fuji's Offroad 8x32 (around 70 euro) and i also want to take a look at the Monarch 8x36 (180 euro). Do you have any other suggestions and what do you think about those glasses ?

Thank you for your help

Basti
 
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Basti, sorry to make you disappointed but I've tried the Fuji Offroad 8x32 and it was totally unusable because of the excessive curvature of field that required about 90 degrees turn with the knob to focus between the edge and the center of the field. Crap!

I have also had the Minox BV 8x25 BRW and it was usable, but now I have the Bushnell Excursion 8x28 that sells for roughly the same as the Offroad. Read the thread in the Bushnell subforum and get yourself one!

If you want get the most out of your €200, the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32 has earned a very good reputation on the forum.

//L
 
not sure the Sightron is going to be under 200 in Bavaria!

so among EU models, what about the Opticron Verano 8x32? that looks to be a clone of the same body that Theron uses for the Wapiti LT and Vixen uses for the New Foresta, so it should be a quality optic and pretty light and compact.
 

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I have also had the Minox BV 8x25 BRW and it was usable, but now I have the Bushnell Excursion 8x28 that sells for roughly the same as the Offroad. Read the thread in the Bushnell subforum and get yourself one!

If you want get the most out of your €200, the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32 has earned a very good reputation on the forum.

//L

IME/IMO the excursion 8x28 is far superior in actual use than the 8x25 minox. The minox is tiny though.

Also IME you will really have a difficult time finding a bino that is superior to (not just equal to) the theron LT / sightron SII 8x32's in the sub $250 range (200 euros).

I've made this offer before in PM, but if the euro-Birders are having trouble getting some bino's for a good price, you can buy a set of binos I have for sale, and if you overpay by the right amount, maybe I'll jsut "happen" to drop a brand new set of whatever else you want ordered from the US of A right into that same little ole shipping box . (Mods, is that OK to post? o:D )
 
The sightron looks very seems to be good but i would pay 240 shipped from Germany. What do you think about the Monarch Series ? Can they compare with the Sightron. If not, i might wait until some friend makes a journey to the US.
 
IME/IMO the excursion 8x28 is far superior in actual use than the 8x25 minox. The minox is tiny though.

Also IME you will really have a difficult time finding a bino that is superior to (not just equal to) the theron LT / sightron SII 8x32's in the sub $250 range (200 euros).

I've made this offer before in PM, but if the euro-Birders are having trouble getting some bino's for a good price, you can buy a set of binos I have for sale, and if you overpay by the right amount, maybe I'll jsut "happen" to drop a brand new set of whatever else you want ordered from the US of A right into that same little ole shipping box . (Mods, is that OK to post? o:D )
US forum members are lucky with the deals they can get and shipping deals plus easy returns! Here in NZ we have none of that and it can be very frustrating knowing that with the money you spend on so so kit here, in the US you could have something very nice! Oh well thats life.
That said I did import a set of Fury 8x32 from America (cameraland NY) at a very good price, the p&p was high but still a good deal, they had a fault so sent them back and had to pay the return postage, deal not so good now but the 2nd pair very nice.
You in America dont know how lucky you are! When you live out side the loop, life can be hard!
I would say take a chance on importing from the US if all's good it can pay.
 
1) No
2) Yes, wait! :t: :-O

I don't think that's fair -- the Monarchs sometimes are a punching bag on this forum but to say they can't compete is out of line IMO. The Monarchs have quite good optics for the money, the only real knock against them is that (1) they have a substandard FOV compared to their peers and (2) they have sort of stood pat for years while other companies have caught up and surpassed them in terms of "best bang for the buck".

My wife's 10x42 Monarchs are not as good as the Zen ED's or Vortex Vipers I have tried (which are in another price tier anyway) but they are certainly competitive with the $200 type glass I've seen, including Eagle Optics Ranger SRT, Vortex Fury, Theron Wapiti LT, Zen-Ray Vista, etc. I don't doubt that the Sightrons are a bit better optically but there is no way they are so spectacularly superior that the Monarchs can't "compete".

Plus the Monarchs are quite light for the configuration. If he's looking for a lightweight package for hiking with good optics he could do a LOT worse than the Monarch 8x36 (under 20oz) for the price.
 
Being a Nikon lover I can admit the Monarchs have a certain value, but they're not the bargain they used to be before the new Chinese brands began to show up.
Even though I was disappointed with the faulty Hawke Frontier ED I received, I'd think they are better value than the Monarchs.

I owned a Monarch X - a more expensive binocular than the ordinary Monarch - but was deeply dissatisfied with its excessive chromatic aberration. Its total optical performance was WAY below that of my Vortex Fury, maybe thats why I rate them so low.

Probably the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD are the new Monarchs?
 
I will make this easy. Current cost for the Sightrons via Ebay or Amazon is $180 US. I have Amazon Prime. Free two day shipping. Cost of shipping a medium flat rate box via USPS International Priority is about $45 US...6-10 days. So $225 shipped to Germany as a "gift".

Would love to see opinions of the Sightron SII spread to Alpha territory. ;)
 
Thank you both for the offer ! Given the positive reviews of the Eden glasses and the possible difficulties with guarantee and return to the US, i will try the the Edens. My wife just had trouble with an ebook that was bought overseas and so i am a bit conscious about the comfort of having a shop in Germany who can take care of stuff or who you can call and swear at :) Today the Fujis will arrive and i will keep you informed about my findings !

Thanks for your help

Basti
 
Just received the Fuji Offroad 8x32. As experienced by other users, these are crap.
I lack the terminology in order to describe what was so crappy about them, it was not the housing though. The picture was not very sharp, little contrast and the sweet spot was very tiny. Not to speak of edge sharpness. I was afraid of getting eye cancer.

They will be sent back.
Just ordered the Eden 8x32 HD , 8x42 HD and the 8x42 XP in order to make a proper comparison.
 
I liked that one too. It allows one to rate binoculars without any or little experience by flying by the seat of your optical pants. I'll bet he's totally correct too.

Except for the little details anyone should be able to tell whether a bin is basically good or lousy.
 
Hmmm, do I trace some hints of sarcasm? ;)
The "C" word originally written by yours truly is in fact very adequate when it comes to describing these particular binoculars. And the Bavarian aborigine does indeed identify not only that it's not a mechanical issue but an optical, but also that the edge sharpness is unbelievably poor.
What more could one ask for? Those binoculars deserve no more comments unless as a cautionary tale.

Ergo: Trust me, and trust my fellow European:

The. Fujifilm Offroad 8x32. Are. Crap. :C

//L
 
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