I'm a beginning birder, looking for binoculars under $100 (for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica - so lighter/smaller would be a plus, but not a deciding factor). I think I'm sold on 8x42, and I'm looking at Nikon 8245 Aculon A211 or Celestron Outland X or maybe Bushnells (there are a few possibilities)? I'm also open to any suggestions! Thank you!
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Porro or Roof? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter kathystez
- Start date
WJC
Well-known member
Hi Kathy:
A $100 bino will undoubtedly disappoint you.
Anyone who can aford to vacation to Costa Rica should dig a little deeper. Do you need an "alpha" that folks like to talk about? NO! But, unless you consider it an investment for one trip, you're throwing your money away. Any binocular is better than NO binocular, but with some the difference is negligible.
Bill
PS Welcome to BirdForum.
I agree that more than $100 is needed to best enjoy what will be a memorable experience. A Nikon Monarch III is decent for a little over $200. The V, for about $100 more, has ED glass, and you will appreciate its improvement in image quality down the road if not immediately.
There's a lot of competition at this price point, and I'm not saying it's the absolute world's best binocular/$, it's just something I have looked through and liked, commonly available, and a solid name brand.
Welcome to BF, enjoy your trip, and Happy New Year. (HNY to you too, Bill.)
Ron
There's a lot of competition at this price point, and I'm not saying it's the absolute world's best binocular/$, it's just something I have looked through and liked, commonly available, and a solid name brand.
Welcome to BF, enjoy your trip, and Happy New Year. (HNY to you too, Bill.)
Ron
Hi Kathy,
Bill is right about "digging a little deeper" and you don't have to go too much higher in price if you look around.
I can recommend the Vortex 8x42 Diamondback roof prism which costs about $200.00. It has over 50 positive 5 star reviews which you can read yourself in the link below. It is very ruggedly constructed and has a nice, wide field of view. I have owned one since it first came out. It has been improved since then and is brighter.
Eagle Optics which sells it is also connected with Vortex and has a 30 day no fault return policy so you can test it out to make sure it works for you before you decide to take it to Costa Rica.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/vortex/vortex-diamondback-8x42-binocular
Bob
Bill is right about "digging a little deeper" and you don't have to go too much higher in price if you look around.
I can recommend the Vortex 8x42 Diamondback roof prism which costs about $200.00. It has over 50 positive 5 star reviews which you can read yourself in the link below. It is very ruggedly constructed and has a nice, wide field of view. I have owned one since it first came out. It has been improved since then and is brighter.
Eagle Optics which sells it is also connected with Vortex and has a 30 day no fault return policy so you can test it out to make sure it works for you before you decide to take it to Costa Rica.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/vortex/vortex-diamondback-8x42-binocular
Bob
Hello,
One can indeed find a very good pair of binoculars for $100 (and slightly under). However, it won't be an 8x42. Personally, I wouldn't get an 8x42 for your situation anyway. A good 6/6.5/8 x 30/32 will be a very good choice for your situation. You will like the decrease in weight as well, especially if it hangs from your neck during an all-day hike. Take a look at the Vortex Raptor 6.5x or 8x, and Leupold Yosemite 6x or 8x. The Raptor can be found for about $99 when on sale, and the Yosemite slightly less. Both are very nice little binos that are backed by very good companies. I would recommend that if you will be in the jungle for most of your trip, to get the 6.5x Raptor. You will appreciate the brightness and the wider FOV. If you will be in open areas, then get the 8x Yosemite or the 8.5x Raptor. But really, any of these four models will suit your needs quite nicely, and will fit your budget as well.
BTW - Leupold makes a 10x Yosemite. Do not get that one. It is not nearly as good as it's two smaller brothers.
One can indeed find a very good pair of binoculars for $100 (and slightly under). However, it won't be an 8x42. Personally, I wouldn't get an 8x42 for your situation anyway. A good 6/6.5/8 x 30/32 will be a very good choice for your situation. You will like the decrease in weight as well, especially if it hangs from your neck during an all-day hike. Take a look at the Vortex Raptor 6.5x or 8x, and Leupold Yosemite 6x or 8x. The Raptor can be found for about $99 when on sale, and the Yosemite slightly less. Both are very nice little binos that are backed by very good companies. I would recommend that if you will be in the jungle for most of your trip, to get the 6.5x Raptor. You will appreciate the brightness and the wider FOV. If you will be in open areas, then get the 8x Yosemite or the 8.5x Raptor. But really, any of these four models will suit your needs quite nicely, and will fit your budget as well.
BTW - Leupold makes a 10x Yosemite. Do not get that one. It is not nearly as good as it's two smaller brothers.
WJC
Well-known member
Spoken like someone who's never had to tell hundreds of people their cut-rate binos are WAY out of collimation; that they can't do anything about the "rainbows"; getting the moisture out will cost 3 times as much as the binos, new.
I'm not wanting to be difficult, just lending a counterpoint.
Bill
Obviously spoken by someone who has absolutely no experience with the models I mentioned.
To the OP -- the models I mentioned work very well for a beginner on a budget, and most likely will serve you well for many years. They are as good as you are going to get within your desired budget range. There has been no evidence that either model suffers from frequent collimation issues, "rainbow" issues, or moisture intrusion issues. That is not to say that none of them have ever had any problems. They are a mechanical item, and just like Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss binoculars, can indeed develop mechanical issues. The nice thing about these two makes is that they are well-known for excellent customer service, and if by chance you ever do develop an issue, they will replace it very quickly.
Really -- the binocular snobbery around here can become sickening at times....
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
Kathystez, post 1,
I am not familiar with shops in San Diego, but if you have only 100 dollars to spend it may also be worthwile to look at used military porro binoculars. Sometimes you find excellent 6x30 proos for low prices at least in The Netherlands. However it takes some time to visit garage sales etc.
I had good experiences with used binocular hunting in the San Francisco-San Diego region visiting garage sales and flea markets.
Gijs
I am not familiar with shops in San Diego, but if you have only 100 dollars to spend it may also be worthwile to look at used military porro binoculars. Sometimes you find excellent 6x30 proos for low prices at least in The Netherlands. However it takes some time to visit garage sales etc.
I had good experiences with used binocular hunting in the San Francisco-San Diego region visiting garage sales and flea markets.
Gijs
WJC
Well-known member
Yes it can, that's why if you had read ANY of the dozens of posts I have made addressing that very issue, you wouldn't have made such a comment. But, being from Texas, I bet you understand the phrase "half-cocked."
When I bought my last bino, I could have had ANY of the "alphas." I set my sights lower. But, knowing the industry, some of the people who make it tick, and MANY of the products, I can't make the recommendations that so many folks from BF, CN and others make.
Look at how long it took to disable (temporarily, I'm sure) the notion that Leupold "manufactured" binoculars. But then, being in the plant--twice--and talking at length to their rep wasn't even good enough to defeat the poorly conceived notion. It took having someone who lived in the area pipe up to do it! And then, there was the notion that all bino companies have a glass manufacturing plant in their back room. It has been my experience that the learned learn and the inexperienced complain.
My words have ALWAYS shown I am NOT and optics snob. By the same token, I know how foolish it is to get weak in the knees over a low-ball price.
Believe what you will. And, see if you can get Ronh, Ceasar, and Gijis to buy into it. I am NOT YOUR ENEMY, just a guy with a differing opinion. I will gladly admit that the marketplace is getting cheaper. But, we're not there yet. And, as long as people believe everything they see in print, we will never be.
Bill
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Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
Bill,
I never considered you as a binocular snob, I like your comments and knowledge of the different brands and their background.
Happy New Year for you and your family,
Gijs
I never considered you as a binocular snob, I like your comments and knowledge of the different brands and their background.
Happy New Year for you and your family,
Gijs
WJC
Well-known member
Heavens no!!! I KNOW YOU know better. But, I've had to wear many crowns, most of which I would choose not to wear. Over the years, I have been taken to task over things I had JUST spent thousands of words trying to dispel. It just goes with the territory. And, it would be unproductive and disingenuous of me to act like a newbie or wannabe just to fit in. I don't need to fit in badly enough to waste my time or the time of others.
And a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Bill
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I think that one of the most important things Kathy Stez should do, if she buys ether a Porro or a Roof in this low price range, is to get it early enough to use it for a week or two to make sure all major parts like the focusing wheel and the diopter wheel and the eye cups are working properly. Nobody wants to take a trip like the one she is planning and then find that their binocular has problems when they arrive.
Bob
Bob
WJC
Well-known member
chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Whichever binoculars you choose, if you're taking them to Costa Rica, then you need to make sure they are waterproof and I'd recommend 8x42 for the extra light gathering ability. I remember watching Resplendent Quetzal and one of the other birders there had 8x32 and, in the forest, the difference was astonishing. Mine showed all the iridescent glory while the 32's produced a greenish blob ( not quite as bad as that but ...... ).
Push your limit up to $159 and you can have a binocular that you will be satisfied with and will last you a long time. A Nikon Monarch 8x42. I wouldn't get anything cheaper for Costa Rica. Are you going to the Monteverde Rain Forest? I am sure you will be wanting to see a Quetzal and a little know fact is that although a good guide can probably find you one in the forest if you go to the park entrance at about sunrise in the trees off to the left Quetzal's actually roost there in the morning and you can see all you want you just have to get up early. Beautiful bird. Take plenty of rain gear. It rains constantly. A good guide can be had for very cheap and they are worth it because they will spot many birds you will never see. Here is the link for the Nikon on Ebay and a link to a Quetzal video on You Tube.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Monar...181628464961?pt=Binocular&hash=item2a49e66f41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3W0km48pEo
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I can say the same, at least, comparing the Meopta Meopro 6.5x32
with the 6x30 Yosemites. There are tourguides who loan out the
Yosemites in Costa Rica. For rugged climbing and close forests
of Costa rica think I would take the Yosemites as lighter,
less expensive to replace, and only a whiff less clear. I'm not going
to go on a warpath, just add my witness to this.
I would not wail in blindness and cross-eyed anguish with the Yosemites,
I would have a great time. They are well under $100, scary as that is.
Others might be able to speak about the Kowas or Raptors.
I don't know those personally, but I have seen similar accounts for those,
from people owning those and pricier stuff.
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WJC
Well-known member
DITTO . . . big time!
And, I don't think he means the famous (drum roll, please) "Alphas." But, while $100 will buy a great photo of a really GOOD instrument--meaning optically (aberrations controlled), mechanically, collimated well, structurally sound, waterproof, with a good track record of performance from a concerned company--it will take more money to bring one of the instruments home. As far as what tour guides hand out, I've never known one to spend any more than he has to on anything he hands to his clients.
Bill
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The Leupold Yosemite Porro made quite a stir here when it came out, and was said to be a great buy for $80 or so. So, everybody here is certainly not a snob.
I tried an 8x30 out in a store, and was impressed with the very bright image. Coating technology has made tremendous strides in the last 30 years, so that a modest current binocular is brighter than yesterday's "alpha". Multi coated prisms for $80, WOW! Unfortunately, the one I tried was out of collimation, not terribly so by cheap binocular standards, but noticeably. Admittedly I am spoiled to expensive binoculars (as accused) that don't have such problems. But I think if you could cherry pick a few Yosemites you could be quite happy with your favorite. Who knows, maybe the one I tried was the 1 in 100 with a problem.
Buying and critiquing cheap binoculars is sort of a sport in itself, indulged in by a lot of knowlegable binophiles here, and does look like fun. I have owned a dump truck full of lousy binocular in my day however, and don't have time for it any more. If $200 makes me a snob, OK, but I can go $2000 if it makes you happy!
Ron
I tried an 8x30 out in a store, and was impressed with the very bright image. Coating technology has made tremendous strides in the last 30 years, so that a modest current binocular is brighter than yesterday's "alpha". Multi coated prisms for $80, WOW! Unfortunately, the one I tried was out of collimation, not terribly so by cheap binocular standards, but noticeably. Admittedly I am spoiled to expensive binoculars (as accused) that don't have such problems. But I think if you could cherry pick a few Yosemites you could be quite happy with your favorite. Who knows, maybe the one I tried was the 1 in 100 with a problem.
Buying and critiquing cheap binoculars is sort of a sport in itself, indulged in by a lot of knowlegable binophiles here, and does look like fun. I have owned a dump truck full of lousy binocular in my day however, and don't have time for it any more. If $200 makes me a snob, OK, but I can go $2000 if it makes you happy!
Ron
