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Is there any diffrience among Nikon, Canon,Bushnell and Hawkeye? (1 Viewer)

Becky123

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I do not really know what is the diffrience among Nikon, Canon,Bushnell and Hawkeye. can somebody help me to introduce them? And I want to get one pair of binoculars for bird watching. Which one should I choose?
 
I do not really know what is the diffrience among Nikon, Canon,Bushnell and Hawkeye. can somebody help me to introduce them? And I want to get one pair of binoculars for bird watching. Which one should I choose?


From the first vignette in Binoculars, Fallacy & Fact:

1 “WHICH IS BETTER?”

People planning the purchase of a new binocular, or comparing what they’re now using to a friend’s, will invariably ask: “Which is better?” This is a tough question at best and usually calls for many more answers than the questioner had considered.

Even so, the binocular shopper may visit the phrase again and again when considering aperture, magnification, prism type, anti-reflective coatings, and more. Undoubtedly the list will grow as he or she tries to decide which features are most important to their viewing pleasure and which are being described accurately. And how many times on binocular forums or in sales conversations do we see questions relating to buying a “decent” binocular, a “quality” binocular, a “dependable” binocular or the like. These queries may be made in innocence but as phrased they are meaningless.

Exactly what constitutes “decent”? Should it be defined by a 16-year old student in Texas, an aerospace engineer in Washington State, an orchardist in Michigan, or a history professor at Harvard? And, where is the line separating “decent” units from all the others arbitrarily considered to be something less than decent?

Likewise, what constitutes “affordable,” when at any price point there may be 200 or more entries? Should “affordable” be defined by the person who refuses to use anything less than a Leica or Zeiss or the person who thinks spending more than $79.95 is a waste?

The fact is without revealing definite preferences, on which the researcher often has yet to decide, the answer is elusive and a thoughtful and experienced mentor can be at a loss to help.

Probably the most common benchmarks are good, better, or best. But who can offer a definition for those terms? Do they relate to light grasp, aberration control, weight, glare suppression, eye relief, or any one of a handful of other considerations?

Example: Two observers might ask if a certain binocular will provide a “good view” of Mount Rainier (It’s a Seattle kind ‘a thing).

To the first observer the question means: “Will I be able to see mountain goats from my office on the 21st floor of the Columbia Center?” To the second it means: “Can I get a view of the mountain in its majestic setting?”

Both versions of “good” are valid and may represent the exact goal the observer has in mind. But while one has realistic expectations, the other is looking for a level of magnification and resolution unrealistic for a handheld binocular.
 
Which one should I choose?

Canon, Nikon, and Bushnell make many different types of binoculars, and of many different price ranges. Without knowing what your budget is, what conditions you will be viewing in, and what models are available to you, it would be very difficult to make any suggestions that would have the slightest chance of being helpful. Perhaps you could let us know of some of these?
 
Canon, Nikon, and Bushnell make many different types of binoculars, and of many different price ranges. Without knowing what your budget is, what conditions you will be viewing in, and what models are available to you, it would be very difficult to make any suggestions that would have the slightest chance of being helpful. Perhaps you could let us know of some of these?

Phil has given the only logical starting point for answering your question.

Bill
 
Canon, Nikon, and Bushnell make many different types of binoculars, and of many different price ranges. Without knowing what your budget is, what conditions you will be viewing in, and what models are available to you, it would be very difficult to make any suggestions that would have the slightest chance of being helpful. Perhaps you could let us know of some of these?

I want one for bird wacthing. And I think it would not be too heavy for me to carry when hiking. Additionally, I am a newer for binoculars and don't want to pay much for the first one. So the budget may be under $100 will be better.
 
I want one for bird wacthing. And I think it would not be too heavy for me to carry when hiking. Additionally, I am a newer for binoculars and don't want to pay much for the first one. So the budget may be under $100 will be better.

Personally I'd never consider Nikon on ethical grounds:

http://www.newenvironmentalist.co.uk/articles/nikon-a-bullet-at-the-heart/

They openly support trophy-hunting which is driving many wild species to extinction.

As ever, it's up to the consumer whether this is a factor.
 
Personally I'd never consider Nikon on ethical grounds:

http://www.newenvironmentalist.co.uk/articles/nikon-a-bullet-at-the-heart/

They openly support trophy-hunting which is driving many wild species to extinction.

As ever, it's up to the consumer whether this is a factor.

Hi,

so Nikon has a hunting optics range - big news...

As do some others, btw... I just went through the brand list in the binocular forums and linked the hunting product page (or in some cases the starting page as this was telling enough).

Zeiss:

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/hunting/home.html

Swarovski:

http://aa.swarovskioptik.com/hunting

Leica:

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Optics-Old-2/Leica-Hunting

Bushnell:

http://bushnell.com/hunting

GPO:

http://gp-optics.com/products/product-groups/riflescopes/

Hawke Optics:

http://us.hawkeoptics.com/

Meopta:

http://www.meoptasportsoptics.com/us/

Minox:

http://www.minox.de/index.php?id=jagdoptik&L=2

Leupold:

https://www.leupold.com/

Swift:

can't check atm as the content filter blocks this due to the category "weapons"... will edit later...

Vortex:

http://www.vortexoptics.com/category/riflescopes

Actually the only manufacturers with their own subforum in the bino forum who don't cater to the hunting community are those not offering riflescopes - Pentax/Ricoh, Canon, Kowa, Zen Ray and RSPB/Viking.

This limits the choice quite a bit, especially if you're looking for alpha glas or thereabouts... Canon 10x42 IS or Kowa Genesis anybody?

Joachim
 
I want one for bird wacthing. And I think it would not be too heavy for me to carry when hiking. Additionally, I am a newer for binoculars and don't want to pay much for the first one. So the budget may be under $100 will be better.

Hello again,

Thanks for the extra information. Here in the USA, there are no current Canon binos in your price range, so I will not mention anything about them. Can't say anything about the Hawkeye brand either. However, there are a few suggestion from Nikon and Bushnell.

I think that for your purposes, a decent 8x32 will be fine. They are light in weight, so most are a joy to carry as long as necessary. Any decent one will be bright enough for general daytime use. The potential problem is that at your price level, the 42mm's *on average* tend to perform better than their 32mm counterparts. I would recommend looking at the Bushnell Natureview 8x32, which in the US can be found in your price range.

If you would consider an 8x42, you will most likely get better overall performance. Of course this will come at the expense of added weight, but some of them aren't greatly heavy. Although the Nikon Prostaff suggested above is slightly out of your price requirement, I think it is an excellent suggestion. If it is a bit out of your price range where you live, it might well be worthwhile to save a bit more. These are not heavy for it's size category, and perform suprisingly well (as does their 8x30).

Another 8x42 that IMO would be worth looking at is the Bushnell Legacy WP, which is a porro design. It has a good amount of eye relief, which is something that many low-end porros do not have. I have not used one, but I certainly would investigate them.

Lastly, if you would consider a few other brands -- here in the US one can often find the Olympus 8x42 EXPS1 for under $100. These are excellent performers, and I would recommend these over any of the ones above. I have yet to see a sub-$100 bino that performs as well as these. Of course I have no idea if they are available in your area, but you would do well to find out. Also, there are several 8x32 porro binos sold here that come from China. The Leupold Yosemite and the Vortex Raptor are great little binos that would make an excellent choice for a beginner. I do not believe that Bushnell or Nikon sell them, but you might be able to find another brand that does. These are light in weight, and also perform very well in the $100 category. In the 32mm category, these tend to be the best choice in your price category. They also come in 6x too.
 
Personally I'd never consider Nikon on ethical grounds:

http://www.newenvironmentalist.co.uk/articles/nikon-a-bullet-at-the-heart/

They openly support trophy-hunting which is driving many wild species to extinction.

As ever, it's up to the consumer whether this is a factor.

Hopefully this thread can stay on topic.

For those wanting to carry on the discussion of ethics and product lines, there is already an extensive thread on that very topic where the discussion can be continued .......

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=321058&highlight=hunting
 
I want one for bird wacthing. And I think it would not be too heavy for me to carry when hiking. Additionally, I am a newer for binoculars and don't want to pay much for the first one. So the budget may be under $100 will be better.

Just starting out, that is fine. However, please don't judge binocular observing on what you see through a $100 binocular. :cat:

Bill
 
If at all possible, go to a store that has a wide range of binoculars to see, feel, try out for yourself.
(I see you are in China and have NO idea what is available there)
Center focus a must,
probably around 8x32, maybe 8x42 if not too heavy
would be good if you could increase your budget a little for more options

edj
 
I do not really know what is the diffrience among Nikon, Canon,Bushnell and Hawkeye. can somebody help me to introduce them? And I want to get one pair of binoculars for bird watching. Which one should I choose?

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